Garrison Road Tango Dance LARP

Garrison Road is set in a generic city pub in the interwar period (roughly 1918-1930s). The setting is very loosely defined, in part because the nature of dance larp is that stories are about relationships and emotional truths rather than nitty gritty details of backgrounds. The setting exists in order to create a background world in which these stories of relationships can happen.

This is a LRP about damage and loss, the choices we make in trying to escape our past, the roles we enact to hide our truths and what or who we will sacrifice to heal.

The setting includes as possible themes: Trauma, loss, hiding from your problems, toxic masculinity, self-destruction, bitter rivalries, tested loyalties, struggling against gender norms, trying to get ahead, working outside social norms, healing.

A returning soldier who has turned to crime, a self-made business woman, an undercover agent sent to infiltrate the gangs, a wounded lover who has decided they cannot be with the one they love.

Our setting is an AU version of the immediate post war years where people of all races and abilities exist equally. Characters will be broadly part of the historical working or middle class and have spent the past few years working cheek by jowl with people of all classes during the war. As such, harsh distinctions between classes will not be made in game.

Any player can play any in-character gender. Because of the setting there will be some gender markers in clothing, but the character’s gender will not limit what a character can do or achieve. Though they might exist in the wider Garrison Road world, the pub is explicitly a safe space and direct misogyny and transphobia are not a part of the plot, and should not be directed at other characters. Or, if the hypothetical (male) gangster is secretly dating the (male) tailor then the gender of both is unremarkable.

If you choose to include historical themes for your own character as part of your internalised role-play e.g. you are internally warring with your own understanding of gender norms/expression etc. you may do so.

Gender in setting: The world exists in the immediate aftermath of an event that has turned traditional gender roles on its head. Women now have access to roles they did not before. Gender expression has, until this point, been strictly enforced but with the opening up of the world post war, what is feminine and what is masculine is being experimented with. Stereotypical gender roles are part of the themes of this event, with themes leaning into breaking out of standard gender norms, particularly toxic masculinity (in the form of expectations to act tough, not speak about trauma etc), as well as the rise of feminism and gender non-conformity. The Garrison Road pub has been set up as a safe space for those who are outside of society to spend their time.

Characters in Garrison Road may be suffering from trauma, ptsd, and or addictions. Some of our players will have direct experiences of these and there may be some parts of role-playing (especially around violence and drinking) where you will be asked not to include particular players in that role-play. We ask that all players who choose to include these themes as part of their character do so in an informed and respectful manner. This is not the place to play Hollywood tropes of mental illness.

Characters will be created as part of an iterative, collaborative process. The most important thing about a character is their relationships, and the decisions that are at their core. It is fine to have some loose ideas about characters or themes you might want to explore - but try not to shape too much about them until the workshops. This will lead to a better connected (and hopefully more satisfying and meaningful) set of story dynamics.

Argentine Tango is an improvised partner dance, and the dance is a conversation. The leader creates a structure for the movement that the follower interprets. Sometimes the outcome isn't what either of them were expecting. That's not wrong, that is the nature of improvised dance. There is technique to allow you to communicate non-verbally to your partner how you are asking them to move, and technique for the follower in how to interpret that so that you move together and develop that connection. In the lessons we'll ask everyone to primarily take one role, but everyone will learn a little of both.

Anyone of any gender, height, build etc can dance either role. You don't need to be taller to lead or shorter to follow. All hierarchy based on roles is bullshit, it takes two to tango.

Live Action Roleplay is telling an improvised story. The outcomes of the story are not yet determined. Each participant creates and embodies a character with their own desires, flaws and decisions to make. Together, over the course of the dance we all tell out the story of their intertwined fates. LARP has many, many forms; however in this game we will be telling stories about connections and emotions, primarily through the medium of movement and dance.

The game is primarily designed for people from a LARP/improv background who are interested in exploring storytelling in a physical medium. However it is also open to tango dancers who are curious about adding storytelling and emotional dynamics to their dancing. We think this does absolutely fascinating things to the embrace and the texture of the dance. However a core part of the experience is creating a character and telling their story - you need to be comfortable with this element. If you are new to LARP and have any questions please feel free to ask! We love any excuse to nerd about our hobbies.

