LARP | Geekscape

Undiscovered Scripts: Damsels & Dragons (Episode 4)

by DovemeirApril 3, 2022

Welcome to Undiscovered Scripts: Movies Made of Paper

We take amazing scripts that haven’t been discovered and bring them to life!
We invite you to listen to the final episode of our production of, “Damsels & Dragons”!

When two best friends decide to start their own Live Action Role Playing group, they have some unexcepted players join the group. And have even more unexpected are their rivals, their former group led by a pompous ass. Along the way they rediscover the joy, magic and friendship they thought had been lost forever.
This film is a comedic and heartfelt look into those who escape into fantasy to learn truths about the world and themselves. Good for ages 13 and up.

We’ll be dropping the next episode every Sunday!

Available on all your podcast platforms!

Apple Podcasts Amazon Music Google Podcasts Spotify

Undiscovered Scripts: Damsels & Dragons (Episode 3)

by DovemeirMarch 27, 2022

Welcome to Undiscovered Scripts: Movies Made of Paper

We take amazing scripts that haven’t been discovered and bring them to life!
We invite you to listen to the third episode of our production of, “Damsels & Dragons”!

When two best friends decide to start their own Live Action Role Playing group, they have some unexcepted players join the group. And have even more unexpected are their rivals, their former group led by a pompous ass. Along the way they rediscover the joy, magic and friendship they thought had been lost forever.
This film is a comedic and heartfelt look into those who escape into fantasy to learn truths about the world and themselves. Good for ages 13 and up.

We’ll be dropping the next episode every Sunday!

Available on all your podcast platforms!

Apple Podcasts Amazon Music Google Podcasts Spotify

Geek of the Week: Neal Fischer, Producer of Sushi Girl

by Deidra KathleenDecember 9, 2019

When did you first know you wanted to be in the film industry?
I always knew I wanted to be a storyteller of some sort, be it film, TV, comic books, gaming, etc. And now it’s all interconnected anyway, so it’s perfect. I started writing short fiction, mostly fantasy, sci-fi, and superhero stuff when I was in second or third grade. I would also write “fan-fiction” of Norse, Greek, and Egyptian myths, basically follow up stories to established myths. Then I discovered D&D. I also started writing and drawing my own comic books. But I didn’t actually decide to focus on film until I was living in Japan, which had also been a dream of mine since I was ten years old.
So, at twenty-eight, I came back from Japan and moved out here to Hollywood to make that dream come true as well.

How would you describe your journey from the time above to creating Sushi Girl?
I had been working in nearly all aspects of film for nearly 10 years before Sushi Girl came along. Screenwriter, actor, producer, PA, talent manager, casting associate, development executive, etc. So when my buddy Kern Saxton wrote and wanted to direct for a micro-budget, I saw it as a bigger project, and jumped in as producer to finance it, help reshape the script, get a known cast, find the perfect location to film, etc.

***Used with permission from Neal Fischer***

Out of your own projects, which would you say is your favorite and why?
Sushi Girl. Because it was my first real film baby. And the entire cast, core creative team, and most of the crew are still like family. In fact, we just did a special screening a few weeks ago and nearly the entire cast showed up. And just yesterday quite a few of my Sushi Girl family came to my birthday party, some from different parts of the state. I am blessed.

What projects are you currently working on?
There are several projects. I am producing a documentary on the film and martial arts legend, Sonny Chiba, and [it] will go into production soon. I manage him in the US, so he is on board and excited about it. I am also making a new company with a close friend, and we have several projects currently in the works. We will be making official announcements early next year.

***Sonny Chiba, Neal Fischer***
***Used with permission from Neal Fischer***

When do they [your projects] come out?
Some will come out next year, some the following year. Some will take several years to develop, finance, film, go through post-production and then distribute so everyone has access to them.

Where are you originally from?
I was born in California, but was primarily raised in the Midwest, Iowa and South Dakota mostly.

