nordiclarpyearbook2015

Malcontenta:
Opportunities and obstacles in larping court life
- By Thérèse Tangen
“I have found a universal rule . . . valid above
all others in all human affairs whether in
word or deed: and that is, to avoid any kind
of affectation as though it were a rough and
dangerous reef; and (to coin a new word,
perhaps), to practice in all things a certain
sprezzatura, so as to conceal all art and
make whatever one does or says seem effortless,
and almost unpremeditated.”
(The Courtier, page 32. Baldassare Castiglione)
The intention of the larp campaign Malcontenta
is to explore the opportunities and
obstacles you would face at court in a feudal
society, although in a high-fantasy setting
(the world is so much more fun with
magic). Our goal was to take the concept of
feudalism and truly make it the base of our
imaginary world. Lots of larps have nobles,
knights and ladies- but no larp that we know
of has really treated the concept of feudalism
with any degree of realism.
Setting a larp in a feudal court environment,
a proximal to western European early modern
times, is complicated. Larpers in general,
and Swedish larpers in particular, are
used to a life enjoying equal rights, democracy
and personal freedom. But if you want
to re-enact a feudal world, with a court and
a nobility (as it was in Europe in early modern
times), you have to accept that there is
no democracy, no consensus in decisions,
no equality and not really any personal freedom,
regardless of your social class.
Creating a larp this way is, evidently, regarded
as controversial. But we decided to do it
anyway. The challenge, and the fun, in a larp
set in a court environment is to explore the
opportunities and possibilities of personal
advancement in a strictly regulated atmosphere.
Regardless of who you are; a great lady,
a landless knight, a servant or a king, you
serve someone -and you are bound by rules
and traditions to everyone around you.
The court
The concept of Malcontenta centers around
the intrigues of feudal court. The court is a
part of a much larger world, and the actions
of the characters in-game affects the larger
world, and this in turn causes impacts on
the lives of these characters. It is a balance
between the small space in-game and the
much larger world that is the imaginative
surrounding. We decided to use the French
court ceremony as our inspiration. The regulated
court was a concept that evolved in
France in the 16th century and was most
famously displayed during the reign of
Louis XIV in the 17th century. You’ve got
the power of court rituals and ceremonies
to display the monarch and create an air
of mysticism and divinity around that person.
Rituals have always been a big part of
court life. Not attending a ceremony you
are supposed to take part in is therefore a
political statement or an insult. Your place
in the ceremonies depends on your own
rank and status, and you must therefore
be aware of your position at court. There
is a big difference between being a duke/
duchess, a baron/baroness or knight/lady.
For instance, one is not allowed to sit when
someone of a higher rank is standing. Dinner
is a battle to get a seat as close to, or at,
the high table as possible. Lie, pay, flirt or
just sit down at the table before the others
and claim your right to be seated close
to the royalty according to your rank. The
steward is the one getting richer when you
try to get yourself a better seating than your
status actually entitles.
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