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THE BIG BAD THYNG
Something Very Wicked This Way Comes

an original
Supernatural Horror Fantasy Whodunit Mystery
freeform interactive drama live action roleplaying scenario

including live entertainment open mic

written by

Brian David Phillips, Ph.D, C.H.

directed by

Brian David Phillips and Lorraine Phillips
30 October 2010, 3:00pm

followed immediately by
Halloween Pot-Luck Costume Party
6:30pm-ish to All Hallow's Morn
(or, whenever folks leave)

The Big Bad Thyng

welcome to
C L U B
HELLFIRE

On the surface, it's a night club
like so many, on this night of nights,
hosting a Halloween Costume Party
with music and entertainment and more
but . . .
you know the truth
beneath the party and the revelry
it's a place of power,
hosting a secret enclave of
real supernatural folk,
Fairies, Vampires, Werewolves, Wizards, and more
here to renew a truce that has lasted a thousand years.

Beware . . . here there be monsters
and some of them bite!


How Much Longer shall the Fairy Truce Hold?
The peace has held for a thousand years . . . the Fey and the Vampyr and the Lupine and the Angelik and the Others have held an unsteady truce that has allowed their lines to exist somewhat peacefully hidden amongst the humans. The magickal ley lines of power that used to fuel great dynasties of supernatural beings who once walked like gods amongst the lesser mortals have long ago run dry so that a covenant of secrecy was sworn a thousand years ago to protect the very few places of power left upon this desolate world so that each place of power would serve as neutral territory for all supernaturals to replenish their powers with no control given to any one line but shared. Each high festival of Samhain, All Hallow's Eve, what some ignorant humans call Halloween, the representatives of the Special Peoples meet at these special places to renew the truce in secrecy while the humans party alongside those whose bloodlines stretch across ages and universes in ignorant bliss. Some of these places of power are particularly important as not only do they contain the last of the mana pools of power but a very few host the few remaining gates, dimensional portals that it was foretold would one day become active again and open the pathways back into the realm of the Fairy for some and Hades for others . . . or, worse . . . open to an invading force from the realm of the Great Old Ones and their cthonic hoardes . . . of course, everyone knows that is just a fairy tale told by ancient and insane fairy folks wishing to frighten naughty children . . . at least most folk secretly pray it's such a tale.


This "performance" of the Taiwan Interactive Theatre Society will be 30 October 2010, beginning at 3:00 p.m. in the Phillips residence (email or call for details if you don't know the location - make sure you have your role cast early so you can prepare your character, costumes, and any props needed). For those who wish to stay and celebrate Halloween with us, this event will end as we begin our Annual Halloween Party . . . you'll already be in costume. The party is a potluck dinner event . . . please coordinate food and drinks with Lorraine Phillips. Please do let Lorraine know if you are staying for the party and whether or not you will have other guests joining you and us at that time (this is a great excuse to bring your non-player friends and significant others into the social gathering for the costume Halloween socialization fun.

NEW PLAYERS WELCOME!

The Taiwan Interactive Theatre Society, the premiere scenario-based theatre-style live action role playing costume game troupe in Taiwan, has been on hiatus for a number of years . . . this is our reboot season so new members are very very welcome! It has been awhile so we're ready, willing, and eager to have some fun!

If you are unfamiliar with interactive dramas, they are a hybrid between scenario-based improvisational theatre and live action cosplay role playing game. See the archives at http://www.interactivedramas.info for a lot of background and information.

The scenario for our playing pleasure will be The Big Bad Thyng, an original Halloween Costume Party with a Supernatural Horror Fantasy Whodunit Mystery with Intrigue, Espionage, Suspense, and Otherworldly Otherness set in a Night Club that happens to be one of the many entrances into the Other Side interactive drama freeform live action roleplaying scenario written by Brian David Phillips especially for this event. If you're not sure what all that means, don't worry about it, that's just a way of showing that this is a multi-genre scenario that doesn't fit into one story type . . . suffice it to say that this is really just a simple scenario similar in nature to the scenarios we're already familiar with.