Is there a certain geeky event or film that you are looking forward to the most in 2020?
No. Life now is one massive nerdgasm. One awesome con after another. One great film after another. Mind-blowing comics, both new titles and old are hitting shelves monthly. [The] same can be said for video games, new table top boardgames, and RPGs… And let’s not forgot where it all started for me – Dungeons and Dragons! So, I am loving life! There is so much to look forward to. And so much inspiring creativity and craftsmanship!

What geeky activities do you partake in?
I dabble in all of it. But my favorites are Dungeons and Dragons, in fact I just had a D&D birthday party… I also run a vampire LARP. And of course, quite a bit of my job also falls into “geeky activities” territory.

Neal Fischer, Samuel Hadida
Used with permission from Neal Fischer

What is a challenge you have faced that you think helped better you as a creator?
The beauty of filmmaking is that it is so collaborative. It must also keep up with the times, or even lead it. So, I am constantly learning, adapting, growing, on many levels. But I would say most recently the sudden and unexpected passing of my former boss, Samuel Hadida. I had worked for him for twelve years as Head of Production and Development for Davis Films Los Angeles Branch and oversaw many great films (Silent Hill 2, Resident Evil 3-6, Solomon Kane, Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Lucky Day, etc.) and developed several film/TV franchises (Vampire Hunter D, Golgo 13, Wolfenstein, House of Night, etc.). He was my mentor, one of my best friends, was like family, and one of my greatest inspirations. The loss was devastating. But it also forced me out of my comfort zone, [to] get back on up on my feet, get back to my creative roots, and extra motivated to make him proud of me!

What is your Hogwarts house?
Æsir*. Oh, wait that’s Norse. I’m a Slytherin in the Harry Potter Wizards Unite game, if that counts.

*Æsir: A Nordic tribe of gods

What advice would you give to fellow geeky creatives just starting on their career paths?
Create, create, create. Don’t wait! There are so many ways to get started, from crowdfunding and self-publishing, to just putting your creations online. So, just create your stuff, and figure out how to get it out there as you go along. Obviously, if you know people who are already doing it professionally, ask them for specific advice to help avoid common pitfalls, but ultimately Yoda was right, “Do or do not, there is no try.”

**Neal Fischer at Comic-Con**
***Used with permission from Neal Fischer***

Geekscape Movie Reviews: ‘Knights of Badassdom’

by Dennis FinocchiaroApril 17, 2014

Knights of Badassdom is definitely one of those movies that viewers could either love or hate. I could see why someone would love this movie, especially someone into live action role playing (LARP). But it’s equally easy to imagine the viewers who don’t love it finding a lot to hate about this film.

Me, I’m not into LARP, but the movie wasn’t so bad, and there were plenty of funny moments in the film. The storyline is pretty simple; a group of friends band together to fight in a huge LARP event in the middle of the woods, forcing their friend Joe (Ryan Kwanten) to join them after a heartbreaking end to his relationship with Beth (Margarita Levieva). One of his friends, Eric (Steve Zahn), who considers himself the wizard of the fictional group, buys an ancient book on eBay as a prop. As he reads from it, he fails to notice that it is an old book of magic, and he releases a demon that goes on a killing rampage in the middle of the imaginary war in the woods.

Of course, enter the heroine and future love-interest of Eric, Gwen (Summer Glau), who is only there because she accompanies her insane cousin who honestly thinks these wars are real. She is another reason to watch the film; besides being incredibly beautiful in her old-time garb, her character really places what some would consider an average person into the middle of the battle.

The film’s best character was played (naturally) by Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage as Hung. He is truly the character who best earns the title of badass in the movie. As a matter of fact, according to IMDB, the whole cast got training at LARP, and Dinklage was the obvious master of the group. At times funny, often endearing, Hung really made the film worth watching.

The movie had a bit of the same feeling you get from watching The Big Bang Theory, in that you can’t decide if the film is making fun of geeky/nerdy types, or if it is a tribute to those that love the role playing events. It’s entirely possible it is made this way on purpose, so that it would not alienate anyone watching the film.

