LARP - (live action role play) - some people talk about it: experiencing a book or a live game, where you decide what the main character will do.

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It is a form of entertainment during which you get a description of the character you will play, dress up in their outfit and play the character at a designated place and time. You decide how the character reacts when he/she has to choose between his/her values ​​and defending a friend - will he/she go to a dark room from which he/she can hear cries for help, or will he/she run away? As a character, you experience real emotions - fear, anger, joy, which is why we use safety methods such as safety words and gestures in the game (you show gestures and words whether you want to play a more intense scene or is it too emotional a scene for you). 

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Remember that there are Safety People in the game whom you can turn to when the excitement of the game starts to overwhelm you.

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Emotional security

During the game, the characters experience different situations and the players experience different emotions. At the moment when a given player feels uncomfortable with a given scene, he can signal it with security gestures and go offgame.

There will also be a team of Safety People available throughout the game to help players go through difficult emotions at any time. Players will learn about where to find Safety People during the workshops before the game.

 

Debrief

After the LARP is over, we invite everyone to a 30-minute debrief, so that we can actually get out of character and distance ourselves from the emotions that a given character experienced. This is especially recommended for people who will be LARPing for the first time.

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Offgame meals

Have you had an intense scene with another player? Remember this player and we recommend that you approach this person during an off-game meal to talk through the scene - what your characters did - to distance the game from the player and reduce the level of emotions.

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Don't be a jerk!

So behave in such a way that your game and behavior do not spoil the fun of others. Treat your teammates the way you'd like to be treated - and even better. Keep in mind at all times that we all have different levels of sensitivity and that we all came to this game to have fun. If you are not sure about playing some scenes with another player, you can also consult with the Design team or this player. For example, if you want to role-play stealing something, remember that you can only do it with things marked with a red ribbon.

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Play to lift

What does it mean? It's simple - remember to use your game to help other players create an interesting story for their characters. Don't play selfishly - let your character not stand in the center of the action from time to time, but be a background and support for an interesting scene played by others. You will find that your fellow players will be happy to repay you with the same someday.

 

Play for epicness

Play to create memorable stories and scenes with others. Remember that a spectacular defeat is as great as a spectacular victory - the stories of great heroes are full of descriptions of their tragedies. Also, remember that no failure has to be final, and the stories of rising from a fall are among the most epic and heart-rending.

 

360 degree illusion

During the game, we want to use what in LARPs is called the "360-degree illusion mechanism" - everything the players come into contact with will be part of the game world, and elements that should not exist in it (e.g. going beyond the historical framework of the year 2002 technology) will be kept to an absolute minimum. To fully achieve this effect, of course, you will also need the cooperation of the players - at some moments we will ask you to slightly suspend disbelief and ignore elements that do not match the setting (e.g. modern car models that can be seen from the castle windows) or not looking for real mechanisms behind the current ones in-game special effects.

 

It's like an illusionist's performance - even if we know how a magic trick is performed, or we manage to see the proverbial "smoke and mirrors" at some point, we should rather, in order not spoil the fun for ourselves and others, focus on the show itself, rather than on finding and commenting on its hidden mechanisms. This suspension, at least for the duration of the game itself, of disbelief in what is happening in front of our eyes and in what we create ourselves, will allow us to blend in the game world much better.

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Offgame vs Ingame

At the same time, we know perfectly well that living 24 hours a day as a role-playing character is impossible - each of us needs to return to the real world from time to time. Therefore, there will be off-game places available in the game area, i.e. places where the game is suspended. In such a place, you can stop actively participating in the LARP for some time - relax, talk about topics unrelated to the game, or use the Internet. Off-game locations will always be marked, and information about their location will be provided at pre-game workshops. Your room will also be off-game.

 

In order for the game to go on, players take on their characters and behave according to their character traits. This means that they can behave completely differently than outside the game - be more sarcastic, shy, or giddy. Many players like to play their character without interrupting and entering the so-called "offgame", however, if a player needs to talk to another about a particular scene they have experienced or want to relive, it can signal to them that they want to enter the off-game conversation. Just show this gesture:

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“What you see is what you get”

During the game, the rule "what you see is what you get" applies - every item, person, and element of the environment present in the LARP world is exactly what it looks like. We will not try to convince you that a piece of cloth hanging on two strings is a solid stone wall, or that a curved stick is a modern pistol. The only exception to this rule is safe, latex weapons that simulate real swords or daggers in the game (although they are as similar to the originals as possible).

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You can do what you can credibly play

The development of this principle is another - the character can do what the player can credibly play. For example, if your character is a master hunter, you don't really need to know how to read tracks - you just need to play it right. The same applies to physical things - doing a full 20 or 100 push-ups may be beyond your capabilities as
a player, but if you play it credibly (we'll show you how to do it in the pre-game workshop), your character can definitely do it.

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Equality and accessibility

All character templates are universal and will be adapted to the player's chosen gender identity and sexual orientation, so that everyone can play according to their preferences. In the player’s form completed after purchasing the ticket, each participant will be able to specify their requirements in this matter, and our team of storytellers will adapt the selected character card to the guidelines set by them.

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We do our best to make the Esbat an accessible event for everyone. If you are not sure whether your health situation will allow you to actively participate in the game - write to us. We will be happy to answer all your questions.

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Pyrotechnics will appear in the game. It is also possible to use flashing lights. These stimuli can trigger an epileptic seizure.

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NPCs

During the game, some characters will be played by recruited and prepared people. These characters are intended to spice up the players' experience and offer them additional storylines that are optionally playable. Most often it will be lecturers, famous figures, or mysterious wanderers. These characters and players will be introduced before the game and during the workshops.

