Scenario

You've received (or finagled your way into receiving) an invitation to this winter's most exclusive fundraising event. Countess Pauline de Metternich has planned an evening including casino games and highlighted by the auction of the Princess Sapphire--the largest pink sapphire in the world--all proceeds to benefit the International Action Alliance, an international human rights coalition. The location is the stunning Piz Arielle--a ski resort high atop a peak in the Swiss Alps. The guests have come from around the globe: entrepreneurs from America, royalty from Europe, philanthropists from Asia. Some are arriving tonight, while others have spent the day on the slopes or enjoying the spa and other amenities of the lodge. 

That of course is the glittering surface. Certain knowledgeable persons realized that the guest list contained some names notable in intelligence circles for far-reaching criminal enterprises. Thus it became vital that the intelligence agents be present as well, in the hopes of learning what their opposite numbers might be scheming. As a result, both sides are aware of the other's presence, although not perhaps all identities associated with their adversary. This will be a delicate game of cat-and-mouse, all while trying not to alert any innocents present to the stakes.

Should agents discover any nefarious plans underway, subsequent operations will be undertaken to thwart them.

Game Origins 

For years we've been talking about writing a LARP inspired by The World's Most Famous Secret Agent. This spring Dig pointed out that, being 2007, THIS was the perfect year to run it. [That's the sort of logic we find irrefutable, which probably doesn't speak well of our logic.] It occurred to us that the most LARP-able aspects of the Bond movies fall into two general buckets:

• The big social event with Our Hero be-tuxed, exchanging suggestive banter with women in distracting dresses while trading barbs with the villains of the piece, making connections with allies and gathering information necessary for the action scenes to come later in the film. Frequently over casino games. Depending on the era, with tobacco and/or alcohol in hand. [In other words, a not unusual LARP setting--a party with a variety of people with opposing agendas.]
• The action scenes where Our Hero, allies and/or luscious ladies in tow, foils the diabolical plans of the villains after a series of thrilling chase sequences through exotic locales, escaping deathtraps, disarming highly destructive devices, and yes, blowing things up. [In other words: doesn't this sound to you like a setting that can be Whately-fied?]

So here we are, running not one but two Bond-esque LARPs. Or you might describe the events as a single game, in two chapters. Either way, we've divided our story into two parts:

• A "party game"--Pale Ice
• A "mission game"--Black Ice

Either game can be played alone, or you may play both. It is not necessary to play in both games to sign up for either. All relevant information from the party game will be included in the briefing packet players receive with their character sheets prior to the mission game. 

The year is "in the 60's." This genre makes frequent use of gee-whiz gizmos and high-tech devices. We don't stand a chance of being able to convincingly create gizmos that appear "secret agent caliber" for the present day, but we think that we can create some props which are believably "secret agent caliber" for the 60's. 

Please note that this is in no way inspired by Austin Powers (note we said "Bond-ian" and "Bond-esque", not "Bond-alicious") and we ask that players respect that.

Game Elements 

Live-action roleplaying games, or LARPs, come in many shapes and sizes.  

For Pale Ice, the party game, you can expect:

• An evening among the wealthy and charitable at a 60's ski lodge. Or at least the ostensibly wealthy and ostensibly charitable. Not everyone here is what they seem--some are secret agents, others are members of criminal organizations or even criminal masterminds, while others just have messy personal lives. 
• Mature themes. Not all characters attending the auction will be upstanding citizens. In fact, there will be very few. This is especially true of the secret agents--in a Fleming-inspired milieu, they know that sometimes their jobs require them to do very bad things, and they are not immoral enough to insist that this makes those actions good things. There will be drama and angst. 
• Casino gaming and an auction. You can't spend an evening at a fundraising event without some casino games, all proceeds going to the charity, of course. The charity auction will be simulated by an in-game auction. Some characters will be very concerned with the auction or the gaming; others won't care at all. 
• Unlikely scientific knowledge. There are several items presented in this game as "scientific fact" though even in the 60's real scientists knew better. However--not necessarily known by action-adventure authors, screenwriters or the general movie-going public. Yes, our standard for "genuine scientific knowledge" is indeed low. Please be prepared to accept this in-game.
• Resolve combat with "GM-Sanctioned Mayhem Only (TM)."  There will be no actual combat in this game. This is a non-contact sport! If two characters decide to duke it out, grab a gamemaster (GM) who will determine the outcome. If you wish to effect another character's demise, you must discuss it with a GM before any attempt is made. Given that this is the first session of a two-part game, please realize that such requests will not be honored early in the game and may not be honored at all, especially should you request the demise of an evil mastermind or key henchperson.
• Be mechanics-light.  While this isn't the "adventure portion" of the game, there will be no item cards, there will be no dice, and there will be no hit-points. The GMs would like to be as unobtrusive as possible.  Of course, there will be some effects that we will have to fudge because we don't have either the budget or the technology to pull something off.  We will inform players of the conventions that we've devised beforehand.  

For Black Ice, the mission game, you can expect all the usual Whately elements:

• Focus on interaction with the environment. As in a “typical" LARP, each player will receive a specific character to play, with a character sheet detailing the character's pertinent knowledge and their relationships with the other characters. However, players will probably not spend much time resolving character inter-relationships. Instead, the focus of the game will be on foiling the evil mastermind(s)' diabolical plot through exploring the locale and solving the various "puzzles" within it, using the characters' combined abilities. 
• Be immersive.  Players will actually be exploring several different (simulated) types of areas during the game and will discover the extent of the gamespace as they explore. There will be secret doorways to open, and tunnels and passages to traverse. There will be crawling, but not enough that kneepads will be necessary.
• Resolve combat with "GM-Sanctioned Mayhem Only (TM)."  There will be no actual combat in this game. This is a non-contact sport! If two characters decide to duke it out, grab a gamemaster (GM) who will determine the outcome. If you wish to effect another character's demise, you must discuss it with a GM before any attempt is made. Please realize that such requests are highly unlikely to be honored, since the GMs will be basing their answer on the effects of a character's death on the game overall, including the enjoyment of the player of your hapless victim and whether the character has vitally important abilities or knowledge. [In which case, you really don't want them dead. Trust us.] 
• Be mechanics-light.  Every effort has been made to keep the game as "real" as possible.  There will be no item cards, there will be no dice, there will be no hit-points. The GMs would like to be as unobtrusive as possible.  Of course, there will be some effects that we will have to fudge because we don't have either the budget or the technology to pull something off.  We will inform players of the conventions that we've devised beforehand.  As an example, we might ask players to treat hanging canvas walls as if they were actually the rough-hewn sides of an extinct volcano.