Larp progress

I am attempting to take advantage of my current pleasantly low stress level to do larp work. We're far enough along on Paranoia that we're into writing character sheets now. We're all assigned to write one team each, and I've made a decent chunk of progress on two of my six characters. I'm ambitiously aiming to have at least rough drafts done for all of them by the end of this week. They're not enormous or particularly difficult, so it seem fairly achievable, though I will say they aren't coming quite as easily as I thought they would. We just have to come up with a decent name for it besides just "Paranoia." Attempts thus far have not been impressive. Oz progress is slow, but at least I've got the mental presence to devote some focus to it. I finally wrote up my bid for that game, that's a step in the right direction. The trouble was I'm still in the process of hammering out the story, so I'm not exactly sure how to describe it in the blurb. Ah, well. I guess if I work out a better one I can always change it later.

It occurs to me that I'm going to be running three games at Festival this year-- Alice, Oz, and Paranoia. I'm delighted to rerun Alice, as I will with Jared's help. It's a large game, but it's both so rules-light and we both know it so well that it doesn't really need more than just the two of us. As for Oz, it's a small game, so Bernie is the only other person I'll need to help me run that. He's great to help GM because he's capable, and he doesn't larp so having him doesn't reduce the player pool. Though the pressure is on, I will be really glad to finally be writing another larp of my own. I've been coasting on the success of Alice for way too long. ;-) I'm also helping write Paranoia. In fact, Paranoia has both a huge writing team and a huge GMing team, consisting of Bernie, Joe, Mac, Matt, and myself. Hopefully we'll all be there to run it. I'm pleased with and excited for this, but I'm wondering if I'll not get enough playing time with three of my slots already taken. I don't mind not getting to play per se, but I am concerned I might miss games that I particularly want to be in. I know a couple of the games I'm interested in that will be running at Festival I have or will have already played, such as GM Space or League of Extraordinary Hogwarts students, so perhaps I won't feel shorted. GM Space will undoubtedly run Sunday morning anyway, so that time slot won't conflict. Speaking of time slots, I'm hoping that Alice runs in the evening-- probably Friday. Bernie wants Paranoia to run in the evening on Saturday, to give his brother Joe the best chance to come to Waltham from Maryland to help run the game. I don't really have a preference for when Oz runs, except that it not conflict with, say, Jared's game so that he can play in it. 

I have a good feeling about all of this. Here's hoping it pans out. I guess I'd better get back to work.

Savory Artichoke Pie recipe

Savory Artichoke Pie:

To make crust:

Combine 1 1/2 C flour with 1/2 tsp salt. Cut in 1/2 C margarine. When mixture resembles coarse crumbs, drizzle with 2-3tasp cold soy milk. Press dough with fingers until it starts to hold together in large clumps. Shape int oa ball, then spread in a greased pie pan, pressing with fingers. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degree and bake for 8 minutes longer, until slightly golden.

For filling:

2tbsp olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp shopped basil leaves
14 oz canned artichoke hearts, drained, gently squeezed, and cut into 6 wedges each
12oz firm silken tofu, lightly drained
1 cube vegan vegetable bullion

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a skillet. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 8 minutes or until lightly browned and soft. Add garlic and basil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in artichokes.

Puree tofu and boullion cube. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread half of tofu in baked pie crust. Arrange half of artichokes on top. Repeat a second layer with the rest.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until topping is lightly browned. Let cool 5-10 minutes before eating.

Curried Carrot and Pear Soup recipe

(makes 6-8 servings)

2Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp curry powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 c vegetable stock
4 large carrots, coarsely chopped
2 pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 3 mins or until softened. Add curry powder and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.

Add vegetable stock, carrots, pear, and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until carrot is soft and soup is fragrant. Puree soup until smooth. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.