by Evan Torner & Epidiah Ravachol

The world is full of wonder and danger, that’s exactly why you walk in it.

Under an unforgiving sun—at the crux of those foot-weary paths that draw bright caravans overladen with spices, silks, and far treasures through the searing eastern deserts—lies the City. The coin-hungry Old Kingdoms of the south provision her with merchants and envoys. Reavers and conquerors from the north and west are ever repelled by her high, hard walls.

Within, a metropolis teems. Peddlers, whores, and thieves ply their nefarious trades among the throngs. The chaotic knot of streets and alleys is home to slave and noble alike. Scattered bazaars of all manner offer goods mundane, exotic, and improbable.

Above, troops of sword and spear wielding monkeys control the rooftops, waging war among themselves. Below, the elite city guard prowl the wealthy neighborhoods on tigerback, protecting the Shining Lord and those in his favor while turning a half-blind eye to the violence of the slums and their criminal guilds. Beneath, dark and vast catacombs hide the City’s more abhorrent denizens from the harsh light of day.

This is the City of Opportunity, the City of Misfortune, the City at the Center of the World, the City of Fire & Coin.

The City of Fire & Coin is a four-hour, parlor sandbox larp in which players play rogues adventuring in a mysterious fantasy city packed with violence and intrigue. Based loosely on the tabletop RPG Swords without Master, which is itself based on the pulp fantasy of Fritz Leiber and Robert E. Howard, the game is designed to generate suspenseful, action-packed fantasy within a short timeframe over the space of the city. A high GM-to-player ratio gives the larp a level of responsiveness not normally found in larps of its kind. Collaborative, survey-based character creation allows you to help the GMs build your pulp hero the way you want it.