By: Jon Cole & Moss Mogrovejo-Bosch
Ars amandi – Kinky sex – AIDS Crisis
Scenario format: Larp
Duration: 4 hours
Number of players: 8-16
Connect, cruise, and mourn in an 80s gay Leather bar. A scenario about self-discovery, grief, and community during the 1980s AIDS crisis. When the most-familiar forms of sexual expression for gay men have become dangerous, alienating, unfamiliar… What does returning to the sex club after time away look like for you? When the dungeon opens at midnight are you going hard or going home?
Play is a mix of discovery and anxiety as queer male characters decide how to re-enter BDSM while forsaking the exchange of body fluids. Players will use embodied meta-techniques to stand in for kink and sex, using Ars Amandi inspired techniques to reach for the sensations and emotions of their characters.
About the authors
Jon is an award-winning scenario designer and sex educator in the Twin Cities. He’s known for historical games that address sensitive subjects (The Abortionists, All Options) as well as designing for high-touch (Glamourous Night, Space Squids). His designs have premiered at Fastaval, The Smoke, and Make a Scene. His work can be found at joncole.itch.io.
Moss is an award-winning TTRPG and larp designer and environmental educator in the Pacific Northwest. They are known for games about queerness and emotional processing (This Party Sucks, Roller Rink Redux) as well as intimacy, trauma, and major life transitions (Shapeshifter Problems, As Soft As You Remember). Their work can be found at beatingthebinary.itch.io.