Calibration and Safety
Redemption is an intense larp with themes of spirituality, religion and sex. Because of this, participants have a set of calibration mechanics they can use to control their own experience.
These mechanics are:
No Surprises – Never do anything to another player by surprise. Instead, approach slowly and telegraph what you’ll do, perhaps even verbalizing it. “Oh, I’m going to choke you now!”
This way, your co-player won’t be caught by surprise and has time to react and use calibration mechanics if needed.
Opt Out – You can always exit any scene. If you need to signal to your co-players that you’re opting out, lift your hand above your eyes and sneak away. When you do this, your co-players should play around your exit as naturally as possible. You don’t have to justify opting out in any way.
The Safeword – The safeword is “safeword”. If someone says “safeword” that means that those in the immediate scene will interrupt play. The person who used the safeword then explains what they need to change for the scene to continue.
Examples:
- The sexual content of the scene is becoming too much for you. You use the safeword and ask your co-players to play away from sexual themes during the rest of the scene.
- You’re being carried outside by a crowd of people. Because the ground is wet, you use the safeword and ask someone to fetch your shoes, putting them on before the scene resumes.
- You suddenly notice a physical safety hazard, such as a candle that has fallen down. You use the safeword and put it out.
Note that you don’t have to justify the use of the safeword and if someone uses it, you shouldn’t pressure them to explain why.
The Tapout – This is the physical version of the safeword. You can tapout by tapping a co-player twice in quick succession or by tapping your own body in a place where your co-players will see it.
This is useful if you can’t speak for some reason, if you don’t want to disturb a big scene, or if speaking is otherwise undesirable.
The most immediate meaning of the tapout is: “Stop doing whatever it is you’re doing.”
Examples:
- A co-player’s character is in the grip of holy ecstasy, pushing you down to the floor. Your foot gets caught in an uncomfortable position so you tap your co-player’s shoulder twice to let them know there’s an issue. They get off you, you adjust your position, and the scene resumes.
- A co-player is feeding you a food item that you can’t eat because of your off-game eating restrictions. You give a quick double tap on your own chest while looking pointedly at the food item. Your co-player moves the scene into another direction.
Sex Mechanics
During the larp, you can get naked. However, if you’re participating in a sex scene, you should have at least briefs, panties, etc. on.
The principal method for playing sex scenes is to mime them out theatre-style. With some types of sex acts, this means dry humping, but experience has shown that sex scenes are more interesting to play if they incorporate other elements as well.
Non-penetrative sex can also be played using the hand method which is explained in the workshop.
You should not have actual sex involving genital stimulation or penetration in this larp.
Violence Mechanics
Acts that would cause physical harm to another player should be played out theatre-style. For example, if you punch someone, telegraph the move so they know what you’re doing, and then mime the punch without putting any force into it. Then your co-player will act as if the punch really connected.
There is no character death or serious injury in the larp except in pre-planned scenes.
