HARD THEMES & SAFETY

Hard themes

The main hard topics, that can’t be avoided if you play this larp, are:

Imprisonment, isolation from society, physical and psychological violence, loss of sanity and psychosis, paranoia, fictional racism, religious guilt, religious-based systemic oppression of a fictional group, addiction, mistreatment of young characters (above 15yo), PTSDs, intense peer pressure, feeling of powerlessness, mass murder (annulment of a circle), sexual violence, bullying.

Warning: some scenes will involve realistic fake blood. Players don’t have to interact with it if they don't want to, but can’t avoid seeing it.

The secondary hard topics are either present in some characters’ backgrounds and/or could show up during the larp. You may be able to mostly avoid some of them by calibrating with co-players and/or informing everyone about your specific trigger, but we can’t guarantee mishaps won’t happen.

Secondary hard topics are the following:

Grief, human hunt, death of a family member, depression, family disputes, chronic pain, child taken away at birth, death by fire, forbidden relationships and being shamed for them.

Themes that are excluded from the larp

Gendered violence and discrimination, violence and insults based on real-life characteristics, homophobia, transphobia.

Important note on sexual violence

Why are we including sexual violence as a theme of our larp? We have decided to include in our vision of this larp the role that body autonomy and sexual violence play in oppressive systems.

When it happens, sexual violence is both a consequence of the templars’ oppression on the mages and one more tool to assert that power. However, it is not the norm and it should not become the norm: both because most of the templars present are not inclined to do it and because it is frowned upon by religion.

With that in mind, all players are allowed to play on it. Scenes that involve playing out sexual violence can only happen behind closed doors, with a red ribbon on the handle (meaning: offgame don’t come in) and with all of the players’ consent. If you want such a scene to be interrupted, you need to calibrate with the players that will interrupt it.

It is mandatory to calibrate before these scenes, during or before the larp, and to calibrate with players before using threats of sexual violence, even if your character doesn’t intend to act on it.

Only two of the characters will have this theme pre-written into their sheet.

We ask that players stay mindful when playing on this topic. Check on each other and never treat it lightly, both off game and in game.

This is not a theme that can be completely avoided and you should ask yourself if you’re ok with that before signing up. Please reach out to us if you have further questions on this or wonder if you can attend or not.

Decompressing day

It is mandatory to stay on site during the last day of the event. There will be optional debriefing workshops then we will facilitate activities to unwind and connect with co-players. Using that time to rest and take care of yourself with very little social interactions is also perfectly fine - the place is large enough for that.

There will be a designated “social but calm” space and we ask that you respect it as best as you can, so that people who want to connect in a calm way get that possibility.

This is an alcohol-free event. We won’t serve alcohol in game, nor at the afterparty.

It is not allowed to drink any alcohol during the game itself. We will provide soft drinks used as fake alcohol.

Safety

Players always come before the larp. Their safety is the team’s priority and should also be all of the players’ priority.

Even if players agree to something on paper, be it by signing up to the larp, calibrating a relationship or starting a scene, their consent can be withdrawn at any time and they will never be dismissed or judged for changing their boundaries, discovering a trigger or just taking care of themself.

Safety measures

Safety mechanics such as safe words and safe gestures will be explained and shown during the workshops. Players are encouraged to use slow escalation.

A member of the team will be fully dedicated to emotional safety during the entire duration of the event. While they are not a professional therapist, they will do their best to accompany any player in need of support.

A safe space away from the playing areas will exist and be equipped with: at least one bed, soft blankets, drinks and treats.

We will provide players with pins of different colors that will communicate their current limit regarding physical and emotional violence targeted at them: color A is “I’m open to it (with escalation)”, color B is “calibrate with me beforehand” and color C is “no violence targeted at me, I need low intensity play” (color code will be communicated on site).

Play on Intimacy

Players are asked to calibrate any intimate scene and to not have real sex during the game.

All players should keep their genitals covered at all times. Top nudity is allowed for everyone during the entire event.

Players can agree on using any mechanic they want to play sex, from fading to black to dry humping and everything in between. The same applies for kissing.

The workshops will not include a presentation of mechanics that can be used in larps to portray intimacy, however, if you have zero experience with this topic, we invite you to reach out to the team so we may inform you and guide you as best as we can!

Sex scenes have no reason to happen out in the open, but it is possible for someone to walk in on a sex scene and discover the relationship (which, most of the time, is a scandal), unless the players have put a red ribbon on the handle of the door (meaning: offgame, we don’t want to be interrupted - works for any scene, not just sex). If you don’t use a ribbon and someone enters, either make it obvious you are having sex or say “offgame: we are having sex”.

Physical Violence

There will be a workshop on playing violence. While players are encouraged to start violent interactions spontaneously after checking the player’s safety pin and to use escalation at all times, we also ask players to calibrate before the larp with people they will be playing a lot of violence with, and when it feels like it might be needed, to calibrate before a scene. Safety mechanics are also meant to be used as a way to lower or increase the intensity of a scene, or to stop it.

Players should always be using theatrical violence and not real violence. Play out scenes in a slow way to avoid injuries and don’t fight or run in the stairs.

How horrific is the larp ?

The design of this larp aims to create an atmosphere one could call horrific, in the sense that many characters will be fearing for their life. In their minds, monsters could show up at any time: abominations and demons, but also blood mages, who can perform horrific rituals.

That fear, that dread of a danger greater than any other, is going to be pushed on characters more and more as the days pass.

On the last night, players could be faced with abominations: monsters portrayed by other players, that used to be people they knew, sometimes people they loved. They will wear bloody makeup, make nasty noises and act like they are possessed by something beyond human comprehension.

The tower won’t be crawling with abominations. At max, there will be a few of them - but that’s enough to wipe out an entire Circle.

That’s the extent of the pre-planned horrific aspects of this larp.

There are also a few types of opt-in scenes that could be described as horrific: torture scenes, being locked in a cave, spirit suggestions and bloody rituals. This is a non-exhaustive list.

Wait, is this larp some sort of kinky BDSM larp ?

No, it is not a kinky larp or a BDSM larp. And sex is not an important theme of this larp.

However, the team recognizes that many larpers enjoy some of this larp’s themes in a kinky way (which does not necessarily mean in a sexual way, as a reminder). As long as everyone respects both the rules of the larp and their co-players’ boundaries, that is not something the team considers as a problem or deserving of any kind of judgment.

The team considers itself sexpositive and believes it’s important to create spaces that are meant to be sexpositive, even when sex is not a main theme of the experience. If you’re not sure what that means, look it up or ask a team member!