Safety
Version Aug 14, 2022
The organisers of Triumph value the safety of players, and we do not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment.
To this end, There will be a mandatory consent and safety briefing before the start of this game. Together we are going to look after each other and ensure this game happens in as safe a place as possible.
Players who do not abide by these rules will be removed from the game.
Safety Team
We will have a dedicted Safety Team to support this larp including an external member who is not connected to the design team. They will be announced as soon as they are in place. Our Safety Team can be contacted before, during and after the larp at safety@triumphlarp.org.
Safety Workshops
Our Safety Team will be holding mandatory safety workshops prior to commencing the larp. These workshops will introduce our Safety Team and the various ways they can be reached during the larp. These workshops will also cover our safety rules and provide opportunity to ask questions and practice our safety tools.
Consent
All play in this game is centered around the principles of consent. This means that if you are in doubt, you must always ask and make sure that consent is given. It is better to ask and negotiate ten times too often than not. Consent is not ongoing. If someone gives consent for an action an hour ago, that does not mean they have given consent now. Consent can be withdrawn at any time. So, once again: if in doubt, ask.
Safety Techniques
Tap Out
https://participationsafety.wordpress.com/2016/09/11/toolkit-the-tap-out/
This is a non-verbal way of indicating that you are approaching your limit. Useful, for example, if someone is looming over you, being too forceful, or you are in other ways feeling intimidated or triggered. Tap the player twice with 2 or more fingers as an indication that the current action must stop. If need be tap again a bit harder, and repeat until the player notices and responds. Play then stops. The person tapping out decides what happens next. They may leave the scene – no questions asked. They may continue after a brief pause, in this case everyone should tone down whatever they were doing. They may ask for a specific alteration in play (e.g. “please don’t stand so close” or “please don’t shout so loud”) and this must be respected
Look Down
https://participationsafety.wordpress.com/2016/09/18/toolkit-the-see-no-evil-or-lookdown/
This allows the player to withdraw from an area or scene. Players may at times witness things they find disturbing or suddenly have a need to be elsewhere; this is the means for those players to exit the scene, no questions asked.
OK Check In
https://participationsafety.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/toolkit-the-ok-check-in/
If you see a player who looks distressed please check in. To do this without breaking immersion we use a hand sign. The person you’re checking responds with thumbs up (player OK), thumbs down (player not OK) or holding their hand level (player not sure). Being unsure is treated the same as being “not OK”. It costs nothing to ask. If they need help to get to our safety room please give this help. Conversely, if they are role playing being distressed checking it out can then give you the opportunity to engage in play without worry.
Be aware that being Tapped Out or someone using Look Down is not a criticism of anyone. It is an indication of an immediate need.
We express our thanks to Johanna Koljonen for the above articles, and of course all those before us who have worked on developing these techniques
Physical Contact
General Rules
All forms of physical contact require consent. If you want to hug someone, ask them first. Give the other person time and space to agree or to say no. Remember no always means no, it is not open to negotiation. The same applies if you want to get into a physical fight with another character. Always make sure that what you propose is OK with the other player. Again, no means no. Yes means it is OK to proceed, and at this point you negotiate if need be. Once negotiated and agreed, act it out, make it dramatic, let others witness it.
Arena Physical Contact
Physical contact/fighting in the arena between characters will in most instances take place with a referee present. Combat will be negotiated and, once agreed upon, it will be acted out. Our safety workshop will provide guidelines and method for simulated combat, and provide more details on safety within the arena.
Spaces
Safety Room
A safety room will be maintained within the venue during game hours. A member of the team will be present there as a Safety Officer. If you come across anyone in distress who needs help to get to the safety room, please assist them or alert the Safety Officer. There will be a means of contacting a Safety Officer outside game hours.
Quiet Space
There will be a designated quiet out of game space. This is an off game area and is not to be used for larping.
Hotel Bedrooms
Hotel bedrooms are private spaces belonging to the occupants. We cannot stop the occupants from larping in the rooms, but the occupants have absolute authority over what takes place in their room. It is only okay to larp in the rooms if all occupants agree it is, and any occupant has absolute authority to ask any guest to leave.
Alcohol and other intoxicants
This larp takes place in a hotel; there is a bar. Please be sensible, and please respect local laws. For the safety of the rest of the participants we will remove a person from the game if their behaviour is inappropriate.
Hotel Rules and Open Water
Please respect hotel rules; they are there for your safety and welfare. Please be extra careful around open water, and remember that wet surfaces can be slippery. We will be providing further guidance on this at our pregame safety briefing.
Hotel Staff
Hotel staff will at times be in the larp area, where they may be serving you meals or drinks, or otherwise carrying out their duties. The hotel staff will be aware that we are larping, but are not part of the larp. Please treat all staff with politeness and respect; they are not NPCs.
Media Teams
Our media support team will be present. They are providing the video feeds (and more!) that we have designed to be an integral part of Triumph. There is also a Triumph photographer who will be taking stills. These teams are not specifically part of Triumph larp in an in game sense and are not there to be interacted with. These people are helping us run Triumph; please treat them with respect.
There may be others with cameras, microphones, or other film equipment who are part of the media circus surrounding the Triumph games. These characters should have a visible press pass and can be interacted with as part of the larp, and they are fully part of the in game experience.
Post Game Debrief
There will be a post game debrief immediately after the conclusion of the larp. While attendance is optional, and we recognise that everyone has different post game needs, we do encourage participation.
Links
If you want to read more on safety in larp these are good starting points: