(Photo by Andreas Rønningen on Unsplash.) ‘Tis the season, as you all know. If you’re asking what season, well, it’s the time of year that North Americans are surrounded by the inescapable pressure to celebrate capitalism, families, and Christian culture with some doses of minority celebrations thrown in for color (forgive the salty pun.) Even … Continue reading Not So Happy Holidays: Designing Larp for the Season
(Photos by Jesse Robert Gifford Stuart. Illustrations by Jabari Weathers.) (Ericka’s Note: Reverie Studios reached out to me as an ‘Influencer’ and, after much negotiation, I took the contract with a focus on being a larp journalist for their event. What that means is that I retain full editorial control over everything I say about … Continue reading The Apocalypse Comes: Q&A with Reverie Studios’ Eskhaton
(Featured Image by Peculiar Crossroad Production's Kathy Amende, of Ericka Skirpan teaching Project Ascenion workshops.) I’m certain an entire book can (and probably has been?) written about workshopping for larp events. Workshops are a time honored tradition in the nordic-styled and freeform scene, but something that is brand new to a lot of North American … Continue reading The Quick and Dirty of Workshops
(Photo by Shelby M. Carosella. Models Michelle J. and Chris E. from Dead Legends LARP.) They say “The Devil is in the details,” but I’m a big fan of the fact that characters are what truly live in the details. For myself, it’s not the sweeping, huge costumes or dramatic scenes which get me in … Continue reading Creating Consequential Connections through Inconsequential Roleplay
(Cover photo by Bret Lehne at Inside Hamlet 2017, Run 2.) This blog is a touch more personal than I usually write, but sometimes the personal can help you reflect on things professionally. I hope people take the lesson from this that I did, and my own reflections help others see their work and ability … Continue reading Permission to Grieve (in Gaming…)
The Space Between Stories 