Safety
Our priority for SOE: Resistance is to make an enjoyable and welcoming experience for everyone involved. However, the event contains some central themes which have the potential to cause upset if not approached carefully. We are also aware that the Player base is likely to contain people from different nations, with widely varied experience from varied LARPing cultures, so we felt it important to lay out some ground rules to make our expectations clear. We want to set some general expectations for the event with more detail being available under the three categories of themes (Green, Amber and Red), and will be covered in the pre-game workshops.
- People are more important than the LARP.
Safety of all forms is our priority.
- Physicality and violence:
This is a quasi-military environment so some degree of physicality should be anticipated, but will always be highly signposted to enable calibration. Those who choose the Specialist character type will be exposed to minimum physical aspects.
- Physical contact, romantic:
Player consent MUST be explicitly obtained before initiating any sort of romantic physical contact with another character.
- Emotional stress:
The focus of SOE agent skills in World War 2 in the context of a final assessment centre is by its nature stressful and different Players may find different aspects or subjects challenging and all should expect an emotional, and at times tense, atmosphere. We believe that can be navigated relatively comfortably by all by following the guidelines and calibrating with other participants where required. There will be an off-game space where you can take a break for those who want it.
Conduct and Game Themes
If you wish to raise a concern, complain about the behaviour of another Player or member of the event crew, or discuss any related issue, please feel free to speak to any of the appropriate crew members who will be identified to you at the workshops at the start of the event. These include trained Mental Health First Aiders.
Any Player acting in violation of these rules, or causing distress or discomfort to other Players, will be warned once and asked to leave the game if their behaviour continues. In serious cases, especially where the organisers are concerned with the wellbeing of others, Players may be removed from the game immediately.
We cannot accept any Players into the event who have any prejudice or who are seeking an opportunity to bully or act negatively towards any minority or individual characteristic. If we suspect that this is the case, we will end the involvement of any such person.
Alcohol in moderation: Wine and beer will be available at the event. We expect everyone to drink moderately. Intoxication and drunkenness are discouraged. If we think you are too intoxicated to play, we will ask you to step out of the game.
GREEN THEMES
Central to the game. You are likely to see this within the game, and this is something Players are welcome to explore.
While the green themes do encourage some forms of discrimination based on characteristics of characters (gender and nationality) – it remains unacceptable to discriminate on characteristics of Players. If you wish to insult another character, find insults which do not reference characteristics the Player did not choose (e.g. race or body shape.)
- Violence (talking and training about it):
SOE training includes discussion and direction in techniques for killing people, the setting of explosives etc as well as preparation for the potential of hostile interrogation etc. There may also be simulated injuries during the game. SOE operated outside of normal military jurisdiction, standard rules of engagement and blurred the protections afforded under the Geneva convention, and the moral and ethical considerations of such activity, and the potential consequences for the civilian population will be a subject addressed.
- Xenophobia/ Classism/ Politics:
This is a World War and, as such, there are allies from all over the world coming to England to join the services, and no branch more so that for the SOE where this diversity of backgrounds was an essential source of skills. However as a result there are also culture clashes, opposing political views (e.g. Royalists and Communism), differing social classes and outright xenophobic responses.
- Psychological manipulation, blackmail, betrayal:
Prejudice and affiliation play a fundamental role in SOE, people don’t trust each other, and different factions are at play. Characters will come with their own motivations and secrets. All in a pressure cooker of an intense training weekend so we expect that there will be conflict and drama to explore.
AMBER THEMES
These topics are not excluded from the game but require sensitivity. Before playing on these themes with another Player, you must check in with that Player and make sure they are happy to.
- Physicality and violence:
Player’s can effectively opt out of this through their choice of character type, or indeed opt for a more physical experience. Simulated violence should be carried out carefully, with the other person’s prior agreement if possible, and with no intent or real risk of actual harm. We will run workshops on how this can be done within our game before the event. Remember that our Players come from a variety of LARP traditions and may be used to assuming very different levels of physicality in combat.
- Physical contact, romantic:
Player consent must be explicitly obtained before initiating any sort of romantic physical contact with another character.