THE BIG BAD THYNG
Something Very Wicked This Way Comes
Supernatural Horror Fantasy Whodunit Mystery
Theatre-Style Interactive Drama Live Role Action Roleplaying Game

Genre:Supernatural Horror Fantasy Whodunit Mystery
Problem Solving:Yes!
Comedy:Some
Intrigue:You bet!
Catharsis:Anything is possible
Mature or Adult Concepts:Some.
Religious Concepts:Yep, fantasy-based if you like.
Fun:Lots and lots and lots
Directors:Brian David Phillips and Lorraine Phillips
Venue:Phillips residence (not far from Shijr Train Station in Taipei)
Date:Saturday, 30 October 2010, 3:00pm
Special Notes:This is a special Halloween-Themed session that segues into the ANNUAL HALLOWEEN POT-LUCK COSTUME PARTY for those who can stay, we invite you all. So, this is a Roleplaying Interactive Theatre Mystery Event in the afternoon and a Costume Pot-Luck Dinner Party in the afternoon - please coordinate food and drinks with Lorraine Phillips. Also note that this scenario takes place in a faux night club so feel free to sign up for performance time slots (yes, we will have live performances by players - Halloween, supernatural, or fantasy themes preferred but not required).
Information:http://www.interactivedramas.info/tbadthyng.htm


CAST LIST
Current Character List
Watch for Updates

The nature of the scenario is modular so character assignments will be made on a first-come-first-served approach based upon plot priority. There is an absolute minimum number of characters required for the game to go forward with additional character assignments possible after the minimum has been made (basically, new plots and relationships are threaded in with dynamic changes). If we don't have enough for the minimum, then the performance gets shelved. Do note that additional characters will be slotted in so there is no actual maximum for this scenario. So, get out there and recruit some bodies to play!

Yes, for this scenario, it is possible for folks to choose their own general character type due to this modular nature (see earlier guidelines). However, the following cast list of those who have already been assigned characters will give you an idea of the range of characters within the scenario. Casting assignments have begun. Descriptions here are one-liners of what sort of person the character appears to be to others, many characters have secret attributes and some may even be very different from who they appear to be . . . at least one is a murderer, possibly more are involved in intrigue and conspiracy, and most have very special abilities. The descriptions here are terse and straightforward, but keep in mind that the scenario takes place in the contemporary age after thousands of years of supernatural truce among very special powerful beings . . . some player characters are similar in age to the player while others have lived for decades, or even hundreds, and in a very very few cases, perhaps thousands of years.

CHARACTER
RACE
DESCRIPTION
HELLFIRE
PERFORMER
PLAYER
Cirridan Fairy (Light Elf) Elf Prince, Delegate to the Conclave Musician Victor Fan
K'estral Angelik (Muse) Refugee from Beyond the Barrier Musician Kaye Phillips
Krinnalina Werefolk (Werepanther) Psychic , Club Hellfire Management N.A. Lorraine Phillips (Director)
Lilith Cthonic (Succubus) The High Dark Lady, Delegate to the Conclave N.A. Stacey Pai
Lucifyr Angelik (Archangel) Light Bringer, Delegate to the Conclave N.A. Michael Cheng
Lupus Ursus Werefolk (Werewolf-Werebear Hybrid) Shaman , Club Hellfire Management Dark Sorceror Brian David Phillips (Director)
Phearkyn Ghostkin (Wanderer) Lord of Silence, Delegate to the Conclave N.A. Michael Powell
Phobia Vampyr Enforcer of the Masquerade Musician Anita Huang
Queen Carmilla Vampyr Sovereign in Exile of the Vampyric Court, Delegate to the Conclave N.A. Jessica Yuan
Remembrance Ghostkin (Walkout) Sleeping Dreamer N.A. Amy Yang
Serendipity Magickian (Witch) Servant of the Sound N.A. Vicky Chen
Songwen Chthonic (Siren) Refugee from Beyond the Barrier Musician/Songstress Lily Lee

If you have not contacted the Director by emailing director@interactivedramas.info with a request for a character assignment, then please do so now! Players under the age of eighteen need to have parental permission to play and should contact Lorraine with contact particulars (she needs to confirm with your parent or guardian - no bid deal, but we do need to cross our t's and dot our i's with underage players; minimum age for membership in the troupe is sixteen - like many troupes of this type, actual player age range is very very wide from high school students to university students to career professionals and beyond . . . we are all brought together through our common enjoyment of the activity).

