(In Fench)In Belgium, we call them “Safers” and say that their role is “emotional security”. But in truth, Safers often find themselves taking on a multiplicity of roles: there’s emotional support, of course, but they’ll also find menstrual protection or a sewing kit to repair a costume, act as a complaints office to spare the orgas, think with certain players about how to redirect their game or manage conflicts, … among many other things.

What are “Safers” good for? What can we expect from them? How can we best prepare for this role? This short talk is aimed at orgas, safe room volunteers and anyone interested in how to organize support for players on site. It is a translation of a talk first given at Knutepunkt 2025 by Paula Pennanen, Hissu Hyvärinen and Markus Montola, the Odysseus LARP on-site player support team. It is here translated and adapted to the Belgian context with their agreement.

Conference| Rachel Hoekendijk

Sunday, November 16, 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.