book recommendation

[kmusser]

I recently finished reading War Day by Whitley Strieber and James Kunetka (Amazon link). This is one of the classics of post-apocalypse writing, originally published in 1984 I expected it to be kind of dated, but one of my co-workers recommended it highly. Reading it I was very impressed. It's a novel written in a documentary style, describing what life is like in the U.S. after a limited nuclear war. The realism it manages to convey is excellent, it contains a wealth of technical detail, while also making the impact of the war very personal on a human level. Not nearly as dated as I was afraid it would be, inded with current events it seems very timely, if somewhat depressing. Anyway, I definitely recommend it - and for anyone running post-apocalypse RPGs I'd consider it a must read.

Comments

[wylddelirium.livejournal.com]

You're SO up for it. Really. What more convincing do you need?

[animadversio.livejournal.com]

True, true.

My hesitation is that I've never LARPed before, and in my high school drama club, I always did better as a stage manager than being part of the Dramatis Personae :-)

[wylddelirium.livejournal.com]

Well, here are some options:

1. Cast. Instead of getting a character with free reign all weekend, you'll be given a series of short term characters with very specific goals, like, "Make sure you tell Sandy she's full of shit" or "Check and see if that group is close to solving the puzzle" or "Make sure that people understand the sea is full of rats." You'll have a lot more direction, a lot more GM support, and you'll get a chance to play several "utility" characters to see if this LARP thing is really up your alley.

2. Tech. We still need people to come, wear the costumes, but for the most part they'll be helping with food service, moving prop/set pieces around, and helping to decorate spaces as necessary. We have a limited number of these positions, but you get to go for practically nothing and witness. You may end up having to interact "in character" as "the food boy" or "just a carpenter", but you won't have to be convincing or acheive any goals. It's a good way to help us, and witness the event, and see if LARP is your bag, without having to worry about your acting skills.

[animadversio.livejournal.com]

Options, options!

OK, I will consider this mightily and answer anon.

Just so long as I get to get nekkid... oh wait, that's a different event in the woods on my calendar :-)

[wylddelirium.livejournal.com]

Hey, all LARPs I write have a non zero chance of adult nudity in an artistic context.

Just sayin.

[animadversio.livejournal.com]

I was about to respond "Cool!", but then I thought: "what if *I'm* the only one getting nekkid?"

AIEEEEEEE!

"Nude man found lost and wandering in woods. Police say he continually muttered 'But I didn't KNOW. They didn't tell me until it was too late!'"

[evcelt.livejournal.com]

If it's ITDT we're talking about here, it's being held at a campsite in which there is a swimming pond. There is a long tradition of skinny-dipping there. In some ways, the land-law and local gods demand it.