Love Letter: The Crusade

Love Letter: The Crusade ​

It is the summer in the year-of-our-lord 1190. The County of Watling sits quietly in the south of England in the heart of medieval Europe. The Baron and Baroness of Watling preside over a happy, pleasant court, filled with beautiful ladies and charming courtiers. Monthly feasts, holiday festivals, and tournaments help break up the monotony of daily life. The Baron and Baroness are generous, fair, and a shining example of a medieval marriage.

Today’s festivity is a great feast to celebrate the coming Crusade! The Pope has called for a third Crusade to reclaim Jerusalem, and the Baron and his brave men-at-arms leave tomorrow to fulfil their holy duty. Although they will be missed, the air is merry, as the men are anxious to prove themselves in a real battle!

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Love Letter: The Crusade is game about relationships, how they change, endure and survive (or not) in a time of war, when many things are uncertain. Set against the backdrop of The Crusades (which is purely scene- setting, with no "plots" of its own), the characters assemble in the Great Hall of the Manor of Watling, the evening before the men will go off to war.

This is a time to drink and be merry and say farewell, set against the fear it might be the last time they see one another. Is this the last chance to say things which need saying, even if, perhaps, they should not? Is it harder to be the one saying goodbye or the one going off to war?

When the characters meet again will their relationships still be intact or will the ravages of war have changed those who went or those who stayed behind? What has time apart now made clear to each couple?

Love Letter: The Crusade is an episodic game, with 3 scenes stretching across the War. In between each scene are periods where the players can establish 'What happened' in discussion with others, and are encouraged to write love letters to as many people as they wish. These two techniques provide the players with new information for the subsequent scenes.

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The predecessor to this game (Love Letter) was borne of a challenge at Peaky (a LARP-writing weekend event) to write a game entirely about Romance. It certainly does this and - in addition to the excitement and reward of new and true love - also includes the strain on friendships and the pain at the end of relationships.

This is a game entirely about Romance. Unlike many theatrical LARPs where Romance is just another layer among many, there are no real "plots" to the game, no combat (outside of The War), murders or political machinations - although there is certainly a bit of intrigue to be discovered amongst our friends and lovers. We think it's lovely, and hope you will join us, if this sort of thing excites you.

Some people may find some of our themes disturbing, and while characters are written within the range depicted in films it is entirely possible - given how romance can evoke strong emotions - that some players may react to this in a negative way.

The writers understand this, and we'll ask about issues you wish to avoid during casting. We ask players be as honest as possible to help avoid any conflicts, and while we'll make our best effort, it's hard to predict all possible emotional responses. This game may not be everyone's cup of tea, and depending on your particular concerns there may not be a "safe place" for everyone in this game. Please feel free to contact me (Elyssia) before signing up to ask questions.

Costuming is early medieval. The men are squires hoping to be knighted by the Baron for their brave actions whilst enjoying their first taste of true combat. The ladies are all ladies-in-waiting to the Baroness. There are small variances of fortune, but not enough to worry you in early stages of Costuming.

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For those who know of or have played the original Love Letter LARP:

Love Letter: The Crusade is a game which is similar in style to the "original" Love Letter game. It will be played in three episodes, and players will have a chance in-between these scenes to write letters from their character to other characters in the game. The game is still "plot- free" and all about relationships (romantic and friendships). That said, we've tried to make this new game as different as possible. There is an all- new setting/genre, all-new characters, new dilemmas for the new characters to face (we won't say all-new, but as new and different as possible), and even a possible new perspective on romance for some of the characters. If you enjoyed Love Letter, we think (we hope) you will enjoy our new edition which should feel different but the same.

You do not need to have played the original Love Letter to enjoy playing Love Letter: The Crusade as they are completely stand-alone versions.

Costuming is heavily encouraged.

There are no health and safety issues we are aware of. If players are immobile in some way we request they contact us in advance so we can take the site into consideration and make sure there are no logistical problems.