GrandIllusionHome

The new Grand Illusion web page is http://home.earthlink.net/~fianna64/Kindred/page1_kindred.htm

Welcome to the Grand Illusion Web site!

Grand Illusion is an Independent Chapter of the White Wolf fan organization known as the Camarilla. Based in Reno, Nevada and frequently traveling throughout northern California, Grand Illusion has around fifteen(and growing) active members that regularly attend Camarilla events throughout the SouthWest Region for entertainment and to provide our communitie with support through service projects.

Local games are on the forth Saturday of the month, at around 5:00pm until 10:00pm. We have plenty of room for those who wish to stay overnight, just give us a call. We're currently alternating between two sites and directions and contact info for both will be on the Where? page.

The Camarilla is an international social organization, which revolves around the gothic-horror genre set in White Wolf's World of Darkness. We are world-renown for our continuous Live-Action Role-Playing (LARP) game that spans ten countries on five continents.

But the Camarilla is more than a live action role playing club--we are committed to member involvement and host numerous activities to encourage members with interests in the gothic-horror genre to socialize in a dynamic and creative atmosphere. We publish members' literature and art, sponsor convention events, host parties and much more.

The Camarilla uses a chapter structure to allow its members to tailor their participation in the club in the ways they enjoy most. Our global LARP has over 3,000 members contributing to an international chronicle, with each member portraying their persona and interacting with other members in small or large groups. Because the Camarilla encourages creativity and socializing, many members' fictional personas have rich backgrounds that tie in with other personas across the world. Members' character histories are woven into the Camarilla's in-game history, allowing for rich, complex characters that have many connections with other character even before the games begin!

The Camarilla was founded in 1992 after White Wolf had released only the first of its table top games Vampire: The Masquerade. Using the structure of the game, The Camarilla's goal was to provide an organized vampire fan club that offered members the opportunity to enmesh themselves into a world of fantasy and "make believe." With White Wolf's release of the Mind's Eye Theatre product line, the club has grown to include nearly all gothic-horror genre enthusiasts. Both in the fictional and real settings, the Camarilla has grown in depth and dynamics. As the club has diversified, its has become a living, breathing culture supporting many activities including a world-wide game with all the complexity and intricacy of the societies from the World of Darkness! Within the global LARP, we encourage focus on the tragic and political aspects of the society, de-emphasizing the negative aspects commonly associated with the fictional creatures we portray.

Live Action Role Play, usually abbreviated as LARP, is an extension of the more common table top role-playing game. LARP is quite different from table top gaming and is best described as improvisational theater--a play where you are an actor who creates the script of the story by taking actions and making presentations. Because of its theatrical nature, LARP is more accessible to a much larger audience than many role-playing games. Players need to know far less about the rules and mechanics of the game though they must be more willing to become an actor and present the embodiment of the character they are trying to portray. Our most successful actors are those that can present intimidation, fear, or pleasure simply with their tone of voice or facial expression. It is a stimulating challenge for every level of player, with little to no preparatory experience required. The most embellished characters, however, do require a fuller understanding of the backdrop of White Wolf's World of Darkness. Reading related material helps all participants flesh out their characters, making them more than a simple description but a full multidimensional figure existing in this culture. The details of these fictional societies and atmosphere can be gained from the White Wolf source books (sold at most comic, gaming, and hobby stores).

The world our characters inhabit is dark, gothic, mysterious, and full of hidden horrors and the unknown. It is not the world we see around us but one more threatening and alluring. White Wolf material names and describes this world as the World of Darkness. It is a world where magic still works, where powers beyond the mundane and unknown to human kind dwell. It is the world of the Camarilla and Sabbat, Garou and the Wyrm, Change lings and the Unseelie, Wraiths, and Magi. There are the forces of Paradox, the Umbra, the Hierarchy, and other elements of White Wolf's World of Darkness. These forces both tempt and threaten our characters. The World of Darkness material offers a rich tapestry of writings and backgrounds to enthuse all who wish to challenge themselves and explore their creativity and resourcefulness.

New members introducing a character to the global game generally start with a character created using White Wolf's Mind's Eye Theatre materials. Characters advance through the accumulation of experience points awarded for game participation. Members can also earn the privilege of playing more complex or experienced characters through service to the club. Both reward systems are not based on time but on participation and organizational support and is equally available to all members.

Participation comes in many forms. Most members will interact with their local chapter or gaming group. Beyond this, the Camarilla hosts events at many conventions world wide. Members can also use the post or the Camarilla's electronic forums to supplement the live action chronicle. The Camarilla maintains over 100 e-mail lists to support both in character and out of character interaction.

