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Shade's Live Action Role Playing (LARP) List: Forums
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2004 10:06 pm Post subject: Bicolline
People seem quite enthousiastic hearing about Quebec based event Bicolline. It seems that no one here ever heard of it before now, and since its quite a large event ( 1500-2000), and that is quite unique, this tread will be where I will do my best to respond to any questions anyone has about it. I originaly speak french, please be aware of it...
Joined: Jul 12, 2002 Posts: 1060 Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2004 10:27 pm Post subject:
Great, thanks for that Brendan.
That Auberge is... wow. Was it an existing building or built for the purpose?
So many questions. Does the organisation own an area of land that all the events are held at? Is it a company or a non-profit organisation? Is there a copy of the rules in English? There looks to be a high-level economic system - is it a system accessible via the web, that runs between games (like the UK "downtime" systems)?
Does anyone come to the game from the USA? This game looks to blow anything I've seen from the states out of the water, but I've never heard any Americans mention it. I guess it's the language barrier... but hell, I'd fly across the Tasman Sea if there was a game like this in Australia, even though they can't speak English.
But most of all, can you give us your point of what it was like to attend your latest event? Walk us through, give us a feel for what the events are like.
-The auberge was made from the start for the purpose of the game. Its an investment and the organisers hope it will yield up some profit.
-Yes the organisation has its own land and in the recent years they have bought the land surounding it. I think they are aiming on having enought land to walk for hours so that the guild expansion campains can be as real as possible, having to bring along all the warfare equipment, food etc. All the official events are held on that area.
-It was a non profit organisation, since a few people work on it full time now, they made a job out of it. I know they are not rich...they have to do side contracts to live. One of the guys has to give make up course and teach in programing, but I know it is taking more and more time for them. Eventualy they will live with it.
The economic system was the first systeme to come into play. The whole world is devided and guilds can become owners of the land wich in turn can yield up some money. That was the basic system. Now, with the trade and commerce, you need to develop the land you get. if your land is made out of untouched wood, you need to chop it, have peasants, make mills, roads, forts for protection, towns. In time, those lands yield up ressources that help the guilds in their goals. You can now enter in warfare with another guild or virtual power.
Example: I was part of the celtic aliance, we were under empire control and decided to rebel. Since the empire did not exist in real life, a few major guilds accepter to put down their original caracters to play the empire.
The last pic shows we got our asses kicked...(Thats one of our generals on his knees...darn)
- I dont think there is a copy of the rules in english. Quebecers are quite proud of their language and they do anything possible to protect it...then again...no one ever has asked for the rules in english.
and then click at any part of it...you should be quite impresse, I am anyway.
-No, no one comes from the states...I have never met anyone from the u.s at Bicolline. People come from France...that I am sure of.
Now...the feeling of it:
First of all...Even if I give out here the best part of Bicolline, I want people to remember that, naturally, this event has its lot of bad elements and players...I will try to dish out both sides of the story.
Bicolline is, or me, an event like no other... I must specify here that I will talk about the "Grande Bataille" wich is the biggest event at Bicolline. It has from 1500 to 2000 players and is mostly devided into guilds that range from 30 ppl to 250+ people. So...first off is the simple amout of people that share the same colors and goals...it is very impressif to see 100 armoured soldiers with the same colors following their captain to batle.
I must say that it has made me cry mor then once, just thinking of that groud shaking with the helling noise of the horns brings back the feeling.
The now 5 day event is split up into 3 sections, but you dont feel the transition if you are a simple soldier or paysant. There is the recruiting part where the guilds that make up a front try to get as many guilds as possible on their side. It is alot of political, economical and religious dealings. Aliances are made around the setting of this year great battle.
I will take as an example the 1002 setting. It was set around the slave market of the world. Three guilds made up each a batle front ( the only year three armys where made...it ended up as 2 armys of course...)
All of them had to build up an army with the guilds avalable by promising or giving them whatever they could. They could bring back old aliances, old services....anything. (It is a continuous game, real time...1 year here = 1 year in the world of Bicolline )
So, for 3 and a half days, guild leaders, guild merchants guild political tactitians etc did everything possible to get there hands on the most guilds possible. On the end of that period, the armys where set....now was the time for the military cousels...they prepared, they sent fictional skimishers to get control of the terrain and choose their deployment point.
Then they discused, all night long, about where to place what balista, what group...etc..And then again, it was only the army generals, guild leaders and military tacticians who where alowed in.
Then...on the next morning...you get up, and you go to war. Ill come back to this.
As you noticed...what I have just said is reserved for the elite, as it was at the time...we poor bastards, paysants and soldiers cannot take part in those things...who cares?
