Last year, I held a Happening here in Norrköping, Sweden, where I live: two weekends and the included week of play and discussions, with minimal scheduling, no registration, no fees, and no tickets of any kind. It worked! Here are ome thoughts from participants.

“What I’d say about the happening: It’s one of the few, or maybe the only roleplaying event, in which I can say that playing is what binds people together.” Claudio

“I had a free afternoon so I decided to play Cathedral. Having taken a rough and ready (but no less enjoyable for it) stab at Estimated Prophet during my time in Sweden, I bought the full set of games that came after it as I left. I also attended but did not directly participate in a session of the second game in the Cantos series, Shine a Light. Needing a break after days of highly engaging role playing and rapid and intense formation of new ludus, I listened in. I watched the players reckon with a late-game visitation from the Angel Michael, felt I saw parts of their “real” selves shearing from their characters as they caught a glimpse of Grief through the frosted glass of gameplay, and I even struggled, at points, not to cry. The lone golden skull on the cover of Cathedral invited me to a solo experience. While I am just as curious about it as a game I haven’t seen in action, the player count along with the overt sexuality of Daemon Lover makes it by far the most challenging proposition of the series; a hard sell to local friends and concerning subject matter that I find near impossible to approach in roleplay through the filter of online communication. It may not be a sexual experience for the participants but physicality is, in my opinion, required – as I’m convinced it is for the other Cantos games. To draw on my experiences with Estimated Prophet; will the other players see me measuring out my intended square of the lady in red over Discord? Will they crow, look, she’s ready, she’s been planning for this one? Perhaps, if I angle the camera just right, if we have the bandwidth for video, but then they’ll miss the look on my face, the smirk, and the subsequent enforced waiting time for the hot pink pencil as I use it to add a new spiral to my sheet.” Bea

“During the Happening 2024, I played 17 different role-playing games over the course of ten days. These titles spanned the entire history of the medium. In such a short period, I was exposed to greater range of game design and possibility of play than over the decades of my prior experience. Playing those games with the other attendees has deeply enriched my knowledge, experience, and excitement about role-playing.” David

“My experience being at The Happening was unlike any others I’ve had among medium-to-large groups gathered for scheduled and impromptu play over the course of several days. There was something very open and honest in and between the participants. We talked about and played with our pet favorite games, new games, and new-old games, but without brand loyalty, without subcultural commitments (“indie”, “osr”, anything else you might imagine). We explored the wide array of instruments this activity of roleplaying and its history gives us, with a celebration of and focus firmly on nothing more and nothing less than PLAY. I mean it. There were no insiders, no outsiders, no special status afforded game designers or favorite people. We were just adults, together for the radically enjoyable act of playing fiction for ourselves, by ourselves.” Hans

“What I didn’t expect quite so much was the depth of emotion. It’s shown up before in playing this game [Amerika], but in this case, the shift from “OK, a system, let’s try it” to a genuine little-Happening of its own seemed shamanic in its suddenness and content, as if we were actually witnessing and channeling how things were, or what happened, or what was felt.” Ron

So it’s happening again.

Quite a bit is the same as last time: The location is Spelens Hus in Norrköping (Slottsgatan 133), for ten days spanning August 29 through September 8, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM each day. This is a truly charming and comfortable venue for play, discussion, and social relaxation.

Attendance is free and untrammeled, lacking registration or tickets or formal anything at all, for any days you like, for as much time as you like.

I’m adding a couple of features or attempted goals: a local hotel discount (to be announced here later), a buddy system with local people to help you find things, a way for people to participate online, more Swedish participation in general, opportunity to celebrate the memory of Helma Lindow, and some follow-up activities.

I’ll present two new workshops in which I seek a perfect blend of conceptual challenge + play-procedures.

Money

You are not obliged to provide any money. The downside is that travel and accommodations are your job, although I hope I can help with hotel costs.

I appreciate donations which help defray my costs and will also provide some services. You may donate 300 kronor (a bit less than $30 or 30 Euro), or more if you want, here, for which you will also receive a copy of the rules for Amerika, including new content regarding police brutality in Chicago during the 1970s. Total donated funds (after 25% VAT) will achieve the following:

• 10,000 kronor: this event can actually happen 7486 received April 15
• 20,000 kronor: Swedish fika and beverages supplied every day
• 30,000 kronor: a grand day out to natural beauty and cultural enlightenment, with organized transport
• 40,000 kronor: professional video coverage and documentation

Clarification: donating is very welcome from anyone. It is not associated with attending or not attending.

Some planning

The following schedule currently shows only my intended activities. Please use the comments below to announce your own, if you like; I’ll add them to the list. A slot can hold any number of activities. However, of course, you are free to bring or initiate any play or discussion you like during the Happening itself.

• Friday August 29
  • Morning:
  • Afternoon: Feed
• Saturday August 30
  • Morning:
  • Afternoon: Workshop – Racism Where and How
• Sunday August 31
  • Morning: Traveller (1977)
  • Afternoon:
• Monday September 1
  • Morning: Dawnfire
  • Afternoon:
• Tuesday September 2
  • Morning: Amerika
  • Afternoon:
• Wednesday September 3 (potentially the grand day out)
  • Morning:
  • Afternoon:
• Thursday September 4
  • Morning:
  • Afternoon: Among the Men
• Friday September 5
  • Morning: Powers & Perils
  • Afternoon:
• Saturday September 6
  • Morning:
  • Afternoon: Workshop – God & Stuff
• Sunday September 7
  • Morning: I/O the Human Machine
  • Afternoon:

Logistics for attending in person

Travel: if you’re flying from overseas, land in Arlanda-Stockholm and take the SJ train to Norrköping Resecentrum. More local travel is easiest by train as well.

Lodging: the city is convenient for walking and bicycles, including trams, so it’s better to stay downtown. All of these sites have language options.

• Strawberry.se – booking many different chain hotels
• Skandic – Swedish hotel chain
• Booking.com – almost all hotels (service fee)

Consider carefully whether you prefer a hotel breakfast or a kitchenette. Don’t stay at a place which doesn’t provide either.

Food and other things’ prices in Stockholm are very high, but they are much more reasonable here in Norrköping. 100-120 kronor is standard for lunch of any kind, even fancy cuisine.

Here’s some important information for visitors:

Help set it up

Attending or not attending, everyone can make this thing even better.

Please use the comments below to ask any questions! For organizing, please use the Discord channel I’ve set up for the event.