what to expect
Set in an alternate late 19th century where a volcanic winter has plunged the world into an endless freeze. You will lead the last remnants of humanity, managing resources, making crucial decisions, and suffering the consequences of societal decisions in a harsh, unforgiving environment. The city must survive, but not everyone within it is who they seem, and when those you think you trust make the wrong calls, everyone pays the price.
A Weekend-Long Event
You have two full days of roleplay and an extra pre-game night for socialising, a safety workshop, and relaxing after travel. The venue and all meals are included in costs. No rush to get settled in - you arrive at the venue the day before the LARP starts in full, with only a couple of hours making up the prologue to connect with everyone - and get a full night sleep.
Do note you’re away for four days for travel plans. (It’s Friday - Monday)
Assistance may be requested in packing down props and decorations on Monday prior to sign-out.
THE EXPERIENCE
Everyone Sleeps On Site
A range of bedrooms will be reserved for participants. Gamemasters will set out the sleeping arrangements but will contact all participants ahead of play to confirm all involved are comfortable with the arrangements as set out.
Fully Catered
Breakfast, lunch and dinner every game day - we also provide you with food on Friday after you’ve settled in, and breakfast on the Monday. We will cater to allergies and dietary requirements.
Time - In
After breakfast has been served we time-in. We run 10:30 to 19:00 on Saturday, and 10:30 to 19:00 on Sunday.
A short prologue will also be played out on Friday night to familiarise ourselves with how the game is played and break the ice between characters.
Quiet and Out-of-Character Spaces
The Venue will have a clearly demarcated Out-of-Character space for participants to have extended conversations that are not suitable as in-character interactions. A set quiet space will also be reserved in case any participants feel overwhelmed or in need of a break.
Costuming
Costuming will not be provided. Designing, crafting and/or purchasing costumes will be your own responsibility. For advice on what your costume should look like, consult the Kit and Costume Guide.
THE Golden Rules
Be Safe
Always keep your safety and that of others in mind when playing.
Stay Alert and in Control
Live-action roleplaying can be emotionally intensive, and if your judgment is too impaired, you may not be operating rationally. Pay attention to your choices and keep the game fun for everyone.
Be Polite
Show respect to your fellow players and gamemasters. Occasionally, you will disagree with each other, but communication is key to resolving tension before it gets started.
Personal Responsibility
The world of Frostpunk is a reflection of the horrific, desperate, and at times violent things we may do to survive. A character may have to deal with bigotry, violence, and hatred, but a player should never be subjected to those things. Always consider the feelings of your fellow players or observers when dealing with sensitive subjects. Frostpunk: The LARP is an adult game with gritty, occasionally even disturbing themes.
Exploring this paradigm comes with a personal responsibility to respect the feelings of others. If such a situation comes up in game, stop roleplay and make sure the other players are comfortable. Respectfully and generically describe your character’s actions, rather than acting them out. Don’t be the person who went too far and hurt another player’s feelings.
We'd recommend you read our Good Play, Bleed and Safety Tools pages to familiarise yourself with how to safely engage with these themes, and the steps we're taking to ensure the wellbeing of all our players.
No (real) Weapons
It’s easy for things to get out of hand when excitement or tempers are high. No matter how careful you are, or how well-trained, always leave real weapons at home.
Inclusion
Share the spotlight! Look for ways to include other players in plots and scenes, especially those who are shy or new to the hobby. Encouraging others to get involved is an investment that makes the game better for everyone.
Remember: It’s Not Real
Immersion is an important part of the LARP experience. Sometimes, it’s hard to separate the player from their character, especially after intensely emotional scenes. Be sure to get to know your fellow players outside of game, so that you don’t make assumptions about them based on their characters’ actions. Take breaks between intense scenes to calm down and talk to people out of character. Also, remember that real life comes first.
Sportsmanship
LARP is a game of storytelling, and failing to achieve a goal can lead to an emotional, dramatic, and inspiring scene that wouldn’t otherwise have happened. Learn how to “lose” in character, and you will be rewarded with some of the most amazing and fun roleplay in the game. Remember that LARP is a collaborative experience. Work with your fellow players, even if you work against their characters, and always be willing to give up some of your character goals so that everyone can have a share of the fun.
Have Fun!
This one’s self-explanatory. If you find yourself feeling like the game has become an obligation — take a break. We have a “Look Down” mechanic to step out of roleplay at any point, you never need to justify to anyone why. We all need time out occasionally!