We have everything else! Holy! From day one to night of day four...you are free to do as you like in this great world...of course, some do intense beer drinking all along. Some participate in the tournements: gladiator style, fine blade, monster pit, archery....troll ball ( its a world of its own that game...a ligue has set up for practice out of Bicolline....you have to see it to believe it...so much fun. Ill give out more info if people want it. )
Then if you have goten up the ranks and into nobility you can talk empty politics, go to the brabancour ball.
Or you can enter the brewing contests, strong man contests, miss Bicolline contest....yes there is a miss bicolline contest and there will probably be a Mr bicolline this year.
Its all about fun...and yo can find it in many faces! You can play money games ( with the money of the place, wich is now a real metal coin made from a mold...you would have to see it...thousands of them...some with the emblem of the emperor and the royal griffin on the other side...molded! 3mm thick! the gold coins are even bigger!
Some indulge in the recreating of camp life, others adore creating weird caracters from strange places in the world. Its the players that prepare special scenes, usualy with the accord of the organisation:
To mention a few: the burning of a dark elf by a sort of inquisition ( it was a dummy, but they changed the real elfe with the dummy so that you could not know if it was realy a person burning, tied up on a log.
The sacrifice of thirty children to a god of pain..those kids where freaking good actors..too good. Brought once again tears to my eyes.
The ritual to become a runique warrior ( able to hit monsters...monster are unkillable unless your a runique, hit em with a catapult boulder or balista.... http://www.bicolline.com/bestiaire_0.html some of them are unbelievable on the field, others are no so great...but they are getting better with time) The ritual had to choose 7 warriors in a 130 crowd or so.
They did a royal rumble (It was at night) in a glaisy lake with lighsticks at the bottom...gave a great effect since there was hundreds of them. Then the chosen had to yell out their war cry...surprisingly...the paint mage chose those that yelled with the botom of their souls rather then those that yelled to look like big men and women.
Every scene was spectacular...us being not only spectators...but being realy there....living it, feeling it, reacting to it...magical.
O and one last one...my first year there ( I have been to 6 years of it)...My fist year there...the "Lutins Luthiers" where there, a medieval band that was the emblem of Bicolline music.
They played all night...in the tavern...And I remember, the planks bending under the weight of every one dancing on the rythm...and o...the beer, everywhere it poored and poored...people where dancing on the roof beams 4 or 5 meters up in the air...it was insane...elves and satyres and beasts of magical origin passed into my sight, I dont remember any bugs in the costumes...because I was there... I was living there and I had entered the world of Bicolline. That moment was perfect, those moments where perfect...I was there, and that is probaly why I go back each year...in the hope of reliving one of those moments...
Anyways....for four days you do whatever you wish to do...if you have te will to prepare something in advance like I said earlyer, you can talk to the organisation and make it legal..."sanctionned".
And then...on the last day. War
You get up early, eat a good hardy meal, checki the gear, the weapons, you put it on, you guet your blessing or you participate in a war chant....whatever the guild has as ritual...and you march off with your army. On the deployment site, you go to your assigned place, and you get your orders, and yo wait...you wait for the official call...a boat horn activated by the organisation....then you stay, or run back...or charge...
You take control of strategic points: brigdes, hills. You chop your way in ennemy territory if your a skirmisher, if your in the front line...you freaking look in every directions for incomming arrows, catapult stones, cannon balls...and the ennemi front line.
The front line is a wall of tower shields with pikes and halbards behind it...its a shure death to take it head on, but someone has got to do it...and if its you, you better be alert an be a freaking good soldier and hold your line.
Moral is one thing that you cant find in small events...since we are not realy soldiers, some of the what we call "city wusses" have a tendency to stay back or even flee sometimes in front of a charge...a thing to see, from one side and another.
I once took a militia man by his colar and pushed him onto the charge because every one was fleeing...he died impaled on many pikes, but it was worth it...he felt like in real war and felt like a hardy old war dog. I got creamed too... hahahha, fun.
Then it either goes all wrong: you lost your rear guard and the command is geting sliced...or it goes all well..you have control of the main strategic spots and your men are confidant in victory...But sometimes it sways back and foward a couple of times...and the general himself has to rally up all he can around him and draw his sword to engage battle...
The dead mount up, they sometimes block gates , some even do baricades with them.
And then...victory, or defeat.
Usualy, it dosnt matter. Sure its fun winning, you can scream out at the top of your lungs...but sometimes...it dosnt matter, beacuse to win, you had to have an ennemy, and if they gave you a good battle, one filled with horror and hight emotions...if they died with honnor and gave a good show while doing so...then every ones gets back up with a smile, and they are happy.
Yes, some players say that they comme from middle earth and that they are a great elven prince or anything like that...
