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INTERACTIVE DRAMA
SCENARIO ARCHIVE


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SCENARIOS ONLINE
This is the section this web site has been created and designed for. Eventually, we hope to develop the most comprehensive archive of role playing and interactive drama freeform scenarios on the Web. If you would like to add your own scenarios here (either as a local file or as a link), feel free to email Dr. Brian David Phillips at director@interactivedramas.info and I'll most assuredly get back to you as quickly as possible.

If you have several pieces you would like to contribute, we'd be happy to set up a subsection here devoted to your work. If you have scenarios online, please let us know so we can provide links to your web pages. The more scenarios that become available, the more likely we can encourage others to give interactive drama a try and eventually to write their own scenarios, emulating the better scenarists and increasing the quality of the material available.

Authors who have included their scenarios in this archive grant permission for troupes to produce the pieces for non-profit non-commercial performances. Authors of scenarios housed elsewhere via a link from this archive may or may not have different performance policies. If you have a question, then contact the author.

Likewise, authors should be forewarned that distributing your scenarios may imply permission for troupes to modify them for their own performances. These modifications are normally in no way intended as infringements upon the rights of the author or the integrity of the piece. They are usually made within the confines of fair use for performance much as theatrical companies may find it necessary to cut or modify a play in order to suit the needs of their troupes or a traditional role playing club may need to adapt an RPG module to fit the campaign. Such "cuttings" should neither be available nor intended for distribution as that would be an infringement upon the author's rights. Those wishing to produce a scenario should acquire a legitimate copy of the original scenario. Authors, if you have specific policies toward performance of your scenarios, you need to explicitly state them as once you start distributing your work it's very hard to know what's being done with it unless you've set the ground rules. As Benjamin Kemp put it, it can be broken down into a choice between having your work performed in a modified form (and in essence all interactive dramas are designed to be modified in play anyway) or to have it remain on a shelf somewhere unmodified but unperformed.

Authors, please note that I've tried to archive material here of interest to a wide variety of persons from different backgrounds and with different interests. I've tried to make certain material here is archived with proper rights and/or permissions . . . however, if I screwed up for whatever reasons or if you find something archived here that shouldn't be or if you just decide to change your mind and want something removed, please let me know and I'll try my best to do right by you.

When submitting scenarios to this site, please provide materials in at least one format that directors may edit. Often casting considerations require some slight editing of a piece for gender or player number so it is helpful if the files are in text, rtf, or Word formats that allow editing. Original authors should always receive credit for performance literature.

SPOILER ALERT: If you intend to participate in any of these interactive drama scenarios as a performing player, you should not read them beforehand. If you intend to direct, run, or host a scenario as a non-participating player, then feel free to proceed. While some scenarios can be run without a director, others require a referee.


BRIAN DAVID PHILLIPS

Brian David Phillips is the archivist here at Interactive Dramatists as well as the founder and troupe leader of the Taiwan Interactive Theatre Society. He is also the founder of the Journal of Interactive Drama. His doctoral dissertation in comparative literature was on the subject of Interactive Drama. In addition to ID work, some of the following are games rather than interactive drama scenarios per se (here for archival purposes). You can learn more about Dr. Phillips and his work at http://www.briandavidphillips.net/blog or http://wakingdreams.org/news.

