Renaissance Faire as Gaming Inspiration

[Mark]

Just got back from the Ren Faire and thought I would share the photos as well as start up a discussion as to whether people have gained some inspiration from them for their gaming? Please feel free to share links to your own Ren Faire photos, too, please!

Picasa Web Albums - CreativeMountain - 2009-08-29_Re...


(The last photo below is of Dan the Bard who does some great RPG songs and has some of his music available here.)

 

[Tinker Gnome]

Renfaires are always fun. The one I go to is in Plantersville, Texas, and is supposedly the largest Renfaire in the world. I always like to look around for inspiration.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

Renfaire as Gaming Inspiration

"YES I GET IT, ALL OF THE WOMEN HAVE INCREDIBLE CLEAVAGE. CAN WE PLEASE GO INTO A DUNGEON NOW?"

 

[kitsune9]

I have been to Renn Faires, but the ones I've been to are the poor man's Renn Faires as that were just on some vacant old driven-in movie lot with a few booths and miserable people who are selling overpriced junk in tights with an occasional "thee" and "thou" thrown in for good measure.

I cannot say that I found them to be "inspiring" to any gaming feel though the pics that were shown are pretty cool! Maybe some day, I'll go to a real Renn Faire.

 

[Lanefan]

Where-when was the Faire you've photo'ed above?

I hit the one at Sterling NY on my way to GenCon - first time I'd ever been to anything remotely close to a Ren Faire, and what a blast! Can't wait to find another!

Lan-"but I still haven't found the game-related costume I'm trying to build"-efan

 

[Gilladian]

TRF (Texas Renaissance Fesival) outside Magnolia (Plantersville?) is big and beautiful, but for my money, Scarborough Faire (near Waxahachie, south of Dallas) is now bigger and nicer. The grounds are stunning, and have finally matured into having really pretty gardens and growing things. And they keep expanding. TRF is unable to get bigger, as far as I know.

I do get some inspiration from Renn Fairs, mostly in how to describe things. The glassblower, the printing press, the swordsmith at work, are all fascinating. And look at how a WALKING community is arranged. Even though it is a "planned" town rather than one that grew organically, you can get an idea for how tight and condensed town life would really be. Just imagine that people really are LIVING full time in the back/upstairs of those buildings, and you've got a real medieval type town.

 

[Mark]

Where-when was the Faire you've photo'ed above?

Bristol Renaissance Faire - Illinois/Wisconsin Border

Just one more weekend this year on their schedule. Be sure to give me some advance notice if you are going to be out here next year for this. We'll get some gaming in.

 

[AFGNCAAP]

I definitely have, though moreso when I was younger.

Then again, it reminds me of Ultima IV, where your (Earth-originating) character is sent to Britannia after entering a Renfaire...

 

[Aramax]

I think this is fantastic insperation!What I found most usefull was the REN-fest newsletter-it had tons of useful material.

 

[Mark]

I was told the earliest US RenFaires were in CA but I don't know how accurate that is. Does anyone here know?