by Evan Torner

It's 1970, and the future has begun. Communism has emerged victorious. The world now evolves into a utopian society beyond class, gender and racial inequalities, as well as bourgeois sexual hang-ups. Nowhere is this evolution more evident than in the new multi-national space crew assembled to investigate the mysterious transmission recently received from Venus. Ten crew members from all over the world have been tapped to not only find out what our Venusian neighbors are telling us, but also to represent the clean, new, multicultural face of humanity under socialism. Of course, with all these young, nubile cosmonauts on their maiden voyage, it suffices to say that other frontiers will be explored on board as well...

Voyage to Venus, Planet of Death is an American freeform ship larp for 8-10 players that explores the relationships among hopeful cosmonauts before they are confronted with a nightmarish planet of peril. It draws heavily on source material from the East German science-fiction films Silent Star (1960) and In the Dust of the Stars (1976). "American freeform" games are structured parlor larps that use techniques inspired by Nordic freeform. Ship larps (obviously) transform the larp space into a ship and use the routines and ranks of the crew members, as well as crises they encounter, to generate tension and intrigue. In the case of Voyage to Venus, Planet of Death, topics to be explored also include sex and relationships among the crew members as they pursue their mission. This is to be done in the spirit of a 1960s sex farce, with an emphasis on consensuality and mutual pleasure. The mission may also end tragically for some characters, so players may expect character death as a grim possibility. Adults only, please!