A Battlestar Galactica-inspired live-action role-playing game that featured 140 characters, detailed costumes, and the interpersonal conflicts and relationships that defined the rebooted Galactica took place in March on a retired naval destroyer in Sweden, which is pictured above. Yes, all of this happened before, and its creators want it all to happen again in the United States.
The Verge brings our attention to this incredible LARP, which took place in a simulated version of one of the civilian ships in BSG‘s ragtag fleet of human survivors. The participants on the Monitor Celestra played out in a tense struggle between the spaceship’s military and civilian personnel on the ship, while hidden Cylon agents in the crew lurked under the radar… I mean, DRADIS.
Just as BSG covered serious subject matter such as terrorism and religious conflict inspired by current events, the Monitor Celestra LARP took inspiration from real issues of racism in Europe and built it into the tension between characters of Caprican or Tauron origin. On a technical level, the project took the work of a crew of dozens: Writers, artists, technicians, and other staff, plus multiple computers to simulate the spaceship’s inner workings in great detail.
Adults that participate in LARPs have a poor reputation in the U.S., even among geeks, but this kind of effort shows how interesting and creative an experience it can be. In Sweden, there’s much less of a stigma, but this may unfortunately prove an obstacle in getting attention for a U.S. version.
On the other hand, the folks behind the LARP feel that the accessibility of the subject matter and its universal themes make an American revival a strong possibility. Whether by combating the stigma of LARPers head-on by showing the level of passion and thought that goes into it, or by presenting the hobby in a more respectable light as interactive theater, they are determined to see it through.
It might not be for everyone, but in a time when sci-fi blockbusters make hundreds of millions and zombies, dragons, and vampires rule TV, devoted fan efforts like this demonstrate why we might want to give LARP a chance. So say we all.
(via The Verge, image credit to marcusroos via Wikimedia Commons)