  • Alien Hunter - Interactive Drama live role playing scenario of a murderous Nexus Event in Wildwood for 15-26 players by Brian David Phillips, Ph.D., C.H. Upon hearing about the Nexus Event and the presence of aliens, the townsfolk in the Old West Town of Wildwood are in turmoil. With the government man dead and no one else to turn to, they must rely on each other to uncover the truth and protect themselves.
  • The Big Lunar Conspiracy - Interactive Drama Moon Colony Murder Mystery live role playing scenario for 18-23 players by Brian David Phillips, Ph.D., C.H. Lunar Colony Alpha has been a beacon of scientific progress and cooperation, but recently, ominous incidents have plagued the colony. Mysterious system failures, supply shortages, and accidents have occurred, leading to growing tension among the residents. Rumors of sabotage and a potential traitor within the colony's ranks are spreading like wildfire.
  • The Curse of Hollow Manor - Murder at Midnight live role playing Interactive Drama scenario for 18-23 players by Brian David Phillips, Ph.D., C.H. The year is 1890, and you find yourself standing atop a misty hill, with Hollow Manor, a sprawling gothic mansion, looming in the distance. Known for its chilling history and spinetingling tales of hauntings, Hollow Manor is an architectural relic from a bygone era. Ancient trees, their limbs twisted like tortured souls, sway in the eerie silence. An old graveyard, hidden in the shadows, whispers stories of the manor's dark past.
  • The Last Final Conference - Last Chance for Peace, a science-fiction negotiation-heavy live role playing scenario for 15-52 players by Brian David Phillips, Ph.D., C.H. Today, the leaders and envoys of Karimen, Vashuto, Barin, and Sojuk gather upon neutral stars to decide the destiny that will echo through the eons. They gather to negotiate, to plead, to strategize, to prevent the precipice of doom, and to strive for a celestial pact of peace.
  • FlashTrains - Bending Reality, Twisting Minds live role playing scenario for 15-26 players by Brian David Phillips, Ph.D., C.H. Welcome aboard the FlashTrain, a marvel of modern technology. It's the year 2033 and humankind has advanced beyond its wildest imaginations. No longer are we confined to the sluggish conventional space travel methods. With the discovery of FlashTrains, teleportation between Earth and the Mars colony has become a reality, bringing along with it possibilities, mysteries, and unfortunately, dangers.
  • Hard Choices - Interactive Drama live role playing scenario with a Really Big Asteroid for 15-31 players by Brian David Phillips, Ph.D., C.H. The year is 2045. Astronomers identified a massive asteroid on a collision course with Earth. This imminent threat, combined with the devastation of the war, left the planet on the brink of total destruction. You are among a select group who have found refuge in an underground research facility, a place dedicated to cutting-edge scientific endeavors. One such endeavor is transdimensional travel, a risky and experimental venture that promises an escape to a new world: Eden. As the last remnants of humanity, you face the most difficult choice: who gets to leave and who stays behind? With the weight of this decision, the underground facility has become a pressure cooker of tension, desperation, hope, and despair. Prepare to make Hard Choices, for the fate of humanity rests in your hands.
  • The Final Conference - A negotiation and diplomacy based science fiction live role playing scenario by Brian David Phillips, Ph.D., C.H. Four alien empires negotiate a peace treaty in what is seen as the last hope before mutual anhilation. This scenario was originally written as a quick pickup classroom activity for 12-50 players that is quick to setup and easy to run with novice players. It works particularly best with larger groups and can be run as a pickup activity or with pre-casting with costumes and makeup.
  • The Fall of the Dream - An adult oriented science fiction live role playing scenario by Brian David Phillips, Ph.D., C.H. While the text is rather tame, the actual game was written as an experiment and is for "adults only" so players must be of legal age of consent to play (when using the full rules, modifications are possible for other approaches).
  • Code Name: Uroborus - A mature subject matter murder mystery scenario of deceit betrayal and international espionage by Brian David Phillips, Ph.D. This version is written for predominately female groups but it can be adapted for groups with a different gender mix.
  • Greed - Educational game by Brian David Phillips, two versions included.
  • Tarot Truth or Dare - A relationship communication card game by Brian David Phillips.
  • Konfusion - An Abstract Strategy Game for 2-4 players by Brian David Phillips, Ph.D., C.H. This game is a simple chess variant which uses a 10X10 checkered board and dice instead of a standard chess board or pieces. The game can be played with two to four players. The blank board has hemisphere divisions as well as certain boxes marked off in the corners and the middle back row of each player’s position.


