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The Experience

Vision

The Icarus Foundation is a LARP designed to explore how people react when thrust into extreme situations. As tension mounts and uncomfortable truths are revealed, how will relationships evolve? How far will you go to defend your beliefs and what—or who—are you willing to sacrifice or save?
 

The core of the game revolves around a hostage situation, acting as the pivotal moment where character tensions and dynamics are pushed to their limits.

The focus isn't on physical action, like escaping or overpowering captors—these efforts are doomed to fail. Instead, the game zeroes in on high drama, where complex relationships and personal struggles take center stage.
 

Captors and hostages alike must navigate this intense environment, where every conversation and decision can shift the balance of power and reveal deeper truths. The aim is to explore how characters cope under pressure, revealing the lengths they will go to in order to survive emotionally and psychologically.

Setting

The LARP is set in 1972, and heavily inspired by the Rothschild Surrealist Ball that took place in the same year. In-game, the event will be staged in a secluded location in rural England, far from the prying eyes of the press, where the elite can gather in secret.
 

No prior knowledge of actual historical events or figures from England in this period is necessary, as they are not central to the play experience we’re creating.

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The Icarus Foundation LARP features two distinct player groups, each with their own motivations and complexities:

27 players will portray members of the Icarus Foundation and 7 players will be playing the Vigilantes.

 

The Icarus Foundation:
This group represents the elite of society—wealthy, powerful, and famous individuals united under a charitable organization. Their stated goal is to use their influence to change the world for the better, at least that's what most of them want the outside world to believe. Some characters have done things in the past that have lead up to the current actions of the Vigilantes.

 

The Vigilantes:
These are ordinary people who have suffered greatly at the hands of one or more members of the Icarus Foundation. Denied justice through conventional means due to the immense power of their adversaries, they have banded together to take matters into their own hands. Their plan: to turn the upcoming Foundation ball into a hostage crisis, exposing those who've wronged them and causing the Foundation to crumble as all the skeletons emerge

 

While some characters may commit terrible acts during this LARP, the focus is on the moral ambiguity of all involved. No one is entirely good or evil. The Vigilantes, for instance, are not seasoned criminals but ordinary people pushed to the brink, unaccustomed to the violence they’re about to unleash.

Is this Larp for You?

When participating in this LARP, you should be comfortable with the following elements:

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  • Heavy Themes: Though not all characters will be exposed to them, be prepared to encounter following intense subjects: substance abuse, mental health struggles, suicide, death of a child, institutionalization, oppression, self destruction, physical/sexual abuse, murder, abortion, drowning, infidelity, gaslighting, power abuse.
     

  • Verbal Abuse: Be prepared for scenarios where characters will yell directly in your face.
     

  • Physical Abuse: You will be shoved and pushed around so you definitely should be mentally and physically okay with this without any calibration. All other forms of physical abuse like fighting and hitting must always be carefully calibrated between players before the scene. During the workshops we will focus on the mechanics so all of this will happen in a safe manner.
     

  • Physical Touch: You should at least be comfortable with being hugged and kissed on the cheek. More intense physical contact should be calibrated beforehand.
     

  • Physical Restraint: On the first evening, hostage players will be blindfolded, tied at the wrists, and confined to a room where they will spend the night in-game. This scene, lasting between 30-60 minutes, will be supervised and is mandatory.
     

  • Firearms: Prop guns will be present and may be aimed at you, though no one will be shot unless all involved players have explicitly agreed to this beforehand.
     

Please note: Nothing will happen to you that you don't agree to, but if any of the above elements are likely to trigger you, this LARP may not be suitable for you.
 

This is a Type 2 LARP, focusing on intense emotional experiences rather than heroic adventure. It’s crucial to understand that this is not a game about saving the day, but rather about exploring complex and sometimes uncomfortable scenarios and emotions.

What this Larp is Not
  • ​Not an Action LARP: While there will be action scenes, this LARP is not primarily focused on action or combat.
     

  • No Character Deaths: Characters will not be killed by other players unless all parties involved explicitly agree to it.
     

  • No Successful Escapes: Hostages will not be able to escape or overpower their captors. Players can explore these scenarios, but all attempts will ultimately fail. This is not a LARP about escaping or winning.
     

  • No Strict Plotline: There is no rigid storyline for the LARP. Instead, there are numerous opportunities for character relationships and storylines. Players are encouraged to create in-game stories and actively engage with each other.
     

  • No Sexual Fantasies: This LARP is not intended to fulfill any fantasies you may have about bondage or domination. The game is not designed to facilitate power dynamics of a sexual nature. While sexual contact is not the aim of the LARP, should any forms of sexual interaction arise, they must be played out behind closed doors.

A Larp by Didier Didelez & Bard Neeus

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