Have you ever noticed the little difference between the danish word “skabninger?” (literally: creatingers) and the english word: “beings.” They are both a very neutral word for something that exists and is alive. But in danish the emphasis in on the ability to create, or that they are created, whereas in english the focus is on being, as in being present in the world.

I’m just home from the big Danish role play convention Fastaval. As I always do, I’ll write how it was and write about each game. But I won’t go into the amount of detail that I usually do, I don’t have time for that. Other more profitable projects needs that energy. And before I even can get started on that, I just have to present this game I made in sleepless mania last night.

The idea started when Danny Wilson and me debated the game masterless scenarios and him being always uncompromising said: very rarely is it true GM’less, a briefing player for example is still a kind of GM. He then said: “A true GM’less scenario is one where the players enter the room, and then plays the game without any beforehand instructions from anyone.” You can’t say that and not having me try that. And I failed, as you will see, but the game that came from it is ehm… interesting.

The players enter a starting room, as they enter a GM bids them welcome at the door, tells them not to speak from now on until the game is done and hand them the preview text (which is the same as the text people could read when signing up.) That is this text:
______

Beings – Creatingers

The beings awaken
They know nothing
What are they?
Who are they?
Where are they?
What are the others here?
Who are the others here?
Why are they?
They explore themselves, their surroundings, the others
Maybe they find answers

You now have the opportunity to take on the role as one of these beings and be there, as it discovers its self, its surroundings, the other beings and ponder the meaning. The other participants around you will do the same, and together you will have an experience of being and creating.

Rules:
Rules must be followed
You may not express words in speech, writing or any other form
Your experience starts when the door closes, then you are your being
Your experience ends when you leave the room, then you are yourself again
Text is invisible for the begins
Instructions in text must be followed by the participants

Safety Rules:
Hiss: you disagree, you want less of that
Hum: you agree, you want more of that

An experience for participants that are curious, open, can support each other, read the room, wants to try something different, that want to have an experience of exploring existence as something different than yourself.

Place yourself in the circle if you want to play
______

Anyone who goes into the circle will be taken by a GM to the room that has been set up for this, and is shown a sign by a GM that reads: “Lie down here, breathe slowly and deep.” When all that want to play is placed a GM leaves the room and closes the door. As the players exit they a given a piece of paper by a GM with debrief instructions, when those are done the game is over.

I will not say anything about what the room contains, in case I at any point actually run this game. But I think and hope that you get some hints from the preview text.

Will I run this game? I think so, just for fun, but there’s a great risk in it being completely unplayable, but it was an experience designing it. If you want to be part of a test of this game feel free to contact me.

And that’s it, I hope I can sleep to night, please?