The Estranged Ones

This article was prepared especially for those attending KP '04 in Helsinki, and is also featured in Panclou #8 2004.

In Trondheim in Norway sits a groups of about 100 active larpers. Some of them have been at it since 1988, others has joined just recently. They are as young as 16 or as old as 46. They meet regularly in a café to reminisce, to plan and to drink beer, coffee or such like. Between them they are responsible for organizing and playing at least 40 larps, with participants ranging in number from 5 to 160 and in duration from two hours to five or six days. Their larps are mostly fantasy, but horror-games and dark future-games have been played as well as an upcoming Mafia-larp. They are not particularly innovative in style or form, but they are continuously evolving and they are creative as all hell! They have sparked of the formation of four different societies for re-enactment/living history, and they have started building their very own village in fantasy/medieval-style.

And yet, none of these have found it worth the time, effort and money to visit Solmukohta 2004. Of the ones coming to Helsinki from Norway, five have been here and played in one or more of our larps, and I do think none of them would say our style is inferior in any way, or that what we do is NOT larp.

And yet these are the estranged ones with regards to Knutepunkt.

Trondheimians as visitors to Knutepunkt/Solmukohta has been scarce throughout the event's history. Not even when the event was held in Oslo did many people go. Knutepunkt has never been a 'high-point' in anyones calendar up here.

Why not?
I don't know. I can not, do not, and have no wish to speak on behalf of any other than myself. And I can only speculate, and thus give my own views on why I have not gone.

The primary reason is no doubt practical. Even travelling to Oslo from Trondheim takes time and costs lots of money. Still, it's sometimes easier, cheaper and takes less time to visit Mallorca, than Oslo! But given this last fact, this is just an obstacle we would have to surpass - not really enough to keep us all from going.

So - money and time aside, why don't Trondheimians go to Knutepunkt?
LARP-culture in Trondheim is characterized by two things; No formal organizations and a distinctly 'kitschy' approach to the medium. Both of these serve to make Knutepunkt a very unattractive event to most Trondheimians.

Regarding the first item; Organization. For two years (1990-1992) there excisted a 'club' for larpers in Trondheim - 1030. This club was however dispanded for the very simple reason that one did not want to spend time and/or money on something that was not directly producing more larp. Bueraucracy and formalities was perceived as something that got in the way of the enjoyment of larp. Thus we dispanded 1030-TRLK and no attempt has been made since to revive it. Instead we meet informally and rely on word of mouth, the 'net and on the monthly gathering to keep the 'scene' going. And it suits us fine.

About kitschy. Ever since a bunch of us ran around in the woods back in 1988, larp has been viewed as a pleasurable way of having experiences not possible in real life. We sought thrills, laughs, adventure and excitement - and we found it. What we created was a number of detailed and enjoyable 'universes' that would give us the things we sought. These universes were inhabited by magicians and whores, zombies and (the norwegian equivalents of) WASPs. And in these universes we had the haunted houses, the outdoor winter-wedding, the ghosts in the swamps and the inns filled with song and laughter. We created visions of mystery and excitement - sometimes with the aid of nature itself (ever seen aurora borealis light up a bitter, cold winter night?). And after each one of these larps, beatified organizers would spend hours clearing up the mess, whilst players met in pubs or bars or private homes to relive glorious moments and re-tell fantastic tales from the larp.

But the organizers would return, and we would do it all again, and we still do. And we are happy doing it.

Where Weltschmerz created innovative experiences, Soria Moria created recognizable experiences.
Where 'AmerikA' was art, 'Runddans' was kitsch.
Where 'immersion' became the hype for others, 'ambience' was our hype.
Where 'fantasy' is sneered at by some, we dearly love it.
Where potatoes are banned from 'serious' larps, we peel and peel and peel and let the devil take the hindmost!

And to the Trondheimians, Knutepunkt is looking more and more artsy and less and less kitschy, and so we feel that there is too little to be gained from it. That sums it up, I think.

In Trondheim we celebrate 'Blåknutepunkt' at highly irregular intervals. It's mostly a party, with added treats such as genuine medieval cooking (sic.!), bachelor-auctions and lots of chattering about larping. We did try once to have an organized debate, but it was a rather dull session and we have not repeated it since.

Trondheimians is not a homogenic group, we are all kinds of people. In that way we are no different from other larp-scenes in Norway or elsewhere in the world. We do not even try to be different, we just try to do what we're happy doing and find it gives us pleasurable experiences, educational experiences, and emotional experiences.

That's what we are, and that's what we do.
...but these are just my views ;)