I can honestly say that my current knoweldge of Steampunk is limited but as a LARP enthusist have definately noticed an increase of this genre as a possibility for the new LARP trend. Simply put – it’s everywhere!
Thoughts of Steampunk have been invading by brain for weeks; so much so that others have noticed what appears to be a single minded fixation. I don’t blame them – I can get like that and right now I’m pretty excited about the idea of Steampunk breaking through.
From the initial onset it looks a lot like any other Science-fiction genre with guns and enless possibilities but when you take a look closer it starts to deviate from the pile of “standard” sci-fi settings. It is at this point that I start to get excited.
You see, although I am loath to admit it, I am a hopeless romantic at heart. I believe this is why I tend to gravitate toward the realm of medieval/fantasy LARP instead of the countless other genres out there.
Unlike the steril settings of most futuristic genres Steampunk isn’t set in the future and it isn’t set in the past (although either is a possibility). Steampunk clings to the era of our past where “modern technology” truely was a break-through and the realm of possibility seemed only limited through your imagination. This was a time when the ideals of the future outlived the horrors of the past (there are those romantic notions again) and forging the future into the unknown is as exhilerating as it is daunting.
Steampunk is a mixture of refined clothing and hand-cranked six shooters; a time of courtship and standing bold in the face of the unknown and a place where the unexpeected is bound to happen.
For someone who is hopelessly lost in the ideals of courtship, loyalty, truth and the love of all things with just a touch of class Steampunk seems to have it all.
Allow me to clarify for a moment that I am merely speaking to the genre of the setting at this point; there is no way that I can be certain how a game that you attend will turn out because I have never been to one. I am still in the whelpling stages of soaking in everything that I can about what it might be – I have not yet stepped across the threshold of what it truely is.
At this point I am happy to see the birth of a new genre come into the fold of ‘mainstream LARP,’ if there is such a thing.
All the best in your future LARP endeveours,
Kevin Tjia
PS: I have been speaking to my friends at Calimacil.com about this rising genre and they are looking for your opinions about creating hand held weapons (such as swords, maces, etc) for Steampunk. Check it out and let them know what you think at Calimacil’s Blog!
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