Safety

We at Avalon Larp Studio value the safety of all our participants – both players and crew members. Safety is especially important at emotionally intense events, where players explore dark themes and difficult situations.

At all of our events, we provide our participants with a safe off-game space, where they can come, decompress, and talk to someone. We are not trained counsellors, but offer decompression with a friend – a chance to talk to someone who will listen to and believe you. During the runtime of an event we will always have at least one safety team member available. They will usually be found by the safety desk or in the dedicated safe space.  If you have any safety concerns or anything you need to discuss, please come to them. Should you wish to speak to someone who presents as a different gender than the person currently on duty, please let us know and we will do our utmost to find someone you are comfortable speaking with. 

Should anything happen during one of our events, we will always listen to and believe the victim. We will accommodate for their needs and wants to our best ability, and decide on a course of action together.

We retain the right to remove a participant from an event at any time, without a refund of their ticket, if the participant in question does any of the following:

• Breaks the safety rules or policies of the event.
• Acts against our code of conduct.
• Poses a safety threat to themselves, other participants, or the venue.
• Refuses to follow instructions from the organisers or crew members of the event.
• Breaks the law of the country where the event is held.

We retain the right to refuse service to anyone. If someone buys a ticket to one of our events and we decide not to provide them the service, we will offer them a refund of their ticket. If someone who has bought a ticket breaks our safety or inclusivity policies, we retain the right to withdraw their ticket and exclude them from the event. If this happens within 90 days of the event in question, we will not offer a refund of their ticket. We will not enter into correspondence regarding our reasons to refuse service.

Code of Conduct

Safe spaces – Shared Responsibility

Larps are a collaborative experience. Safety is a shared responsibility and everyone involved should actively make the event safe. This means following the safety rules and paying attention to the boundaries of all participants. As organisers, we provide the safety rules and framework, but participants are also responsible for making their co-players feel safe.

Enthusiastic Consent 

We operate under the rule of Enthusiastic Consent both in and out of game. Enthusiastic consent means that you should not try to or need to persuade other participants to agree. A lack of response or other ambiguous replies should be treated as a no.  

Use the meta-techniques, pre-negotiate and talk to each other. Do not be afraid to go off-game and calibrate if you plan on playing a scene that you think might be physically or emotionally challenging. When being asked for consent it is okay to say no, and only Yes means Yes. 

Recognise our play culture 

The way things are done at our larps is not necessarily the same as the larps you have played before.

Our larps are international events where participants from all over the world come together and collaborate. This means that there are a lot of different cultures present. Many are fundamentally different. Actions that in one culture are normal and acceptable might be viewed as unsafe behaviour in another. We ask you to be aware of your actions and think about what you are doing, even though it might seem natural to you. Our workshops are there to teach you how to play our larps. Our rules on playstyle are not guidelines, they are there to ensure the larp is safe, fair, and accessible.

Respect boundaries (also your own)

As a participant, you are responsible for understanding and communicating your own needs and limits. Crossing set boundaries is not acceptable. Being in-game is not an excuse. You are responsible for your actions, even if you are portraying a character.

Respect that our event might not be for you—some of our games seek to explore the fringes of what people find comfortable. While we want to create events that are accessible for everyone, that might not always be possible. We do our best to communicate the accessibility of the location and the vision/themes of the larp. Please make sure you have read and understood the themes and accessibility statement, so you know what you are signing up for. If you are uncertain if the event is for you, please speak to us us before signing up.

Treat players and crew as people 

Creating larps sometimes includes engineering situations of stress (mental or physical), harassment, hate, conflict, or other ill-treatment. While these situations can happen in-game they should only happen within the rules and meta-techniques of the larp.

The off-game space at our events is not a space for hate, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or any other behaviour that expresses prejudice or discrimination. Hate speech, discriminatory language, slurs, and deliberate off-game bullying, will be considered a breach of this code. Theft or physical violence are never acceptable. Our events remain subject to the laws of the country in which they take place; don’t break the law. 

If you experience or are subject to any of this behaviour, do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@avalonlarp.studio or in person at the event. We cannot resolve issues we do not know about.

Listen to the organisers and safety personnel

Follow instructions from the organizers and the safety crew, they are here to make the event run safely and according to plan.

Consequences

Breaking the code of conduct can result in reminders or warnings. If problematic behaviours continue to persist, or we determine the situation requires more immediate action we will not hesitate to remove people from our event.