I have never really understood why Second Life is home to so many Gorean roleplay sims, which are based on the series of science-fiction novels by John Norman. I personally find the sexual philosophy of the books to be repulsive, but they’re obviously popular in Second Life. There are dozens and dozens of Gorean sims, full of people roleplaying scenes from the Norman novels in endless variations.
Show up at a Gorean roleplay sim in regular streetwear and you’ll stick out like a sore thumb (and most likely, get asked to leave for messing up the atmosphere). Gorean clothing consists of two completely separate styles:
- Freemen or freewomen, who dress in medieval-era wear, with women wearing long skirts, often with a hijab and a veil;
- Kajira/Kajirus clothing (basically slavewear or skimpy dancing silks for women and men).
So, if that’s what you are looking for, hey, you’re in luck! (Trust me, you’re not going to find anything in-between those two extremes in Gorean sims.) The Gorean freemen/freewomen outfits can also easily be repurposed for medieval/fantasy roleplay. The freewomen’s outfits could also be used for conservative Muslim women’s wear, especially the headscarves and veils.
There are four Gorean sites I recommend you visit for some great freebies. All four spots are in the OOC (Out Of Character) welcoming areas of the sims, where you can dress as you like without being bothered by others.
City of Tor
At the City of Tor there are free outfits for men and women, including a very nice full gown with puffed sleeves which includes a 34-colour HUD:
The veil in the picture above comes from a separate outfit from the freebie outfits at Svago (see below), and it fits so snugly that you don’t need to worry about adding any hair underneath. The animated particle staff my avatar is holding is the Star of Stars staff from Talevin’s Magic Sky Village, the best place to get staves and wands on the entire grid! You can change the colour of the particle effects to one of ten different colours. You could say that here I was going for a medieval sorceress look with a Handmaid’s Tale edge 😉 Hey, it’s Second Life! Be who you want!
Here’s what the freemen’s outfit looks like (it includes the boots, and the tunic comes in four different colours). It’s very detailed and quite attractive for medieval/fantasy roleplay:
Svago
From the spawn point, turn right and touch the green door to go to the Gorean Welcome Centre. Then turn around and walk through the three sets of arches to find an extensive collection of free clothing for men and women:
In the following picture I am wearing Style 2 of the Gorean freewoman’s gown from Svago, which has a dramatic high collar and comes in five different colours, very suitable for medieval, fairytale, or fantasy wear:
Port Kar
You have to trek a bit from the spawn point for this one (here’s the exact SLURL, just follow the red beacon arrow and walk straight through the marketplace and through the stone arch at the end to reach the docks). There you will find five crates on the docks which you can buy for zero Lindens:
Click on the Port Kar FREE FW box and you will get this lovely medieval/fantasy gown with optional straps:
Here’s what the slavewear camisk looks like (there are two boxes for two versions of this outfit, one clean and one dirty/smudged):
Varn
At the City of Varn you can pick up some nice medieval clothing, just walk to the other end of the dock (past the Gorean Meter curtain) and click the containers sitting on the dock (one outfit for men and the other for women):
Here’s what the ornate medieval women’s outfit looks like:
And this is what the men’s outfit looks like (it includes a black cape which is not shown). Note that you have to click on the antlers on top of the container, rather than the container itself, to get this freebie!
So, there you have it! You do not need to spend any money to outfit yourself for medieval or fantasy roleplay if you visit these four Gorean freebie spots! Happy shopping!
I’m tangentially involved with the Gorean roleplay scene in SL, by dint of being a DJ on Gorean Whip Radio, and occasionally providing coverage for events. I have a ‘freewoman’ outfit I wear for those, which does little to hide that I’m a blue, rainbow-speckled alien. 🙂 (Who’s allied to the Priest Kings, in case anyone’s nose gets out of joint over my appearance.) Truth be told, most places I’ve been to have been welcoming of me as an observer. And some of the Gorean sims are stunning to wander around.
There’s actually more than one Gorean roleplay in SL—some are BTB (by-the-book, as close to John Norman’s writing as possible), while others are GE (Gor Evolved, a more relaxed interpretation.) For the most part, relationships between practitioners of the various roleplay styles is cordial.
If you want to get an idea of just how many Gorean sims there are in SL, head to the Gorean Hub and visit their map room, which has the sims marked on a giant map of Gor. There’s a lot!