The past few weeks have been hard for you. Sleeping rough and eating trail rations has taken its toll, wearying you in both body and soul. And over the last day or so, this damned fog has chilled you to the bone. It was with some relief that you spotted the welcoming glow of a wayside inn, looming up out of the fog ahead.
The sign creaks in the wind that has blown up suddenly out of nowhere. The pale last light of day enables you to read the faded lettering, The Cuckoo's Nest . The door stands slightly ajar, allowing the scent of good food and the sound of voices and laughter to drift out into the night.
Enter, weary traveller...
For those of you that have role-played before, live role-playing opens a new dimension to gaming. Gone are the constant dice rolls and scribbling on bits of paper (gone too are the constant cups of coffee and bottles of Irn-Bru). Instead you can find out how really cold and miserable it can be as you stumble along through the snow with a full backpack weighing you down and your (t)rusty sword by your side.
You'll make up a character, in close conjunction with one of the Games Masters. You do get characters sheets but you don't have to worry about them as these are kept by your (t)rusty GM. You can play any character from any race, any world; as long as we like the look of it - we'd prefer it if you gave us a background for it. All characters start up with about the same level of skills - these are all fairly inexperienced characters; just starting out on the road to greater adventure. There are no character classes; you can choose whatever skills you like. Character skills can be increased over playing time - the games you'll play are all linked in a continuing campaign. This is not a hack-people-apart system - okay, you'll fight using safe latex weaponry, but this isn't the main point. You'll have points awarded to you for good role-playing. These points are used to develop the character further.
You can take part in all sorts of events - adventures run regularly, as do freeform scenarios (i.e. little or no plot and just character interaction) such things as evenings in a local tavern or manor. You can have as many characters as you like. Some will die, no doubt - but then, who doesn't? (You probably don't want to know...) As to the games themselves, you'll require costumes for you characters, and weaponry - we can provide some of this to get you started, but you'll seen need your own, if only to get just the right cloak for your noble knight to wear. Weaponry is made of soft foam-and-latex, and all weapons will be checked for safety before you play; you'll also be given a short lesson in safe-weapon fighting, if you've never done it before. Its very easy, and people very rarely get hurt (the odd bruise, that's all.)
So, draw up a stool, order a mug of ale, and join the tale-spinning session that's currently going on around the table to the fireplace. Begin to add your own tales of high adventure to the chronicles of The Cuckoo's Nest. Perhaps some of them will hold more truth than the ones currently being told.
"... and there were at least seven thousand of them, all fifty foot tall - and everyone else was unconscious. And there was dragon - did I mention the dragon? So I pocketed it, and made good my escape - a tactical withdrawal to survey the situation." The small, topknotted creature sitting by the fire pauses for breath, surveying the incredulous audience. "So that's how it really happened, and I've got the dragon here to prove it." The kender grins happily, and absently takes a quaff from your mug of ale. "Wanna see....?"