If you have not yet joined the troupe's Facebook troupe at http://tinyurl.com/tindrama do it now. Also, be sure to mark yourself as Attending on the scenario event page at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110648728996850 although that alone is not enough, you need to contact the Director as soon as possible for a character assignment.


I am updating information on the THE BIG BAD THYNG scenario as often as possible. Things are shaping up very nicely with what looks like enough players to allow for plenty of nice little subplots and twists to give everyone plenty to do. Contact me soon to reserve a character role - please understand, I will try to accommodate players as much as possible but roles assignments are more of a first-come-first-served affair - in some cases, character age and-or gender may be adjusted to accommodate player assignments):

Let us know your language fluency and character type preferences (by the way, if you have a preference to play Good, Evil, or Insane within your type let us know too), if any. If you aren't sure then just let us know and we'll be sure to give you something fun.

  1. Fairy (fairy, elf, alfar)
  2. Vampyr (vampire, vampiress)
  3. Werefolk (werewolf, werecat, werekin)
  4. Magickian (witch, wizard, shaman, warlock, mage)
  5. Ghost-kin (ghost, revenant)
  6. Angelik (angel, archangel, muse, cherubim)
  7. Chthonic (hellspawn, demon, devil, incubus, succubus)
  8. Human

Let us know if you would like to perform for the night club's entertainment as well . . . limit scheduled performances to four to five minutes, please, so select your pieces or plan your act accordingly. You may play it straight or perform in character (much more fun for the scenario).


Once Lorraine an Brian have definite casting information on who will be playing, they will put the publicly available character lists and scenario descriptions on the web page. As usual, this theatre-style live roleplaying event will be held in the Phillips residence (email or call for details if you're not sure of the venue).

If you want a specific character (or character type -- such as "Vampyre" or "Wyzard" or "Werecreature" or "cthulhuesque cultist brain-eating tentacle-growing choirboy" or "Fairy Princess" or whatever -- feel free to be as bizarre or as mundane as you like, it's your character) or if you have a really kool supernatural or outlandish costume you have been looking for an excuse to wear, then you'd best speak up quickly. Do keep in mind that certain of the supernatural species are associated with particular language abilities so be sure to let us know your fluency levels in English and-or Chinese (this unique scenario allows us to have players who cannot actually communicate with one another so if you have a friend who cannot speak English but can speak Chinese or vice versa then they are very welcome to join us for this event! Yes, the inability to communicate with certain other players is built into the scenario!

Of course, you don't have to suggest a character type for yourself as Brian has a pretty good idea of what the plot needs so he can select one for you. If the slots fill and you still want to play, we can accommodate additional last minute characters (as many as want to play for this one) -- Lorraine and Brian are happy to whip up additional characters for players as long as they have time to do so). Caveat: We need a minimum of six core characters for the event to proceed (fewer than that just isn't worth the trouble of trying to keep things interesting and busy -- Brian's not up to that kind of hassle).

Players will receive general character type and descriptions within a week of reserving a slot in the cast so that they can begin working on costume or props (feel free to be as simple or as complex as you like, but we do ask that participants at least give it a proper go . . . there will be a Best Costume award in addition to the Best Roleplayer award.

Please note that your actual costume for the game need not reflect your character type . . . as the setting is a supernatural night club during a Halloween costume party so you may be playing a supernatural character who is wearing a costume at a party (certainly, not everyone will appear as they are, for instance a few Vampyrs have been known to have a bit of a laugh dressing up as Werewolves on occasions just for the fun of it). Complete personal character descriptions will be emailed at least a week and a half prior to play.