Bicolline has its lot of ninjas that are in fact useless in Bicolline's field warfare.
But, the big downer is this:
For one thing, with 2000 players, not everyone has the same idea of what should and should not be Bicolline and since the organisation leaves alot of latitude from player initiatives, it sometime gives out a not too good product.
wich leads to this:
At the Grande Bataille...not every one is in-game...not every one does role-play. And it can be quite hard for those who want to be immersed in the Bicolline world.
Joined: Jul 12, 2002 Posts: 1060 Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2004 1:21 am Post subject:
Hey Brendan,
Thanks for the honest and detailed response. What amazes me most is that I've been searching the internet for larp stuff for the last 6 years and never even heard it mentioned, never had any inkling of an event of this scale in Canada. Makes me wonder what else is going to come out from under a rock unexpectedly.
The amazing stuff sounds amazing. The bad stuff sounds normal. It sounds like Bicolline has some "generic fantasy" disease, an all-too-common ailment. The less the creators define the type of fantasy being portrayed, the more participants will just keep adding divergant material, shoveling it on from every imaginable source (but mostly D&D), until you end up with something that is everything and nothing. And that type of setting doesn't facilitate immersion or roleplaying. Mass-participant creativity usually works best under strong restrictions and guidance.
But what incredible costume and settings! You've got to talk people into submitting some photos into the Shadies competition - the world must see this stuff. I think you could steamroll the "Sets" section.
Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2004 11:43 am Post subject: Questions
So how do you do combat? Armor and weapon damage?
It seems a simple and quick system from descriptions of your adventures. Is there levels?Skills?
Is there character death?
How does the magic system work? Clerics?
How complicated or simple is the system? How long does it take for a newbie (new person) to learn the rules?
What is the history of the group? How long has it been in existence?WHat is the population of the area around you? How far do people come to go to your events?
Who is the creator of the rules?
OK will think of more just to say again people out there take a look at the pictures and weep! The Nordics have some serious competition! It would be a cool combination if both worlds collided!
Ever thought of having an open event? Inviting outsides once you get your town built?
Just as I was thinking there is no new thing to discover in LARPing these people come out! _________________ I know the pieces fit! I watched them fall away!
Joined: Jan 15, 2002 Posts: 337 Location: Virginia, USA
Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2004 12:11 pm Post subject:
Very very nice site. Cool buildings. Are they built specially for the event? Do you folks own the land or rent?
What language is spoken at the event? Are there things there for people to do who have no interest or ability in fighting? Are the people there friendly and welcoming to newcomers?
You mentioned a few other activities, such as gambling, and elf burning. How are those organized? Do the event runners have set actuivities, or do they happen at the whims of the players?
Joined: Mar 14, 2004 Posts: 121 Location: the Netherlands
Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2004 12:43 pm Post subject:
Very cool looking event. It looks like it is fantastic... I agree on the pictures, those are prizewinners if I ever saw them. Would love to visit there once, but regrettably I only know just enough French to speak it poorly.
In a few weeks the new promo-vid for my larpclub comes out. I'll paste the link here to give you an idea of how it all runs over here. This is the one from last year, which I believe I have pasted here before: http://cauldron-nl.bene.ws/trailer/Cauldron2003.wmv
-Sna _________________ Whoever said "Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder" never played D&D
Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2004 1:15 pm Post subject: Re: Eldrad
-So how do you do combat? Armor and weapon damage?
Your head, chest, left leg, left arm, right leg and right arm are considered seperate sections of your body, if you get hit on head or cheast, you die. If you get hit on arm or leg, you loose it have to drop down or drop weapon/shield.
Armor protecs you from one to four points. Leather 1, doubled leather 2, chain mail 3, metal plate 4.
one handed waepon hits for one, two handed weapon hit for 2. Arrows hit for 2. Balistas, catapults and bombards kill automaticaly if hit, even on shield.
-It seems a simple and quick system from descriptions of your adventures. Is there levels?Skills?
No levels, almost no skills. I know there is a realy underground official skill system, but no one talks about it. I know some elves, orc shamans and mages have some power...but you can only get those powers in game....you cant simply enlist and get those powers. I remember that some people passed a 3 day physical and mental challange that ended up in the surrounding montains to be able to carry the "Baton d'yresse"...a staff that heals anyone on contact, even the dead.
Is there character death?
Yes and no. If you want your caracter to live after a battle, you keep him. Most of the basic soldiers keep their caracter because they die alot and it would be to much work starting again and again...But some high ranking people, like generals, sometime choose to die in a spectacular way and end their caracter.
We where 300+ in the celtic aliance in 2001 and after loosing the battle we where down to about 30...so caracter death happens.
