Riven

2010

In the fall of 2010 a group of urban explorers, people who like to photograph old, decrepit (and often not publicly accessible) buildings, involuntarily ended up in a dangerous adventure that turned their world upside down. And not only their world: piece by piece they uncovered a conspiracy of a bloodthirsty Sun Cult and mysterious ‘Moonsouls’, that threatened to change the whole world if it wasn’t stopped. But how could they defend themselves against something that had a hold on government, big companies and police, and seemed prepared to do anything?

Riven was an experimental LARP (Live Action Role Play) lasting three months, organised by Stichting Lore-ley. The participants took on the roles of fictional characters in a world that seemed very similar to our own, but where supernatural and dangerous things turned out to be possible. They came into contact with ghosts, psychopaths and cruel scientists and unravelled a conspiracy in which they themselves turned out to play a role as well.

All of this happened partly on the internet, where the participants played their role via forums and email. However, every week there were events in the real world, inviting players to look for clues in various locations, from forest to water tower to small theatre. They shared their experiences over the internet through, among others, the forums and livestreams.

We as the organisers spent months of preparation and the three months of the game itself writing the story, making props, arranging locations, instructing actors, building websites, monitoring players, and reacting to everything that happened in the game. Although the core of the story was already in place, much of it was a result of player’s actions. For example: when players decided to liberate someone from the secure ward of a mental hospital, we arranged the location and actors to make that break-in possible.

This resulted in an unforgettable adventure for both players and organisers. The images on this page give you a small impression.

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