This LARP game was developed to accompany the “I collaborate and integrate” chapter of the B.E. Y.O.U. guide.

It involves players assuming the roles of nobles in a galactic Empire in the far future. These nobles must secretly come together to ensure that the Prince/ Princess of their choice ascends to the throne, while also trying to achieve their own personal goals.

Thirty of the world’s brightest minds have been invited to a secluded mansion, owned by reclusive multimillionaire and visionary, Robert Green. Each of you is an expert in your respective field – technology, medicine, psychology, engineering, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and more. The invitation was mysterious, offering little detail beyond a promise that this gathering could lead to a project that would change the world forever.

Divide your number of players by 4. For each 4 players, add a Royal and 3 Nobles of their affiliation (1 from Influential, 1 from Stable and 1 from Conscientiousness) from the “The Ascendancy War Characters + Events” file. If you have additional players, each Affiliation has an additional character for you to add. After you have selected the characters that are going to be played, prepare a separate WhatsApp group chat for each Affiliation. Place the printed Rules in a place visible and accessible to the players.

(Tip: It is recommended that before the game, you have your characters separated in Dominant/ Influential/ Stable/ Conscientiousness in a place not visible or accessible to the players for easier distribution.)

“PERSONALITY TEST” (BASED ON DISC)

Leave the coloured papers in a place accessible to your players and put the Briefing/Debriefing presentation on the projector. Instruct them to pick the paper that corresponds to their honest answer for each question. The questions are:

1) If your friend was causing trouble, how would you deal with it?

• Stop them, by any means necessary (D)

• Talk to them (I)

• Avoid getting involved (S)

• Step back and assess the situation (C)

2) What brings you joy?

• Results (D)

• Recognition (I)

• Peacefulness (S)

• Perfection (C)

3) You are expecting an important phone call, but your phone is at 5% battery. What do you do?

• Call them and ask them to reach you at a different time (D)

• Ask people around you if they have a charger you can borrow (I)

• It’s ok, they will call you back later (S)

• No problem, you have your power bank with you (C)

4)Which phrase resonates with you the most?

• The ends justify the means (D)

• Treat others as you wish to be treated (I)

• If it’s not broken, don’t fix it (S)

• If you want it done right, do it yourself (C)

5)You are faced with a gigantic task. What do you do?

• Push through and get it done (D)

• Ask someone else to help you with it (I)

• Approach it one step at a time (S)

• Research the best way to do it (C)

Dominant (D) -> Red

Influential (I) -> Yellow

Stable (S) -> Green

Conscientious(C) -> Blue

Distribute Characters according to coloured papers with equal distribution in mind.

Instruct the players to keep the side of the Character Card with their Affiliation/ Personal Ability/ Goal hidden.

(Tip: You might have more people with a majority in one characteristic than you have available characters. For example, out of your 12 players, 5 might have mostly red papers, but you only have 3 Royals [Dominant characters] to distribute. In these types of cases, distribute so that all roles have some connection to the players. In the above example, if you have fewer people with yellow pieces of paper and one of your players with mostly red has one yellow paper, give them an Influential character.)

CONTEXT OF THE GAME

The year is 25025 AC and Empress Aurora Borealis is ready to step down from the Throne of the Galactic Empire and let one of her children succeed her based on the desires of the people of the empire. Thus, the great race to be the Supreme Monarch began! Nobles from every corner of the Empire conspire to secretly assist their preferred Royal in gaining the throne, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have an agenda of their own…          

FLESHING OUT THE CHARACTER

Give players 5 minutes to think of a story for the character given to them, while taking them one by one to secretly scan and join the WhatsApp Chat of the Affiliation indicated on the Character Card. Remind your players that the golden side of their Character Card must remain secret. Once all players have joined their respective chats, gather the players into a circle and have them share their characters’ Title, Name and Sub Title / Nickname ( E.g. “ I am Princess Xenorith, the Unmovable!”

(Tip: This is a good time to also privately answer any questions players might have about their Personal Abilities or Personal Goal)

MISSIVES STAGE:

During this stage, players are seated at a table and communicate with each other via their Affiliation WhatsApp group chat. At the end of the allocated time Royals write on a piece of paper their name and how much EZ their Affiliation is donating for the resolution of the current crisis. After this is done, Nobles may reveal themselves and use their personal power.

(Tip: This stage is supposed to simulate the Nobles and Royals being on their home planets and secretly conspiring with their allies. Encourage your players to stay as quiet and secretive as possible to not reveal their allegiances.)

BALL STAGE:

During this stage, players are gathered in a separate area and are welcomed to interact with each other. If at any point, any player wishes to make any public announcements or declarations, they may approach the facilitator to gather everyone’s attention for them. If players wish to exchange EZ for favours, they may do so during this stage.

(Tip: This stage is supposed to simulate the Nobles and Royals attending a big televised event for the elite, like a gala, an award ceremony, etc. Encourage your players to try to talk and interact with as many people as possible not only to try and gain more information on who is working with whom, but also to not betray who their allies are.)