If you wish to join us, you need to let Lorraine and Brian know A.S.A.P. to reserve a character (actually, we need to write the thing so you'd best let us know earlier rather than later to get a "good" character -- that is well-written rather than thrown together at the last minute albeit a few rare characters will actually be morally upstanding individuals).

If you're going to play and you want a character, please let Lorraine and Brian know ASAP! Regular cast and newcomers, it would be very helpful if you could let the Director know whether you wish to play before October 10, even earlier is much much appreciated (an immediate conditional reply now would also be appreciated so HIT THAT MAILTO LINK NOW! - especially if you wish to have a character with more motivation, goals, character, and meatier things to do). For those of you who prefer or need to correspond in Chinese, please email Lorraine HERE. Old Ben


Hellfire Club or Portal to the Fairy Realm? The Hellfire Club is just the latest incarnation of the secret conclave's identity . . . a masque to keep the truth from humans. The Hellfire Club was once populated by the likes of Semi-Fey Benjamin Franklin and his ilk but now it has become a nightclub under mostly Vampyr and Lupine management as part of the rotating truce . . . they have turned it into an open establishment that actually allows humans to revel within the walls, even on this most sacred night of renewal of the treaty. At least we now have music and entertainment and the odd snack (one iron clad rule is NO KILLING within the walls of the club as these walls are sacred).


In addition to being a political scenario of negotiation and secret agreements and perhaps even espionage and treachery, part of the premise of the scenario is a Murder Mystery Whodunit in which players take on the roles of suspects in a murder (this is not all there is to it as there are also several subplots that you'll be involved in as each character will have his or her own personal goals to accomplish during the scenario run). You will be given character briefings that have information about yourself and others. In the course of the game, you will ask questions of others and be asked questions. Unlike other games of this type, while the "Murderer" may lie, all others DO NOT HAVE TO TELL THE TRUTH either. Yes, it's just like real life in that anyone you speak with could be lying (albeit they will be doing it in character).

During an investigation, a detective must answer three questions in order to catch a murderer:

  • MOTIVE - Who had a reason to kill the victim? Does any particular person benefit - for example, financially or romantically - from the victim's death?

  • MEANS - Who had access to the murder weapon? Does any particular person have the unique knowledge, skill, or physical ability necessary to use the murder weapon?

  • OPPORTUNITY - Who had a chance to kill the victim? Is any particular person unaccounted for (has no alibi) during the time the victim was killed?

Your challenge is to use these three elements to form a hypothesis about the murder, which will result in an accusation. Keep these questions in mind as you pursue your investigation. Good Luck!


In general, costumes should be wild and wicked and weird and wonderful . . . this is a Halloween party! So, knock yourself out! Not only are you playing a character, your character is wearing a costume so have fun with it! Seriously . . . be playful and have fun with your character type and costume. Stretch your imagination!

Those who might feel weird walking the streets of Taipei in their costumes should feel welcome to bring their outfits in unmarked brown paper bags and change at the venue prior to the start of game play.


Interactive Dramatist's
Clarifications

Folks, let me make a couple things clear real quick . . .

You don't have to know what "fantasy" or "gothic horror" are to understand or enjoy the game. Since I plan on taking elements from various genres to build the plots, knowing too much about the source genres or having too many expectations will probably spoil it for you . . . having few expectations and a genuine willingness to have fun is really all you need to have a great time with this.

We do need to know your languages of fluency for this one so that we can cast folks who are monolingual and bilingual accordingly.

Let us know if you would like to be on the performance list as well. We will have performance slots for musicians, singers, or others who wish to be the in-character entertainment at the Hellfire Club for this special event.

On another note, while some of the "example character types" may seem to be "adult" in nature (prostitutes and the like), this is NOT an "adult" game. While it may address some mature themes in the character backgrounds, that will all be character past, not present or active. The scenario would best be characterized as a "PG" game (not simplistic or innocent enough in backstory to be a "G" piece, but certainly not enough to be classified as "R" . . . we're not quite ready to break that window . . . yet). I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression.

