Sleepover party
Welcome to BEta Larp’s opening party, where every larper sense of celebration meets the chill of a pajama party ! Larp is not just a cultural practice, but above all a social hobby, so why not take advantage of this evening to get together and get to know each other better? We’re sure you’ll find plenty of atmosphere and good spirits! A kigouroumis-friendly evening!
Just for fun
Friday, October 27, starting at 8:30 p.m.
Opening conference | C’est vrai parce que c’est faux : les émotions en GN (in French)
(in French) We often speak about Larp as a profound experience, during which we feel emotions first-hand and carry them with us for a long time. But where do these emotions come from? How do organizers generate them, and how do players use them? Is it a question of design, of setting, of game community? In this dynamic, not-too-serious conference, we’ll try to tackle these questions and provide some food for thought.
Conference| Alessandro Giovanucci
Saturday, October 28, 9:30-10:15 a.m.
How to play a storm / LARP in SAR(search and rescue) operations
1) How to play a storm is about how LARP can be implemented in simulations and scenarios for Disaster managament, also how can we go from there to the business world and make educational or stress test simulations for our staff/managers etc.
2) LARP in SAR is about how larp tools can be used as dealing with psychological problems that occur after heavy events, preventing or identifiying of ptsd symptoms etc.It can be a workshop with contribution from the participants experience.
Interactive Talk | Georgi Vlaykov
Saturday, October 28, 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.
Souvenirs d’une gauchiasse repentie(in French)
(In French)What do you do when you have to play a character who is clearly not the good guy of the story? What do you do when you have to play an oppressor, even though in real life you campaign for greater equality and fairness?
Here I’m going to try to answer these questions by sharing the tips that helped me feel less guilty about preparing, playing and, after the game, letting go of characters who were racist/violent/oppressive/misogynist bastards/whatever qualifies as the opposite of what I am/think/militate in my TO life.
Conference | Lucile
Saturday, October 28, 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.
The Sustainability Roleplaying Club Formula
What could be a workable model for sustaining a role-playing community in the long term? This presentation will look at the goals, aspirations and intentions to achieve this and the formula that the presenters propose for European teams.
Conference | Judit Vitalis & Lumina Cornu Club
Saturday, October 28, 10:15-11:15 a.m.
Toilettes sèches démontables sans outils, aux normes handicapées (in French)
(In French)Manufacture, use and assembly of a prototype dry toilet kit, to disabled standards. Demonstration and discussion of the object’s usefulness for LARP sites without toilets.
Workshop | Briareos
Saturday, October 28, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Drop your sword! How to regulate your emotions and check in with yourself inside and out of LARP
Drop your sword! No, for real. Drop it! How many times do you catch yourself stressed, angry, frustrated during the day? We’ll work with how you can ‘check in’ with yourself, your emotions and your current state and regulate, if needed. But hey, we might as well flip the coin and use this trick to build character emotions for LARP situations. So, do you have your sword? 😉
Workshop | Agi Upor (Lyona)
Sunday, October 29, 10:15-11:15 a.m.
Broderie, Blason et récits de Baston
Discover the BA-Ba of embroidery, as well as some tricky tips to make yourself an incredible coat of arms to decorate faction tabards and futuristic uniforms. Epic tales and GN memories welcome once the needle ballet begins!
Workshop | Damien
Samedi 28 octobre, 11h30-12h30
Le groupe de GN : vie, mort et (éviter les) remords (in French)
(In french)In LARP, it’s sometimes expected to the larpers to organize themselves into groups. This can mean one-off groups of 5-6 people, but it can also often mean groups of 15-40 people with the ambition of lasting several years and incurring joint costs. That’s quite an adventure, both in and out of the game!
We’re going to take a closer look at this second type of group. How are they created? What drives them? How are decisions made? How does the group integrate new people and organize itself to last over time?
We met people who have taken part in groups that have risen to the challenge and gone the distance. The aim: to draw inspiration from their experience, provide food for thought on recurring difficulties, and suggest tools (notably based on self-management) to keep the feathering to a minimum.