- Sexism:
In the 1940s gender roles were very clearly defined, and sexism institutionalised, and whilst Intelligence agencies realised fairly early on the important part women could play in wartime spying, in what had been traditionally considered the domain of men, unfortunately this was not a widely accepted view and even trainee Agents actively endured this. In our game all opportunities will be open to all genders, however sexism may well be met in comments and attitudes as we explore the experience of female agents. As it is not a key theme Players should be sure to check with any other Players concerned.
- Homophobia:
We feel that there is potential for some interesting stories to be told about gay relationships during war, and Players are welcome to explore these if they wish. Characters with homophobic views are perfectly in keeping with the historical setting, but you must check in with other characters before roleplaying around the subject.
- Ableism:
We recognise that, in a war setting, some Players may wish to explore themes around both recent injuries and longer-term disabilities. However, we may have Players with real-life conditions which require mobility aids, assistive technology etc. who do not wish disability to be a theme of their character’s game. Therefore, injured or disabled characters will be introduced at workshops during the game. Any other disabilities should pass without comment.
RED THEMES
These themes are not acceptable within our game in any form.
- Transphobia:
Players of any gender may be playing characters presenting as either male or female. As this is a historical LARP, Players need to be clear about the gender of the characters they are playing and for individuals representing a gender to look like that gender, as this was the social norm at the time.
- Racism
We do not consider this a topic we can approach faithfully and sensitively, whilst also making it enjoyable for everyone. Therefore, please do not bring up topics of race.
- Sexual assault, non-consensual sex, sex with minors:
These have no place in our game. Neither references to these topics, nor trying to play through scenes like rape or threats of sexual violence will be permitted.
Calibrating with other Players
We strongly encourage a general principle of calibration with other Players during the game, using techniques that we will describe more fully after sign up and at the pre-game workshops. This ensures that interactions such as conflict or romance are handled confidently but with respect for boundaries.
Character roles will be written with several predetermined contacts or associations before the LARP even begins. We will also encourage interaction with the other Players involved in these connections both in the run up to the event and during the workshops.
More details on how this will be handled will be made available in due course.
Drama, not winning
Focus on the personal stories of characters and the emotions and experiences they undergo.
- It’s not about winning – embrace failure. Revel in consequences. Play for drama.
- Be a creative collaborator, rather than a competitor. Choose what will make for a better story – for the Player and for other Players.
- Players will embody characters that are multi-dimensional and have been written to have weaknesses and issues – embrace these. Be vulnerable.
- Play your character to inspire others with your story but also to be a supportive witness, target, victim or villain in theirs.
- Allow what happens in the game to change your character.
Secrets
There are secrets in the storyline of the event, both personal and general ones that might involve groups or even the entire training school. Prejudice and affiliation play a fundamental role in SOE, people don’t trust each other, and different factions are at play. On that basis, it would be important that secrets should stay hidden.
Of course, in fiction, if secrets stay completely hidden it’s a lost opportunity to get a character in trouble, which is usually the most fun. So, even though a secretive character might want to keep the skeletons in the closet forever, the Player will want to share those secrets to gain a richer game.
A general guideline would be: keep your secrets for a while, confess them to trusted people first, expose yourself gradually and make, as a Player, small conscious mistakes to expose your secrets.
Even if it doesn’t seem reasonable or plausible to reveal your secrets without breaking your character’s personality or background, there are a lot of interesting and credible ways to do it. Some quick examples: getting drunk and accidentally saying too much to the wrong person; leaving documents lying around where they can be discovered; talking to a trusted friend in a location where you know you can be overheard.
Unlike some events, however, the consequences of some secrets becoming common knowledge in the world of SOE would be severe, even fatal.
We will give further briefing around the event on how to handle coming into possession of secrets and when to be perhaps more discrete with that information than in other events.
Death is not the answer!
There will inevitably be elements of physicality and violence in the LARP but almost always in an in-character training environment (i.e. this is set in a training school, not in a live operation against hostile adversaries).
No Player characters will die in this event unless they actively choose to do so, and then we would ask that they let us know beforehand if possible.
We have no back up characters or roles and whilst we can certainly find something interesting to do, it’s another challenge.