Argentine Tango is an improvised partner dance. Each step is created based on the communication between the dancers through the embrace. The Embrace is the core concept in the dance which leads to a high level of connection. In short it is a great framework for telling a story about dynamics between people - a friend, a rival, a nemesis, any kind of relationship you can imagine.

You do not need any experience of Argentine tango - or any dance experience at all - to take part in this game. We will teach you how to form an embrace and how to communicate with your partner through movement.

The game design is very heavily influenced (with full credit and very kind support) by ICON STUDIOS run by Bryony and Tim Baker and by extension therefore by Danse Macabre, the Czech Argentine tango LARP that inspired their love of dance games

Thematically Garrison Road draws direct influence from Peaky Blinders, but is also influenced by the Suffragettes, and a myriad of media that draws on the rapid social change of the interwar period such as the Bookbinder of Jericho etc.

For the workshops on Friday/Saturday, wear anything that is comfortable and easy to move in. You will likely want layers to be able to adjust as you get warmer/colder between dance sessions and character workshops.

The In-Game period will be 3 hours on Saturday evening, and you are welcome (but not required) to bring a costume for your character for this part. The game (like argentine tango itself) focuses on what you feel in the embrace and the dynamics of the relationships with the other characters. What anybody looks like is entirely secondary.

A costume is great if it helps you inhabit a character - so think vibes rather than any concern about historical authenticity. The in-setting time period will span multiple years, so a generic look is better than a specific decade.

If you find that you are struggling with a costume then stage blacks are also fine - modern black trousers or leggings, black top or tee-shirt. Iconic details such as flat caps, braces, or elaborate hair are cherries on top.
The most important factor when considering a costume is that it's comfortable to dance in for you and others you are dancing with. No spikes! Anything with sequins or beads across the back may also be uncomfortable for your partner who will be moving their hand across that area. Being able to move your legs freely is important.

A useful idea to remember is that the game is about how you move and interact more than how you look, so really extreme costumes could detract from that.

Due to the muddy nature of outside and the difficulty in sweeping the dance floor, please do not wear 'outdoor shoes' indoors. In practice this means please bring a pair of clean shoes that you keep aside just for wearing indoors / while dancing. This could be just your dance shoes, or it could be a pair of slippers for while not dancing etc, or both. You can also just wear socks inside if preferred. There is a porch with shoe racks in which to keep your usual shoes by the door for if you want to pop outdoors, get things from the car etc.

For dancing, it is important that you are able to pivot (spin) on each foot. The easiest way to do this is a pair of suede (or similar) soled dance shoes. Any dance shoes that you can pivot in will be fine. Block heels will be fine. Does not matter whether split sole etc, so long as they have a surface on the ball of the foot that allows you to pivot freely.

You don't necessarily need a pair of dance shoes if you don't already own these, so long as you can pivot in the shoes that you are wearing. Trainers with grip will generally prevent this and should be avoided. The more friction you have between your shoe and the floor, the more strain you will be putting on your knees.

Flat pump shoes will often be fine, or formal shoes (as long as they are comfortable enough to dance in all day!).
You can make any flat bottomed, non-grippy shoes more slippy by:

• Wearing dance socks over the top
• Making your own dance socks by cutting up some old tights
• Wearing a pair of old socks over the top of your shoes
• Converting a pair of existing comfortable shoes
• Decathlon sell basic dance shoes for £15 - albeit in a slightly weird range of smaller sizes only:

One of the many elements of this game that we are shamelessly borrowing from Danse Macabre is a chunk of their method for creating characters.

To this end, we have a request for all of you lovely players. Could each of you please bring two small yet characterful trinkets/props/doo-dads. These will be used as tools in one of the pre-game workshops to help spark people's inspiration. Thus they should ideally be small enough to be easily carried or worn by a person if they want to.

