The game is for 30 players and designed in the content larp style with a focus on interpersonal relationships and their effects on character emotions and motivations. Characters and their major relationships are pre-written; while additional relationships may come out or be developed in the course of the game, this is not designed to be a sandbox game or one requiring preplay. While players control their characters and choose their characters’ actions, each character will be faced with a key decision to make for themselves during the larp.

This is a strictly non-transparent larp and secrets are a key element of the game which should be exposed and played upon in-game to lead to internal and external conflict, great revelations, intimidation, etc. We therefore ask players to minimize pre-game chatter about their characters and use their best judgement – the player cast as your spouse knows they’re married to you, but probably doesn’t know you’re having an affair! If you’re not sure if something is a secret, it is best to simply keep it for the game. Of course, players playing close relationships are welcome to sync in advance to build trust and intimacy, however there will be plenty of time on-location before the larp begins to do so.

This larp and all communications will be entirely in English.

Location

The larp takes place at the Landhaus Lenzener Elbtalaue located at Am Elbdeich 20, 19309 Lenzerwische, Germany, between Berlin and Hamburg. Although the larp setting specifies a crumbling, run-down facility, the location itself is clean, warm, and in great condition with modern amenities.

Transportation: The nearest airports are Berlin and Hamburg and the nearest train station is Wittenberge. From Wittenberge, there are additional local transport options to reach approximately 1 km from the location, however the easiest way to reach it is by car. We will do our best to facilitate players looking to travel together and there is enough parking for everyone.

Bedrooms: All bedrooms will be in-game for the duration of the larp, but we will designate off-game spaces for all player belongings. Bedrooms are outfitted with power sockets and all have windows. 1-4 players will share a bedroom and everyone will have their own bed to themselves.

Accessibility: The larp will be played mostly in two buildings which are adjacent to one another, with some scenes taking place in the garden outside. We have the location entirely to ourselves and while it is a remote location, there are neighbors who may see players in the garden during outside scenes. Play takes place on the ground and first floor of both buildings and players will need to be able to go up and down a single flight of stairs at a time.

Hygiene: Showers are mostly in “communal” bathrooms containing 2 showers separated by shower curtains for privacy. Both buildings have several toilets. Staff (except the groundskeeper) and visitors all have rooms with a private bathroom including shower.

Food

Per player preferences expressed during signup, different dietary options will be made available (vegetarian, vegan) and with regard to special dietary needs (allergies/intolerances) as much as possible; food will be clearly labelled per player needs. Meals noted in the schedule and snacks between meals are all included in the ticket price. No alcohol is provided by the organizers and it is not allowed during the larp.

Schedule

Characters inhabit a medical facility with a degree of rigid scheduling, but always time for a nap. Although Springwater is a medical facility that runs on routine, players have a lot of freedom to massage the schedule per their individual needs and spontaneous naps or sleeping in both fit very well in the fiction.

We recommend play wind down between 23:00 and 07:00 to allow everyone to get a good night’s sleep. There are a few limited scripted activities that will take place between these hours and players can opt in or out of characters with these plotlines during signup.

Lines in bold refer to in-game activities; more details (like timing for group activities, medical examinations, and interviews with residents) will be discussed during the pre-game briefing. All activities after the game ends on Saturday are optional. All participants are welcome to arrive Wednesday evening (exact timing to be provided) and stay until Sunday morning.