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Conscience USA
by NotOnlyLarp
Location
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Yellowstone Film Ranch, Montana, USA
Run 1: June 26 - 28, 2026
Run 2: July 3 - 5, 2026
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Lodging and Food Included
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Econolodge in Livingston, MT (1 and 2 bed rooms available)
Breakfast via hotel. Lunch and Dinner on site.
Cost: $900 ($250 Non-Refundable Down Payment Due 6/1/25)
Non-Deposit Refunds available if we can resell the ticket (best efforts basis)
Transportation and Equipment
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We are negotiating group car rental rates
(Site is apprx 1 hr from the airport, and 40 minutes from the hotel)
Players cast as employees must bring their own Wi-Fi–enabled tablet; a protective case is recommended.
Weapon prop and lantern rentals will be available
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Application Process
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Application deadline: 11:59 PM, Saturday May 17, 2025
Flagging period: Sunday, May 18 to 11:59 PM on Saturday, May 24
Acceptance notifications: Friday, May 30, 2025
Down-payment due: Sunday, June 1, 2025
Selection will be mostly lottery, with some direct casting for harder-to-fill roles.
A LARP About Humanity
What makes a mind conscious? Are humans permitted to do whatever they desire to androids? What makes a human human?
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Conscience is a LARP inspired by the famous HBO TV series Westworld about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the moral implications of those innovations for all involved. It explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged.
Vision
This larp is an original creation inspired among other things on HBO’s Westworld TV Show, but doesn’t use characters or follows the plot from the series.
Framed in a mixture of western and corporate themes, Conscience intends to address subjects such as ethical choices, the nature of humanity, the consequences of one’s actions, and the limits of consciousness in AI.
The Experience
The in-game location will be both the wild west theme park Conscience and the headquarters of the company that owns the park, Aleph. The park opens every day at 10 am and closes at 1 am and a number of plots, created by the company’s Plot writers, repeat on a loop day after day, but every day is different, depending on the Guests’ behavior.
Is this game for you?
Conscience is an amazing game with very heavy subject matter and themes. It will be a consent based game, meaning you control what your character is subjected to, however there is no way to sanitize the environment to ensure you do not encounter dark subject matter.
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Scenes involving sexual violence will be restricted to specific areas called 'Red Rooms'. Engaging in any content is never required, even in Red Rooms, though you may be exposed to a variety of dark content anywhere in the game.
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My elevator pitch is: "If you like Westworld Season 1, you'll like the story of Conscience. If you can deal with being exposed to any content of Episode 1 (being in the general atmosphere), you can enjoy the game."
Safety Considerations
We are running this in Montana. Montana is a Red state, and in our current political climate, that's not friendly to everyone. We will have full control of the site (no other crews/civilians/etc), and will be renting out a large chunk of the hotel. Those spaces are as safe as we can make them. We aim to create an inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone, no matter their gender, race, sexual orientation, or other characteristics. If there are ways we can make you feel more comfortable, please reach out.
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Our current staff includes Sean and Aj Mooney, Ericka Skirpan, Ember Randall, Lawrence McNabb, and members of NotOnlyLarp (including Espe). More staff will be hired as part of the application process.
We will have a full safety doc (similar to Dresden's) written up, and conduct mandatory workshops on site prior to the game. This game relies on consent and communication between players. Players will be trained on how to communicate and enforce their boundaries within the context of this game. If you do not feel you can communicate your boundaries with others, please do not apply.
The game does need some folks to lean in to both oppressor and victim roles, but it is not required for everyone to engage with all types of scenes. When I attended Conscience in Spain, the person running my workshop for intimacy and SA had played Conscience 4 times and had never engaged in a scene like what she was teaching. Engage at your comfort level, and be honest about what type of experience you are looking for :)
What Would I Play?
Guest
The Guests in the park can live out a true Western experience with no restrictions and no effects on their real life. They could rob a bank, join the desperados, become a sheriff, or save innocent people. It is an escape from the everyday world they live in. For the players of the Guests, their experience will be either a descent into villainy or an ascent into heroism, the path they take is decided in-game. They can also choose a different path every day; plot loops only last one day, so the next day guests will find a new blank canvas for them to play in.
Host
Hosts are the robots that exist to satisfy the Guests’ desires in Conscience. They are subject to the three laws, inspired by Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics:
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A Host will never permanently harm a human being.
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A Host will obey the orders of authorized human beings, except if the order is in conflict with the first directive.
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A Host will preserve its existence, except if self-preservation is in conflict with the first or second directive.
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A Blank Host is a special kind of role. If there is a last minute drop, the player may take over that role. Otherwise, they will be a generic Host with small embedded storylines that may freely interact with the game.
The Host’s plots can be changed by Aleph’s Plot writers. Their personality and mind may be modified by Aleph’s Behavior team.
Employee
Aleph is headed by an unseen Board of Directors, but its day-to-day operations are organized in departments, each with its own Head: QA, Behaviour, and Plot writers. Game experience for players portraying company employees will revolve around the contradictions of corporate work and the ethical dilemmas they face. All company workers can visit the park during their free time, so they will also have the chance to be a Guest and live the Western experience.