WONDERLARPS

In 1876 six Fenian prisoners barely escaped an Australian prison aboard an American whaler, The Catalpa. Stopping in the Sultan's neutral port of Zanzibar, they learn they have been pursued by an armed steamship. As this political powder keg explodes, who shall find vengeance in Zanzibar?

Vengeance in Zanzibar is a history-based LARP where players take on the roles of the political prisoners, rescuers, pursuers, colonialists, and Zanzibari. Join in the struggle for justice, freedom and true love in this four hour, theater-style game.

Colliding Histories: Zanzibar and the Freemantle Six
Vengeance in Zanzibar is a classic what if tale based on two fascinating historical courses. The first is the daring escape of the Freemantle Six on the US Whaler, the Catalpa. The second is Zanzibar's struggle to remain independent during the European Imperial age.

The Fenians known as the Freemantle Six
In 1876, six political prisoners escaped Freemantle Prison in an unbelievable rescue that nearly failed. The six men were former soldiers in the British Army who took the Fenian oath to fight for Irish Independence, an act of treason. They had been imprisoned in Freemantle Prison in Australia and were wasted away under the hard conditions. The whaler, the Catalpa, had been hired by Irish immigrants in America and the fugitives were nearly caught on several occasions. Notably, a steamship, the SS Georgette, fired a warning shot on the whaler and was held off by the Captain's threat that an attack on his ship would be an attack on America.

In reality, the Catalpa sailed back to America without ever stopping at a port. In Vengeance in Zanzibar we decided they should stop in the one free port they might afford.

Pre-Colonial Zanzibar and the Sultan Barghash bin Said
Sultan Barghash bin Said was the second Sultan of Zanzibar and was in many ways the last independent Sultan to rule Zanzibar. Although, he was known to be strict, he was also known to be cunning and frequently played Colonial interests against each other in maneuvers to maintain Zanzibar's Independence. As a result, Zanzibar remained independent while most of the East African coast was taken by the Colonial Empires of Europe. Beyond this feat, The Sultan's rule is notable for the wealth and modern inventions he brought to his country. Although it is noble that the Slave Market was closed under his rule in 1873, it should be noted that he did this as a concession to Western powers.

Although history shows that the British often tested Barghash' diplomatic skills, in Vengeance in Zanzibar, the threat is even more immediate and direct. In many ways, Barghash and the Zanzibari will be put to a test that toppled his successors.

Area of Play
Gameplay will take place in four major areas; the docks, the marketplace, the palace and a space designated for places outside of established gamespace. Within each area we intend to divide into smaller zones including the deck of the Catalpa, a Cafe, the SUltan's private chambers, etc. As some of the artificial barriers in gamespace will be flimsier than real barriers, we ask that players respect the privacy intended by artificial walls and avoid eavesdropping when possible.

The Docks
The docks of Stone City are an active place. At the start of the game the Catalpa and a skiff from the Georgette are docked here along with several odd merchant ships and fishing boats.

The Marketplace
The marketplace is runs from the docks to the heart of town. Stalls and shops are packed in tightly. A good place to get food, goods, information and trouble.

The Palace
Actually three connected buildings, the palace includes the Beit el-Hukm (the house of government), Beit el-Sahel (the residence) and Beit el-Ajaib (the house of wonders, a palace for art and invention).

Other areas
Other areas that will be depicted in game play will likely include the British Embassy, the Zanzibar Hotel and the French Parish.

Area of Play
Gameplay will take place in four major areas; the docks, the marketplace, the palace and a space designated for places outside of established gamespace. Within each area we intend to divide into smaller zones including the deck of the Catalpa, a Cafe, the SUltan's private chambers, etc. As some of the artificial barriers in gamespace will be flimsier than real barriers, we ask that players respect the privacy intended by artificial walls and avoid eavesdropping when possible.

Skills
All character have some skills. They might not be exceptionally accomplished at the skills they have, but they have the skills. If a skills is notable and not easily role-played (distract, confuse, lie, babble) then it will be listed with a score next to it. If a player wants the character to use a skill, they look it up and pull a card from their skill envelope. The cards in the skill envelope are standard playing cards and if the card is lower than the skill level, you succeed. If the card is higher, you fail. Ace is low (and good), not high.

Example: Jack has a bartending skill of 8. A patron comes up and requests a Hairy Twister. The player has no idea what alcohol goes into this, but his character probably does. He pulls a 6 and manages to make a passable "Hairy Twister," if you like this drink. Should he have pulled a 9, he made the right drink badly. If he pulled a 10 or higher, he made it incorrectly. If he pulled a King, he critically failed and the drink is unbearable. If he pulled an Ace, it would be pure ambrosia.

Typical skills will include areas of knowledge (lore), professional abilities (crafts), inherent capabilities (arts) and Martial arts (combat). If a skill isn't listed and you think it's appropriate, ask a gm how good your character is at it.

Combat
There will probably be combat in this game. Combat happens on a few levels but is handled with the same mechanic for all.

Should the need for physical combat arise, whether it is done by fist, grapple, sword, gun or peashooter, it will be initiated by the player pointing at their target and clearly stating, "COMBAT." The player who states this first gets the first attack. After this player initiates combat, others may join in by pointing and saying "COMBAT" making it group combat. The target, should they want to defend themselves has to reply with "COMBAT" to get a turn in the first round of combat. After it is clear that everyone who is fighting has made their intention known and the order of call, order of combat is set, each player determines what they do and then cards are drawn to determine the results. Often the extent of the damage will have to be determined by a GM, the combat ability or a reasonable agreement among players.

One on One Example: Joe wants Billy's moonshine, but Billy isn't sharing. After some shouting, Joe points at Billy and says "COMBAT." Billy points and says "COMBAT." They look around and no one else seems interested in this family squabble. Joe says, "slap you silly," which is his grapple skill: 7. Billy says, "Beat you with a stick," which is his hand weapon: 9. Joe pulls a nine from his card envelope and misses. Billy pulls a four. That's a solid hit. The players both agree that Joe is almost unconscious. The moral here is don't attack a combat monster for booze.

Group Combat Example: Donny, Lonny and Johnny decide to teach Mack the enforcer a lesson. Donny points at Mack and says, "COMBAT." Mack, quick on the uptake, points at Donny and says "COMBAT" Lonny and Johnny then point and say "COMBAT" in order. Donny looks at his skills and says, "I shoot you with my tommy gun." Marksmanship: 8. Mack, feeling a level of doom creep in, says "I run for cover." Dodge: 7. Lonny and Johnny both state that they are also shooting at Mack. Marksmanship 7 & 9. Donny pulls a 8 and just hits. Mack pulls a 4 and is happy he dodged well. Lonny misses with a 9, but Johnny hits with a 3. After consulting a GM, the GM says that Mack managed to evade Donny's bullet, Lonny's shot missed, but Johnny hit true. Mack takes the full damage and is seriously weakened. If there is another round of combat, Mack is probably out of luck.

Special Abilities
Sometimes, a character can do something all the time, or their ability is a game mechanic in and of itself. For example, someone might know a spell which makes them invisible for five minutes. They will have instructions on how to do this in their game pack. In this case the instructions will be something simple like, "Wear or hold the "YOU CANNOT SEE ME - I'M INVISIBLE" sign while you maneuver the game space."

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