A random bloke named “Wes” probably said it best:
“My first LARP was at DragonCon in 2004. There was a game called “Streetwise” that was all about “Urban Economics.” The characters came in five types: Dealers, Pimps, Hos, Cops, and Street Preachers. All of the characters were addicted to some “vice” - sex, pastries, or drugs. I picked a cop, and rolled for my addiction–fittingly, it was pastries. All vices, weapons, and cash were represented by paper cards, and combat was resolved through a game of “pencil break,” where your weapon determined how many strikes you got at the other guy’s pencil. Over the course of the day, I became increasingly corrupt, making underhanded, back-alley deals and letting the others off the hook for their illegal possessions and activities in return for protection - I was the only cop for most of the game, and when I got a deputy, he ended up shot dead. I made sure to keep on the preachers’ good sides. I had a great time.”
But hey, if that’s not description enough, here’s a blurb from the first print of our first edition convention game rules:
“This Is Streetwise…
This is Streetwise, and it is a game. It is only a game – nothing more, nothing less. Enjoy it, and don’t fucking ruin it for others. This type of game is what we call a LARP, which is an acronym we use for the phrase Loud-Ass Ro-playin’, and you’d better recognize that. If you’re playing this game because you want a session of hardcore role-playing, then we advise you to heavily think about it before you jump in. But if you’re here for some slap-daggity Ro-Playin’, then step on in. Hell, you probably won’t even need these rules, because the rules aren’t that important anyway, and we kinda bullshitted our way through them in the first place. If you get too carried away by this game (which is only a game and nothing more) then we don’t know you, never knew you before, and no we won’t bail you out of jail.
This is Streetwise, and you are a player. Your whole role in the game is that of the peon, for we will stomp all over you, and so will everyone else. You live in a city that is nothing more than a massive government-funded relocation facility for the chronically poor and degenerate elements of society. Chances are, you’re a criminal. Everyone is out to get everyone else, and you’ve gotta get to the top. Use whatever methods you have at hand, and be resourceful. You may die – nay, you will die, several times in fact, but that’s cool. When you die, you generally get to come back into the game 30 minutes later. There are ways to come back sooner, but they cost a lot. But no matter how often you die, you gotta remember one thing: if you don’t want to continue dying, then try not to lose your cool.
This is Streetwise, and we are the GMs. In our terminology, “GM” stands for “Gods of Men” and we’re gonna do every bit we can to make sure you little punks realize that. We control it all from the backgrounds. But don’t let that get you down, bro. We fight each other just as much as we fight you, and you can use that to your advantage. We can even be wasted, although it’s gonna take a massive amount of combined effort on your part to throw one of us down. As long as you leave us alone, we’ll try to do the same for you. But if you wanna make deals, and you wanna get ahead, we’re gonna play a major part in the success of such motives.
This is Streetwise, and you are now ready to play.”
In short, Streetwise is a Live-Action Role-Playing game of modern criminal humor. Comedy is central to the concept - comedy founded in all those controversial aspects of urban life that you hear about every day but are too afraid to publicly laugh at. We’re all about making fun of stereotypes, and such elements of humor require a large amount of maturity to enjoy. Streetwise is a game for adults only (legally, that is defined as ages 18 and over, but that in itself does not always guarantee the mindset of an adult). Also, a sense of humor is a must.
If you want to know more, there’s plenty here for you to check out. For the most up-to-date information, check out the front page. If you want to read up on past news, and find out just what got us here, click back through the Archives. While you’re at it, check out the info on some of our previous games, and take a look through the photo galleries. Also, drop on in on our discussion forums and say hello.