Frostpunk: The LARP, provides space and incentive for participants to explore themes of desperation. Where characters can resort to extreme actions to ensure they live to see tomorrow. No one can be fully trusted, the city is full of secrets and the ones calling the shots may make you promises they have no intention of keeping; Others may tell you a noble tale built entirely in falsity. Sometimes for success a change in the guard is necessary, and the promise of violence is never too far away. Some characters will die and it may well be you. Choose your friends and enemies carefully.
We also ask participants to consider their roles and relationships carefully. Social dynamics between the characters are in a central role in the LARP. While characters can be on the opposing sides of an issue, they also know each other very well. Everyone has enemies, friends, lovers and rivals, and playing on those relationships is key to making the LARP interesting.
What You are Here to Explore
Finally we ask that players consider their position in the wider city. Due to staffing limitations there will be no Non-Player Characters to represent the wider population of the City. During the LARP you should not ever truly be cold, ill or starving, but the wider citizenry - and especially your teams for whom you are considered to be responsible - will be. You should feel and inhabit their suffering, manifest their rage, and emote their feelings of betrayal and frustration when the city moves in directions that disadvantage them.
Frostpunk is a mature, survival-thriller game, featuring strong themes of desperation, violence, and manipulation. Players are advised there will be points in the game where the situation seems desperate and players will have to resort to actions deemed desperate to survive. Though we will seek to mitigate the impact on players and in many cases will try to limit outright depictions of content players may deem distressing, we cannot outright remove it from the game without compromising the core themes of the story.
Therefore, although we will have safety measures in place to help you manage your experience and look after your emotional wellbeing, we must warn that the game has the potential to include depictions of - or references to - potentially distressing content. The following is not an exhaustive list of all possible content that could be considered triggering, but concerns content that is not unlikely to arise and/or be of concern.
Content Rating
Content that is Guaranteed to be depicted and/or referenced:
- Starvation
- Illness
- Violence
- Murder
- Death
- Severe Weather
- Loud Noises/Sudden Sounds
- Strong Language
Content that Could be depicted and/or referenced:
- Classism
- Suicide
- Torture
- Imprisonment
- Name-Calling/Bullying
- Loss of a Loved One
- Substance Abuse
- Detailed Medical Talk
- Police(Enforcer) Aggression
- Limb loss
Content that Could be referenced only:
Players may excuse themselves from a scene at any point when distressing content is broached with no negative consequence whatsoever, and will be checked in on by a gamemaster or Safety Moderator.
For this reason our safety workshop is mandatory, and you cannot play without attending it. To ensure everyone is well rested and on site for this, we have taken the liberty of securing the Friday night to cover in-game safety tools and allow us to familiarise ourselves with one another's limits.
We will also have three safety moderators among the playerbase. These will be fellow players whose role is simply to be another trusted person who can identify potential issues as they arise, check in with players who may need support, and fetch gamemasters if required.
While their guidance is not binding, we would ask that you seriously consider advice they give you. In the case that you have any issues with a safety moderator, please inform a gamemaster.
- Cannibalism
- Terrorism
- Animal Death
- Child Death
Character Conflict
In Frostpunk, conflict between characters, including between player characters (PCs) is not only condoned, it is assumed. You will almost inevitably be in competition with other PCs, whether direct or indirect.
You will best be served by this game if you are able to prioritise a narratively satisfying story, both for yourself and others, over anything else. Please do not become too attached to your starting character, and try to value other’s enjoyment of the game equal to your own.
Recognise that your character could be blackmailed, extorted, manipulated or otherwise have their story completely derailed by the actions of other players around them. Above all else you will need to be resilient and able to find the fun in these challenges.
Equally, recognise that Frostpunk: The LARP, is a collaborative storytelling experience and not a competitive zero sum game. A compelling and satisfying narrative journey should always be prioritised over any kind of “winning”.
Character Death
In Frostpunk character death is expected and likely to come from a number of sources, including violence, disease and starvation. While we encourage you to truly immerse yourself in your character and their experiences we would be reticent not to warn you of the possibility of death, and encourage you to be ready for that as a possible eventuality.
For more details on how Character Death is handled, please consult the How To Play section.
Many of you will be entering Frostpunk with experience as TTRPG players, people with experience of tabletop dynamics, and the use of dice and stats to resolve conflicts and advance the game. Frostpunk does not promise to be that; in many ways it is less a game and far more akin to a collaborative storytelling experience. You will no doubt become invested in your characters and their stories, but always try to consider the wider story of the game as a whole.
Savour the mood of Frostpunk. The setting is a grim and unrelenting place, but it is pervaded by a sense of hope and fleeting optimism. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and in the face of great opposition can come great heroism. We expect this combination of hardship, desperation, and valiance despite them to be fertile ground for an immensely memorable experience.