Friday September 24 - Sunday September 26, 2021

Fatal Bonds. A Noir-style family drama

Set in a Nordic-inspired, rules-light storytelling framework

Practical info

When and where

The game will take place Friday September 24 – Sunday September 26.

A detailed schedule will be released closer to the event, but check-in and workshops will start in the early afternoon on Friday. Dinner and the game will start early Friday evening with play the rest of the day. Afterwards, participants are welcome to relax in the hotel bar.
Saturday morning there will be brunch followed by game start around 11 am, and we will likely play until 11 pm Saturday night. Once the game is complete Saturday evening, we will gather in the hotel bar for an official story debrief to share all the secrets and events with each other and enjoy one another’s company.
Sunday morning will have our brunch and post-game workshop, and we expect to have everything wrapped up by noon.

So in short, Friday afternoon will be workshop, game will take place Friday evening 5-11 pm, all day Saturday (approximately 11 am-11 pm), and Sunday will be debrief.

Cost

The cost for the whole event will be 735 USD plus taxes (about 60 USD), and will cover the full participation, lodging, food, characters, and everything else mentioned below and on the website.

We will offer payment plans, talk to us about the details.

In the price you get:

  • Participation in a Nordic style, noir-inspired family drama.
  • Rules light consent based game system which supports player agency and decision making.
  • Two nights lodging in a 2-person shared room at the St. Regis Hotel - one of Houston's premier venues.
  • Fully catered meals for breakfast and dinner.
  • Coffee and tea service at the event.
  • 5-6 pages in-depth character written with full background story, goals, relations, alliances, and surprises.
  • A social hour Friday evening, and afterparty Saturday night in the hotel bar.
  • Saturday evening official game story debrief where you get a chance to share all your secrets.
  • Pre-game group and family workshop to get you ready for the larp.
  • Post-game workshop Sunday morning.
  • Photo with your group, and from the event in general.

We will allow for payment plans for our participants. Talk to us about the details, once you've filled out the survey.

Food and Lodging

The larp will be hosted as the St. Regis hotel in the Galleria area of Houston, about 20-30 minutes away from either airport. Flying in to either IAH – George Bush airport, or to Hobby Airport will be fine, as they are about equal distance from the venue. Participants are welcome to arrive early and stay late, and we have negotiated a special rate with the hotel for people who wish to arrive on Friday and stay through Sunday night.

All food for the event will be included, as well as water, ice tea, coffee etc. There will be a buffee style dinner Friday evening. Brunch, afternoon coffee and snacks as well as dinner Saturday, and then also brunch Sunday morning. Any alcohol will be for the participants own cost.

For our participants with disabilities it is our intention to be able to accomodate all of them, if at all possible. The hotel is fully ADA compliant, and we do not believe the setting would create any issues that we cannot work around. If you are interested in attending and have a concern, please get in touch with us about your specific needs, and we will see what can be done.

Tickets

For this event we will only be selling one type of ticket. Journeys & Tales do not believe in letting our participants pay to get access to more content or more prestigious roles, and it is our policy that every single character and participant should have the same high level experience.
We will offer an upgrade to a private room for 215 USD extra.

The minimum age to participate will be 21 years due to the nature of the game, and the access to alchohol on the premise.

The written material

Our characters will follow many archetypes present within noir, but are not considered “cookie cutter” and will be finalized with each player in mind. Approximately 4 months before the event, each player will receive a “blurb” containing the name of their character, the group they belong to, and a brief description for you to accept. The purpose of this is for our players to be able to connect with others in their groups and to prepare costuming for the event.

Closer to the event, we will send out a group history that contains secret gossip or skeletons in the closet that only people in your group will know. From that document, you will also be able to get a better idea about your group’s current situation, which should also help with your character development and costuming.

At least 2 months before the event, players are scheduled to receive their full character sheet. These will include:

  • Your characters full name and the archetype they are based on.
  • A prose section to set the scene for their place in this scenario.
  • A character history and background of three to four pages.
  • Roleplaying tips.
  • Goals and Ambitions.
  • Connections with those outside your group and insight into your relationship with others in your group.
  • A “Who’s Who?” of your group.

The organizers

Journeys & Tales is a larp production company created to facilitate Nordic Style larps run in the US. We strive to create events with with a keen emphasis on adventure, excitement, and commitment, all of which are outlined in our Vision Statement.

J&T primarily consist of the husband and wife team of Meredith and Christian Christensen, but regularly bring in various staff, helpers, and creative consultants in both the idea generation, design, and execution phase of our events.

Christian has been active in the larp community for over 20 years. He started his journey into roleplaying with tabletop games, but quickly transitioned into the world of larp and the Danish congress tradition. His early exploits were centered around participating in a number of different scenarios in Denmark, England, and the European scene. He later co-created and ran his first event back in 1999 with the production of the Vampire larps “The Veils of Intrigue I & II.”

He has also designed scenarios aimed at the congress scene, initially as part of the group organizing “Do You Come Here Often?” for Fastaval 2000 and later “Surrounded” for Fastaval 2005. The latter won the audience award, “The Otto” as best larp scenario on the convention that year.

Meredith is the driving artistic force behind J&T. She functions as our primary writer and content creator, and is the lead on story, faction, and background designs behind all of our events.

She has a Masters Degree in history and has been a storyteller as long as she can remember, whether it be within a historical or romantic setting, or a more scholarly and modern approach. She finds joy from creating a deep background for the stories we tell, and ensures that our tales are interwoven on a deep level so that all interactions and storylines come together as a whole.

Throughout her life, Meredith has been involved in costume and prop design, and brings her expertise of different time periods, setting creation, and attire into any event that Journeys and Tales creates.

Once she began larping, Meredith was quickly bitten by the bug, and enjoys bringing the quiet contemplation and subtle plotting of a character into life in the events she participates in.

Contact

Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us, or find more info on our Facebook page, or the Fatal Bonds design doc, both linked below.