nordiclarpyearbook2015

Beyond the Barricades: More than just a revolution
- By Eva Wei
It is finally here. The revolution. Never
before have you felt as alive as when you
stand in the middle of the square with the
rallying cries roaring in your ears and the
banners waving above your head. Never
before have you felt as if you were a part
of something so meaningful. The people
of Paris are following you, and you are the
guiding light towards a brighter future.
Long live the revolution!
- The Prologue
The story
Beyond the Barricades is a flamboyant
chamber larp about ten friends on a barricade
during the June rebellion in Paris
1832. It tells a story about how a community
is formed through a common ideal
and how individuals from different social
and economic backgrounds could unite
against a common enemy. We wanted to
explore how setbacks and injustice affects
their struggle and how friendships are tested
when they are ultimately forced to make
the choice between standing tall for what
they believe in or abandoning their convictions
to survive the inevitable downfall of
the revolution.
The game is played in three acts. The first
one takes place just moments after the uprising,
when the revolutionaries are bursting
with a sense of joy, political unity and
invincibility. In the second act some time
has passed and the rain, the cold and the
boredom strain their spirits. Doubt and
hopelessness creep up on them, and friendships
start to crack as the consequences
of their actions are revealed. The third act
portrays the last, trembling minutes of the
revolution where everything is brought to
a head.
The difference between nobility and workers
becomes painfully clear when some
people have a chance to leave the barricades
and some do not. Who will stand tall and
die for the fight and who will betray their
friends by leaving the barricades to survive
another day?
The history
The main inspiration of Beyond the Barricades
is the historical event of the June Rebellion
in Paris 1832, as well as the fictional
stories written about it, such as the novel
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.
While creating Beyond the Barricades,
we wanted to respect the actual historical
events of the June rebellion and the culture
it was set in. On the other hand we
also wanted to allow our players to create
their own story. Being a chamber larp with
only around one hour of preparation time,
this had to be done fast. Our solution was
to present the story of the actual historical
events, setting a fixed ending where all the
characters either die or leave the barricades
and then encourage the players to make up
their own stories and affirm each other’s
tales with the historical events as inspiration.
“Beyond the Barricades was for me a powerful
and heartfelt experience. The game
design and scenography are extremely
clever and the characters well scripted, giving
ample room for beautiful scenes and a
great narrative. As a French born, I was also
extremely touched by the respect and attention
given to a lesser-known episode of
my own national history. I would definitely
quote this game as a must-play.”
- The player of Dominique (The poet), fifth
run
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