Costume Hints

As noted above, in general, costume choices are wide open . . . the event is set in Club Hellfire this year during a Halloween Party . . . so, you can dress as your character type or have fun playing a character who is dressed in costume as something else if you wish.

Please note that your actual costume for the game need not reflect your character type . . . as the setting is a supernatural night club during a Halloween Costume Party so you may be playing a supernatural character who is wearing a costume at a party (certainly, not everyone will appear as they are, for instance a few Vampyrs have been known to have a bit of a laugh dressing up as Werewolves on occasions just for the fun of it). Complete personal character descriptions will be emailed at least a week and a half prior to play.

Of course, those who wish to dress IN CHARACTER with a costume that represents the actual character type are strongly encouraged to do so . . . in a world of mundanes, it's a very special night indeed when supernatural beings may freely drop their cloaks, disguises, and consealment magicks and walk the Earth within their own natural forms with no fear of breaking the masquerade or discovery of their true natures by the mundane humans.

This is indeed a very special day of celebration of the freedom to be yourselves! Walk the Earth freely and proudly as the powerful beings that you are, as your ancestors did thousands of years ago, with no fear of discovery or breaking truce . . .

. . . even if only for a single evening.

Obviously, you can feel free to adapt your costume as you see fit in terms of items you can get readily as long as it captures the mood of the character. Although this is a science fiction piece most folks shouldn't have too much of a problem finding something to capture the essence of the character.

Those who might feel weird walking the streets of Taipei in their costumes should feel welcome to bring their outfits in unmarked brown paper bags and change at the venue prior to the start of game play.


Once more, if you're not on this list of players/characters and you would still like to join the game, please email the Director (that's me, Brian David Phillips) at director@interactivedramas.info (the sooner, the better so I can write the character into the plots). Feel free to consult the troupe web page at http://www.interactivedramas.info/taiwan.htm for more information and future updates.


That's it for now. I will keep you posted as things develop. If there's something you would like for your character, feel free to let me know (not all of these folks are what they seem to be . . . in fact, a few of them will be downright different or perhaps even alien). Some of you have already contacted me about your characters and I've tried to incorporate your suggestions and desires into the characters and plots as they develop (more will come later, this is just the teaser).

If you're not on this list of players/characters and you would still like to join the game, please email the Directors (that's us, Brian David Phillips at director@interactivedramas.info and Lorraine Phillips at lorraine@briandavidphillips.com -the sooner, the better so we can write the character into the plots). Feel free to consult the troupe web page at http://www.interactivedramas.info/taiwan.htm for more information and future updates.


If you have not contacted the Directors by emailing director@interactivedramas.info or lorraine@briandavidphillips.com with a request for a character assignment, then please do so now! Players under the age of eighteen need to have parental permission to play and should contact Lorraine with contact particulars (she needs to confirm with your parent or guardian - no bid deal, but we do need to cross our t's and dot our i's with underage players; minimum age for membership in the troupe is sixteen - like many troupes of this type, actual player age range is very very wide from high school students to university students to career professionals and beyond . . . we are all brought together through our common enjoyment of the activity).

If you have not yet joined the troupe's Facebook troupe at http://tinyurl.com/tindrama do it now. Also, be sure to mark yourself as Attending on the scenario event page at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110648728996850 although that alone is not enough, you need to contact the Director as soon as possible for a character assignment.


Please remember . . . directly after the interactive drama, we will have a potluck Halloween party . . . you are invited and encouraged to stick around and socialize with the other players out of character and in good company. Non-player significant others and friends are invited to join us for this AfterLARP event as well.

Please let us know whether or not you are staying and do coordinate with Lorraine on dishes and beverages.


More information to come as we have a better idea of who will be playing and as Brian makes it up.

Until then, see you at the club! . . . the Club Hellfire, that is . . .






台灣互動式戲劇學會
Taiwan Interactive Theatre Society

實境RPG (角色扮演遊戲真人版)

T.I.T.S.






Interactive Dramas










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