Game Review: The Call of the Hill Witchcraft Larp

At the weekend I took part in a live-action roleplaying game about witchcraft. The characters were five women trained in magic who had decided to climb a sacred hill together to regain power and connect with our sisterhood. I thought I'd blog about the game because it also felt like a magical working. It was named The Call of the Hill.

The setting was historical Budapest and was based in Hungarian beliefs that witches traditionally climbed and gathered on the Gellert-hegy (hill). You can see the hill in the picture above although we weren't actually there - we had to imagine it. It would have been wonderful to do this outside in nature, perhaps while climbing a real hill, but we had to make do with a theatrical studio and token set dressing. It didn't matter, our imaginations were enough. 

Unlike many RPGs, the action wasn't about combat, or solving a mystery, or trying to save the world. It was about a journey that was both physical and spiritual. The purpose was to explore the choices we make, facing our fears, our responses to social pressures, and what it means to be a witch. 

We walked around and around in circles within the studio space. What started as a performance of climbing a hill became more a walking meditation. During the game, we were given prompts representing thoughts that came into our minds. These included examples of prejudice, discrimination and hardship that women in general, and those accused of witchcraft, faced historically. It was a transformative experience.

There was also a ritual element to the game. This was very much the kind of ritual most modern pagan witches would recognise. As well as walking and individually contemplating the issues raised, we could stop, gather in a circle, hold hands and call on the Mother Goddess to help us as a group. We could create chants and dances or use objects to symbolise our intent. When the ritual was over, we returned to walking.

I won't tell you what happened at the end of the game, when we reached the summit. You might want to play it yourself some time.

The Call of the Hill was designed by Laura Csúcs, Réka Barbara Kovács, Bálint Márk Turi, Ágnes Upor. It was presented by Agi Upor, Nandor Laklia as one of the games offered at The Smoke LARP convention in London, which is an annual event. You can find out more here: https://thesmoke.org/ 

The picture at the top shows nature on Gellert Hill, by Kapeter77, CC BY-SA 4.0, fromWikimedia Commons.