Dramatic Consequences, November 18-21, 2010, Naish Holiday Village, Christchurch, Dorset
Consequences is a new convention, in the same location as Conception which has been running at the Naish site for years. Conception is primarily a table top role playing gaming event, which also has some LARPs. We are inverting this model and having a convention which is primarily LARPs and has some table tops. We hope to bring in a wide range of players from the UK, Europe and the World!
All kinds. Light, dark, serious, silly, short, or long, we need a mix of games for the convention. We're looking for murder mysteries, science fiction, high fantasy, historical set pieces, theater style, live combat, and just about any other genre you could name. We're looking for something that isn't already on our schedule, and we're willing to run experimental games, too.
Ask ten LARPers what LARP is about and you'll get thirteen different answers. We're trying to find interesting games that satisfy as many of those possibilities as we can.
No. If you have a game that's been run successfully before, we're interested. Some of our favorite games have run many times, at other conventions, privately, or both.
Consequences encourages new writers to submit games. While many of the names on the schedule may be familiar, there are always new authors as well. We look for new writers, because we know what's involved in the process. We know that those familiar writers had to start somewhere. Having a great group of players to play in the game also helps new games succeed.
We are looking for games of different sizes, all as part of the mix. We've got a variety of game spaces which could run games as small as 4 players and as large as 50+ players. Most of the games at the con might range from 20 to 40 players. Some games have fixed sizes. (e.g. a game needs 24 players) Some games are more flexible. (e.g. a game can take from 20 to 30 players.) GMs can choose to only precast, or to allow sign ups on the door, or a mixture.
Sure. We've run games for four and six players before.
That depends on your definition of big. We're hoping for 100+ LARPers, all looking for an intense experience. That typically means they are looking for a more intimate game experience. Games of 20 to 40 people will make scheduling and space easier. Because we're planning to have a great selection of games, players have tough choices to make when signing up. There's a lot of competition in every time slot. We try to do our best to make all of the games successful, but it can be difficult for games needing more than 40 players to get enough players. We would rather not force all 100 people to have to play the same game, which they won't want to, because it's the only thing in the schedule and they don't have a choice.
We're looking for games that run for two hours to a full day, unless you have a better idea.
There are nine primary time slots used to schedule games. We try to schedule games to give the most choices to the players.
| Day | Slot start time | Typical game length in this slot |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | 1900 | 4 to 6 hours |
| Friday | 0900 | 4 to 6 hours |
| 1400 | 4 to 6 hours | |
| 1900 |
3 to 4 hours | |
| Saturday | 0900 | 4 to 6 hours |
| 1400 |
4 to 6 hours | |
| 1900 | 3 to 4 hours | |
| Sunday | 0900 | 4 to 6 hours |
| 1400 |
4 to 6 hours | |
| 1900 | 3 to 4 hours | |
The submission form asks you to rank the slots you'd prefer for running your game. We try our best to give you your preferred slot, but it isn't always possible. Scheduling the con is always an interesting puzzle. The more flexible you are and the more choices you give us for scheduling makes it easier for us to put that puzzle together.
We also have to consider the time and effort that are needed to tear down a game and set up the next one. Some games require significant setup, and the time for that setup has to be factored into the schedule.
Not at all. While it helps if your game fits nicely into one of our slots, it's not absolutely necessary. Most successful games will fit into a single slot, but you can take more than one or only a short slot.
Two hour games are quite common. Clearly two of them fit nicely into a four hour slot. We try to pack slots, again to maximize player options.
Games that are even longer must span more than one slot. Consequences will schedule a strong game across more than one slot. However, if a game spans two slots, it means that game must compete for players with other games. We will be scheduling great games opposite each other. That means players must choose between playing in a multislot game or in two (or more) single slot games. It takes a special game and special writers to meet that challenge. We want the games at the con to be a success, able to attract the number of players they need. It's why we're encouraging games that fit into a single slot.
There are a number of spaces in the main building. We can typically guarantee one function space room per game. If you need more than that, we may be able to make it work, depending on the size of your game. This does limit us, but we encourage GMs to think creatively, as we know you can. We will be putting up a guide to the spaces as soon as we get it from Naish. We are also intending to set aside a lodge or two to be used solely as game space, and would welcome games intended for these areas.
We also need to know what special spatial needs you may have beyond enough room for your players. This includes things like a need for high ceilings, making sure that any delicate furniture is out of the way, the desire for a small secondary room for side activities, or specific traffic flow demands. We'll do what we can to give you a workable space. It may not be physically possible to give you the ideal space, but we'll do our best.
Players come to Consequences to LARP, often playing five or six games in the span of the weekend. This doesn't leave a lot of time for sitting with a GM to build a character before a game. Players at Consequences typically want characters with a rich background, interrelationships with other characters, and plots that connect them to others. That's much harder to do with BYOC or characters built at the door.
This doesn't mean that we won't accept these kinds of games - but they are less likely to get through the submission process. One solution is to have a deadline for character submission well before the con, so that you can take the characters and build them into the game.
If you're going to bring a lot of your usual players, then sure. It's harder asking a lot of new players to come into an existing campaign, unless you really have something special for the episode. It has to be something that's going to excite others, in a way that doesn't require the new players to know all sorts of background material. The new players also have to feel like equals to those who have been playing a long time. It's not a lot of fun to come into a game where there is a clique of players who outclass you in every way.
You'd be suprised how weird some of the games we've played have been! We're always looking for interesting games. If you can sell the Submission Committee on the game, it's likely you'll get players, no matter how strange the game. We're looking for unique games, and we do our best to see that they'll be successful.
Yes. Consequences does not discriminate. We'll let attendees choose the games that are right for their sensibilities and capabilities. We'll try to make special circumstances clear up front by the game descriptions you provide. There are questions in the submission form specifically for these cases; the details are important, so please be explicit.
If you have questions or concerns, please raise those concerns with the Submission Coordinator.
We 'll accept most reasonable submissions, but there may be one or two submissions that don't make it. All game submissions are evaluated by the Submission Committee, using a number of criteria. We try to work with submitters to make all the submissions successful. When a submission fails, we'll try to make it clear why the submission was rejected. Our expectation is that we might reject a submission because we already have a similar game scheduled, or because a submission insists on specific time slots and the schedule is nearly full.
You can. It's best to check with the Submission Coordinator or the Con Chair first in these cases.