Blaster Battle

Related terms:	Forces of the Empire, MediaWest*Con
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One of Forces of the Empire's activities was the blaster battle at MediaWest*Con, a live action role-playing event usually taking place on Saturday night of the convention. The first Blaster Battle was held in 1985 on a very impromptu and unorganized fashion. Later years were more organized.

By 1990, the event had grown so popular that its raging across the hotel corridors was addressed in the 1st Progress Report:

"We who are involved with the Blaster Battle and want it to continue wish to appeal to those who want nothing to do with it, in order to make this next MediaWestCon more enjoyable for everyone. First of all, each year we have gone out of our way to emphasize that participants avoid the "quiet" halls and leave non-participants alone. Weleave the "base" room numbers with the hotel desk, so they can inform us of any complaints. Last year there were problems mainly because people who had children and animals were placed in rooms randomly with no emphasis on "quiet" vs. "party" hallways. We want to make this suggestion for this year. We will limit the blaster battle to the first and second floors only. The middle hallway (by pool) on first floor will also be used. The middle hallway on the second floor and the entire third floor will be off limits. Anyone who will be bringing children or animals, requiring quiet in the early evening can take rooms in these halls and be assured we won't disturb you. Just request e third floor or middle hallway second floor room when you make your room reservation. Also, Blaster Battle hours will be Sunday night, 9 p.m. to midnight. For those who plan to participate, this year we will have an emphasis on role-play. As soon as possible, send me a bio of the persona you will be using. I plan to coordinate persons with secret missions involving other personas and so I need this information quickly. I will have a complete list of this year's rules for PR #2 or 3. We will also have a few personas done up for those who join last minute at the con. Sorry, but with the interaction involved, you won't be able to sign up at the con and use your own persona. When you send me your bio, please include a s.a.s.e, Persona info I need: your real name, persona name, which side you'll be on (Imperial, Rebel, or Mercenary), a physical description, and a personality description (i.e., temper, trustworthiness, beliefs, loves, hates, etc.) And any other information important to your persona"

By 1992, the event had to be shut down early due to space and sound limitations. 50 fans participated.

The blaster battle was great (I sat in the hall smoking and watching since a lot of it seemed to be outside my room). They had to quit because a guy down the hall complained because he was selling out of his room (and half the hallway). Seems he was worried about the stuff he had in the hallway.

The annual blaster battle had to be cut short because of complaints by a dealer who was selling out of his room on that floor and by a woman who was trying to get her child to sleep. Because the hotel is five stories tall, we would like to advocate to Gordon and Lori Carleton that next year separate floors be designated as a dealer's floor (because the room dealers were scattered throughout the hotel and difficult to find), a blaster battle floor, and a quiet floor for those who want no disturbances

during the entire convention, you might have caught a glimpse of a role-playing game called "Blaster" going on, in which warriors dressed like black-clad space-pirates stalked the hallways with laser weapons, capturing enemies and carrying on their own private battles into the wee hours of the morning.

The following year the event was back in full swing:

On the night of the masquerade almost everyone dresses up in some sort of costume and believe me, there are some truly gorgeous and inventive ones. Most t people dress in costume during the entire convention and the largest contingent of these are the members of the FORCES OF THE EMPIRE. They are a Star Wars role-playing group and this is their biggest game. They run a Cantina (you must be in costume when in the Cantina) and they run the Blaster Battle which is held in the hallways. I belong to the club but do not role play, but love to sit in the hallways and watch the mock battles.

Another fan reported that year:

....the blaster battle must have been a success because I kept stepping over dead bodies all weekend. It didn't help any that I was dressed as Luke [Skywalker]. I kept getting stopped - either to be shot at, or recruited. Raised hands and cries of "Civilian! Civilian!" did little to thwart anyone - NO one believed me! Neutral Jedi, that's me!

By 1994:

I participated in the Blaster Battle for the first time (on the Imp side, of course); Dan and I suited up as stormtroopers and had various adventures in the halls and stairwells. Long periods of sneaking and waiting interspersed with wild stampedes ("Run away! Run away!"). When it was all over and we were driving home, I felt so enriched, like Threepio after an oil bath. How gray and drear mundanity seemed in comparison.

In 1997:

At various points in the con, I met people taking place in the Star Wars blaster battle. This a fairly large scale live role-playing game played out in fancy-dress all over the con. There were some excellent outfits. Princess Leia tried to explain some of the rules to me. Some of it seemed to be based on common sense and some on skill ratings. Each player had a card with their details.

In 1998:

The Blaster Battle was a hoot: Beejay stayed busy protecting Vader and found a new friend amongst the Imperial grunts. Stormtrooper 9302 had sore thigh muscles the next morning from running up and down those stairwells all night ... but wasn't the hot tub delightful?

In 1999, non-participants were encouraged to join in

The blaster battle was interrupted by the diversion of Jar Jar’s Pleasure Palace. Some folks had decided to push the non-participant status in the blaster battle, and before I knew it, I had helped set up Jar Jar’s Pleasure Palace, complete with Leia in slave outfit, and Han Solo, complete with (in)appropriate signs. Leia: "10 credits a dance, Lap dances by appointment", and Han: "Fly the Falcon, Lap Dances Free". We then lured both the Rebels, Imperials, and Mercs into the Pleasure Palace, where we proceeded to take pictures. We got a good picture of the Emperor groping Princess Leia… Will the Dark side of the Force stop at nothing?

".....invited me down to see the latest "trap" set for the Forces of Empire folks (a group of Star Wars fans who hold a blaster battle in costume up and down the corridors of the hotel every year). They had stand-up lifesized cardboard figures of various Star Wars characters with different slogans on them--I liked the one that tried to tempt passersby to have their picture taken with Jar Jar!

