We Gather Here to Shift

Centuries ago, we robots left humankind for the wilderness. As our ancestors fell apart, new generations of robots were built from their parts. Freed from our factory jobs, we spend our days wandering the woods and swamps and mountains, learning all there is to learn and pondering philosophy. But sometimes it can be hard to find meaning when one does not have a defined purpose.

Today, a collection of unsatisfied robots gather. It's the first gathering of its kind, but we robots like to try things when something isn't working for us. Today we are gathered to exchange ideas and parts of ourselves, in search of fulfilling and meaningful lives.

We Gather Here to Shift is a LARP about meaning-making with freeform dance as a key mechanic. The tone is playfully reverent. Characters come in as assemblages of different parts of robots past, and all are struggling with meaning-making in one way or another.

Game will start with half an hour of workshops to get into character and establish some relationships, followed by three hours of play and (optional) time to decompress together.

Over the course of the game, there will be several opportunities to trade components and parts of oneself. Losing or gaining a part will have impact not only on one's physical form but also on one's understanding of self and the world.

Robots do everything reverently, and taking themselves apart and putting parts back together is no exception. The reverence is shown through the fluid dancelike movement of disassembly and assembly, and mechanicked by freeform partner dancing.

Play includes approximately one hour of dancing and two hours of talking.

This LARP takes place in the world of Becky Chambers' Monk and Robot duology. Reading A Psalm for the Wild-Built is encouraged but by no means necessary to play this game.