Sirius 11F84 - Colors of Light
Experimental Edu-Larp
Key words: scene repetition, energy-drain.
Focus: Orea players experience and practise how to manage their energy levels and practise repeating scene 2-1. In scene 2-3 there are some adjustments to consider.
Target: Orea PCs + GPCs
Place: Messhall
Responsible: Ole
From scene 2-1 onwards, there is direct interaction with the Terrans, so the use of the energy necklaces is explained and practised. Scenes 2-1 and 2-2 should also be identical in principle in order to meet the Oreans’ requirement that only something that has taken place twice is considered real.
Explain to the players how the energy household is played out and let them practice using the necklaces.
10 min
Due to their different mental, spiritual, and physical composition, the interaction between Oreans and Terrans causes energy drain for both sides. A longer conversation will, at minimum, cause exhaustion. The Terrans furthermore need sleep and food to function. Thus, hunger and thirst will also impact their energy level.
Energy in-game is represented by coloured, weighted necklaces — or rather by their absence. A character without a necklace is full of creative energy, well-rested, and in the case of a Terran, well-fed. However, should characters engage one another and be of different species, they will “gift” each other with one or more weighted necklaces, which are provided as wall decorations throughout the location. It is up to the players to decide what kind of necklace and how many they will “bestow” on another character. The amount should be reasonable, and if the receiver feels another necklace would be too much, they can use the “By the Colours” technique to intervene. We suggest one necklace for five to ten minutes of a normal conversation and two for a heated screaming match. Terran players should try to put an equal amount of necklaces on the players of an Orean, alternating between the two players so that not only one bears all the weight.
The necklaces will bear heavier on some players than they do on others. Even if a player is not really encumbered by their weight, they should try to use the number of necklaces as a rough guide for the mental and physical exhaustion of their character. One or two necklaces may resemble the average level of tiredness most adults deal with every day. Three or four certainly represent an above-average level of fatigue. More necklaces may point to strong hunger or confused listlessness.
Blue
Spiritual and mental exhaustion, lack of creativity, confusion
Yellow
Hunger and thirst
Red
Physical exhaustion, tiredness
The necklaces and types of energy-drain are abstract representations. We encourage a use related to their types. For example, if Oreans make many inquiries about food, it would fit the situation to place a yellow necklace on the Terran being questioned.
Because Oreans have no real bodies, they do not experience tiredness or hunger. For them, all energy-drain is essentially spiritual and mental. Terrans may still place red and yellow necklaces on Oreans — again, best fitting the situation or conversation.
Regardless of the colour, Oreans can remove one necklace for every five minutes they spend away from Terrans and experience some form of creative input, for example, by listening to music or if they produce art themselves. It takes an uninterrupted period of 20 minutes if an Orean just spends time away from the Terrans alone or in the company of other Oreans. Oreans with a welcoming attitude may remove a necklace if they witness a great creative feat by a Terran (but only once during the larp). If a Terran player wants to declare their art to be their masterpiece, they show or perform it with the words: “I put all my heart-blood into this.” What they deem a “great creative feat” is up to the Orean players. Adversarial and neutral Oreans do not regain any energy from experiencing such a feat but may consider such a display as a cue for a shift in their attitude towards the Terrans (again, players’ discretion).
Even if you are all Oreans, please get into groups of four, two Orean pairs at a time, and have a heated conversation for five minutes, for example, about food, war, or capitalism. Then put an appropriate necklace on each other.
As already mentioned in the key scene workshop, the first two scenes you play should be more or less identical. As it was said, it is not necessary that every hand movement or utterance in the repetition is 100% identical to the previous scene, but it is more about the rough sequence of happenings.
10 min
It may be that the Terrans have understood what you consider good art in the first test scene and therefore try to adapt to it in the repetition. We leave it up to you how you judge this. You can scold them and ask them to please do it the way they did it the first time. Or you can judge it positively as a learning process. Contradictory reactions — praise from some, scolding from others — are very welcome.
Try to remember roughly your interactions with the Terrans. If a member of the delegation comes to you while the others are taking a particular test to ask you about Orean politics or culture or to initiate trade relations, and the person does not do so on repeat, approach them from your side and ask to speak again.
If the Terrans ask you about something that did not happen in the first scene of the episode, refuse to talk about it or deal with it.
Afterwards, use the remaining time to discuss once again which group of Makers will be in charge and when.
During the test, you will notice that the Terrans are getting weaker and may ask for food. Although you are testing them, you naturally want to be good hosts.
10 min
The third scene of the second episode is about sharing your evaluation of the Terrans’ artwork. Go through all the artworks in order of creation and tell the Terrans what was good and what was not. Meanwhile, those of you who have a welcoming attitude are especially concerned about the welfare of the Terran delegation. Therefore, from now on, force food upon them. Do not let them refuse it. It is for their best.
From this scene onwards, please also use the masks with errors because you are trying to adapt to the Terrans, who are wearing faulty masks at the beginning. If they are not wearing defective masks, use this as an opportunity to reprimand them, especially if you have an adversarial attitude.