Live Action Role Playing group casts the right spells

Perhaps you, the reader, have been initiated into the magical land of fantasy - elves, fairies, dragons, ogres and other creatures with roots in medieval lore that have been popularized by the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien and kin. Then again, perhaps you, the reader, are not aware of the existence of this fictional realm. But, perhaps you have friends, acquaintances and distant relatives who are. You see, these people were never satisfied with the reality around them. Back in middle school, rather than face the tedium of homeroom, some may have opted instead to bury themselves in fantasy books filled with crotchety old goblins, mysterious mages and scantily clad, busty elves. The ultimate fantasy of these fantasy-philes was to actually enter into the worlds in their imaginations. To be a character in one of their stories, to embark on quests, battle fierce beasts, collect piles of gold and imbibe gallons of grog. Without doubt, most of the people reading this article know what "Dungeons and Dragons" is. For the rest of you, it's a tabletop role-playing game that gained great popularity in the 1970s among the more "indoorsy" kids. While playing the game, each person would control a character and then move through dungeons and go on quests with other players, encountering different enemies and obstacles, and battling or overcoming them by making decisions and rolling dice with outrageous amounts of sides. For some people, "Dungeons and Dragons" was enough. The later generations would play things like "Magic: The Gathering" and other such things. This was enough for some. But others have a sort of insatiable appetite for entering into another character. Conventional theater cannot quench this thirst, because the roles are already set - the characters have already been created. For these people, there is one path that is the only logical option. This path is called LARP, or Live Action Role Playing. In this exciting cerebral endeavor, a person creates a character to play. The character is complete with an elaborate costume, makeup, a personal history, and usually some sort of character class, depending on the type of game played, which dictates other attributes. Then, a group of individuals will get together and play a "game," in which a plot is simultaneously created and played through, depending on what they can come up with off of the tops of their heads, while the storyteller, or administrator, fills in the blanks. If this seems either too crazy to be true, or too good to be true, you don't have to take my word for it. Just mosey on up to the fourth floor of the Administration Building almost any Friday or Saturday night. The people that meet here on campus every weekend are part of a worldwide social club, called The Camarilla, and play a myriad of different types of LARP games. Depending on the night one shows up, they may be playing a game that is based primarily on vampires, werewolves, or any one of many other mythical creatures. The organization is actually based on charity work. When a person joins the society, they start at the metaphorical bottom rung of the ladder. The way for a person to climb this ladder is to gain status and prestige, which correlates directly to how much charity work is performed, and how involved he or she is in real life. Some of this is in the form of regional drives, where all of the members from an entire geographical region get together behind one cause, like blood drives, Coats for Kids, food banks and others. These change monthly, the current one being focused on the Humane Society. Because of the organization's popularity, and the fact that a fair amount of work is required in order to have fun, quite a bit gets done. The local group, otherwise known as the Domain of Spokane, has been playing here on campus for the last few years. It was founded in 1997 by some students. The only remaining member of the local Camarilla Domain who currently attends Gonzaga is senior Jacob Tessendorf. Tessendorf has been participating in LARP games in general for the last seven years, and has been playing with his current group for the last four. As a political science major, Tessendorf feels that the LARP games allow him to not only use his imagination, but exercise his improvisational, public speaking, and leadership skills, albeit in a different dynamic than what is considered the norm. But more than just the chance to exercise certain skills, it has afforded him the opportunity to form strong personal bonds and friendships. He considers many of the other members to be his best friends. According to Tessendorf, the building is simply a very convenient place to meet that happens to meet the group's needs very well. The group meets with the University's knowledge and total permission. "We always clean the rooms and lock all the doors," Tessendorf said, so the University is happy. The question is, will the group continue to meet in the Administration Building after his departure this spring? All of the other members are simply people who live in and around Spokane. Once Tessendorf leaves, the group will no longer have any direct connection to the University itself. This is why the group is currently searching for people to carry on The Camarilla's legacy at the university. The group urges any student, or anyone else who is remotely interested in the concept of LARP to give them a visit, or just come and see what it's all about. The group meets on the fourth floor of the Admin Building on alternating Friday and Saturday nights from 8 until about 11:30 p.m., when they usually retire to Shari's. Anyone with questions can reach Jacob Tessendorf at jtessend@gonzaga.edu.

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