Coombe Hill
| Game | The Secret of Coombe Hill |
|---|---|
| Storyguide | Andrew Oakley |
| Length | 2 hours |
| Players | 18-25 (can be run with 12 with some loss of plot strands) |
| Suitability | Any |
| Prerequisities | This game ideally requires 2 storyguides and an NPC "serpent" (puppeteer?). Note that this game uses custom cut-down rules based on ArM5, adapted for live play without dice. |
| Pre-rolled characters available? | Yes |
Rules and play
A freeform is a variant of Live Action Role-playing (LARP) with no physical contact.
Coombe Hill is a very short game, only 2 hours long. A more typical freeform or LARP would last a minimum of 4 hours, more typically 6-10. The main goal for this game is as an icebreaker for the convention.
This game uses a cut-down set of Ars Magica 5 rules, specifically adapted for live play without dice. Note that powerful magic costs vis in the cut-down rule for this freeform
Now the event is over, you can download the entire pack of all character handouts, secrets, plot, rules, order of play etc. from:
The game was created by Andrew Oakley and is public domain. You can copy, edit and adapt it without having to ask for permission, but a credit to GrandTribunal.org and Andrew Oakley would be nice.
Puppet
We created a serpent puppet using duct pipe, such as this available from ToolStation for £6, plus a card nose cone covered in white duct tape. Garden canes with lobster-claw keyrings were used as puppet rods, which could be attached or detached from split keyrings pushed into the serpent's body. Flaps of folded duct tape provided removable "scales" that could act as Arcane Connections.