SCOTT BEATTIE

Scott Beattie is an educator and an interactive dramatist from Australia. He has written scenarios ranging from straightforward scenario-based learning activities for the classroom to wild and eclectic experimental pieces which explore critical ideas such as post-structuralism and more. He is also an Associate Editor of the Journal of Interactive Drama.

  • White Collar Crime - Scott Beattie's intriguing exploration of international business, politics, and cultural diversity. This is a scenario-based learning interactive drama for twenty players.
  • Ferret Furore - Scott Beattie's intriguing exploration of wildlife management, politics, and diversity. This is a scenario-based learning interactive drama for twenty players.
  • Beneath a Harvest Moon - Scott Beattie's Halloween homage to Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner, Clive Barker, Ray Bradbury, Nick Cave, David Lynch, and just a touch of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. This interactive drama scenario for twenty players is based upon an original premise by Louise Pieper and Scott Beattie. There are two versions of the file here, in PDF and Word versions.
  • Bitter Tears at Sad Mary's Bar and Girl - Scott Beattie's wonderful surrealistic piece exploring plots and characters on the island state at the edge. It is fantasy, science fiction, and generally weird post-structuralist psychological strangeness. This is a ten-player Live on the Edge freeform based upon the Over the Edge tabletop RPG and On the Edge CCG.
  • And the Moon A Crooked Grin... - Scott Beattie's very compelling strangeness continues with lesbian vampire pirates, witches, and a whole lot more. This is an interactive drama scenario for twelve players.


NICK HUGGINS

Nick Huggins is one of the first interactive dramatists to contribute to this archive back when it was still called the Shakespeare Eclectic Science Fiction Interactive Theatre Society. He was inspire to go out and create his own archive to service the Irish gaming community, an effor that is now known as Irish Gaming. Most of these pieces - and more - are also available at that archive.

  • A Family Matter - A Call of Cthulhu live roleplay scenario for 25 characters by Nick Huggins. The zipped file contains Word 95 and Excel 95 files.
  • Class Of '83 by Nick Huggins. A hastily written, although reasonably well-received LARP centering around the events at a school reunion. Requires one player to play by phone (although this could be faked) and is decidedly Call of Cthulhu in nature.
  • Sidekicks Anonymous by Nick Huggins. The real heroes are missing, and the sidekicks are left to fend for themselves. One of two incredibly chaotic, and faintly ridiculous Live Action games, by Nick. This one was originally run at Gaelcon 98, and is for 25 people with a serious sense of humour.
  • Vox by Nick Huggins. This is a science-Fiction LARP set in the Terran Dominion, where a message from a possibly alien vessel brings fear, mystery and not a small amount of politics and chaos. Originally run at Warpcon 1999, it's for 20 players.
  • Weird Science by Nick Huggins. Bizarreness abounds in this LARP tale of a bunch of Weird Scientists getting together to decide whether the good guys or the bad guys are the best. Can you say Photonic Omni-Electron Dampening Emitter Shield?
  • The Power Of Freedom by Nick Huggins and Joe Murphy. A scenario written in 1994, for 'Vampire: The Masquerade.' This is a large game for forty or more players. This version has a few rough edges as it is the first scenario written by Huggins and Murphy.


JAMES O'RANCE

James O'Rance is a prolific interactive dramatist from Australia. He has written scenarios ranging from short and intimate to long and epic, from a handfull of players to huge masses of palyers.

