The LARP

The Requiem

Danse Macabre is a LARP set in the Chronicles of Darkness (CofD), namely the world of the Vampire: The Requiem roleplaying game. In this game, vampires known as Kindred live out their unlife after being Embraced into one of five Clans. Nobody truly knows how these Clans came to be, and they each have distinct powers and characteristics, representing a vampiric archetype. Additionally, these Kindred formed five major Covenants, political or spiritual organisations who vie for control of the vampiric Domains of the world. Kindred live out their unlife -their Requiem- in a constant struggle between their Humanity and the Beast that lurks inside their blood.

A tale of personal horror

A main theme of being Kindred is the eternal fight to retain your Humanity, a measure of morality. However, The Beast is patient, and ever-present. Giving into it is a slippery slope to eternal damnation. As a vampire, you are a monster, whether you like it or not. But that does not have to mean you have to act like one. In Danse Macabre, your character will cling to Humanity via a variety of ways to quell The Beast, but will often fail incrementally. A Kindred’s Requiem is inevitably filled with tragedy.

Co-creational play

The story of Danse Macabre is shaped by both the storytellers and the people participating in the LARP. We aim to create a story together with our participants. Each participant is involved in telling their own story, and shapes the stories of others around them. To do so, we will make liberal use of “session zero” mechanics before the start of this cycle of events, and encourage our participants to take ownership of their own stories. As such, we make it everyone´s responsibility to tell an amazing tale. This is not a LARP about winning out-ofcharacter, or having fun at the cost of someone else´s. For more information on this, please see the Playing this LARP section.

Not The Masquerade in another guise

At first glance, Danse Macabre (or the game it’s based on) may look very similar to Vampire: The Masquerade. Although many of us have happy memories playing V:TM, both at a table or in a LARP, Danse Macabre is an entirely different game, with an entirely different philosophy of play. In Danse Macabre, there are many more question marks than there are answers. Next to no background knowledge is required to enjoy the game, and the origins and dealings of Kindred are steeped in mystery. Do not expect a game of gothic punk and the yoke of authority, but a game of gothic horror, filled with angst about what it means to be cursed with unlife. A game where history was written by the victors, and the truth may lie somewhere in the middle. Rather than being stuck in a war that most don’t even believe in, Kindred in Danse Macabre must maneuver to gain power, driven by loyalty to their family or Clan and to their conviction or Covenant, dancing their Danse Macabre. No “superheroes with fangs”, nor “trench coats and katanas”. No exceptions.

System and rules

While Kindred have a variety of powers available to them, Danse Macabre uses a tailored rules-light approach (such as the really-really system), maximizing play with no downtime necessary (except for negotiation) for resolution. There will be no experience points to gain, nor will there be in-game number crunching. This does not mean that your characters will be static, just that we are not fitting a tabletop system to a LARP setting.

Mechanics as a guide rather than a judge

Danse Macabre is a LARP about struggle, about the drama of unlife, and about being stuck in a gilded cage with other monsters. Mechanics are defined to safeguard the internal consistency of the setting, and define the borders of the stage. The mechanics serve to support the stories being told. Expect “Yes, and...” from us, rather than no. Some mechanics might be defined loosely, often deliberately so, to allow for maximum potential of play between characters. LARP with them, rather than against them.

Conflict and playing to lift

Conflict is everywhere in a Kindred´s Requiem, and might range from the mundane to blood feuds spanning decades. Danse Macabre will be no different. However, this LARP is played in a co-creational manner. In the vein of the Nordic LARP scene, we want to emphasize playing to lift. Simply put, this means that by your playing, you enhance both your own and the experience of people around you. Secrets are only fun if they are whispered behind others´ backs, and payback for a slight is best served after deliberately negotiating how that could create play. We emphasize ownership and agency of our players´ stories, in which they are all the main character.

This does not mean that there can be no nasty surprises, nor brutal conflict. It means that your experience does not exist in a vacuum, and awareness of that can create even more intense roleplay. See Play To Lift  for more information.

What you see is what you get and the suspension of disbelief

Each event of Danse Macabre will try to emulate as much of a 360 degree illusion as possible. This means that the scenography will try to paint a compelling picture as a backdrop for the game. While 360 will not always be possible, we aspire to get close. We want this aspiration to be evident in everything, from the costumes of our characters to the system we will use. As much as possible, we will strive for a what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) approach. If this is not possible due to real-world constraints, we will incorporate other media such as scents, colored lighting,.. to represent our story.

If you:

• Want to tell a story about the loss of humanity, a story of tragedy, about shifting alliances, and eternal hunger

• Understand that the best stories are told in collaboration with eachother

• Want to contribute to an immersive experience

• Are comfortable with an implicit measure of physical contact (i.e. laying a hand on someone´s shoulder) and non-physical conflict (i.e. being threatened, experiencing prejudice or mental coercion).

• Don't necessarily know anything about Vampire: The Requiem

You might have a lot of fun!

If you:

• Want to "win" at the cost of the enjoyment of other participants

• Want a LARP where your character can gain "experience points" to grow in power

• Want to resolve situations by the use of a rulebook and game system, rather than calibration

• Do not want to use calibration mechanisms

• Want to incorporate real-life kink in your play at Danse Macabre

You are not going to enjoy the LARP.