About

About Falnorian

Falnorian is a game world created and run by its current Game Master, Kimberly Taylor, since 2011. It is an original high fantasy setting with a long-term central campaign, and is intended both as a game and as an educational activity. Each year, we follow a new storyline that takes place in a new location in the game world where players work each event to resolve the challenges posed to them by the story and setting. The choices they make shape not only the current story, but also impact the game world in lasting ways and influence all the stories told in years to come.

As a game, Falnorian is a collaborative adventure story in the spirit of Dungeons and Dragons. It comes with all the traditional trappings of a roleplaying game: daring quests, riddles and puzzles, challenging battles, and more. Players design and play a character which they use to engage with the game, and continue to develop their characters throughout the course of the year. The game is driven by and responsive to the choices and interests of the players; and ultimately, it is what players bring to the game that makes it memorable and exciting.

As an educational activity, Falnorian is designed to encourage critical thinking, creative problem-solving, socioemotional development, teamwork skills, and build confidence in its players. It seeks to meet players where they’re at and then challenge them to grow. The game engages the whole player: it is at once an outdoors physical activity, an intense mental exercise, and a socially engaging experience. Falnorian is set up to accommodate a wide range of abilities and interests in its players, and makes room for players to participate in different aspects of the game at a level that suits their needs and interests.

About LARP

LARP is short for “Live Action Role Playing”. Like other roleplaying games, LARP is about telling a collective and collaborative story with a group of other people. What makes LARPs different from other roleplaying games is that it is “live action”: instead of rolling dice around a table, in a LARP you are physically running around on the field, sparring,  and acting out your character as the story progresses. There are many styles of LARP, which can vary widely in rules system, focus, genre, and play style depending on the group: some LARPs focus heavily on simulated combat while others deal almost exclusively in acting and roleplay. Falnorian’s LARP incorporates a great deal of both aspects, though leans slightly in favor of roleplay overall.

LARPs use soft foam props – called “boffers” – to take the place of swords. These are built to be safe to use with other players, and brought to each event by the game master. Players are welcome to bring their own boffers as well, but any boffers brought by players must pass a safety inspection before they can be used.

About the Game Master

Kimberly Taylor is a writer, storyteller, and educator who has been GMing roleplaying games for more than a decade. Her interest in roleplaying games started with tabletop gaming and later expanded to include LARP; in both cases, she was introduced to it as a player and – thanks to a deep interest in telling stories – eagerly moved on to running games herself. Kimberly is the creator of the Falnorian game world, and is particularly interested in the use of roleplaying games as a powerful tool to inspire learning and growth in its players.

Kimberly holds a B.A. in History from the University of California – Santa Cruz; her background also includes extensive training in theater, child development, education, and environmental science. She has previously worked as a docent at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and as a teacher for Stanford Splash, and is studying to obtain a teaching credential in secondary-level earth science. In addition to her weekend leagues, she has worked with many schools around the Bay Area to provide LARP classes, workshops, and after-school programs. She lives in Sonoma County with her husband and enjoys camping, writing, and cooking in her spare time.