  • City of Blood and Darkness - A 40-plus-player Planescape fantasy scenario by James O'Rance. This piece was written for the Necronomicon convention, Oct. 1-4, 1999 (Australia).
  • Clandestyne by Gaslight - A 40-player fantasy scenario by James O'Rance first run at Sydcon 1998. "Clandestyne by Gaslight" is set in a fantastic Europe of the Victorian era. It should appeal to readers of Victorian fiction, and players of the Callof Cthulhu, Castle Falkenstein, Nephilim and Storyteller games. Many of the characters in "Clandestyne by Gaslight" were inspired by historical or literary figures of the Victorian period. "Clandestyne by Gaslight" was run as aprt of the Clandestyne Freeform Campaign, but is self-contained. More information about the Clandestyne Campaign can be found at http://www.Necronomicon.org/clandestyne/
  • The Door to Everywhere - A 60-player planescape freeform scenario by James O'Rance for 60 players. There three zipped files: Everywhere1.Zip, Everywhere2.Zip, and Everywhere3.Zip. This scenario was first run at MacQuarieCon 15, 10-13 December 1998. You can contact the author via email or the web.
  • Immortal Sins - A 40-plus-player fantasy scenario by James O'Rance. This piece was written for the SAGA 1999 convention, held at the University of New South Wales (Australia) in June 1999.
  • Red Sunset - A vampire freeform scenario by James O'Rance based upon the Vampire: The Eternal Struggle trading card game by Wizards of the Coast from White Wolf's World of Darkness setting. There four zipped files: RedSunset.Zip, RedSunset_vamps.Zip, RedSunset-Cards.Zip, and RedSunset-Badges.Zip. The zipped files contain Word and Claris Works files with embedded graphics in the character descriptions and for the cards used in the scenario. You can contact the author via email or the web.
  • Very Bad Things (Sydcon.~01). A silly freeform farce for twenty-one players. I was a bit nervous about whether people would enjoy this game (or actually be insulted by it) but it ran beautifully, and everyone seemed to get into the spirit of the game. Watching this game run was one of the funniest things that they had done for a long time. There two zipped files: James_ORance_vbt1.zip and James_ORance_vbt2.zip.
  • [short•sharp] Shock Therapy (Necronomicon 2001). A Short Sharp Shock for five players.


ROBERT PRIOR

Robert Prior, another of the Australian mainstays for freeform writing, has some truly wonderous pieces in his body of work. Prior is considered by many to be one of, if not the, best freeform writers in Australia - his body of work is huge as he's one of the most prolific designers around, so he's managed to achieve both quality and quantity. His themes range from fairly straightforward RPG to experimental. He has donated several scenarios to this archive but as they are not on disk, the scanning for the hard copies is currently slow going.

  • Narnia - This is an Adobe Acrobat archive of Robert Prior's freeform based upon the classic stories by C.S. Lewis.