Overall, if you have fun LARPing, or like some of the actors (or at least Summer Glau) the film is absolutely worth checking out. It’s available on Amazon now.

Grade: 2/5, but fun.

Watch the trailer:

http://youtu.be/6DcRUEiVp-Y

Tabletop Tales: ‘Synergon’

by Derek KraneveldtMay 31, 2013

Some people roleplay by simply sitting around the table and casting the die of fate. Brave is the nerd that lives it by donning his armor and striding the LARP battlegrounds. Yet braver still are the men and women of Synergon: The BLARP (Business Live Action Roleplaying). Capitalism at its finest, the business office environment is a social time bomb of veiled feelings, buzzwords, and despair. So it only stands to common reason that dressing up in suits and living it as a cutthroat game of politics is only right! Synergon takes the spirits of D&D and the Business world, throwing them together. Part of the hilarity is that there are apparently a few real companies called Synergon, yet the site still remains hidden in the interwebs.

I say D&D specifically because Synergon uses identical character generation rules, though instead of the basic statistics of fantasy you have Patience, Tech Savvy, Eloquence, Charisma, and Creativity; and rather than classes you have a Department and get one Skill. While not identical to D&D in many other regards, it’s similar enough that anybody that knows the basics shouldn’t have too much of a problem as Synergon‘s rules are very easy to understand; with plenty of step by step graphs and clearly labelled sections containing several topics.

I cast the runes seven times to get me seven numbers to put in my new employee’s resume; with a low roll of 6 alongside 15,17,13,13,12,12. For Billium Majar, the latest addition to the Synergon family, I decided to fling the 6 into Education (like anybody cares where he went to school…) and made his primary stats Patience and Creativity, to make him a perfect applicant for the Legal Team, giving him an inherent weakness to Human Resources but making him the worst fears of Accounting.

All employees start by picking one skill of their choosing and get two random ones with a new choice every ten levels. I chose Intimidate as Billiums chosen skill, making him perfect for demoralizing those that get in his team’s way. In addition, Bill is a bit apathetic and couldn’t care less what people have to say, especially about his MBA degree. The same degree lets Mr. Majar use the Catchy Slogan ability to rejuvenate the efforts of the group. For the free item he gets at sign-on, he chose an Inspirational Poster to give him additional Creativity. The ending result is Bill has 23 AP and 15 MP. If he runs out of MP he quits his job and must start over as an Intern, during this time all he can do is regain his AP used for abilities.

An employee of Synergon uses abilities for anything, many of which allow you to be productive and useful to the company, while many others are used to torture and depress your enemies or inspire your own team. Employees can use any Ability at or below his or her tier (1-3), as well as their department unique abilities. When somebody uses an Attack, the target is allowed the choice of using a Defensive Ability that does not count against his actions for the hour. You are only allowed three per hour, and with only so many soul crushing hours of the day, each employee must be careful on how they budget their time, morale, and ability to get things done.

In addition to the players, there are always the hundreds of other drones that reside at Synergon HQ; the Frenemies. The Janitor, CEO, and the rest of the workforce would love to see you stomp off in anger to free up room in the budget for more pay for themselves. Its not that they hate you, they just hate the idea of working with you when they could be getting more money without you. These parasites often swarm around the halls and water coolers, and are known to strike when you really don’t want to acknowledge their existence. Though it may just be a case of the Mondays.

Synergon is easy to understand, easy to play, and just plain fun. It’s taking one of the most serious things and exposing just how silly it all really is. Character creation is a snap, and if you feel all the abilities you use can be daunting just make a list of 12+ abilities that you’d like to use and limit yourself to that.

While written primarily as a LARPing game, it’s worth noting that the game is playable just fine as any other tabletop rpg (but I’m sure in its full suited glory the game is great too)! The office environment leads to intense squabbles and the game’s system is very forgiving while also being very cruel, resulting in an entertaining experience when greed isn’t the motivator of the fighting. You can see Synergon free on their official website!

Necroscourge 5/26/13