Conference | Rachel & Arnaud
Saturday, October 28, 12pm-4pm
Engagement et GN : un travail d’équipe (in French)
(In French)Volunteer involvement within our organizations and associations is the driving force behind our projects. So it’s only natural that the challenges of building, retaining and renewing volunteer teams are major issues for our structures.
In the course of our activity, we’ll start with a well-documented introduction to these issues, followed by time for discussion and the creation of tools in sub-groups on these three themes. This activity is intended for (future) volunteers, who will be able to express their wishes and needs, as well as for organizers, who will be able to exchange best practices and learn from volunteer feedback.
Workshop | Romain Féret-Bosquelle & Barro
Saturday, October 28, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Mi-conférence mi-table ronde autour de la précarité + 10 façons d’aider les GNistes pauvres (in French)
It’s well known that Larp is an expensive hobby, so while it may seem strange to build a conference looking at the needs of poor Larpers / people with structural poverty who would like to try Larp, it’s more necessary than ever to do so. After a quick presentation, I’ll propose ten possible solutions for including this population. As a Larper who grew up in poverty, I’m familiar with the subject and have done some additional research.
Interactive Talk | Lolv Peregrin Lacave
Saturday, October 28, 3pm-4pm
Larp in Erasmus+. Case studies and opportunitie
LARP events seem distinctively interesting in the eyes of the Erasmus+ Program, which is funding learning opportunities for young people. What makes it so special? What kind of opportunities are there waiting for young players and larp organizations? You will get the basic orientation in this field and hear a lot of case studies with pictures and videos. Expect questions and energizers. I’m representing Nausika Foundation, Poland, which is one of the main actors in this field, with a growing number of international projects. Perhaps we will arrange some kind of collaboration together?
Conference | Zbyszek Janczukowicz
Saturday, October 28, 2 – 3 p.m.
Créer un scénario court : la méthode danoise (in French)
This workshop invites you to work on your short-form scenario (3-8 players for 4-5 hours of play), inspired by the scenario creation workshops conducted in Denmark as part of the Fastaval gaming convention, an institution in its almost 30-year history.
After a short presentation on the essential aspects to consider, we’ll work collectively on the question of the premise (themes) of the LARP. Then, as participants choose, we’ll move on to either structure (scenes) or characters and their relationships. And, time permitting, we’ll conclude with a discussion of rules and communication around the scenario. We recommend that participants bring their own ideas for scenarios to work on (just a few ideas/concepts will suffice).
Pre-registration required: link to form.
Workshop | Muriel
Saturday, October 28, 2pm-4pm
Lessons Learned: the evolution of a larp
The change of a hungarian larp through the years in scope and quality and what we larned from it. Difficulties and challanges when your game gets successfull and doubles in size and how you have to adapt as an organizer.
Conference | Sonir
Saturday, October 28, 3pm-5.15pm
Très sourde et joueuse, c’est possible !
Some of you may have come across me in LARP. I’m very deaf and I’ve been playing LARP for a while now. So I’d like to share with you my experience and my accessibility needs, as well as how best to welcome a player with a hearing problem. I’ll also give you an introduction to French sign language and French spoken language (LfPC).
Pre-registration required: link to form.
Workshop | Hélène
Saturday, October 28, 4:15-6:15 p.m.
Mais t’avais dit qu’on ferait pas du Cthulhu (in French)
(In French)At a time when today’s Larp movement is promoting the use of notes of intent and transparency, can an organization still afford to produce
scenarios with a 180° plot twist? Super surprise effect or breach of social contract? What about GNs that want to “keep the surprise” for their participants?
Conference | Clueless Cora
Saturday, October 28, 5:15-6:15 p.m.
Du seum au fun : gestion de la frustration en GN (in French)
(In French)Whether you’re a player or an org, there’s one enemy worse than the Necromancer of the final battle: frustration. Here’s some advice and discussion on how to deal with feelings of frustration in GN!
Interactive Talk/span> | Gaspard
Saturday, October 28, 5:15-6:15 p.m.
