Commentaries from the Dungeon Master of Blackthorne Manor, where any who seek ritual pain, rare exotic pleasures, or cathartic punishment will find a Welcome. The entire household of the Earl from the Lady Eleanor to the scullery maids, are devoted to pleasure, healing and enlightenment through the corporeal arts.

You may recall our two young friends that I mentioned in the last column.  Well, the other day they decided to have their own party and asked me for some ideas on how to go about it.  It all went off very well, so I thought I would pass along some of the basics that go towards a good time for all.

First off, what sort of a party do you want to have? If you go for an all-out pansexual no-holds-barred sort of thing then you risk alienating  some of the gentler souls.  If you specify the traditional straight-male-top, bi-sub-female crowd then you will surely delight those who fit that description who are often uncomfortable in a more eclectic environment, but at the risk of pissing off the more politically minded folk who will declare that you are a phobic, old-fashioned prig.  Frankly I will stand up clearly for my preferences, and say that I can only run the sort of party that I feel comfortable with, and that there are lots of  options for those who prefer something different.  That way the folk who come are more likely to have a good time without the intrusion of grandstander’s making derogatory comments.  By the way, there’s nothing wrong with grandstanding as long as the audience are enjoying the game.  A round of applause is a wonderful accompaniment to the orgasmic cries of a happy girl!

So having decided what the basic idea behind the evening is going to be, lets take a look at what makes a good play space.  If  you can, arrange for four distinct areas.  When guests first arrive they will want somewhere to change out of street clothes, and someplace to put them so that they can find them at the end of  the night.  One solution is to provide brown paper shopping bags with a number marked on them for clothes and shoes, etc.  guests can either write the number down, or some sort of ticket corresponding to the bag can be handed out.

Welcome the quests into a social area with food, drink and a place to sit and hang out without disturbing people who are already playing.  This makes for a good way to get into the mood of the party,  take a break between scenes and talk to others.  Alcohol is usually not a problem provided it is limited to wine and beer, and a weather eye kept for the odd few who may overindulge.  This assumes, of course, that you are not charging any money for the party, even on a voluntary donation basis.  If you are, then that is a whole different arrangement with much more serious legal implications and obligations.  We will reserve more on that for a later topic.  Suffice it to say that everything here assumes that you are simply a group of friends who are getting together to have a good time.   If you do allow guests to bring a bottle of wine, make sure there is plenty of soda and iced water on hand.

If at all possible create two dungeon spaces.  If there is a fairly accessible, open play area where people can easily watch what is going on, and where there is an unwritten understanding that this a good place for the lighter stuff, where a sense of fun and humor is acceptable, and where a newcomer to the scene will be less likely to be scared off, then there could also be a more private, intimate space where the serious players can do their stuff.   If people do want to watch what is going on in the heavier space, then they should be prepared to be unobtrusive, so as not to disturb the experiences that the players are working to achieve.

Play spaces should be provided with safety  gear such as  emergency scissors and a basic first aid kit, safe sex supplies, particularly latex and vinyl (for the those allergic to latex) gloves, and plenty of water and disposable cups.

A Dungeon Master sounds like a very draconian individual, and they well may be.  But their job is to make sure that everybody has a good time, that nobody gets hurt, and that breaches of etiquette are called on the carpet, or even better, anticipated and headed off.  This should be someone with a thorough technical understanding of what is safe and what isn’t , with the social and leadership skills to be able to advise the inexperienced players, and to stop unsafe play or unacceptable behavior with firm good humor that doesn’t create an adversarial situation.

With all this taken into consideration, the party is on track  to be a great success.  There are still some pitfalls, however, and some things to think about when you put together the guest list and finalize the arrangements.   It is not a good idea  to have hoards of leather-clad gothic figures taking every parking space for miles around and then being led up to your house in chains with bare breasts and buttocks scintillating in the streetlight.

More next week -

Happy Spanking,

Simon Blackthorn.