John Wick was the run away success for Keanu Reeves of 2016, but more importantly it introduced a world that felt far from superficial and a shadowy organisation of criminals, assassins and facilitators that had polish, depth and almost begged you to come try learn more.

This made it an obvious LaRP, but that had problems. Look at the films, the colourful full gloss nature of them, scenes colourized and every one dressed in high end suits, in high end locations, with a high end sheen. the problem is how to do all that and capture it on a LaRP budget. Add to that the problem as I consider it for how to prevent a rapid bloody turn over of players that captures the films feel.

Props and feel are easy to be honest, Etsy is a wealth of John Wick props (coins, blood seals etc) and dressing the crew depending on which roles is a case of carfully curated suits and finds. COlouring scenes is lights and gels, locations of a high quality are attainable if you balance price and provisioning.

My concerns were game and guns! How do you deal with that high combat style?

First lets neutralise the guns, the Continetal provides this in game mechanic, as does a UK setting where guns are less prolific by nature of the country. So we set it in the continental where ‘work’ is forbidden. This means guns are neuteralised initially, add a second filter of a in game mechanic for players to surrender their clips/magazines or weapons at the door. Make them a display let them show off and give them a key fob for them to collect and keep and encourage hand in.

Secondly, hand to hand, and combat just in case.. lets just call it heroic and or 3/4 speed and we will discuss that in a further post.

What else? ok event, encounters, setting! The Continental means high end hotel or at least high end decorated sight, but why are they there? John Wick is one player you see a handful of others, but how do you bring the players together. One theme running through the films is the table of criminal leaders, and another the Continental it self. So three immediate themes, Continental new manager how are they recruited! The table how does it meet, form and perform, and John Wick and his associates how do they co exist. I kind of like the idea that every year the Continental hosts a gathering for new and experianced operatives to meet the table and mingle.

Characters, no not the players but the NPCs. The films provide a wealth the cleaners, the fixers, and a wealth of body guards and lets not forget the bombshell pinup alt girl style operators (makes a note we will need a phone) and the Continentals staff ( the Somalia, the Desk Clerk, the manager of the Continental), and thats nt to say other Hit people, and the table of criminal families.

The players, obviously the Assassins, John Wick and his peers or at least their euriopean counterparts each and every one. Invited to a gathering, for what reason, what is the plot, the sub plot the arc of plots and the goals? mm the idea unfolds..