 The World of Darkness by Mrk Rein*Hagen  Although it may be hauntingly familiar, the World of Darkness is not our world. It is the here and now, but blighted with age-old malignancies and lengthened, creeping shadows. In the World of Darkness, our worst fears and nightmares walk among us. Here rain, sharp with acid, bites the skin. Here darkness draws deep around those who walk the crumbling streets of the cities. Here it is heroic (and perhaps futile) to perform simple acts of kindness. Suicide hotlines ring without answers. Polluted blood races through bloated veins, carrying drugs to deaden, degenerate, and delude. Children vanish without warning and are never seen or heard from again. Even the fae are affected by this tragic setting. Many changelings are born, live and die without ever knowing what cries out from within them. They live their lives trapped in their mortality, bound to the world that they perceive around them. Worse still, many changelings awaken to their true natures only to be overcome by the sheer weight of Banality, the curse of the mundane. Some go mad looking for answers; others reject the light and forever lock away the fae part of themselves.
 Yet despite this, all is not lost. A few changelings still believe -- and, more importantly, dream -- that things can be different. What many humans lack, these dreamers -- these creatures of the fae -- still retain. They have not yet been irrevocably tainted by their environs. Though soiled with the world's ugliness, they also bear the seeds of truth and beauty.
 The quest for beauty has been generaly usurped by self-pitying and self-serving arts that glorify the darkness within us. Our misguided eyes see little difference between the beautiful and the grotesque. Beauty is sought by those who have no hope, for whom the mystery of death is a beautiful thing. The only beauty left here is that of despair. Truth is found only in words spoken behind a gun or a fist, uttered by nihilist punks who don't have anything to lose. Most in this world do not want to hear truth, instead seeking escape in a cacaphony of noise and media. The only ones who speak the truth are those who admit their own despair. Into this chaos come the exiled children of a distant world, a world of dreams -- come to unravel the lines and the limits. They bear the marks of this Gothic-Punk ethos and are as twisted and bent by it as any mortal. Indeed, even the Seelie garb themselves in leather and shout their truths from the stage. However, what is but philosophy, fashion and attitude among mortals is real to them. These "posers" take their games most seriously.
 On the other side of the mundane world, through the Mists, lies the legendary world of Arcadia. Changelings live with the faith that it is the opposite of the World of Darkness. In Arcadia hope, wonder, beauty, peace and joy reign. They must. though none can truly say what Arcadia is like -- changelings on Earth lose all memory of it -- legends tell of its breathtaking wonder and majesty. It is the one place that all Kithain wish to rediscover - and it is forever lost to them.
 Because changelings are born of myth, it is in their nature to fulfill their dream roles. Such is their legacy. They must live out the dreams that might otherwise be crushed by the weight of the mundane. To keep Glamour alive at all, they must ensure that their stories do not die. This is their desperate hope for a desperate hour.
 The changelings live with the faint memory that once the worlds were theirs, Earth and Arcadia alike. Once they were truly the fae, glorious and majestic. They live with the faintest of hopes that one day that glory shall return, if only they can keep their tales alive enough to survive this Winter, long enough to see the hoped-for Spring.
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The Horror of Loss by Jennifer Hartshorn When Changeling was first released, everyone who worked on it knew it was something of a departure from the other World of Darkness games. Certainly, every game is different in its own way, but Changeling is, quite literally, a whole other story. Its landscape is colorful, not the familiar grey and decaying cityscape players have grown used to. Your average changeling doesn't stand a chance in a combat against your average Brujah, Akashic Brother or Get of Fenris. Would gamers grown accustomed to angst and firefights take to a game about Glamour? What, if anything, did changelings have in common with the other denizens of the World of darkness?
Although it isn't readily apparent at first, the themes at the core of Changeling are the same as those that draw many people to roleplaying games. A large part of the whole in-your-face, screw the world, bitter attitude reflected in the "Gothic Punk" world can be traced back to the stories at the heart of Changeling. Why are people so bitter? Why does the world seem so damned dark? It is because somewhere along the road from childhood, our innocence was crushed. Whether it was the death of a loved one, a betrayed trust or the so-called "right-sizing" that even gaming companies are facing, everyone has had the experience of waking up one morning to find the world a pretty unpleasant place.
After being hurt so many times, it's hard to keep dreaming. Why bother, when so many other things in your life turned out badly? If you care about a person, an idea, or a dream, you run the risk of getting hurt. A lot of the time it's easier to lose yourself in the endless details and drudgery of your work, or in a dream life online, in books, or in gaming than to try to hold on to both your dreams and the realities of day to day life.
The challenges changelings face are the ones that you and I face everyday. I've seen friends and acquaintances drop out of school, lose their jobs and break up with lovers when they let the balance between "fantasy" and "reality" tip too far one way -- and I've also seen brilliant, creative people utterly dry up and blow away when they let the scale tip too far in the other direction. Either one is a terrible loss. In Changeling, those concepts are wrapped up in gamespeak, but it isn't hard to see the origins of those ideas in the world around us.
