I’ve lived the development of Empire for close on two years. Nothing like the top bods, in time or effort, but I reckon 30k of the words are at least mostly mine – and I never expected to be able to say that about a project. I’ve been generously given a producer credit for a short film – simply I think for being happy to take the blame – and I never thought I’d be able to say that.
It has been an awesome ride, and this weekend we see if it’ll work in a field, and if it makes 1500 stories people want to tell. It’s petrifying and I have little idea of what it must be like to be one if those who’ve done far more than I have.
I’m getting an odd sense of Henry V style band of brothers shared adversity. Either it’s Matt’s reality distortion field, or the recognition of the amount of work that goes into a fest larp, or just Stockholm syndrome but it seems a lot of people – players and crew alike – are willing this to succeed. Which is nice, and I hope will help when we find the rough edges. You can’t play test a fest larp. and rough edges will exist, and people now frothing will find the game isn’t as it is in their heads, or even our heads, and some will find it the worse for it. I reckon there’s enough there that the devil’s bargain of games of this scale will be worth it. it is literally awesome, this great work, and it wears its heart on its sleeve. It is, at the very least, the best game some experienced and clever and creative folk could make. I reckon it’ll do OK.
As the wise man says, “game on’.
LARP experience 