TechnoLarp : objets de jeu interactifs à portée de toustes (In French)
(In French)Following our first presentation of Technolarp at BEtaLarp 2021, we’re back with a finalized project. TechnoLarp is a “turnkey” device design project aimed at making it possible for any organizer to integrate interactive game objects or scenery into their Larp. No knowledge of electronics or programming is required either to use TechnoLarp or to attend this conference.
During the conference, we will present the project and demonstrate our access devices on practical cases. The conference will also provide an opportunity to discuss possible follow-up to the Technolarp project.
Conference | Romain Féret-Bosquelle and Marcelin Delcour
Saturday, October 28, 5:15-6:15 p.m.
La joie de nuire(in French)
(In French)Embodying immoral characters, actively seeking to do harm… in short, “Villains”, can happen to you in LARP. How do you manage your emotions before, during and after the game? Should you feel guilty about having fun playing someone who does and seeks to do atrocious things in-game? This talk will give you some pointers, based on the speaker’s extensive experience in this field!
Conference | Jean-Rémi Girard
Sunday, October 29, 4:15 to 5:15 p.m.
Non, ce n’est pas sale ! Ce que l’entreprise peut apprendre au GN (in French)
L’entreprise, c’est un peu un gros mot dans le monde du GN. Pourtant, les outils d’organisation de groupe qui y sont utilisés pourraient faciliter la vie de bon nombre d’orgas. Nous vous présentons quelques pistes en espérant que cela suscitera votre intérêt pour continuer à creuser le sujet.
Conférence | Caro & Maruška
Samedi 28 octobre, 17h45-18h45
L’entreprise, c’est un peu un gros mot dans le monde du GN. Pourtant, les outils d’organisation de groupe qui y sont utilisés pourraient faciliter la vie de bon nombre d’orgas. Nous vous présentons quelques pistes en espérant que cela suscitera votre intérêt pour continuer à creuser le sujet.
Conférence | Caro & Maruška
Samedi 28 octobre, 17h45-18h45
Nouveaux venus : une barrière à l’entrée ? (in French)
(In French)When describing the concept of GN to a newcomer, who hasn’t heard the phrase “I didn’t even know it existed”? This lack of awareness of the hobby is linked to a number of factors: poor (or incomplete) representation in the media, information that’s hard to find if you don’t know where to look, etc… What can we do to share our activity with a new audience, and no longer need to know someone who practices GN to know what it’s all about?
Interactive Talk | Lionel
Saturday, October 28, 6:15 to 7:15 p.m.
Découpe laser et impression 3D pour les armes de GN
We’re going to talk about how you can more easily make beautiful foam weapons for LARP and trollball.
Pre-registration required: link to form.
Workshop | Briareos
Saturday, October 28, 6:15 to 7:15 p.m.
We’re going to talk about how you can more easily make beautiful foam weapons for LARP and trollball.
Workshop | Briareos
Saturday, October 28, 6:15 to 7:15 p.m.
BEta Larp : Larp Awards
If all the arts have their rewards and prizes, Belgian Larp is glaringly lacking in them. Who said that Larpers weren’t capable of admiring the achievements of their peers? Without judgement or trash-talk, come and join us in rewarding the greatest Larp achievements of French-speaking Belgium in recent years!
Just for fun
Saturday, October 28, 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The Whims
Welcome to the neighborhood!
You have just moved into your new home and it is time to start living your new life! This is a blackbox-larp strongly inspired by the game The Sims.
In this experience half of the participants play as Whims and the other half as Gamers. After half of the playtime you will switch roles.
As a Whims you will play out the actions that your Gamer is choosing for you, and also let them know how their choices make you feel.
As a Gamer you will decide the faith of your Whim by guiding them through a life path that you choose. You are the master of their life.
This game has fast pacing, big emotions and is a parody of the game The Sims. When your life is fast-forwarded everything happens all at once.
Everyone is welcome!
No need to have any knowledge about the game The Sims or bring anything but yourself to participate.
(A LARP by Kajsa Seinegård)
Pre-registration required: link to form..