UNSORTED SCENARIOS

  • Much Ado about Something - All your favorite characters from the works of William Shakespeare take on a life of their own in this wonderfully witty interactive drama for 17 players, 4-6 males and 4-8 females, by Alan Schwartz. The zip file contains all of the files needed to run the piece, including lyrics to the songs and audio files.
  • Snugglebunny Ring Wraiths - Mike Young's amusing micro scenario involving cute fluffy snugglebunnies and Sauron, Lord of Evil.
  • Soap Opera: The Freeform - All your favorite soap plots and character types collide in this 41 player freeform by Benjamin Kemp. The zip file contains all of the *.rtf files needed to run the piece. Archived here with permission of the author, it has previously been run at the Sydney Adventure Gaming Awards (SAGA) 1992-ish, CanCon (The Canberra Roleplaying Convention) 1996 (twice) and the Australian National University Role Playing Society (ANURPS) Gaming Festival (1999), as well as by the Macquarie University Role Playing Society.
  • Archangel - This is a freeform at the dawn of time for sixteen archangels. Evangelos Hugo Paliatseas has created a marvelous interactive drama complete with diplomacy, grace, and pre-fall angelic politics. Before the creation, a committee of archangels compete and debate and do battle for control of the future of the whole ball of wax. This is a fascinating concept. The zip file contains Word for Windows 95 files for the freeform. This piece premiered at the MURPS Convention 1998 and received very strong praise from participants.
  • Lord Dawn's Tea Party - This is a fantasy interactive drama scenario for 11 to 13 players with a bite, a twist, and some surreal consequences. Ryan Paddy designed the scenario with characters written by David Mayes, Steven Salmond, Ryan Paddy, and Young Ly.
  • The Curse of Whately Manor - Lovecraftian horror interactive drama scenario for twelve players written by Frank Branham. If you are unfamiliar with the form, this is an excellent model to learn from.
  • Fire at Midnight - A rather nice HTMLized version of Frank Branham's classic vampire scenario available here in a few formats. The original text version of the scenario is posted here
  • Murder Mystery Party: Olympia Scenario - Dave Howell's interactive drama for fourteen players set in Olympia, Washington, during World War II.
  • Vouloir, C'est Pouvoir - Louise Parker and Tonia Walden have recreated the time of the King's Musketeers in this interactive drama for 20 players (14 men and 6 women). Chivalry and romance are not dead, they're just bruised a bit . . . well, maybe more than a bit. The zip file contains the Word for Windows files for the freeform.
  • Horror at Bradley Manor - This is a gothic horror freeform interactive drama scenario for 20-26 players by Louise Parker and Tonia Walden. The zip file contains a Word for Windows file.
  • Kill Evil Stevie! - Just for fun, here's a convention scenario for Killer in which participants stalk Mr. Lord of All That Is Evil himself Steve Jackson and kill him and his clones. Oooh. What fun!
  • New World Disorder - This is a freeform interactive drama scenario for twenty-five players based upon Illuminati New World Order by Steve Jackson. The scenario was written by Jason Simes and Shane Clements with the assistance of Don Sillence and Antony Solis. The scenario was first run at Necronomicon X in Australia. This is a zipped file archive of the Word for Windows files.
  • Reality Bites - A vampire scenario by Richard Nagle.
  • Six Stones - A scenario for fifteen characters by Sam Chupp loosely based upon the Mind's Eye Theatre system. This is a rather interesting scenario in that it demonstrates how one can adapt a system intended for one setting or type of game and use it for another type of game (in this case the original gothicpunk horror system is modified to create a scenario in the high fantasy genre). UU-affiliated groups may use the material for free as long as they do not charge for it. Others can contact the author in order to arrange permission. The zipped files are for Word and Power Point.
  • Spy: Live Action Roleplaying Game - Christopher "Mage" Barkley showcases a few scenarios he's developed for a murder mystery style interactive drama system, Beyond Bond, A House Divided, and The Road to Hell along with photo galleries and other information about the group he plays with.
  • Murder Mystery Scenarios - John H. Kim presents his own scenario The Business of Murder along with other information about the genre.


[ General | NCCU | Pub Crawls | Mature Themes | Other Sources ]


PUB CRAWLS from the
OXFORD UNIVERSITY
DOUGLAS ADAMS SOCIETY

SPOILER ALERT: If you intend to participate in any of these interactive drama scenarios as a performing player, you should not read them beforehand. If you intend to direct, run, or host a scenario as a non-participating player, then feel free to proceed. While some scenarios can be run without a director, others require a referee.

[ General | NCCU | Pub Crawls | Mature Themes | Other Sources ]


SCENARIOS WITH
MATURE THEMES

These are scenarios which are inappropriate for minors. These scenarios treat mature subject matter and themes. Not appropriate for all audiences, reader discretion is advised. If you would like to add your own site here email me at director@interactivedramas.info and I'll most assuredly get back to you as quickly as possible. While these may be mature games which may treat adult material, no pornography is allowed.

SPOILER ALERT: If you intend to participate in any of these interactive drama scenarios as a performing player, you should not read them beforehand. If you intend to direct, run, or host a scenario as a non-participating player, then feel free to proceed. While some scenarios can be run without a director, others require a referee.