-How does the magic system work? Clerics?
As I said, very underground. You can play a mage if you want, but you have no in game powers unless you can find them in the world...they are extremly rare and I have only seen one or two manifestations of it. I think its one of the strong points there...some people dont believe there is magic, some do...it has gotten to a point where magic is like a myth.
Clerics are comming out now with more power then before. You need to be a cleric of an official religion and for that you need 300 real people to be belivers..not an easy task. You start of with nothing and you build up your power with time and energie by doing special sanctionned events.
-How complicated or simple is the system? How long does it take for a newbie (new person) to learn the rules?
It takes about 10 min for a newbie to learn the basic rules, it can take alot of time to learn the complex rules: economical and warfare.
-What is the history of the group? How long has it been in existence?WHat is the population of the area around you? How far do people come to go to your events?
Its now in its 10th year. I do not trully know the history of the group. The population around the area is quite low: the land is near a nationnal park. People come from all across Quebec to go there. ( Any where from 0- 800km) I know some people come from France.
-Who is the creator of the rules?
It is a group of people. I dont know all of them. hte rules get modified every year.
-Ever thought of having an open event? Inviting outsides once you get your town built?
Yes, I know there is some links between Bicolline and France based event Anachrone. Bicolline is open to all.
Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2004 2:02 pm Post subject: Re: buggy
-Cool buildings. Are they built specially for the event? Do you folks own the land or rent?
All built for the event, organisation owns the land.
-What language is spoken at the event?
Quebec French.
-Are there things there for people to do who have no interest or ability in fighting?
Yes, but you need to find your own fun, you cant expect to be taken by the hand and given your fun. Politics, special eye candy scenes, simply camp life, drinking, music etc are all there to be savoured.
-Are the people there friendly and welcoming to newcomers?
Yes and no, it all depends on how the newcomer is. If he/she acts like they own the place no one will be too welcoming to them. If the newcomer is open minded and trys to learn from what is already in place, then people tend to be quite friendly. It still is hard to go up to hicg ranking players and get involved with them if you are new...specialy if you dont represent anyone.
-You mentioned a few other activities, such as gambling, and elf burning. How are those organized? Do the event runners have set actuivities, or do they happen at the whims of the players?
Those two events where made by players but the organisation gave its accord. Some events are organisation run, others are player run. Most pecial scenes are player run. The organisation does either more general events like the messenger relay or realy underground ones, like some weird quests for arcane knowledge. Just finding out about those quest is truly dificult on its own.
Joined: Apr 27, 2004 Posts: 30 Location: San Antonio, Texas, USA
Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2004 3:04 pm Post subject:
This is a wonderful and beaufiful looking LARP! I'd like to someday emulate it with Parallel Worlds, sans the seeming emphasis on battles/fighting. _________________ Determination is a two-edged sword
Joined: Dec 29, 2004 Posts: 38 Location: Washington State
Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 10:39 pm Post subject:
Being extreamly dis enfranchised with groups like SCA and Amtgard, I found bicolline on the web about a year ago and just fell in love. If i ever get the chance to get up there to an event i am going to take it, my french is really rusty so I hope people up there are forgiving of that! I have tried to start up a group here in washington that emulates Bicollines emphasis on apearence! I just drool over those pictures, how nice everyone looks! Then I go to SCA or Amtgard and just go, oh yeah.... Now I have seen some good garbed SCAers and Amtgard but nothing like Bicolline.
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 5:55 pm Post subject: Well you should be disenfranchised with Amtgard!
Well you should be disenfranchised with Amtgard! I tried my ass off to change the rules to a more RP system. I got totally creamed on the 6.1 list! I have been to events at tanglewwod forest and have seen peoples stuff stolen! LARP people are supoze to have honor. Amtgard is a decaying rotten system that it's time has passed. The newesest 7.0 revision is nothing but another non roleplaying combat only sucky system. I don't want to quit amtgard I just want it to evolve to a system that doesn't have rules for no apparent reason other that to have rules. Many of the rules are non roleplaying and stupid! Half of the time we bicker over the stupid rules. I have been watching this site for a along time and have read the comments about Amtgard. Yes we do suck but I have time and many years of effort into this game. Mabyee some of you guys could read over the 7.0 rules and convert it to a more RP system and post it for the world to see what a real LARP looks like. I cant't jus quit and give up all my awards and such.
PS
Sorry E. for the comments that we were a LARP when we were a LACS I was wrong when I looked on the net and saw how bad and dinasour our rules were. You have opened my eyes a few years ago and I thank you. To any Amtgardians I will not give my identiy as I am quite high up and it would cause quite a bit of BS in AMtgard if I was talking to outsiders.
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