Games of Fall 2023

The schedule of games being run in Fall 2023 under the auspices of the MIT Assassins' Guild is as follows.

Make sure that you are on the Assassins' Guild Mailing List to receive the application forms for these games.

[9/9 Weekend] Murder on the Starlight Express

GMs: Ken Clarry, Jayson Lynch, Claire McLellan-Cassivi, Jay Muchnij, Mike Person, Diana Shklover, Silk Yu

Murder on the Starlight Express

Murder on the Starlight Express is a one-night, ~6-hour assassin game. It's 1 part Star Trek, 2 parts old-school murder mystery, and 3 parts scifi spy/crime thriller. This game has been run many times over the years, and it is notorious for all the good reasons. Come play a crewmember (or stowaway?) or such on the freighter Gabriel, where anyone could be a criminal and everyone can shoot back...

Starlight will run Saturday, September 9th, or Sunday, September 10th, between noon and 7pm.

[9/23 Weekend] Tartarus

GMs: Tamasin Wohlers

Tartarus

Trapped!

In some of the deepest mining shafts on the planet, your team was extracting rare ores, and trying to stay out of the way of the Company researchers who had come down here to study who knows what. But now something has gone horribly wrong, and a cave in has happened, leaving one of your team dead, and several others injured and without their memories. It’ll take hours to clear the rubble – but the computer says you have at most three hours of air left.

This far down, some of the world’s religions say demons live. Those sounds you hear are only the rocks settling, right?

Note: this game will be conducted in low lighting conditions.

Content Warnings: Death of a loved one, self-blame for death of a loved one, trust questions, unequal workplace power dynamics in a romantic relationship, obsessive behavior; death of parents, unease dealing with own family, having being orphaned and then separated from siblings in youth, being estranged from your family, having a parent (or parental replacement figure) be dying of an incurable illness; being trapped underground.

[9/30 Weekend] Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy

GMs: Charles Leiserson Jr, Ariel Segall, Brian Sniffen, Silk Yu

Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy

Do you love Star Wars? How about living it for a few hours:

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

It is the end of an age. The old Galactic Republic is falling, and no one is sure what will replace it. The Jedi order, once bastions of respectability, has been criminalized, and its adherents made into fugitives. The head of the Galactic Senate has taken personal control of the military, and is beginning to solidify his power base on the many outer planets. Even now the troops are landing.

Tatooine has always been a haven for the less savory side of society. Smugglers, bounty hunters, and slavers ply their trades freely under the watchful rule of the local Hutt crime lords. In these uncertain times, the spaceport has gained an additional influx of refugees, spies, and other folks who keep their business to themselves.

It is evening in the Cantina, and a sandstorm has confined everyone inside…

[10/14 Weekend] A Single Silver Coin

GMs: Laura Boylan, Peter Litwack

A Single Silver Coin

A Single Silver Coin is a dark fantasy game about death, loss, love, faith, and regret. It follows the journey of several deceased souls as they travel to the afterlife, each one seeking admittance to eternal paradise. This game is not set on Earth and makes no explicit reference to any real world religion, but does include some fictionalized religious elements that are based on real world inspirations.

Note: This game explores issues related to suicide. While not all characters will have dealt with these issues personally, any character might find themselves involved in an emotional discussion of such issues. Players who would prefer to avoid discussing such things in character may wish to not sign up for this game. GMs are available to talk specifics.

[10/28 Weekend] The Immortal Game

GMs: Jack Lewis, Mak Love, Nghiem Pham, Nine Morch

The Immortal Game

At a masquerade ball, two rival teams fight to socially outmaneuver--or just murder--each other with the aim of eventually putting their leader on the throne of Baudiniera. You are a member of one of these teams, although you may also have hidden friends, enemies, and agendas. This is a high-death game that uses a word-game combat system instead of nerf or martial combat. Also, though this game gained the moniker 'the Chess LARP', there is no actual chess gameplay in this LARP.

[11/11 Weekend] Assassins' Guild 40-Year Anniversary

GMs: Spencer Lane, Kimberly Lane

Fall '83

A number of nations have decided to hold a conference to promote international cooperation. Each nation involved has sent one of its crack intelligence teams to protect its delegates. Unfortunately, it has since been discovered that a powerful terrorist organization, the Secret World Organization for Retribution and Destruction, has intercepted one of the teams, and replaced it with its own agents. Furthermore, due to the security leak thus revealed, we cannot reveal to you the exact location of the conference. Information which should reveal its location has been provided to the commander of each team.

Your mission is to locate and protect the conference. SWORD will do its best to destroy it. Your job will be made more difficult by the fact that the local police agencies, including the FBI, cannot be informed of your status. If you are arrested, your government will deny any knowledge of your actions. At best, you may expect deportation. Furthermore, we have information that several international figures have arrived in town, presumably for the conference, although what their connections with it are, are unclear.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the MIT Assassin’s Guild, please join us for an homage to one of the first Guild games ever written (original blurb above). Fall ‘83 is a high death, high silliness, low weirdshit 6 hour game of cut-throat spies and Cold War espionage, of double crosses and ridiculous backronyms. Based on the Fall ‘83 game written by Steve Balzac.

[11/18 Weekend] Long Ago and Far Away

GMs: Steve Balzac, Aimee Yermish

Long Ago and Far Away

Did you feel like wolves and dragons always got a bad rap? Think the princesses were too prissy? Ever wonder what to do with Djinn that’s had a bit too much gin? Wanna see those evil viscounts and stepmothers get what's coming to them? Or maybe come out on top for a change? Join us for Long Ago and Far Away, a short LARP based in a world of fractured and intersecting fairy tales, where magic is real, the animals talk, and "happily ever after" isn't guaranteed.

Welcome to the sleepy Kingdom of Balmoria, a land of nobles and peasants, sorcerers, witches, and the occasional talking animal. Under the wise leadership of the beloved King Balendin, nothing much of note happens in Balmoria. Really.

But something strange is going on…

Why are so many people and, well, not people converging on King Balendin’s castle? What got the dragon so burning mad? And what was going on in Barrel Barbick’s tavern that night? Why is the Big Bad Wolf so unhappy? Did he eat someone that disagreed with him? What was that up in the sky? A bird? A plane? What is a plane? Why do the Terrible Triumvirate look so smug? What is that strange apparition glimpsed in the hallways of the castle? And why is the wicked witch smiling?

Join us for Long Ago and Far Away, a short LARP based in a world of fractured and intersecting fairy tales, where magic is real, the animals talk, and "happily ever after" isn't guaranteed.

[12/9 Weekend] A Retreat to Remember

GMs: Laura Boylan

A Retreat to Remember

You have arrived at a small, remote island with a group of fellow campers for a weekend of… what? Something strange and inexplicable has happened and your personal memories have vanished!

This is a larp about amnesia. You will try to figure out who you are, where you are, your relationships with your fellow amnesiacs, and what’s really going on as bits and pieces of your memories slowly return. The game is set in the modern day and the characters are every-day normal people. Mostly.

This is a secrets & powers larp that will likely run for 2.5-3h. All characters are written as gender-neutral. Potentially sensitive discussion topics may include death and drug use.

Written by Philip Kelley, Lelah Frey & Jaime Frey as part of Peaky Midwest 2016. The GM is Laura (Laura47) Boylan, with runtime help from Peter Litwack.