Short Larp | Jérémie Daelen
Saturday, October 28, 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Life Lessons
Drawing a live human model can sometimes reveal more about you than it does about the subject. In this larp, you will play a group of students at a weekly life-drawing class, across a series of six lessons. The process of drawing will open up your characters – to themselves, and to each other – and they will share and bond.
It’s important to bear in mind that this larp is not really about drawing: you don’t have to be able to draw, or even to enjoy drawing, to take part. Drawing is just a mechanism for approaching the exploration of your character. What you draw during the larp will not be seen by anyone other than yourself, unless you wish it to.
Short Larp | Mo Holkar
Saturday, October 28, 8:30 to 11:30 p.m.
Les derniers bars avant la fin du monde [In French]
A team of 5 “new explorers” embark on the “Unsinkable”®, a revolutionary pocket submarine prototype designed and piloted by billionaire entrepreneur Dick Johnson. Their goal is to be the first tourists to be able to descend to a depth of 3821 meters to admire the timeless majesty of the titanic wreck (via a 4K HDR ++ camera and a superb retina™ panoramic curved 8K XHRD+ screen).
Excerpt from the sales brochure:
“The submarine offers its occupants unparalleled comfort with a vast cabin measuring 2m*1m*1m40 high. Piloting this little jewel of technology is child’s play with a Logitech™ F710 controller connected via Bluetooth. For an additional fee, passengers can also access their Netflix™ series or Spotify™ playlist throughout the journey. The ‘explorer’ package allows you to take part in the expedition for the preferential pre-booking rate of 0,000.00 to experience the adventure of a lifetime. Don’t hesitate! Take the plunge!”
This mini-larp takes a light-hearted, parodic approach to a recent tragic current event. Although the characters portrayed in this mini-larp will experience some stressful and trying moments, it is resolutely feel-good for the participants. Characters will be created in a workshop, collaboratively by participants on the basis of detailed character sheets. The GN will be followed by a quick debriefing.
Themes:
– Thrill-seeking billionaires
– Vanity
– Egos under pressure
– Promiscuity
– Emptiness of existence
Trigger Warning:
– Death (and evocation of death)
– Claustrophobia
– Sudden promiscuity, with bodily contact
– Accidents
– Panic
– Verbal violence
Short Larp | Romain Féret-Bosquelle
Saturday, October 28, 9:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Larp Quizz
Do you know the name of every edition of Avatar and the scenario of the first opus of Ragnarok? Do you know all about the meta-techniques used in Nordic LARP or about LARP romance? Have you memorized the resolution of Shadow Island and know what secrets lie behind The City? Or do you have no idea, but want to test your knowledge of our shared passion and take on other Gnistes in good spirits? This quiz is for you! And for everyone! Open to beginners and experienced Gnists alike. Come and win the prize for this 2023 edition!
Short Larp
Sunday, October 29, 9:30-10:15 a.m.
Il faut que GNesse se fasse (In French)
(In French)Several organizations organize Larp for kids and teens. I’d like to facilitate a meeting between them. Let them ask each other questions about the different aims and objectives they have set themselves, or ask each other questions about observations made through activities, or invite each other to think about future possibilities for the generations who will continue to keep Larp alive after us.
Interactive Talk | Maar Audin
Saturday, October 28, 10:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Moi, moche et méchant : comment éviter les clichés (nuls) dans l’écriture des méchants en jeu (in French)
Destroy the universe, that’s a no. Sardonic laughter, no. Neo-Nazis in flip-flops and gel-filled hair, no. Using the literature and psychology spearheaded by yours truly, we’re going to set the record straight on what nastiness is, the real kind, the kind that’ll really make you change your stance when your most handsome Larp villain approaches.
Conférence | Rémi Washington
Sunday, October 29, 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.
TechnoLarp : atelier-découverte et mise en pratique
In this hands-on workshop, we invite you to discover the possibilities of TechnoLarp for yourself. Specifically, we’ll take you step-by-step through the implementation of several TechnoLarp interactive game objects that can easily be used in Larp.
This workshop is designed to be accessible to all, requiring no particular prior knowledge, and we will provide participants with all the equipment they need to follow it.
