[simon]

There's no fixed date yet - it depends mostly on when people are finishing their courses and off on their holidays/back home. If not everyone wants to join in it might be possible to run at the weekend rather than on a Monday night.

All further questions and requests are to go in this thread – in this first post I'll note which characters have been 'claimed', and will also give example settings, for people to vote how exactly these fictional characters are attending the wake that follows Shakespeare's fictional murder.

Characters already claimed:

• Theseus, Duke of Athens - Josh

• Lysander, a young gentleman of Athens - Daz

• Macbeth, Thane of Glamis - Matt (paz)

• Serafina, a nurse (of Verona) - Chris

Characters unclaimed (but pregenerated):

• Hippolyta, Duchess of Athens, Queen of the Amazons

• Lady Macbeth of Glamis

• Lady Capulet, a gentlewoman of Verona

• Tybalt Capulet, a swordsman of Verona

• Romeo Montague, a young gentleman of Verona

• Juliet Capulet, a young gentlewoman of Verona

• Demetrius, a young gentleman of Athens

• Helena, a young gentlewoman of Athens

• Hermia, a young gentlewoman of Athens

• Rosaline, a young woman of Verona

• Friar Laurence, a friar of Verona

• Verula, an old woman

Other Characters Suggestions:

• Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

• Richard III, King of England

• Antony, Roman warrior

• Cleopatra, Egyptian queen

Possible settings (to vote on):

• In Shakespeare's Head - Upon his death-bed, Shakespeare's mind conjures up the images of his famous characters attending his wake. Alternatively Shakespeare is just dreaming. Either played in appropriate dress or this Shakespeare is considered an alternative Shakespeare in a different genre.

• In the Universal Subconsious - Shakespeare and all his characters have been immortalised throughout history in the universal subconsious, constantly being updated and reinvented. The memory or ghost of Shakespeare is murdered, and his most important characters are left to pick up the pieces. Alternatively someone is just dreaming the events up. Players can dress up in any genre their character feels comfortable in.

• Postmodern Shakespeare - Shakespeare is a respected writer, perhaps journalist, who has written up the stories of many great celebrities of this age, the other characters. Having been murdered, those invited to his wake, those who he wrote about to amass his great fortune, must put the pieces together to solve the murder. Players could dress either in modern clothes or slightly sci-fi/fantasy, according to taste.

• Unknown/Doesn't  Matter - The characters aren't really aware how exactly they find themselves involved in the wake - they just know Shakespeare is dead and they have been invited.

[Haskeer]

hahaha  chris is playing a girl..

Can ian be banned from playing hermia? I think he likes me and this would be his perfect oppertunity.

Did you say puck will have a role as an npc? because if thats true everyone should watch there drinks because he likes to date rape people.

[paz]

I voted for the last one. I just don't think it should be an issue, or something that requires a 'real' explanation.

[metagaia]

[paz]

Unless it's pretty much mandatory, I'm going to avoid coming in costume. People who do dress up are, in my experience, the exception rather than the rule (especially the guy who came to one of these things dressed up as Queen Victoria... ).

[metagaia]

OK, that helps quite a lot.  Still, the idea of cyberpunk Shakespeare does appeal to me.  Maybe just the idea of all the sword duels done with laser swords, the fencing scene in Hamlet in particular.

[paz]

'Is this a light saber which I see before me?'

[Jimmy]

[style = "theseus"] there shall be no duels unless properly declared thank you [/style]

[simon]

Don't worry about costumes too much - although dress somewhat in character. I was thinking that if we can lean towards smart shirts rather than t-shirts that might well do the trick.

I can't comment any more on Puck than I have elsewhere, except to say that some characters will probably feel his presence more than others.

Theseus is right - no weapons are allowed. That doesn't actually mean that no weapons will turn up...

[simon]

Oh, it's also worth noting that with just four people 'signed up' then we're unlikely to play this. I'll try to get a printed out list of characters out and about at the club at some time in the future, but there are a few people on the forums that haven't committed one way or the other, so I don't really know what the general consensus is or will be.

[Haskeer]

just wondering but is the caractors thoughts and feelings the same as at the end of there specific play or at the start.

For example my charactor hates demetrius in the play but at the end because demetrius is drugged to fall in love with helena lysander sort of forgets about the rivalry.

[simon]

The characters are assumed to have lived through the plays. Even if they've died in the plays they are somehow alive, because they are independent of the plays themselves - either the play has 'immortalised' them somehow, or the plays were exaggerations of the truth, allowing for Shakespeare's artistic/dramatic licence.

The actual thoughts of the characters will be presented to the players secretly, but should take into account what has happened before in print and whether they are happy with Shakespeare's portrayal of them.

[simon]

I might not be at the club for a while, so in case that's the case would anyone be able to take a list of available characters down to the club and see if any of the non-forum lot want to sign up? Otherwise this game will probably be a no-go, at least not in time for summer.

[Jimmy]

will do  

[simon]

Thanks, squire! I'll give you a heads up if i think I might make it after all.

[Haskeer]

what numbers are you after?

[simon]

The original scenario (as per the original cast list) is for 16 players, not including GMs and helpers out. I'd like to get the whole club involved for the one night, but it may not be everybody's cup of tea.

[simon]

Did you get a chance to ask around, Josh? No pressure, just curious. I should be around next Monday if not.

[Jimmy]

sadly no due 2 much things happening at once and people split all over the place. sort out next monday tho

[simon]

Righto. No longer am I due in Monday - I've got a funeral to go to.

Did you ever have one of those months where you thought it couldn't get any more difficult, and then it did?

[simon]

Again, apologies for not making it in Monday. It's been a CENSORED month.

Don't think I'll be around Bank Holiday Monday either.

There seems to be a pattern here, but I'll try to break it soon. I don't anticipate any further funerals.

[Gileh]

But wow. This sounds like quite possibly the coolest thing ever! Like something Gaiman would come up with. I'd love to get involved with this. Would there be costumes?

Can I make some character suggestions? How about Caliban or Prospero? Or a Prospero that switched into the personas of Ariel and Caliban like Jekyll and Hyde playing on shakespear id/ego/superego?

What would be the structure of the game? Mostly improv. Sorry, I am totally new to this.

Leigh

[simon]

It's all up in the air at the moment, just because of Real Life, but character suggestions are encouraged, assuming you're prepared to adopt the suggested role. There's a whole bunch of already created characters, so on the whole I don't want to deviate from them unless people have a real desire to play another of Shakespeare's main characters. There should be details earlier in this thread of the 'official' characters.

I've never actually run anything like this - the scenario has kind of 'fallen into my hands' and sounded really cool. There's a basic structure, in that the characters first convene for the wake, and after a suitable amount of time the will is read, and the conclusion comes some time after that when people have had time to push their plans as far as they can go (or given themselves enough rope to hang themselves).

Costumes are optional - I know some people aren't keen on dressing up.

[simon]

This looks like another thing that's going to have to be put on the back-burner - unless other people want to take-over organising it, there's not much chance of me sorting anything out for the beginning of summer.

Maybe the end of summer? Or Halloween?