CHARACTER CARD:

Two-sided cards that one side indicates Character Name / Starting Money / Tax Revenue / Description, and  Affiliation / Personal Ability / Goal on the other.

STARTING MONEY:

The money that the character begins the game with.

TAX REVENUE:

At the start of each Missives phase, with the exception of the first one, each Noble and Royal receives the amount of money indicated on their character card.

(Tip: Your players will be tasked with keeping track of their own EZ amounts, but due to all of the plotting and scheming, they might forget about their Tax Revenue. It is recommended that you verbally remind them to add their Tax Revenue to their current total at the beginning of each Missives stage.)

EZ:

EZ is this game’s currency. It can be used to resolve a Crisis, to achieve certain characters’ Goals or, potentially, during the Ball stage, exchanged with other characters for various favours.

PROBLEMS IN EMPIRE!

Every Ball rumours of unrest spread amongst the Nobles of a problem some of the populace of the Empire is currently facing. During the Missives phase, Royals gather funds from their factions and themselves to donate to the solution of the problem. At the end of the Missives stage, Royals write down their name and the amount their Affiliation is donating and give it to the facilitator. Highest donation gains +5 populace approval, second highest +3 and the rest +1. If not enough money is gathered, all factions gain -2 populace approval and the lowest bid gains -3. If more money than is required is collected, excess money is lost.

(Tip 1: This mechanic creates a secret bidding war environment where players not only have to coordinate the use of their funds and personal powers in their affiliation, but also anticipate what the other affiliations might use. The “if not enough money is gathered” mechanic exists to discourage players from not donating anything, while the “excess money is lost” mechanic exists to discourage players from using all of their resources in one crisis and having nothing to do for the rest of the game.)

(Tip 2: For more roleplay possibilities, if time permits, you may invite the Royal of the faction with the Highest donation to make a speech on how they wish the crisis to be resolved)

POPULACE APPROVAL:

Points that show how much a Royal is liked by the General Population. The faction with the most points by the end of the game wins.

(Tip: This is what in board game terms we would call “Victory Points”. It is the goal of each affiliation to get the most out of these by the end of the game.)

NOBLES OF THE MONTH: 

• Contempt: A Noble who has angered the general population. The Faction that this noble belongs to gains -2 populace approval this phase.
• Glory: A Noble who contributed greatly to the common good. The Faction that this noble belongs to gains +2 populace approval this phase.

(Tip 1: This mechanic simulates public opinion outside of the crisis situation. If a Noble is in “Contempt”, you can think of them as “cancelled”; thus, many people don’t want to support them publicly, while if they are in Glory, more people are joining the “bandwagon” and singing their praises.)

 (Tip 2: Royals cannot be in Contempt or Glory because speaking ill of the royals in most feudalistic societies would get you a severe punishment. Additionally, in game mechanic terms, Royals in Contempt or Glory would give too much spotlight and power to the players playing the Royals.)

PROMISE TO THE PEOPLE!: 

During a Ball, the Royals may address the general populace and make a public promise (E.g. “I, Princess Xenorith, promise on my name that I shall solve the ongoing crisis!”).

If the promise comes true, Royal’s affiliation gains +3 populace approval. However, if the promise does not come true, the Royal’s faction gains -5 populace approval. This rule can be used by each Royal once every two Ball stages.

(Tip 1: This is a big gamble mechanic. It encourages players to either think creatively if they are behind in points or use the tools they have to gain a greater advantage. The “once every two Ball stages” and “-5 populace approval” are there to discourage players from abusing the mechanic. Remember that as the facilitator, you have to be the judge on whether the promise came true, and points should be awarded.)

(Tip 2: Given that the phrasing of the promises might be vague, make sure to publicly verify what exactly the Royal is promising to the people.)

PUBLIC DECLARATION!:

During a Ball, once per game, each Royal may make a public declaration regarding a Noble whose Alliance has been revealed. They may sing the praises of a Noble in their faction to make them the Glory, Noble of the Month or accuse a Noble of an opposing faction to make them Contempt: Noble of the Month.

(Tip: For this mechanic, as well as “Promise to the People!”, if the player wants to make the declaration but is having problems grabbing the attention of the crowd, make sure to assist them. Example, “Your attention please! Princess Xenorith would like to make an announcement!”)

PERSONAL ABILITY: 

Unique ability each Noble can use once per game. When they use it, they must flip their character card, revealing their Affiliation, Personal Ability and Character Goal.

 (Tip: While personal abilities are very strong, the requirement for their activation is not only revealing their Affiliation and more importantly, their Personal Goal, but also making the Noble vulnerable to other Noble’s personal abilities. To enforce this to your players, you can associate it with someone reading their diary or their inner thoughts.)

CORONATION

During the Coronation, the winning Royal ascends to their throne and all Nobles check if they have achieved their Goals. After all Goals have been revealed and checked, the game ends.

(Tip: This stage acts as a segway to players sharing their stories and transitioning to the debrief. As the facilitator, you should establish a festive atmosphere and celebrate the efforts of all the players.)