Just before Christmas I attended a LARP adjacent event at the conveniently local 17th century manor house Treowen called The Locksmiths Dream. I use that phrase because I'm fairly sure some of my fellow attendees had prior live roleplaying experience although it is certainly not required. The organisers have evidently spent a lot of time making the game as accessible as possible to the widest range of participants.

Setting

While there is no requirement to dress-up it seems waste of the environment to not make some sort of effort. The world of event is set loosely in the 1920's in a house that sits on the boundary of our world and other planes. Secret gods have met in the house before your arrival and your mission is to sift through the traces of their interactions and perhaps discover some deeper meaning. To aid your exploration and puzzle solving a cast of characters inhabit the house who are perhaps able to help your exploration. The staff will also prepare you 3 meals, lunch on arrival, an evening meal and breakfast the next day, to keep energised for your task.

Gameplay

On arrival I headed to my room which involved some winding stairs and eventually a short ladder to enter my bedroom at the very top of the house. The player bedrooms are off-limits to everyone else unless by invitation so I had a chance to collect my thoughts and read through the supplied materials while enjoying a nice view of the surrounding Monmouthshire countryside.

The materials included a brief overview of the game (solve puzzles, collect the ephemeral birdsong left behind by the gods), a letter from my in-game sponsor outlining some particular tasks and a beautifully bound personal note book.

The note book was the first indication of the attention to detail and production values of the event. It contained a number of in-game printed notes to provide background and clues as well as plenty of blanks pages for taking notes. You are strongly encouraged to make liberal use of the book and it provides for a nice memento of your experience afterwards.

The initial puzzles are fairly simple with keys being found around the house with an attached set of clues. Solving these clues will lead you to a location where you can find and hopefully unlock a padlocked box to reveal your prize. Each key comes with several clue styles so for example those unfamiliar with the lore of the cultist simulator from which the event draws its story don't draw a blank. Sometimes the boxes reveal additional clues to some of the deeper puzzles that require solving in multiple stages and paying attention to changes in the rest of the house and its characters.

My Experience

I was originally going to attend with a friend of mine however they were unfortunately unable to attend thanks to our virus afflicted times. I also missed out on the first few hours where the house tour and orientation events happen which help the players learn about where they are. Fortunately the staff were very helpful and able to give a few useful hints to ease me into the game once I arrived.

The event was certainly immersive and I never found myself bored and without something to do. The food was very nice although at stages I was worried if I should concentrate on eating the meal or trying to solve the meaning of way it was presented. The organisers took full advantage of the nooks and crannies of the wonderful setting.

Next time I will have to make sure I have a back-up buddy in case of illness because some of the more in depth puzzle solving benefits from having another person to bounce ideas off. You can of course talk to the other guests playing the game although some of them might be working for competing sponsors with different priorities.

It was certainly one of the most engaging experiences I'd had this year. I would recommend it for anyone interested in an immersive puzzle solving weekend and especially if they are already interested in the source games lore.

Media

The following video made by the team behind he game was put together with footage from the game I attended and gives a give idea of the setting and ambience you can expect.

I also found another more detailed write-up of the event over at No Prescenium if you want another perspective.