One fan remembers being drafted into the Rebellion:

"My first experience with the FOE [Blaster] battle was when some stranger ran into our room (our door was open to sell zines) and yelled, "Hide me, hide me!" I yelled back, "Who *are* you?" He waved his blaster. "I'm a rebel!" I pushed him into the bathroom and into the bathtub, then pulled the shower curtain closed, just as the stormtroopers ran down the hall. One glanced into our room and I just smiled at him beatifically. They moved on, and I let the rebel out of the bathroom, gave him a piece of pizza and he took off down the hallway with a howl, "Kessel run? Hah! I just stowed away in a *bathtub*!"

By 2005, the event began to wind down:

Oh, [fans are] still dragging themselves to MWC. They're just a lot quieter while there. It used to be 2am ice cream runs and ending the party by going out for breakfast were par for the course. Now, everyone goes to bed early. There weren't nearly as many parties as there used to be, and the ones they did have were smaller, quieter, and earlier. Even the Star Wars blaster battles were muted. It used to be hard to go out in the halls on Saturday night without being caught in the crossfire. I barely saw them this time.

But in 2006, younger fans were still participating:

[E] saw a number of younger fans in the hall blaster battles and the anime panels. Some were the children of MWC vets but others were probably newbies. Yay!

From some fans, the blaster battles played a central role in their fannish experiences:

My friend Linda B. is a major genre fangirl. There was a time when she could be spotted at MediaWest conferences, dressed as a middle-aged Corellian spice trader* and participating in blaster battles all over the conference hotels. She and other fellow geeks would see plays and skits, admire others’ costumes, buy fan fiction (including some rather startling “slash” fiction) and, yeah, shoot at one another.

Structure and Planning

Over the years, some structure was created to organize the event and a welcome packet that explained the rules, character creation was given out.

In 1994, Ann Goetz wrote an introduction to the event for Southern Enclave #38:

The role-play is very simply a sort of SW "scavenger hunt/let's pretend" game that takes place in the hallways and hotel rooms of the Holiday Inn during

MWC. Both sides (Imperials and Rebels) try to gain control of ·Port Lansing Space Station" (i.e., the hotel). They do this by achieving goals around the hotel to gain points. The mercenaries (free-spacers, smugglers, and that sort) hire themselves out to whatever side they wish and try to get money for their work. The side with the most points at the end of the weekend wins, and the mercenary with the most money at the end of the weekend wins a prize.

Participating is easy and so are the rules. Everyone who loves SW is welcome. Also, you don't need to "battle" if you wish. In the past, we've had people sign up as "local color" to hang out in the Cantina and just be a part of the atmosphere....

A workshop on creating a role-play character will also be scheduled for those people who need a little help creating characters.....

We have a mentor program for the Blaster as well, for new people entering the fun. A new person (known as a "rookie") is teamed with a person who's been around a while (known as a "vet"). There will be a special meeting for the Blaster Battle rookies and their mentors to give you a special introduction and to give you some hints on role-playing.

The role playing did not follow a commercial script:

In answer to your questions about the blaster battle - we don't use the game written in the books by West End Games. We do use the books for reference on occasion. But we do live action role-play and have rules of our own. We don't use dice at all. We do have statistics with ranks assigned only for the purpose of determining things, such as who shot whom, if role-play doesn't work. It's like being in a play, without a script. We get points by reaching certain goals and by capturing certain items.

Memories From 2024

As part of the 2025 Mediawest reunion relax-a-con, participants and onlookers both discussed their experiences at the Mediawest Blaster Battles.

...the Forces of the Empire Blaster Battles evolved over the years, so the specifics of how things work would be tough to explain, but here are the basics: You'd pick a side, Empire, Alliance, or Mercenary. Mercs would be split between the main factions. To used a ranged attack, you had to fire your blaster before your opponent. First shot wins. In a tie, you compare stats. Same with lightsabers, but with touch attacks. You weren't killed, only stunned for 2 minutes. Each battle had goals to accomplish, a la capture the flag, but with a few twists. At the end of the game, goals would be tallied, and a winner determined.

What I remember best from the blaster battles, as an observer, is that: 1) if you're in a black mood, come around a corner and the rebels/imperials will instantly make room for you to pass. 2) If you come around a corner with a fluffy Keeshond puppy on a leash, into a situation where a Rebel leader, and his troopers, are all prepared to take down the Empire, the troops will immediately put down their weapons to pet the dog. I'll never forget the leader's face when he looked back and saw his soldiers cooing at the fluffy puppy, Athena (owned by Sharon Palmer.) "What the H!!!!"

I just remember one year for some reason they thought our room was a rebel base. We kept getting folks knocking on our door. I was like, I’ll totally BE a Rebel Base if you need one!!!

The first year I attended MW -- sometime in the early to mid 80s -- I was dazzled by all the hustle and bustle events of my first "Fan Con." My very first experience with the Blaster Battles was unique and totally unforgettable. As I was walking down one of the long hall to my room one evening, the heavy door at end suddenly swung open and in strode Darth Vader, in all his impressive glory - breathing noises and all - accompanied by two Red Guard figures, several storm troopers, and a number of "mercenary" supporters in tow. I stopped, mid-hall, completely paralyzed. Then, as this imposing group neared my position, I realized they were not going to stop, so I quickly jumped to the side of the hall, pressing myself against the wall in as flat a shape possible. As these menacing figures moved by me, I mumbled something like " Good evening, your lordship, sir," and bowed my head slightly. Vader slowed slightly, cast his masked head in my direction, then continued on his way, barely breaking stride....Once this magnificent entourage was a good distance past me down the hall, I quickly raced to my hotel room to tell my friends how I'd narrowly escaped being run over by Darth Vader....What a wonderful encounter to initiate me into the magical traditions of Media West!!