Its the end of the world as we know it...

...and I feel fine. Got back from a weekend of LARPing at href=http://www.omegalrp.co.uk>Omega after the world had ended in a

apocalyptic style epidemic of plague. And I had fun!Apart from the wonderful weather (which severely dented my beer drinking

ability) there was a wealth of role-playing to be had. Despite the

fact I generally take a more relaxed approach to Omega (the camping,

sunshine, being with mates are factors for my enjoyment) I did get

involved in plot. I was part of an IC geek group self-christened as the

"Artificers Knitting Circle", vented on many occasions on how all this

"meddling with forces you don't understand will be the end of us all" and

generally wondered around talking to people.

It all came to a head on Sunday morning as I was preparing to enjoy a

lazy morning sorting out the people I'd convinced to work for me when

one of our exuberant pioneers came in shouting it had all kicked of

at the Souk. The next few hours my world degenerated

as people kept falling victim to plague (think 28 Days Later

style Rage). When the big fire storms started time we decided to get

the hell out of dodge, only to find the world had indeed gone to hell.

And so ended the Phoenix campaign.

In a sentence the players had screwed it up. They had allowed a series

of dark, ominous black towers get turned on, some knowing the carnage

it would create. But this very outcome is a testament to the concept

of player led plot. The Omega world is not one where a few elite NPC's

use players as pawns to solve their disagreements in mass battles.

Neither is it a world where some god-like being (aka plot flange) turns up at the

eleventh hour to right wrongs and save us all. Its

a world where the (in)actions of players have a direct effect on the game

world. It was up to us to do something about it and we live with the

consequences of that. And it was all the more enjoyable for it.