Children of the Lost Eden

Children of the Lost Eden is New York City’s domain in the Camarilla Global LARP.

The Camarilla is an international gaming organization dedicated to the enjoyment of White Wolf’s World of Darkness. We support a global Mind’s Eye Theatre live-action roleplaying game as well as social events, community service, and education.

The Camarilla is one of the world’s largest live-action roleplaying groups, with thousands of members across six continents. Our members create characters using White Wolf’s Mind’s Eye Theatre books and begin by playing those characters in locally hosted games. Many members also travel to games and events hosted by our hundreds of individual domains and chapters, use some of the numerous “in character” e-mail lists and even attend larger events at the regional, national and international level! Each year, the Camarilla hosts the International Camarilla Convention (ICC) in a selected city that brings hundreds of members together to play in the pinnacle event of the year.

The focus of the Camarilla’s game is on the dramatic politics in the World of Darkness and the tragic struggles of the spirit; it is not only the violent aspects commonly associated with the fictional creatures that intrigue us. While the Camarilla’s live-action game is its most visible product, the Camarilla is also a social organization with a special commitment to the arts, education, and service. All members are encouraged to learn more about the arts, especially the theatrical arts of acting, costuming, propmaking, storytelling and scene setting through set decoration, lighting and sound. In addition to the arts that we support through the live-action game, the Camarilla sponsors and encourages our members’ artistic interests in writing, sketching, painting, illustration, photography, computer graphics, graphic design and other artistic pursuits. We publish a great deal of our members’ work in our quarterly fanzine, on our hundreds of websites (start at http://camarilla.white-wolf.com/) and in our regional, city, and chapter newsletters (where available). We also often display some of our members’ artwork at the annual ICC and other events.

The Camarilla is dedicated to member education-not just the fascinating history lessons one can learn while creating characters but also skills such as leadership development and acting. We sponsor panels and seminars about the arts, the World of Darkness, project coordination, and storytelling. Many members become officers of their chapters or domains, and the Camarilla supports them with leadership development programs and mentoring.

Last but certainly not least, the Camarilla sponsors many charity events to benefit good causes across the globe. Many of our chapters support a local charity such as a food bank or shelter, thus strengthening the community where they live. Some people ask why service work is so important in an organization such as ours. Quite simply, it builds our sense of community. When our members give something back to their communities-by getting together with their fellow members to do a good deed-it builds friendships and a sense of connection between members.

Our focus on arts, education, and service contributes to the culture that the Camarilla attempts to build between members worldwide. As a community of friends, we encourage members to be respectful of others, to participate responsibly and safely at all events, and to support each other as we grow together and explore our creative interests.

~ Introduction, US Membership