It is quite likely that you will not use your own props, so ideally bring things that are not overly valuable and that you are happy another player might use to jump start their imagination. After the game we will ask everyone to return all these items, but obviously we do not want to risk something bad happening to your most treasured family heirloom or cursed monkey paw.

Sleeping bags, pillows and your own towel.

Shoes that you are able to pivot in.

Please bring your own easily identifiable mug if you are able to do so. There are mugs available at the venue, but it will be easier to stay on top of the washing up and re-find the mug you were using earlier if most people have a mug they can easily re-find.

You may want to bring a refillable water bottle. There are cups and mugs available as above - but you may prefer to have something easily available that you can't knock over or get confused as to which is yours.

Beds are in shared dorms. You will need to bring sleeping bags and pillows.
All bedrooms have easy access to bathrooms. There are showers on both ground and first floor (ground floor shower is in the ensuite attached to the downstairs bedroom). First floor rooms are accessed via two short flights of stairs.

I will put paper sign up sheets on each door so that people can sign into a particular room when they arrive, however if you'd like to reserve space in a particular room (or to share with a particular group) let us know in the booking form. We can't promise to meet all requests but will do our best.

Downstairs rooms:

Room 1: 4 beds (1 taken). This will be reserved for people with accessibility needs to be on the ground floor. Note that this is next to the main hall, so it's likely that there will be some sound transfer from people getting their breakfast in the morning and use as a social space until late each evening. This room has an accessible ensuite bathroom and shower.
Upstairs rooms

5 x 2 bed rooms
5 x 4 bed rooms
1 x 6 bed room

We will have at least one bunk room designated as a quiet room (no snorers please), and one as a loud room (snorers with earplugs), and will try to balance needs based on responses on the booking forms.

It is absolutely fine to sleep off-site for any reason. You don't need to book a separate type of ticket to do so, just tell us on the booking form.

If you have any requirements or queries regarding accommodation please let us know in the notes section when you book. We may not be able to accommodate all requests but we will do our best.

We will attempt to give as much information beforehand about the content and physical set up of the game so that potential players can decide whether it is appropriate for them. Please do reach out to discuss any potential issues or accommodations that would make this game more accessible for you, we are open to the conversation and will endeavour to be open and honest about what is or is not possible.

Players will always have the agency to refuse physical touch. You are never, in workshops or the game, required to dance with anyone that you don’t want to. We will run workshops early in the event that cover the safety calls below and how to ask for and to give consent to dance. You must always respect the boundaries of other players.

We will use the following safety calls/actions. If you say these words or take these actions then it has an out of game meaning. Everyone needs to know these calls because you may need to use them, but you may also need to understand what someone else is asking from you when they use the call so that you can respond appropriately:

RED - The topic or intensity of a scene is uncomfortable. Please dial it down or change the topic.

ORANGE - This is close to crossing a line for intensity. The level at which you are roleplaying now is acceptable, but don't take it any further.

Shading your eyes and walking away - this is a gesture that means "my character is leaving this scene for OC reasons". This could be because the scene has become uncomfortable, or because the player has an OC need that needs to be met urgently. If somebody uses this gesture then you must not stop them from leaving. You should cease to interact with them until they re-initiate contact.

It is never acceptable to touch or move another person's mobility aids, including wheelchairs or sticks, without their explicit consent.

With thanks to the Reginae Regis team on whose policy this is modelled, by way of the Snakepit Model Equality and Diversity, and Acceptable Behavior Policy v 0.5.5 by Doug McGregor

This policy does not intend to legislate for every possible situation, but we hope it makes clear the general principles we expect people to behave by. If somebody does something patently awful that is not specifically covered by this policy we will still do something about it.

You must not:

Discriminate or abuse people based on out-of-character attributes (including age, physical appearance, sex and/or gender identities including transgender status, race, disability, neurodiversity, nationality, religion, parental status, breastfeeding choices, class or social status, sexuality or relationship choices.)style:

Discriminate IC against others based on characteristics not included as acceptable themes in the game.

