Safety Mechanics
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Safety Team
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If you have any safety issues, questions or concerns during the event, we have a safety team to help. The safety team will do their best to deal with any question, complaint or concern in accordance with our Acceptable Behaviour policy.
Normally, the safety team will discuss any issues between themselves, but if you want an issue to be kept private or anonymous from particular members, let them know when you raise the issue.
The Safety Team will be identified during the workshops and each of them will wear a black ribbon.
Members of the Safety Team
Amy Mason (game team/Duchess of Devonshire)
David Proctor (game team/Lambert, the butler)
Rosemary Warner (The Most Hon. Louisa Finchurch, Marchioness of Whitby)
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Safety Calls
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The following calls and mechanics may be made by anybody:​
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Stop The Game
Everybody should stop what they’re doing and await further instructions. This is for when something has gone seriously wrong and the Game/Safety Team’s full attention is needed on the situation, eg a serious medical incident.
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Break
Stop roleplaying around the person who called it, get them out of situation and to the OC area. If you hear it, please make sure a member of the Safety Team is aware of the situation.
This is for if you’re feeling very uncomfortable and want to get out of a situation. You don't have to explain why you used it.
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Lay off
Dial down the intensity of what you’re doing, but continue roleplaying. The caller may include some useful information eg ‘Lay off, you’re too loud/too close’, etc. in an argument.
Used when you'd like the intensity of something dialled back, but you're ok to continue with your game.
Lay off can also be used to indicate somebody is trying to roleplay about something that’s doesn't have an interesting IC explanation.
Example:
A: “Where were you just now - sneaking off with Captain Brown I bet? We’re ruined! Ruined, I say!”
B: “Lay off mother, I was just using the ablutions”
A: “Ah, I always said you were my favourite child.”
- In this example, Lay Off is used to indicate to the Mother that the character was just answering an OC call of nature rather than doing something worth roleplaying the downfall of her family’s reputation about, that can happen later.
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'Look down' (action, not a call) to do this: shade your eyes with one hand and look down:
Ignore anybody who is doing this.
This is used to get out of a situation or move through an area without people reacting to you for your OC comfort. You don’t have to return to where you’ve left from.
If somebody uses this to leave a conversation with you, do your best to continue without remarking on it.
Example - you realise you left your handbag and wallet in the toilet, but you are part of a small group conversation with a very high status character. IC, it would be unthinkably rude to leave, so you shade your eyes and nip off to recover it. When you return, you see the conversation is continuing so you rejoin and unshade your eyes. Nobody comments on why you’d left or returned and they do their best to bring you up to date on the conversation when they ask your opinion on the topic of discussion. It would also have been fine to walk back into the room IC and join another group of people.
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Please give me more space (action, not a call) to do this: push your hands away from your at waist height Step backward, but continue roleplaying. Used when you would like more personal space, but you're ok to continue with your game. Drop your hands once you are comfortable.
Example: You are enjoying a conversation with someone, but feel anxious about them standing so close. You use this gesture to let people know you would feel happier with more room.
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Distanced kissing (action, not a call) to do this: Make a kissing noise while moving your hand from near your mouth towards the person you want to kiss. Represents kissing a person, as part of a romance or as a forfeit. This should be treated by everyone as if you have kissed them.
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Only the game organisers can call:
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Time In/Out/Freeze
Start/Stop/Freeze roleplaying.
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Safety Calls
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The following calls and mechanics may be made by anybody:​
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Stop The Game
Everybody should stop what they’re doing and await further instructions. This is for when something has gone seriously wrong and the Game/Safety Team’s full attention is needed on the situation, eg a serious medical incident.