The basic structural unit of the Camarilla is the Chapter. Members form chapters based on their collective interest and elect a chapter coordinator. Nearly all chapters also elect a chapter storyteller to facilitate the fictional game world that the Camarilla sponsors. Chapters are self-sufficient, independent and self-governing groups within the organization. Groups of chapters that wish to work together form Domains by electing a Domain Coordinator. Domains are usually city-wide administrative units that facilitate communication between chapters, managing and supporting them so that larger projects such as publishing a newsletter or running convention games are possible. Nearly all Domains have a Storyteller who weaves the Chapter Storylines into a city-wide chronicle. Domains and independent Chapters are supported by Regional Coordinators and their staff. The United States is divided into eight regions and many other countries have their own regional structure. Some nations, such as France and the UK, have their own national structures. At the highest level we have the Board of Directors, consisting of the functional departments of the organization--the personnel who oversee the growth of the Camarilla as well distribute your membership and chapter materials and publish Requiem. Membership materials include contact information to assist new members in locating contacts active in their area.

The Ordeals are correspondence courses the Camarilla offers to encourage member growth and learning. Ordeals cover different aspects of the club. Courses are offered in leadership, story telling, acting and other areas members may be interested in exploring. Many of these courses are centered on activities that will improve member skill and interaction when participating in Camarilla events.

1) The Tome.
The Tome is the Camarilla's membership handbook. It provides detailed information about The Camarilla, its principles and real life chapter and game structure, as well as descriptions of some of the commonly used character types, hints on persona creation, how to start a chapter, how to organize events, how to become a club leader or storyteller, information about the Ordeals (correspondence courses), and much more.

4) Character information sheet.
The character information sheet is to be filled out and given to your storyteller, to help you develop your character ideas beyond just the statistics.

6) Chapter registry.
The chapter registry lists established club chapters, domains and their coordinators along with their mailing addresses, allowing you to find a contact in your area.

7) A year long Requiem subscription.
Requiem is the official quarterly fanzine of The Camarilla. Requiem features reports from the club leaders; a calendar of Camarilla supported events, available member discounts, book, music and movie reviews; the latest news from White Wolf; a storytellers' section; what member characters are up to around the world; articles, poetry, fiction, and art submitted by members, classified advertisements, and Chapter spotlights.

There are more benefits depending on what the Camarilla members in your area have established!

Many people ask, "Why should I pay to join when I can play for free?". More than simply a packet of introductory material, we offer an interactive, coherent and enduring network of enthusiasts. Most significantly we offer the opportunity to plug into an entire player-character populated world-wide culture, immensely larger than what one single game or local chronicle can offer. We offer a network of friends and contacts who are ready to accommodate you when you visit their cities. Imagine taking the character you play in Ohio and seamlessly introducing him to a game in Oregon--a game that is part of the same chronicle as the one you played in Ohio. Its exhilarating. Where local chronicles come and go, the Camarilla remains as a national support structure that outlasts the whimsies of a single person or group. We are flexible and try to accommodate as much independence at the local level as possible but also encourage enough consistency to allow a balanced chronicle throughout the organization.

As you can see, The Camarilla has a variety of opportunities to offer. But what if there are no members or chapters in your city or area? The answer is quite simple: Start a chapter! We are more than willing to help new chapters and domains develop and grow by sending them posters, Camarilla promotional materials, application forms and clan brochures. The power of the pen is a mighty one, involve yourself and your character by writing your Regional or Domain officials. The Camarilla is what you make of it. The only limit is your imagination! Join us, and prepare yourself for an experience like none other in fandom today!

Discretion is advised. The themes, issues, and atmosphere in this organization may be disturbing to some and distasteful to others. We do not intend to offend, but our use of the fictional creatures as metaphors and as a creative focus may be misconstrued so, to be absolutely clear, WE DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE FICTIONAL CREATURES WE PORTRAY ARE REAL. The extent to which these creatures may be said to exist is revealed only in what we learn about the human condition, and of the fragility and splendor which we call life.

No one under the age of 18 may join. The club shall be open to all adults without regard to race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, or physical handicap. This organization does not condone acts or the practice of vampirism.

The Camarilla
PO Box 27974
Salt Lake City, UT 84127-0974
USA
Internet contact:
camstuff@vampire.tamu.edu

We hope you enjoy the site, and should you have any comments, suggestions, or submissions, please contact our Web Team.

What's the Camarilla	How we do it	What is Live Action Role Play
Playing a character	The structure	The fictional world
Why Join?	Last Words	What do I get when you join?