What's so dangerous about Bedlam? Ask the guy in the computer lab who has been logged in for 14 hours on a computer game like a MUSH. Ask someone who has just come out of a weekend-long live-roleplaying game. Or a writer who has pulled three all-nighters in a row trying to get just the right phrase. It's thrilling to get an intense creative experience like that, and it's a pretty addictive rush. But along the way, we are often so swept up in "the moment" that we forget certain necessities like food, drink, and sleep.
What's so dangerous about Banality? Talk to your game master from high school, who is now making a mint as an accountant. When was the last time she read a book just for fun, or saw a movie? She'll probably tell you that she doesn't have time anymore. Even those of us who grew up with a healthy fantasy life often lose it along the way, putting such "childish" things aside for a mundane significant other, or for that extra bit of overtime to put towards the kid's college fund. We stop going to movies, and we often don't have time to read "just for fun" when there are so many other, more pressing concerns.
Dreamers aren't only the artists and writers in society; as any scholar of changeling lore could tell you, engineers, scientists, athletes, and yes even "suits" have dreams. And without their dreams, there would never be anything new. Yes, if you dream, it might not come true. But that doesn't mean you should give it up. It's hard to hang on in the face of disappointment, but you're up to the challenge. You have to be.
So maybe changelings aren't on the run from Nexus Crawlers. They don't have to choose sides in the Battle for Reality, nor are they forced to live off the lifeforce of others. the utterly terrifying thing that every changeling has to deal with is the same that you and I have to deal with every day. The "tragedy" that forms the core of the World of darkness is the inability to dream, an dthe "horror" faced is the horror of loss -- the loss of innocence, as well as the loss of creativity. The balance between fantasy and reality must be maintained carefully, and to stray too far in either direction can be decidedly unpleasant. Changelings have a few extra tricks -- cantrips and Birthrights go a long way sometimes in making things easier for them. But you have something whose value is without measure -- your dreams.
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All The World's A Stage
A Rough Guide to Acting in MET play. by Matthew Hooper. excerpted from an article first published in Mind's Eye Theatre Journal #7 [Matthew I Hooper has spent over two decades chasing a career in theatre. He graduated from the Catholic University of America with a theatre major. He came to Atlanta, GA to become a starving actor/waiter, only realizing late in life that, while acting is cool, starving sucks.] "So, what's this weird hobby of yours you do on the weekends?" Most Mind's Eye Theatre players have faced this awkward question from well-meaning friends or relatives at some point. It's never an easy one to tackle. How do you explain to your dear aunt Edna that you pretend to be a werewolf on alternate Tuesdays without making her cough up her dentures and give your folks embarassed glances?
A lot of players settle for this half-truth: "I'm in an improvisational theater troupe." It sounds nice and profound. The conversation can move on again safely. After all, theater is a respectable hobby. Theater is an ancient, noble art where you dress up and pretend to be someone else in front of an audience, while live-action games, why, they're some scruffy hobby where.. er... you do the same thing without an audience. And with some games of Rock-Paper-Scissors tossed in to boot.
Hmm. Maybe that convenient explanation isn't so far from the truth after all.
Live-action gaming is a form of theater, pure and simple. Mind you, there's no audience at a LARP, but that doesn't mean that you aren't acting when you assume the role. Acting and live-action gaming are both about playing make believe. Acting focuses exclusively on taking that "make believe" as far as possible, while LARPers just settle for enjoying themselves.
Sure, live-action roleplaying is just a game. So is chess. So is a love affair. So is art. A game is any activity with rules and a goal and a lot of joy involved in the process. Some of the best games -- like love or business -- are deadly serious. Theater is as much a game as any LARP, in its own way. You just don't keep score the same way.
Acting in a LARP and acting on stage aren't quite the same. You have to work a lot harder on your concentration in a LARP than on stage. You have more freedom--and more work--at a game than in front of the footlights. But the raw pleasure of it all is the same. When you are In Character (in capital letters), you know it, and you never forget how good it feels.
Trust your fellow players. They're here to tell the best story they can tonight, just like you. If you cooperate, you'll be much more successful. Remember that while characters might butt heads, players can always make the conflict more interesting if they work in harmony. Sometimes you're the hero in your own story. Sometimes you're the supporting character in someone else's tale. Share the spotlight with good grace.
Finally, remember the most important questions anyone can ask about theater: "Who cares? So What?" Why should you bother being a vampire? Who cares about werewolves? Theater only works if it moves and changes its audience somehow. In a live-action game, you are your own audience. It's very legitimate to say that you're doing all this work just to be entertained. In fact, that should always be the first goal of any game. However, don't be surprised if, after trying on all of these different goals and emotions, you find that you have changed and moved yourself somehow. An actor's only real reward for his work is tha applause of the audience at the end of the show. When the game's over, put the character away. Applaud yourself. Take your bow. Think about what you've done this night.
Who knows... Perhaps you'll find that playing a monster for a night has taught you something new about being human.
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