Criticise someone for using accessibility aids eg. wheelchair

Interfere with another participant’s belongings or mobility aids, or touch such without their consent

Make references to unacceptable themes

Sexually harass other participants

Drink to excess or use illegal substances on site.

Smoke or vape indoors.

Film or photograph others without their consent

Attempt to shrug off responsibility for your actions, including by claiming they were in-character

You should:

Try to refer to people and groups using the language that they prefer and that respects the identities within them.

Respect other people if they make a request for their comfort, especially with the safety calls such as RED/ORANGE

Let one of the Game Team know if someone or something is making you feel uncomfortable

We reserve the right to refuse a booking from any person without giving a reason.

Acceptable Themes:

Garrison Road explicitly includes some difficult themes. In-character conflict and discrimination will be encouraged on these attributes.

There are also Excluded Themes and ‘Handle With Care’ themes. You can see these in full in the Content and Themes section.

Sanctions

If you break this policy, we may:

Issue you a warning and/or discuss the situation with you

Ban you from attending future events

Ask you to leave the event

Share certain information with people including other organisers, at our discretion

Take legal action, if the situation is sufficiently serious

Any attendee is welcome to bring a complaint to a member of the Game Team who will be clearly identified throughout the event. Complaints can be on behalf of yourself or somebody else.

Take all complaints seriously and act on them based on our best judgement

Respect the wishes of any complainant about involving external bodies such as the police unless we believe there is a serious risk of imminent harm that overrides this

Keep a log of all complaints accessible only to the Game Team

Keep your information confidential, especially around complaints

Aim to provide any reasonable adjustment needed to improve accessibility, and

Be honest with you if we feel we can't provide an accessibility requirement.

Excluded themes

While we are telling stories in a world where there is much injustice and unfairness and inequality, we want people to be able to explore these themes in a context where they are not confronted with the same prejudices that are faced every day.

These Excluded Themes should not appear in the game in any way. Players should not make any reference to them as part of their roleplay during the In Character section of the game or as part of character creation.

Racism/discrimination based on skin colour/ethnic origin/racial identity of the player or character

Discrimination based on gender, gender presentation or sexuality

Sexual violence and non-consensual sexual activity, sexual activity with minors

Discrimination on the basis of any attribute that applies to the player rather than the character

Insensitive portrayals of mental illness, mental distress and disability, particularly avoiding any Hollywood portrayals*

Eating disorders (such as anorexia, bulimia, etc), self harm, suicide*

Miscarriage and Child Loss*

The list of Excluded Themes is not exhaustive, and is based on our experiences and best judgement which is never going to be perfect. If there is something you would like to discuss with us that we could add to this list to make your game more comfortable, please email us and we'll see what we can do.

*We understand that disabled people and people who have experienced these issues may want to play this game. To be explicit - you are very welcome. You do not have to hide mental illness or change how you present to the world! We want to avoid insensitive or insulting portrayals, or the use of these as active themes in our in game storytelling.

Acceptable Themes

We expect that characters may on occasion be in conflict with other characters - and in some cases this will be a key part of their narrative. Make use of the Safety calls and be mindful of other players and their welfare. Be prepared to check in, and disengage if asked to. Be mindful of your own wellbeing.

It is acceptable to discriminate against other characters on the grounds that:

• They are, or you think they might be, a member of a rival gang.
• They are, or you think they might be, police or undercover police
• Based on their status in the power hierarchy
• Any In Character attribute of the character that is not an attribute of the player and not itself an excluded theme (for example - your character just hates actors - what a bunch of self-serving knobs!)

The following is a detailed write up of the physical aspects of the venue so that you will know what to expect.

You can park immediately in front of the venue - there are two halves of the car park, the left hand side is nearer to the entrance. The main door is from the back of the building; you need to walk right around it. The closest one can park to the main entrance is approximately 30 metres. In wet weather the path is often damp and slippy with leaf mulch.

There are a couple of steps and a ramp option for access to the main door.

The ground floor is fully navigable in a wheelchair - only the main entrance and the doors in and around the accessible bedroom are automated with buttons. The rest of the doors are manual but wide.

