FAQ
What is Valley like?
- Packed full of activities: the event has a very busy schedule, with a lot of workshops and not many breaks and we need our participants to be ready for a weekend that’s jam-packed with content and rather demanding.
- A rounded package of workshops, game and parties: there are many more hours of workshops than of the game, but the workshops are part of the experience and as dynamic and entertaining as possible. Friday and Saturday evening also include dance parties, which are optional, but very fun.
- A transparent, co-creative game: everybody will have all the relevant information from the beginning and the players will create their own content in guided workshops.
What is Valley not like?
- A typical Czech content larp that gives you all the content pre-written, ready to play.
- A larp full of surprises and secrets – you as the players will know everything up-front.
- A purely non-verbal dance larp – you will combine dance scenes and scenes of dramatic play.
Can I come if I’m only a larper and not a dancer?
Sure! The event is actually designed for you. We will be teaching blues dance from scratch and we picked it specifically because it has a very low entry barrier for new dancers. We promise there won’t be any complex choreographies and figures and that even if you end up taking a bit longer to get comfortable with it, you will not need to feel like you are slowing anybody else down, because blues provides a lot of space for improvisation for both partners in the couple. We will also spend a lot of time teaching you how to play with dancing.
Can I come if I’m an advanced blues dancer and I have never larped?
You can, but do consider that the event will not be designed specifically for you. As larps go, this one is fairly complex. It will give you a very detailed guided process for creating your story – but in the end, doing that will be up to you. We will also not actively workshop the very basics of larp – as in, the whole pretending you’re a different person. The blues we will be teaching will also be the very basics of blues and we will be asking everybody to stick to what we are teaching in the lessons, so if you decide to come, be prepared to doing some stuff you have probably done before. But if you want to experience a cool, weird story in your favourite dance, do come!
What’s included in the price and what do I need to bring?
We will give you food, hostel accommodation, workshops and props for the workshops and game. You will need to bring a simple costume (described in the Design Document), comfortable clothes for the workshops, and flat shoes that you’ll be happy dancing in. The price doesn’t include whatever you choose to buy at the local bar. Water will be available throughout the weekend.
How does gender work in the game?
The collaborative character creation means that you fully control all the gender aspects of your character. The characters are noir archetypes, and so some of them can have traditionally somewhat gendered content (“the muscle”; “the prostitute”), but we absolutely encourage you to try them out regardless of gender and to subvert the traditional tropes! The game setting doesn’t work with sexism or gender inequality in any way (as well as things such as racism or homophobia).
At the same time, we would like everybody to be ok dancing with people regardless of their gender, especially in the workshops.
How will romance work in the game?
The game works with close, intimate relationships as an important element and the characters are designed in their anchor couples (which can, but do not have to have a romantic aspect). However, you will have a chance to pick your anchor couple at the game, during the workshops, once you’ve had the chance to get to know the other players – so who you get as a partner in this close relationship will be in your hands. You will also always have the option to define and redefine your personal boundaries with your partners and we have mechanics that will let you set boundaries and opt out of interactions within the game and the dancing.