Dragon god comes to life in Sweden next summer

Dragonbane is the most ambitious live action role playing game of all time

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By Jussi Ahlroth
     
      "I do not want this to sound like we are advertising a large dragon", says Heiko Romu, the main set designer of the Dragonbane project.
      Well, it is not all about the dragon, but it cannot be ignored. A 22-metre long, ten-metre tall, talking, fire-breathing dragon with moving eyelids. The dragon is built around a ten-tonne forestry machine, covered with five tons of pneumatic technology and rubber. Two people fit inside to control the various functions.
     
The dragon is part of the most ambitious live action role playing game to date. The game is called Dragonbane, and it will take place in Älvdalen, Sweden in late July and early August, and will last five days and nights.
      The game is set in the small village of Cinderhill, a utopian community, whose life revolves around a dragon that they worship as a god. Their peaceful lives are disturbed when two groups appear in the vicinity – armed dragon tamers and strange witches. They have different plans for the dragon. Right before the game a battle that shakes the villagers' faith in the dragon is fought. What if the dragon proves to be mortal after all?
     
The dragon is what makes Dragonbane so unique. Live action role-playing involves assuming the role of another being in a different world.
      The usual problem is that one cannot alter the surroundings enough. You can dress a certain way and use makeup. An inn can be made to look almost like a medieval cabin, but not quite. And what if a dragon is needed? The best attempt so far has been a man in a three-metre costume.
      The one-hundred-strong team behind Dragonbane has worked for almost four years to make their dream of a genuine fantasy come true. They refuse to compromise.
      "The idea for Dragonbane came from us having played in games organised by others and always having thought that things could have been done better. We decided that now we will do everything as well as possible", says Romu.
      In Dragonbane you do not need to imagine anything, everything is as it should be. The houses really look like they are from an ancient fantasy world, the food is made in the villages and is eaten with authentic-looking utensils.
      At the moment, 400 players from 19 different countries have signed up to join the game. Larger games have been arranged, but never have they been designed with such precision.
      The village of Cinderhill is currently being built. When finished, the settlement will include 17 buildings with a total floor surface-area of 1,500 square metres. Four of the buildings are long, Viking-style residential houses. In addition there is at least a dragon temple, a bakery, a workshop, and a bath house.
     
The main organiser of the game, Timo Multamäki, has tirelessly acquired partners for the project. The material for the dragon's skin alone would have cost EUR 25,000. Multamäki got it for EUR 2,000.
      "The budget for Dragonbane is roughly half a million euros, when counting everything we have gotten from our partners."
     
The forestry association of Älvdalen has given Dragonbane permission to use about four square kilometres of land for five years. The project has over 120 partners - mainly schools and businesses. The Finnish Ministry of Education and various cultural funds also support the project. Multamäki has also personally invested in the project. He feels that it is all worth the trouble.
      "This kind of project can be done only once in a lifetime. I do not have another four years to spend on something like this.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 22.4.2006

More on this subject:
 I am joining the game
 FACTFILE: Live action role-playing involves assuming a new identity

Links:
  Dragonbane game website

JUSSI AHLROTH / Helsingin Sanomat
jussi.ahlroth@hs.fi