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Game Mechanics

Mechanics are additional in-game rules that make it easier to play scenes and things you can't or don't want to play in real life. They are a tool that supports your comfort and safety as a player without disturbing the immersion.

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When you play The Esbat, you can expect:

• safety words and gestures (Red, Yellow, Green),

• touch rules and direct interaction with other players,

• combat and duel mechanics,

• mechanics of intimacy and sex,

• character death rules,

• mechanics of yellow and red cards - warnings from the organizers,

• Safety words and gestures.

 

Safety words will apply during the game.

They work like traffic lights:

Red! - Stops the scene immediately. If the situation is beyond your limits (as a player, not a character!) or if you or someone else has suffered real physical harm, use the word red!, saying it loud and clear. After hearing this safety word, all players stop the scene and react accordingly - they leave without asking additional questions or provide the necessary assistance.

 

Yellow - Indicates that the current scene has reached the limits of your comfort. If during playing you feel that, for example, the current degree of touch is the maximum acceptable for you, use the word yellow. This means that the scene (or a particular aspect of it) can continue at the current intensity level, but not increase it.

 

Green? - is an invitation to increase the intensity of the scene. If you think the current scene could benefit from being more intense, say the word Green? loud and clear to all other participants in the scene. In order to escalate their actions, the invitation must be accepted, so the other person(s) must also reply Green! Without acceptance, the scene cannot increase its intensity.

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Security gestures

Safety words will be complemented by safety gestures. They can be used when for some reason you do not want or cannot use safety words (e.g. your mouth is covered). It is important to make sure that the person to whom we use the gesture is able to see it without any problems and respond to it (e.g. their hands are not tied)

 

👌

The basic gesture is the question "Is everything OK?", which is symbolized by the thumb and forefinger connected in the shape of a circle with the other fingers apart.
 

👍

"Everything's fine!" - a typical thumbs up gesture. It means that the player is not in any danger and is comfortable in the scene. The game can continue unchanged.

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🤙

"I'm not sure / I don't know" - we shake the open palm with spread fingers in the horizontal axis. It means that the player himself is not sure of his condition, he probably needs support. After seeing such a gesture, approach him immediately and ask how you can help him.
 

👎

"It's bad" - a typical thumbs down gesture. Indicates that the player definitely needs help. Upon seeing such a gesture, immediately stop the scene and, if possible, take the player to medical help or a Safety People. If you do not have such a possibility, inform the organizers or the nearest NPC about the need for help as soon as possible. You can use this gesture at any time, also without asking beforehand.

 

Interact with other players

The default level of physical contact with other players in each scene is "no pain". This means that it is forbidden to use any physical violence or touch that caused pain to another player. By default, we agree to physical contact that does not cause pain or discomfort. We can, of course, control the extent of contact through the use of words or security gestures.

 

Combat mechanics

All combat in the game should be played as an actor, with a large dose of realism and respecting the safety rules and "no pain" mechanics. Brawls or hand-to-hand combat should have feigned blows, with a slow escalation of violence, to allow time for the other player to react appropriately to the blow or use safety words/gestures.

During the pre-game workshops, theatrical fights will be presented and practiced, such as pushing, punching in the face, boxing, etc.

 

Participants can bring safe LARP weapons: swords, knives, daggers, etc. The organizer should be informed about what LARP weapon we want to bring to the event. For the safety of participants and NPCs, each LARP weapon must pass accreditation. The accreditation will take place at the venue, directly before the game.

 

The mechanics of intimacy

When playing games for adults, we do not close ourselves to scenes of greater intimacy or sex scenes. We use the Ars Amandi mechanic for them. It consists of the partners maintaining eye contact, touching each other's hands, forearms and shoulders, and the height of the touch corresponds to the increasing intensity of physical contact. The subtle touch of the hand corresponds to gentle caresses, stroking the arms - bolder tenderness, the touch of the shoulders - full intercourse. We encourage you to act out such scenes in a place where you can be easily caught or noticed. Scenes should escalate slowly to give the other player a chance to react and possibly use safety words/gestures.
 

All kisses are performed using the theatrical thumb-kiss technique. It will be thoroughly discussed and shown during the pre-game workshop.

 

Character death

Your character can only die during the game if you, as the player, decide to do so. Regardless of the intensity of the scenes (e.g. fight, attack, etc.), your character can be wounded in the story, but will not lose his/her life if it is not your will. Thanks to this, as a player, you have full freedom to engage in risky story situations that you would probably avoid in everyday life, but which in the game can provide you with a lot of emotions. Of course, with the other rules of the game, including "don't be a jerk".

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Black feather - a mechanic for those interested (the player declares his willingness to play with this mechanic in the questionnaire). It means that when your character is threatened by something that could cause his death, you receive the Black Feather from Design team in the game. You can then go to the design team off-game to determine what in-game actions your character can take. Failure to take any action may result in death for your character (we will let you know about it off-game before the final event).

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Yellow and red card mechanics

Players whose behavior directly interferes with the game or threatens the safety and/or health of themselves or other participants may receive various types of warnings. The first stage is an ingame warning from an NPC (non-player character) about the risk of being expelled from school if the behavior continues. The next stage is the offgame admonition from the game organizers, the so-called "yellow card". During the conversation with the organizers, they will provide detailed information about why the player's behavior is inappropriate, why it was rated as such and what are the consequences of its continuation. The last reaction is a "red card", i.e. removing the dangerous player from the playing area.

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