There is no step free access to the top floor. The downstairs bedroom (4 bunks) has an ensuite toilet and shower room. There is an additional accessible bathroom next to the general toilet facilities.

All workshops, the game and meals will occur in the main hall which is on the ground floor. There should be ample seating at all times including during workshops. There is also an accessible toilet on the ground floor.

Sleeping is in communal dormitories, some with bunks. Dormitories sleep between 2 - 6 people. The majority of the sleeping is upstairs. There is very limited sleeping space downstairs, which will have first priority to anyone with accessibility needs. Please let us know if you need downstairs sleeping and/or a bottom bunk as an access requirement and we will arrange this.

It is also possible to sleep off site, particularly if you live locally or want to arrange your own accommodation for reasons of privacy or decompression time.

All of the dance techniques that we will be using can be performed seated, or have a seated equivalent. We will teach these to everyone as a standard part of the workshops with the intent that everyone should be able to form a connection with and dance with any other participant, whether seated or standing. All workshops, dance lessons and the game itself can be undertaken seated, standing or moving between the two.

There will be seating available throughout workshops, and in the game itself. It's absolutely fine to bring/use accessibility aids during the workshops or game. Don't touch or interact with someone else's accessibility aids without their explicit consent is a core principle of consent that we will be covering in the workshops.

Garrison Road is a game about forming physical connections, and so touch is an innate part of the experience. You will always have control over who touches you and whether you choose to dance with any given person. It is always acceptable to not give consent, or to choose not to dance, or to give information to your partner about what you need to be able to move safely with them. We will also teach ways of partner dancing that don't require touch. However the overall experience is likely to involve a high level of physical touch, and so that will be something to consider.

The run time including workshops is tightly scheduled as we have a lot to get through. This means it can be quite intense. It is possible to do all workshops/lessons seated. If you need to sit out a workshop or lesson for fatigue or otherwise then in almost all cases we can catch you up later - we can signpost to you which sections will be more or less critical.

The timetable is included in the event guide to help you make your own assessment of whether the game will meet your needs. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to Linette, we're very happy to discuss.

Please note that this timeline is a guideline only. Exact timings will likely shift as we finalise venue arrival details, catering, dance instruction, and workshops etc. However it will look broadly similar to this.

Friday

TBC 16:00 Players can arrive on site.
16:30 Ice breaker workshop – introduction to the concepts of tango LRP
18:00-19:00 Dinner
19:00–22:00 Tango introduction and informal Milonga (this will be open to people not attending the LRP) (we will recap everything from Friday on the Sat morning)

Saturday
8:30 - 9:30 Breakfast and clear up
10:00 -10:45 Tango introduction workshop I (including seated variations)
10:45 -11:30 Overview of setting, initial character concept creation with objects
11:30 – 12:15 Tango II expression & LRP hacks
12:15–13:00 Lunch
13:00 - 14:00 Tango III – Fancy pants tango and Footwork refresher
14:00 - 16:00 Relationship building (including intermittent dancing) 2 hrs
16:30 - 17:30 Overview of IC game structure
17:30 -18:00 Preparation for the game
18:00-19:00 Dinner
19:00 - 22:00 Game
22:00 – 23:00 Wind down, debrief, relaxing.

Sunday
8:30 - 9:30 Breakfast and clear up
morning Tidy up
12:00 Final deadline: players off site

We're aware that some folks will have long journeys, or be tired after travel. While we recommend people attend all the workshops, especially if you have not danced tango before, everything on Friday will be recapped on Saturday morning if you are arriving late, or if you need to crash after arrival.

Subsidised tickets are reserved for those who, for whatever reason, would otherwise be financially unable to attend the event. While we will not be policing these, subsidised spaces are limited, and we ask that you only book this if you are unable to afford a full ticket.

Cancellations will be fully refunded if requested prior to Sept 10th, after Sept 10th we can only refund you if we are able to resell your ticket.

Please note, in the event we are not able to accept your booking (as per our event policy) a full refund will be given to you with no deduction of fees regardless of when you book (e.g. before or after Sept 10th).