u/adrianhon

Thought people might be interested in my video essay comparing 19th century Russian theatre director Nikolai Evreinov to Nathan Fielder! 

Not just because Evreinov directed the biggest re-enactment of all time – the 1920 The Storming of the Winter Palace – but because of his theory that all of life was a performance and everyone should create "The Theatre for Oneself". For a while, Evreinov was considered one of the top three directors in Russia, alongside Stanislavski and Meyerhold, and he loved parodying them both.

The first part of the essay is about Evreinov's plays and theories, then I loop in how those are indirectly manifested in Nathan For You and The Rehearsal. Smokers Allowed, especially, is such a brilliant link between the two.

Here's a written version of the essay: https://mssv.net/2026/06/16/meet-nikolai-evreinov-the-19th-century-nathan-fielder/

Hopefully this isn't too sincere/self-promoting!

I'm a game designer and writer based in Edinburgh, and along with my friend Alex Macmillan, we're running Strandfall, an orienteering-style live action role playing game (larp) for 20-30 players inspired by Stalker and Death Stranding – and we'd like you to play!

>Five years ago, a mysterious disaster unleashed lethal, invisible storms across the world. Today, you've joined a scientific expedition to Edinburgh that hopes to put humanity back on its feet. You have three hours to deploy prototype spatial computers across a park and investigate the storms – but not everyone will get what they want, and no-one will emerge unscathed.

Players will deploy the spatial computers across a park to forecast storms, detect the effects of past experiments, discover the boundaries of a mysterious Stalker-like exclusion zone, and even "storm-chase" to test experimental devices.

It's happening on Saturday September 5th in Cammo Estate park (yes, we have permission) from late morning to the afternoon, and it's free, thanks to support from Immersive Arts and Creative Scotland.

Alex and I have previously made games like Zombies, Run! and the Perplex City ARG, so we know how to design experiences that combine storytelling, gameplay, and the real world.

You don't need any experience with larp to participate, and while Strandfall takes place outdoors and involves a lot of physical activity, around a third of players will not be expected to walk or run at all during the game itself – they'll be co-ordinating from base camp, like a mission control. As such, we have a budget to assist players with mobility needs.

Finally, Strandfall is partly about the loneliness epidemic. It's designed to get strangers to connect with one another, face to face. So if you're looking to meet new people in Edinburgh but you're anxious about it, this might be for you.

Find out more and sign up at https://strandfall.com/2026/06/02/strandfall-is-now-open-for-sign-ups/

And if you have any questions, we're here!

I made a video essay on Epos Daimon, a Danish magic school larp that teaches teens about the dangers and allure of fascism.

Students become high-ranking members of a theocratic, fascist regime inspired by His Dark Materials. It isn't about rebel heroes taking down the system – it's about showing teens the seductive thrill of being *inside* a fascist regime, where compliance and bullying is met with constant praise from authority figures.

Designer Katrine Wind also made the larp Daemon, also inspired by His Dark Materials, but for adults.

Since this is such a sensitive topic, I should note that the larp is very thoughtfully designed, with extensive preparation and onboarding and debriefs. I also wrote a blog post covering the same ground as the video essay.

Last week in London, we wrapped the world's first convention dedicated to English-language jubensha, so I wrote up some notes about how it was organised and what we learned. We had plenty of games, talks by international experts, workshops, and lots of networking.

Co-organisers included u/chronicinsanity, u/kmsgames, and the makers of Spy of the Year.

Happy to answer any questions!