Workshop | Romain Féret-Bosquelle and Marcelin Delcour
Sunday, October 29, 10:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Filmer un GN : Retour sur 2 aftermovies d’Avatar Stronghold – Mon témoignage sur l’expérience capturer des scènes dans un GN (in French)
Filming a Larp: A look back at two Avatar Stronghold aftermovies – My testimony of the extraordinary experience of capturing scenes in a role-playing game.
Conference | Alexandre Mottart
Sunday, October 29, 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.
The Way of Cooperative Larp design – From the beginning to future possibilitie
The workshop is based on our experiences in organizing our game, called ‘The Frozen World’. Based on its historical timeline and the different concepts of gameplay, we collected our ideas and methods about how to organize a game from the beginning to the end, considering the game design, technical details, time and task management, organization structure, and future possibilities.
Workshop | Orsi
Sunday, October 29, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Évaluer une proposition de jeu (in French)
(In French) Larps are co-creations, meaning that the story evolves through proposals made by different players (organizers, PCs, NPCs, groups, etc.) and accepted (or rejected or modified) by the other parties involved. How do you identify a game suggestion? And how do you decide which ones to accept? According to what criteria? I invite you to dive into the theory and think about “what we do when we play”.
Conference | Rachel
Sunday, October 29, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
It’s not bad to feel good. The meaningfulness of slice of life and feelgood larp
(En Anglais) Larp needs to be packed with action and activities. Or with tears and type two fun. Or with high drama and soap opera moments. Go big or go home, ideally with a panda face because of all the tears you shed, and a recollection of stories of how the your character did or suffered through horrible events.
But is larp only a deep, meaningful and good experience if your character has suffered, gone through big emotions and All The Drama TM?
Let’s talk about low drama play on slice of life stories, and about the impact and meaningfulness of feelgood. Because it is ok to want for your character not to suffer through the apocalypse, but to build a meaningful life after the big boom event. Let’s go beyond an oversimplification of the term feelgood, and look at how impactful it can be to play on positivity despite everything.
Interactive Talk | Sandy
Sunday, October 29, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
GN & EcoResponsabilité – “Make Larp Sustainable Again”
At a time when our Western societies are becoming increasingly aware of the challenges posed by ecological issues, I’d like, after a brief introduction, to invite you to reflect together on the following topics:
– Which elements of current Larp practice have the highest ecological footprint (in terms of both energy consumption and pollution)?
– What individual and collective means (as organizers / associations / federations) do we have to reduce these impacts?
– Projection/Futurology: If, following the most alarmist projections, our societies were to embark on the path of degrowth & energy frugality, what place would be left for leisure activities, and in Larp? Would it disappear completely, or would it survive, and if so, in what form? What day would you like to host this session?
Interactive Talk | Romain Féret-Bosquelle
Sunday, October 29, 2 to 3 p.m.
(Français) Il n’y a pas de petites émotions
What if a Larp didn’t need big emotions, tears, unforgettable passion and untold drama to be a success?
From the initial idea to the note of intent to the interpretation, this workshop is here to give you an accelerated experience of what a “small emotions” LARP can be, i.e. with sometimes more subtle arcs that won’t necessarily change the face of the world or a person’s destiny. And yet they’re no less interesting, gripping and emotionally rich (after all, it’s not the size of the emotions that counts, but the way in which they’re brought to life).
Workshop | Saki Jones
Sunday, October 29, 2 to 3 p.m./p>
Limbo
The larp takes place in the realm of Limbo, betwixt and between life and death. Beyond time. A waiting place to reflect on life as it has been so far before either returning to life once again or facing the unknown on the other side of death. The characters are a group of people from our own time and society who are hovering between life and death who find themselves stranded in Limbo.
Short Larp | Irena
Sunday, October 29, 2 to 4 p.m.
Gay mais pas cliché : l’inclusion passe aussi par l’écriture des personnages (in French)
(In French)Our view of the world is influenced by the stories we are told. Although this has improved in recent years, the TV and film industry too often uses the “Bury your gays” cliché (LGBT characters die or suffer tragedy far more often than straight ones). This and other clichés also appear in Larp. Yet it’s possible to write nuanced characters regardless of their sexual orientation. Sexual orientation shouldn’t be the main (or worse, the only) element in describing a character.
