Lynwood Hall

The price includes:

• Three-night stay in a charming family mansion with historic flair
• One (shared double) bed in a 2- to 6-bed room, shared washrooms in the corridor
• Towel and bed linen
• Full board (vegetarian options available)
  • Dinner on the day of arrival
  • Four meals per game day
  • Breakfast on departure day
• Props depending on the character
• Uniform accessories for footmen and maids (bow ties, gloves, aprons, hoods)

The difference in cost between upstairs and downstairs is food and lodging. In addition, servants help the gentlemen get dressed, serve food & drinks, and assist with dishes in the kitchen.

Sponsor and discounted tickets

If you have the financial means, you can choose to pay 50€ more for a sponsor ticket and sponsor a discounted ticket for another player. We offer as many discounted tickets as there are sponsors. We do not check for actual financial means and trust that these discounted tickets benefit financially weaker players.

• 05.09.22 Interest form opens.
• 18.09.22 Interest form closes.
• 25.09.22 Dates for 2023 are announced.
• 01.10.22 Sign-up begins.
• 15.10.22 The (first) sign-up period ends.
• 30.10.22 Confirmation of spot/offer of a spot on the waiting list. Flagging begins.
• 06.11.22 Flagging ends.
• 20.11.22 You receive your character. First half of the participation fee due.
• 04.12.22 Payment deadline for first half of the participation fee ends.
• 24.01.23 You receive your complete character description. Second half of the participation fee is due.
• 31.01.23 Payment deadline for second half of the participation fee ends. Invitation to the Discord server.
• XX.XX.23 Arrival
• XX.XX.23 The larp begins.
• XX.XX.23 The larp ends.
• XX.XX.23 Departure

Flagging

Since we can’t possibly know everyone who signs up, and we can’t be aware of all the possible conflicts between players that could disrupt the game, we will use a flagging process for safety reasons. Flagging is a way for you to let us know if there are any players to whom the following applies:

• Red Flag: “This person is unsafe for others/the game. If this person participates, I will drop out.” (We reserve the right to ask for some background in order to understand the situation. We take red flags very seriously and want to be handle them carefully.)
• Orange Flag: “I am not comfortable with this person and, if they participate, I will drop out. I do not consider them unsafe for others/the game; it is purely a personal matter.”
• Yellow Flag: “I don’t want to play a close relationship with this person for personal reasons, but I have no problem with both of us participating in the larp.” (We will do what we can when it comes to casting, but we can’t guarantee that someone won’t larp with you).

No one will be told who flagged them. All flags will be treated as confidential. We reserve the right to exclude potential participants if they receive a certain number of yellow and/or orange flags.

When filling out the registration form, you can indicate five characters you would like to play the most, as well as your general preferences for character traits and game content. Since our game is partly intransparent, and some characters have facets that the short descriptions do not reflect, we will assign characters largely based on your preferences. We therefore ask you to fill out the registration form as accurately as possible, so that we can make the most suitable selection possible.

If none of the given characters match your preferences, it is possible to customize characters to a certain degree; however, we cannot guarantee anything due to the high amount of individual work required beforehand.

Gender

We are aware that some people do not identify with the binary gender model and that historically this has always existed – nevertheless, our game does not include characters with non-binary gender identities, as this is not part of the setting and game design (though of course there may be some gender non-conforming characters). All characters in the game are either male or female. Nevertheless, we of course welcome all non-binary, genderqueer, etc. persons at our events and will strive to provide you with a character that you feel comfortable with.

Regardless of what your gender identity is outside of the game, you can play either gender. However, since we strive for visual authenticity, we ask that all players adjust their appearance to represent the gender they are playing as convincingly as possible.

While you will receive a fleshed-out description of your character after casting, including backstory, their closest relationships, and possible play impulses, it is up to you to bring the character to life, deal with their key issues, and ultimately shape the outcome of their story. Although some secrets will inevitably come to light during the game, overall you will have great autonomy and responsibility over how your character reacts to events and interacts with those around them.

We don’t expect you to read up material on your own and become history experts on the fly; reading the Player Handbook will be enough to provide you with all the relevant information about the game and setting. We simply ask you to think about and decide on your character’s stance on certain issues to establish easy points of reference and interaction in the game. We strongly recommend that you contact your fellow players to develop a shared understanding of character relationships.

Depending on your character, you will want to review the Servants’ Handbook or the Lords’ Handbook. It contains useful information on forms of address, rules of conduct, and, most importantly, servant tasks that will help you act more comfortably in your role.

Lynwood Hall is set in 1915 and the appearance of the characters should reflect this on a basic level. Our costume guide provides guidance on costume and outfit selection. If you have any questions beyond that or would like personal costume advice, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be happy to help you.

We do not expect historically accurate costuming down to the smallest detail – the general appearance is more important to us and with the aim of emphasizing the difference between upstairs and downstairs, the hierarchy among the servants themselves, while roughly conforming with the style of the era. You can sew your own costume, buy it off the rack, or assemble it from clothes you already have hanging in your closet.

Since servants would theoretically wear extremely similar or identical clothing, we are instead just going for an overall uniform look for the footmen and maids and provide some accessories such as tailcoats (for a fee), waistcoats (for a fee), bow ties, and gloves for the footmen, and aprons and dusters for the maids.

If there are not enough sign-ups by July 15, 2023, we unfortunately have to postpone or cancel the larp. In the latter case, you will receive a full refund.

Your spot at the game is not freely transferable. If you wish to cancel, please contact us immediately so that we can find a suitable replacement. We will keep a cancellation fee of 20,00 €. If you cancel after July 15, 2023, we reserve the right to offer your cancelled ticket as pay-what-you-can and ask for your understanding that we can only refund your participation fee (minus the cancellation fee of 20,00 €) if we find a paying replacement for you.

• Not wheelchair accessible (several floors)
• Slippery old stone stairs
• Partially uneven floor (old floorboards, paving stones)
• Some players are given written information to read during the game.
• Servants will climb stairs carrying trays and other items and will be required to stand for several minutes at a time.
• Name tags will only be worn on the night of the workshop (and optionally at the afterparty) and will be taken off for the game.

Our location cannot be reached by public transport. If you are within car travelling distance, we recommend driving. If you do, we would appreciate it if you could offer other participants a lift.

The closest airport is EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg. The closest train station is Besançon-Viotte. The closest bus station is Rond-point de la Truite in Ornans where you will need to call a taxi to get to the location (5 km). You can search train and bus routes on www.rome2rio.com.

• Design Document (2023)
• Manual for Upstairs (2023)
• Manual for Downstairs (2023)
• Costume Guide