Diplomacy, society, cannibalism |
| Designer: Kol Ford (UK) |
| Number of participants: 9–12 |
| Duration: 3 hours |
| Genre/style: Chamber Freeform |
| The presenter feels that this larp IS NOT suitable for people under the age of 18
PREMIER – this larp’s first appearance at a festival |
About the larp
The walled city of Excelsior is the only civilised settlement in the ruins of the cannibal wasteland but it has not always been that way. After the bombs dropped the contaminated black rain fell upon the fields poisoning the crops for a generation. People did whatever they could to survive this brutal and hostile environment with some even turning to cannibalism. In an effort to maintain some sense of humanity one particularly strong group of cannibals developed a set of eating rituals to avoid eating people they needed in order to survive. As time went on these rituals became formalised and social etiquette changed as they became more established.
First it became taboo to eat your relatives, then it became taboo to eat your friends. Finally it become taboo to eat acquaintances and by this point cannibalism had been effectively all but outlawed in the great city of Excelsior. The meat that constituted the traditional meal of La Viande was changed, although no one really knows what meat it is. Cannibalism marking the big difference between us and them. The High Society club that started these traditions became the ruling class of the city made up of the triple A’s of society: Artiste, Artisans and Academics. The lower classes benefited from the innovation of the High Society and lived in the walled city with outcasts forbidden from entering the city.
Tonight marks the 50th Anniversary of the High Society Dining Club, and therefore the 50th Anniversary of the City: and the Triple A’s of society are meeting to discuss the urgent matters of the day, enjoy good company and of course engage in a traditional meal. But growth in the city has stagnated and there are increasing problems with letting outsiders into the city. The lower classes are unhappy with their lot and food is becoming scarce. With absolute power over the fate of the city’s inhabitants, what will they do in order to ensure that Excelsior survives another fifty years?
Content Warnings: Cannibalism and exploitation.
Presented by
Kol Ford (UK)
Parameters
| Communication style | Lots of speech |
| Movement style | Sitting |
| Tone | Intense |
| Characters | Players build their characters around a predesigned skeleton or archetype |
| Narrative control | The shape and direction of the story is entirely, or almost entirely, determined by player choice |
| Transparency | Transparent design, but players can create secrets during play and keep them from each other / reveal them when wished |
| Representation level | Scenery and props will be used to make the play space look something like the fictional space |
| Play culture | The concept of rivalry or cooperation between players doesn’t really apply |
The Smoke 