BEST. LARPS. EVER. Thank you, Mike Young.
I started LARPing in 1993 at a game called "Murder Mystery Weekend." It will always hold a dear place in my heart, not only because it was my virgin LARP, but also because the_smith_e proposed to me at the end of Q&A. Thank you, Mike.
My second LARP was a short one called "Miskatonic Class Reunion," and the run I did was the weekend after we got back from our honeymoon. It was mostly memorable because E and I were cast as adversaries and we had a hard time acting like we didn't like each other when all we could do was swoon. Still, it was a fun game. Thank you, Mike.
I continued and have played some really fun, fantastical, and well-run games (and only one that made me wish I had my weekend back). Of those, I think Gordon's "Apollo 18" was my favorite. I stopped being a player around the time of the "1936" campaign because I had discovered casting. I really enjoyed casting because I could play a drop-in character or 10 instead of being committed to the same one, but of course there is nothing like putting yourself completely in a role. Then I tried XPI Horror, and really did put myself in a role for 24 hours straight. Not the best LARP I ever played, but I was cajoled into coming back and I had a good time casting there, too. Hanging out with those guys and singing on Friday night was when I was first told that I had a beautiful voice (by a professional musician). Had that not happened, I might not have put myself in the position of singing in public at the first "1948" game, which was one of my favorite casting experiences.
I took a break from LARPing altogether for a few years, and after Miss V was born and took a lot of my time and attention, I just let E go to his games. Then we heard about Mike's "Lullaby of Broadway" series...LARPs based on musicals. We had polar reactions to it...I was attracted and E was repelled. :-) So, I had an opportunity to go away for a weekend LARP 3 times in the last 3 years and sing my heart out in public. Thank you, Mike.
I can't possibly go into all the plots for all the games, not even all of my own (even if I was able to remember them all). That's how rich these games were. It's extremely difficult to interconnect a bunch of disparate plots and characters, but Mike and all the extremely talented people who worked with him did it. I doff my tiara to you all.
LoB1 was the best LARP I'd ever played, hands down. I had a wonderful, sassy character named Reno Sweeney ("Anything Goes") who was involved in all sorts of shady shenanigans and was trying desperately to find her love, the man whose heart she already had, before someone else moved in and stole her heart. The scenes I had with other players were brilliant, and the songs were fantastic, especially at the Sunday morning revival where I sang "Blow Gabriel Blow" and wylddelirium sang "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat." Harry Dane won my heart, but it sure was a nail-biter there for awhile....
LoB2 would have been my do-over of the three, but only because I had double-booked myself and could only play until Saturday afternoon. Still, I had a wonderful time playing a combination of Lucy Harris from "Jekyll and Hyde," Lucy the Slut from "Avenue Q," and Lucy Barker from "Sweeney Todd." Even though I played a common prostitute, I felt really empowered in my corset. :-) My greatest moments were making Jekyll turn into Hyde by singing "Good 'n Evil" and my bloody death at his hands...only to be found and mourned by Sweeney Todd, who discovered that I was his long-lost wife. My death was well-avenged, only I didn't get to stay to see it. Or the sparkly pinstriped Billy Flynn....
LoB3 is certainly a contender with LoB1, but I think for me they were apples and oranges. I was Cinderella, mainly from "Into the Woods" (a great musical!) but also from "Cinderella" (um, *not* a great musical). I had the expectation of working hard and meeting a prince, but not much else (not to say my character sheet was lacking, but Cindi really doesn't have a lot to do generally). Oh, how wrong I was. Surprising how handy an ability to talk to birds would be...or cleaning...or dancing. I had so much fun with the players, and with singing the songs, but I have to say that putting on the dress and becoming Cinderella was truly a transformative experience for me as well. All day at work today I've been getting compliments, and I just know it's because I felt so beautiful and confident during the weekend. I hope that feeling sticks around for at least a few more days...perhaps I can keep the stress at bay just knowing that I got my prince.
These carefully crafted and well-executed games were extremely hard on the creator, but I hope that he enjoyed watching the characters come to life (and death). Thank you, Mike. You have earned a rest, my friend.