Frequently Asked Questions
Will there be workshops?
There will be workshops Thursday, October 6, but to make more room for playtime, there will be two or three workshops online before the larp (or physical in your country, if that’s possible).
I don’t have time for the workshop. Can I skip it and just play the larp?
No.
Can I play any of the characters?
Most of the characters require some knowledge of the culture and language of the character’s country of origin. This means you don’t necessarily need to be born and raised in Sweden to play a Swedish character, but you need a level of knowledge of Sweden and Swedish that is rare to find unless you have lived there. During sign-up, you will provide information on which country background(s) you feel confident you can portray. You can also provide country backgrounds which you are not entirely sure whether or not you can portray, which we will discuss with you before casting.
A few characters may be of different nationalities than the nine countries present in the larp fiction.
What will a day at the larp look like?
All of the characters (except the Norwegians) will be working in some capacity at the embassy of a country, either the Swedish, Danish, Finnish, East German, Czechoslovakian, Soviet, American or British one. These embassies are scattered around the city. There, the characters will speak their native language amongst themselves. Most of the Norwegian characters work at the ministry of foreign affairs.
During the day, the characters will have meetings, lunch appointments, paperwork and other diplomatic activities during the working hours.
In the afternoon, the characters will retreat to their respective embassies for dinner and possibly an afternoon meeting.
In the evenings, they will gather for fancy parties. While some of the characters are just trying to do their jobs, other characters are on secret missions, spying on others, and everybody knows that this is no time for trust. Nevertheless – smile, raise your glass and say cheers! This is the only time of the day all characters will be present at the same location.
How does this larp deal with intrigues and transparency
While this is a larp about espionage and intrigue, the experience we aim for focuses on the inner conflicts which the characters are dealing with. The intrigue is mostly there to drive emotion and personal dramatic development. There will be a great deal of transparency (i.e. letting the players know things their characters dont know), with the possibility of opting in to even more transparency, but yet leaving the option of some surprises during play for those who want that.
It will be the consequences of discovery that are of interest, rather than the investigative process.
Will there be actual spying?
Characters who are secret agents will be able to engage in spying activity such as bugging rooms or phones, following targets, using dead-letter drops, and so on. It’s important to note, though, that real-life spying ability is not required for this: we have a range of techniques that will be used. In general, a character who is an experienced spy will be able to conduct spying activity without getting caught (unless the player wants them to).
What is included in my ticket?
- A character description
- A place to sleep the two nights during play
- A place to sleep the night before and after the larp
- Food and drinks during the workshop and play
- Transport when the distance is too long to walk
- Bar/restaurant bills for meetings pre-planned by the designers
What is not included in my ticket?
You need to provide your own costume, and find your own way to the larp venue and back. You can get to it by public transport.
There is nothing else you need that will cost money. If you decide yourself to go on spontaneous bar visits or take taxis, you need to pay for that.
What does my fee go to?
Of the NOK 4450, approximately NOK 2500 covers your own food and accomodation, while the remaining NOK 2000 covers venues, props, transport etc. No organizers or designers get paid for making Allegiance.
Will there be nudity?
Nudity is not an important part of the larp, but there is no rule against it. There might be a few situations where it’s natural, for example if you go to the sauna.
Will there be alcohol?
At some parties there will be the opportunity to have alcoholic beverages (usually sparkling wine) in small amounts.
We will provide non-alcoholic alternatives that are representing alcohol in the fiction if you don’t want to drink alcohol or if your character wants much more alcohol than just a small amount. It’s allowed to order a glass of wine at a restaurant, but players should not be drunk during larp time.
Will there be drugs?
Drugs are not an important element in our fiction, but it might be relevant for a few characters. Please don’t use real drugs during the larp.
Can my character have sex?
This is not a particularly erotic larp. There might be characters where romance or flirting is a part of their story. It is however not intended that having sex is somewhere you easily end up without actively pursuing it. However, for players who are interested in this, there will be a replacement mechanic for sex.
Do I need to be an experienced larper to play this larp?
First-time larpers are welcome! We will contact first-time larpers to make sure you have a good time.
Do I need to know a lot about history and the Cold War?
We encourage players who don’t have a lot of knowledge about the Cold War to do some research, but this is not a competition to see who knows what about history. To underline that point, the two years before 1970 in the fiction will be counterfactual, which means that we will change some of the history during that time. This larp is about loyalty in a world on the edge of war, and if you know about the Iron Curtain and the ideologies that represented The Eastern and Western Bloc, you should be able to portray a character who struggles with loyalty conflicts.
One of the books that have inspired many of the designers of this larp, is The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (2018).
Can I play this larp, even if I’m not from any of the countries portrayed?
There are two ways you can play this larp, even though you are not from the countries portrayed:
- You speak one of the languages, and have a connection to the country (e.g. if you have studied in the country, or spent a lot of time there)
- You play one of the characters who are designed for being played by someone from “another country”.
How much effort do I need to put into my costume?
We are not aiming for a larp that portrays 1970 correctly – use clothes that look plausible(ish) for the time. Parts of the larp will happen in the city center, and we encourage you not to stand out too much. Skien is not a big city, and we don’t want disturbing attention. There will be parties in the evening, where the dress code will be “semi-formal”/”formal”.
Can I share a room with my friend, even though we are not from the same country?
Most likely. If this means you will be staying with a person playing a character it does not make sense that you share a place to live with, we solve that by considering your hotel room or place to stay as not being part of the fiction.
What is your refund policy?
For cancellations before June 1st, we will refund 100% of your ticket
For cancellations before June 15th, we will refund 90% of your ticket
For cancellations before July 15th, we will refund 50% of your ticket
For cancellations before August 15th, we will refund 33% of your ticket
For cancellations after August 15th, there is no refund
Transaction costs will be deducted from all refunds.
Which languages are used?
You can use whatever languages you’re able to speak. English will be the working language for international meetings. When being only with people from your own country, for example in your own embassy, you speak the national language of that country.
What will the schedule for the larp look like?
We are going to publish a detailed schedule later, but here is a sketch:
Wednesday: Arrival and optional tour of Skien
Thursday: Pre-larp workshop. The larp starts in the afternoon.
Friday: Larp
Saturday: Larp until the middle of the day. Afterparty in the evening.
What are your covid precautions?
At the time of writing (Aug 5th), Norwegian health authorities does not advise to treat coronavirus differently from other contagious diseases. This has been the policy since February, but may still change on short notice. Participants with severe symptoms of any contagious disease, whether it is covid or something else, should stay home. We strongly encourage all players to be vaccinated
Allegiance 