Negotiation, future-shock

Designer: Jim Thompson

Number of participants: 12–20

Duration: 3 hours

The presenter feels that this larp IS suitable for young people aged 16+

About the larp

Humanity is on its way to Mars! Private concerns have no fear of innovation and technological adventurism! This bold approach with the backing of government stability creates a new and exciting dynamic approach to space exploration! In this game players will take on the role of the stakeholders and pioneers who are bound for great adventure on the red planet. The game is set close to the eve of the momentous moment of touchdown.

Content Warnings: Should not be any. The push is corporate greed over survival of humans.

Presented by

Jim Thompson: I’m a games design academic and a long time player and organiser of larps. One of the founders of Curious Pastimes, which has been consistently running a large fantasy festival larp since 1996. I’m also part of Mandala lrp, particularly involved in writing and running the Alone series of sci fi games based in the Alien universe. I particularly enjoy making props and sets for games as much as writing and running them. More recently my research has led me to explore how play can be used for dissemination through immersive experiences.

Parameters

Physical contact	Not relevant for this larp; e.g. just standing in a room and talking
Romance and intimacy	Not relevant for the larp
Conflict and violence	Themes of conflict, but not enacted by players; e.g. quiet threats and vengeful stares
Communication style	Lots of speech
Movement style	Sitting or lying
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	There are predesigned secrets that players will have from each other
Representation level	The fictional space looks very unlike the play space, but players will use their imaginations
Play culture	Players are in rival factions, teams, etc, which are in some sort of competition for success
Tone	Darkly humorous

Sunday morning, Studio 5