  • The Fall of the Dream - A science fiction live role playing scenario by Brian David Phillips, Ph.D., C.H. While the text is rather tame, the actual game was written as an experiment and is for "adults only" so players must be of legal age of consent to play (when using the full rules, modifications are possible for other approaches).
  • Code Name: Uroborus - A murder mystery scenario of deceit betrayal and international espionage by Brian David Phillips, Ph.D. This version is written for predominately female groups but it can be adapted for groups with a different gender mix.
  • The House of Pleasure - An adult interactive drama scenario by Hotscribe for 11 players (4 men and 7 women). This scenario is set in Paris during the late 1800's and is strictly for adults only: The character descriptions are written as erotica so you must be of legal age of consent to read or play this scenario. If you read or play this scenario, please contact the author to provide feedback. If enough people provide comments he may be persuaded to write another one. Player feedback is especially solicited.
  • Bestial Acts - Greg Costikyan's roleplaying drama based upon the aesthetics of Bertolt Brecht.
  • How to Host a Roman Orgy - Adam Goodheart's guide to hosting a night of debauchery.
  • The Tease - Rush's two character adult role play scenario for two players, one male and one female.
  • Enjoying and Hosting Erotic Events - The Society for Human Sexuality provides excellent advice of use to those organizing adult or mature-theme roleplay events.
[ General | NCCU | Pub Crawls | Mature Themes | Other Sources ]


OTHER SOURCES FOR
SCENARIOS ONLINE

Here are other sites where you can find scenarios or information about scenarios. If you would like to add your own site here email me at director@interactivedramas.info and I'll most assuredly get back to you as quickly as possible.

Additionally, many commercial products are available through the Interactive Drama Books page.

Please Note: I will normally not include commercial sites in my links as this archive is about promoting freely distributable scenarios. However, I do make the occassional exception when it comes to major publishers who simply cannot be ignored or for exceptional products (I mean scenarios or systems with scenarios - system-only publishers are not appropriate for these pages) - the final call is mine. Basically, if I like your stuff or I think it's too important to be ignored then I'll link to it here, otherwise I won't. Sites with freely distributed scenarios will always be listed here regardless of my personal take on their quality or worthiness (although I will say so if I think the material sucks).

  • LARP Scenarios at RPG.net Wiki - a meta page with links to a slew of online scenarios with a very helpful categorization by number of characters.
  • Irish Gaming - Nick Huggins has setup a wonderful archive of gaming scenarios from Ireland.
  • New Zealand LARPs - Spreadsheet with info and links to New Zealand LARPs.
  • Ariel Archives Online - Brett Easterbrook has created a wonderful repository of information about Australian roleplaying, including freeforming, with an archive of scenarios and archives at different levels of availability. The history of this archive is interesting in itself as it is the current inheritor of the original A.R.I.E.L. set which was later maintained as Grant Chapman, one of the premiere roleplaying archivists in Australia, as the Australian Roleplaying Archive.
  • Interactivities Ink - Mike Young's site has a number of free mini-LARP scenarios, many of which are rather cute, humorous, and downright fun. You can also find the Rules to Live By sets here.
  • Machiavelli Games - These fine people produce some wonderful Ars Magica type freeforms. Their work is a must see.
  • MIT Assassin's Guild - While these good folks don't actually have any scenarios online that are world-accessible (their archive is closed to outside access), they do have some interesting blurbs online that give us a pretty good idea of what kind of scenario they run.
  • White Wolf Games - The undisputed champion of commercial interactive drama publishing is White Wolf with their Mind's Eye Theatre is the most successful commercially available product of its type. These products are available through the Interactive Drama Books page.
  • Freeform Games, murder mystery scenarios for sale
  • Fools for Christ Interactive Drama Activities, Christian scenarios, Can you solve the mystery? All packages contain instructions, character dossiers and clues.
  • LARPs at DriveThruRPG, just search and find a lot of resources.


[ General | NCCU | Pub Crawls | Mature Themes | Other Sources ]





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