Mare Incognitum
Mare Incognitum was a lovecraftian mythos horror larp set in Norway in 1951, and played on board the destroyer HMS Småland. The larp had 26 pre-written characters from different groups. Three games were run over the course of a weekend, and had participants from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, the US and the UK. The game was organized by Berättelsefrämjandet, and had some ten NPCs and crew.
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| Organized by | Berättelsefrämjandet | ||
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| Website | iäiä | ||
| Information | |||
| Date | November 28, 2014 | ||
| Duration | 10 hours | ||
| Location | HMS Småland, Göteborg, Sweden | ||
| Participants |
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| Budget | ~€5,800 | ||
| Participation fee | €30-€90 (depending on income) | ||
| Credits | |||
| Designed by | |||
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Setting and Themes
Horror and mystery in a Lovecraft Mythos setting, in 1951.
Summary
The different groups of players had all boarded the freighter M/S Lyckan to sail to Narvik, in order to get home after spending time in Kirkenes. An anthropological expedition to Kirkenes had brought along a strange statuette found in a burial mound, which slowly corrupted the crew on board. As the ship got stuck in the ice and a severe storm blew in, the passengers found themselves trapped aboard a dark ship as horror crept out of the shadows.
Techniques
- Diegetic Game Mastering
- Honor system
- Slow take-off
- Slow landing
- Soundtrack
- Pre-written characters
- Shadows
- Narrative voice-over
- Playing to lose
- Safewords
- Pre-larp workshop
During the game, the diegetic radio room also doubled as a Meta room, in which organizers played out meta scenes over the radio and generally "spooked" the players when they were alone.