The Play's the Thing: A Renaissance Faire Group Roleplay

[Archer2112]

Hello everyone, I am looking to see how many would be interested in playing a group role play centered on a Renaissance Faire company. This game would center on the lives of the people who work the faire (although people are welcome to play faire goers as well) not only how they perform in character but also out of character both before, during and after the gates close. Of course there will be some shenanigans with so many people running around in tight breeches and low cut corsets after all. But there is also the joy of performing, the anxiety when something goes wrong, the struggle of being in a performance and the realities faced when the patrons have gone home.

I am in the early stages of brainstorming and many of my ideas will depend upon how much interest there is. A few basic ideas are that the company is riding the line of being unable to continue, a rival company, or just being a new stage with an eccentric owner that is financing it out of his own pocket. Other story lines can develop whether they be fun, serious, chaste, sensual, as long as they are fun I am eager to see them grow.

As for the setting of the faire, I would prefer to make it set in the Elizabethan era (although if there is enough interest in a different period we can certainly change it or we could do a rotation where the age shifts between seasons) Again I want feedback on opinions about what the setting should be. Beginning the game will start with the cast and crew meeting with the owner.

Roles that we will need:

Actors in the troupe (i.e. Nobles, Commoners of the Town, Gypsies, Pirates, Royalty, Knights)
Production and crew (i.e. Costumers, Stage hands, Special Effects, Fight Choreographers. Management)
Performers (i.e. Acrobats, Musicians, Dancers, Magicians)
Merchants (i.e. Weapons smiths, Clothing, Food vendors)
Visitors to the Fair

Not at all a complete listing so feel free to add to it with any ideas. When submitting characters please include the following information:

Character's Real Name:
Character's Faire Name (If Applicable):
Age:
Role Desired in the Troupe: (Specific or general)
Skills: Both faire and non-faire
Physical Description:
Background:
Sexual Preference:
Additional Information: PM me with anything that I should know but not the players…yet.

I look forward to hearing from you all and thank you for your interest in this venture.

[AurelieCatena]

I might be interested to play the role of an actress/stunt who plays the role of the witch (pilloried, caged, burned at the stake, tortured, hanged, paraded across the streets, etc.)

[TaurusBeresford]

Huzzah! This this ought to be very fascinating. There is a group in my are that does this every year with a full war camp campaign, a local ren faire sponsored by the olde town here, and semi regular sparring meets. They even participate in the celtic festival in the next town over. While I have only a passive interest in the idea, it's a great entertainment idea. I could however play the cook, but there would be a need to have a story line that passes via the visitors from village location to another. The first year I attended, the baron sent visitors to the cook to ask that more seasoning be put on the food which led to a whole story line around the village.

[ThePrince]

I have a bit of personal experience with something like this but not a Ren faire. You can color me interested.

[OldSchoolGamer]

Bonus points for the idea if, after the RenFaire was over, the participants actually found themselves dropped into a medieval world...

[MzHyde]

I used to work at a Ren Faire. <3

[yesiroleplay]

Bonus if there's an SCA chapter that uses the Faire for tourneys and meetings.

Awesome beyond words triple bonus for what OldSchoolGamer said!