On the other hand, for queer gamers, having only straight or clichéd LGBT characters to play with can generate frustration or a feeling of being left out.
How do you write a nuanced LGBT character? What clichés should be avoided or misappropriated? Should a character’s sexual orientation always be written, or should it be left in the hands of the players?
“A hero is a hero, whether you’re male, female, gay, lesbian, straight, black, white or red all over – it doesn’t matter.” Andrew Garfield, about the Spiderman costume.
Conference | Basile Hrpgn
Sunday, October 29, 3 to 4 p.m.
« Juste des émotions » : penser le GN et la justice sociale avec Sara Ahmed [in French]
« La justice devient une forme de ressenti, qui relève d’un « sentiment-de-semblable », une capacité de ressentir des choses pour autrui et de compatir à sa douleur. »
This year, I propose to revive my own tradition of over-ambitious nerd stuff by trying to apply to LARP some thoughts from The Cultural Politics of Emotions (2004) by queer and racialized philosopher and activist Sara Ahmed. In this book, which fascinated me, she looks at how our emotions are shaped by the political context, and how politics seizes on them in return. I’m particularly interested in a passage from her conclusion, in which Ahmed questions a certain vision of justice that would be limited to feeling “the right emotions” – effectively erasing the material conditions of reparation and taking into account the wrongs done. His reflections, always nuanced, seem to me interesting for questioning the potentially pedagogical virtues of LARP, particularly with regard to issues linked to systemic oppressions. Ultimately, Ahmed says about emotions what we can already say about games: they’re “only” emotions… But maybe that’s something.
Conference | Axiel Cazeneuve
Sunday 29 october, 3:00 p.m.- 5:15 p.m.
C’est quoi tes valeurs ? (in French)
(In French)Who hasn’t experienced a moment of disagreement between their personal off-game values and those of their in-game character? How often are we tempted to recreate democracy in a feudal society? To play a heretic in a religious world?
Role-playing gives us the opportunity to project ourselves into alternative realities. Yet our contemporary values often get in the way of our decisions and interpretations. In this talk, we’ll look at the causes of this confusion, and suggest some ways of dealing with it.
Conference | Gaspard
Sunday, October 29, from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m.
The workshop workshop
Workshops!
They seem to be the cool thing to do, the conditio sine qua non for a true ‘nordic style’ or even international larp. They also seem to be shoved around and into events for the sake of having a workshop, and do you really need that line-up exercise for your specific larp, or are you just throwing it in there because everyone seems to do so? And well, actually, what makes a good workshop work? And what makes it work in your specific larp?
In this short workshop (yes, indeed, very meta), we will jump headfirst into workshops, and try to make more sense of the exercises and the way they are delivered as well as of the way you structure and fit them in your larp.
Pre-registration required: link to form.
Workshop | Sandy
Saturday, October 28, from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m.
Co-narration : retour de l’expérience In Taberna (in French)
(In French)In our Larp “In Taberna”, participants take turns being PCs and NPCs. The scenario is co-written by all participants in a workshop prior to the game. Combat and magic are not framed by rules.
In this talk we’ll look back on the experience of this sandbox Larp: origin, conception, communication, realization and feedback from the participants.
Conference | Mathieu Bogaerts & Olivier Samyn
Sunday, October 29, from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m.
Retour d’expérience en tant que photographe de GN (in French)
(In French)I’ve been going to Larps as an amateur photographer for 9 years now. I go wherever the lore, the universe, interests me to take pictures. During this meeting I’m going to talk about how I prepare before the GN, what equipment I take, what my complete workflow is when I get home, and how to make the shots available. There will be a fair amount of technical explanation (photographic terms), but also mental explanation in terms of the rules I use to blend into the game as much as possible. This will be my personal view and will be presented for information purposes only, in no way rigid or compulsory. You don’t need to be an expert in photography to understand what I do, and in any case I’m here to answer your questions too, within the limits of my knowledge.
Conference | Fabrice Martellucci
Sunday, October 29, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.