Code of Conduct

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1. Players are more important than LARPs. Don't sacrifice your comfort or safety for the story!

2. It is important to set your boundaries and respect those of others. Your well-being is more important than a scene, and everyone is responsible for maintaining their own safety. If someone sets a boundary, do not tease or shame them for it. Thank your fellow player for keeping themselves safe.

3. Consent can be revoked or modified at any time – agreeing to play out a particular scene does not mean you must continue that scene if you become uncomfortable or wish to leave. Please stay aware of your own comfort levels, and communicate as necessary.

4. Out-of-game harassment, abuse, or assault of any participant is not tolerated. Harassment includes offensive comments based on someone’s age/race/gender/religion/sexuality/etc, deliberate misgendering, bullying, or other actions that make players feel unwelcome or uncomfortable.

5. If you see someone violating the Code of Conduct, please ask them to stop if you feel comfortable doing so. You can also make a report to the Safety team – anonymously if you prefer – and the Safety team will handle it, up to and including removing a player from game if necessary. Your anonymity, should you choose that option, will be protected.

 

Topics and Themes

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Racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry

 

The 1920s were an era where bigotry was rampant, and we do not want to whitewash that aspect of history. Therefore, racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia will be part of the backstory for some characters. As part of the character surveys, we will ask if you want to have a character who’s experienced various forms of oppression, or if you’d rather avoid that.

 

Because such oppression may be a part of a character’s history, it's a topic that may be discussed during game. If a conversation is uncomfortable for any reason, we encourage players to protect themselves and use the safety techniques described below to opt out of that conversation. Please also be cognizant of your surroundings when discussing such topics.

 

If you wish to play on racism, sexism, or other forms of bigotry, you MUST negotiate such scenes ahead of time with your fellow players. If you want your character to be the target of bigotry, we encourage you to find players who are comfortable playing bigoted characters, and discuss the specifics of what you all are and are not comfortable acting out. Workshops will discuss negotiation skills, but we encourage players to reach out to each other before game, as this is a sensitive topic and should be treated with respect. During game, players will be provided stickers to put on their nametags that show that they are open to a negotiation around experiencing or acting out bigotry.

 

Any scenes wherein one character directs bigotry towards one another must gain the consent of all participants, including any witnesses. You must ensure that non-consenting players cannot accidentally walk into such scenes. Please also see the policy on slurs below.

 

To be clear: using in-game actions as a veil for out-of-game bigotry is NOT acceptable, and will not be tolerated.

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Slurs

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With many thanks to On Location 1985:

 

While we do not ever condone the use of slurs out of character, we feel erasing it from the history of the world entirely is also doing a disservice to the difficult narratives we are telling. However, no one should be subject to hearing slurs OOC or IC without full consent, warning, and safety measures. Therefore, hate speech or slurs MAY NOT BE USED unless both parties are consenting to the encounter AND FULL CONSENT is gained from ANY PARTY who may overhear the encounter. We recommend it only be used in whispered moments or private scenes between TWO FULLY CONSENTING PARTIES. If there is any risk a non-consenting party may overhear, do not use the planned language. After a scene is finished wherein a slur has been used, each player must check in with the other and debrief together if necessary. Hate speech and slurs are defined as words or language which would stop a common conversation with discomfort when used. As ever, if you aren’t certain, it’s safest not to use the word. 

 

Sexual Violence

 

While sexual violence is not a major theme of this LARP, it is a part of the Dresden Files universe thanks to the White Court, Fae, and many others. For this game, scenes containing sexual violence will be permitted in certain, clearly-marked locations. Discussion of sexual violence may take place anywhere, but please be cognizant of your audience, and avoid explicit discussions unless you have the consent of everyone involved and have ensured that no one can walk into the discussion. Consent of the participants in the discussion may be achieved by a group “Ok Check.”

 

If you are interested in potentially playing on this theme, we will provide red stickers for your nametag. If someone is not wearing a red sticker, do not approach them for out-of-game negotiations around sexual assault.

 

We encourage players who want to play with this theme to negotiate with their fellow players ahead of time, as it’s a theme that many of our players may not have encountered in game before. Discuss what would be enjoyable, engaging, or otherwise produce the story you want, and what your hard limits are – remember, boundaries must always be respected, and can be changed at any time.

 

During any scene, we encourage players to use the safety mechanics to increase or decrease intensity as desired.

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Power and Powerlessness

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Some of the characters in the game have immense power, and many abuse it; others have very little. Some characters may be beholden or in debt to others, or otherwise at their mercy. As part of the character survey, we'll ask if you are interested in being on either side of such a power dynamic. Players who opt into this kind of play must negotiate boundaries ahead of time with their co-players.

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Hard Limits

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• No genital contact

• Nudity - Regardless of gender, wear underwear/conceal your genitals at all times. Nudity above the waist is acceptable

 

Safety Mechanics

 

We will have several mechanics to streamline game play and help players keep themselves safe.

 

OK Check-In 

 

Make the OK sign with your hand to check in with players who look to be having a hard time. Players can respond with a thumbs up, a thumbs down, or a ‘meh’ hand. Thumbs up means yes, I'm great; thumbs down means nope, not okay; meh means I don't know and should be treated as a no.

 

Look Down

 

Shield your eyes with your hand to leave or enter a scene unobtrusively (for instance, if you need to use the restroom, or have decided that you’re not comfortable with the direction the scene is going). Players should ignore someone using Lookdown, and not comment on the character’s presence or absence.

 

Escalation and De-Escalation Mechanics

 

Verbally: Red/Yellow/Green

• Red stops a scene

• Yellow asks fellow players to turn the intensity down

• Green asks fellow players to increase the intensity if they so desire

 

Nonverbally: hand signals for Yellow and Green, tapping out for Red. These will be demonstrated during our pre-game workshops

 

All of the tools above will be discussed during the workshops. Participants will practice them before game begins.

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Sanctuary

 

We will have an off-game Sanctuary room, stocked with snacks and non-alcoholic drinks, where players can go whenever they need a break or feel overwhelmed. A member of the Safety staff will be present in the room to help if necessary.