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Conduct & Policies

This guide outlines the expectations, boundaries, and safety structures that ensure every participant can engage deeply with a game’s themes without risking real-world physical, emotional, or mental harm. Our goal is to create a space where bold play is possible because trust is strong, communication is clear, and care is mutual.

 

All VP events follow this set of conduct rules. While certain games may have additional rules that feature - these will be noted and presented along with the information of the game itself. Please read our conduct & policies before attending any VP games.

Core Principles

Assume Good Faith

We begin from the belief that everyone is here to tell a powerful story together. If something feels off, unclear, or uncomfortable, check in rather than assume intent.

Characters May Be in Conflict; Players Are Not

We encourage intense, challenging, and morally complex play—but all conflict remains strictly in-character. Do not carry in-character conflict into out-of-character interactions.  Out-of-character respect is non-negotiable - do not use in-character actions to express out-of-character frustration. If you feel bleed or blurring of these issues, we recommend you take time to step aside and ground yourself - there is no shame in doing so.

Respect for All Participants

We do not tolerate: Harassment, Bullying, Discrimination, Out-of-character aggression, Boundary-pushing or coercion. If attendees are found to be engaging in this behaviour you will be asked to leave the game. Players must treat each other with respect across all identities, including but not limited to race, gender, sexuality, disability, class, and neurodivergence.

Consent Is Ongoing, and can be Withdrawn

Players choose what they engage with. Consent can be adjusted or withdrawn at any time, silently or explicitly, without justification. Check-ins are not immersion-breaking and are recommended in highly charged scenes. When a player sets a boundary—physical, emotional, thematic—it is final. No debate, persuasion, or pressure is permitted.

Accessibility

We will aim to make our games as accessible as possible based on the venue we will be hosting our games. If there is anything we can do to make a game more accessible for attendees we will happily take information on board and try to apply this for present and future games. If a participant expresses a need—physical, sensory, emotional—we work collaboratively to accommodate it.

Player Safety Comes Before Story

No narrative, mechanic, or dramatic moment is more important than a participant’s wellbeing. If a player’s safety is at risk, declare "SAFETY" loudly. Upon this call, the scene stops—immediately and without question. First-Aiders will be on site for all VP Games.

Collaboration, not Competition

Even when characters are in conflict, players are collaborators. We encourage players to offer hooks and opportunities to others. To share the spotlight rather than dominating it while supporting dramatic moments for fellow players. Remember: play with each other, not at each other.

Reporting

If there are any concerns at all regarding a VP event, we ask attendees to get in contact with the Game Team. 

Players may report concerns:

  • In person to a Game Runner

  • After the event if needed

  • Via Email (use the contact form on the website)

Reports are taken seriously and handled discreetly, we will clarify the attendees needs and take appropriate action (from mediation to removal from play). No player will face consequences for raising a concern or setting a boundary.

Physical Safety

No Unplanned Physical Contact

All physical contact—touching, grabbing, guiding, restraining—must be explicitly negotiated and agreed upon beforehand. If consent is not clear, assume it is not given.

Weapons & Props

No improvised weapons, all weapons must be considered 'larp-safe'. Real knives or bushcraft items may only be used in appropriate settings and cannot be taken into combat or used in any kind of manner other than its original intent. 

Fighting

We encourage dramatic and thematic fighting, otherwise known as "heroic fighting". This is to encourage and enrich the story rather than the aim to 'win'.

No Head-Shots

Absolutely no head-hits. A genuine accident is fine. But if a player or crew is seen to be repeatedly hitting attendees in the head you will be removed from the game and site. This is regardless of armour or costume.​​

Stop Means Stop

​If any player or crew calls “HOLD” mid-combat, they and the person/people they are engaged with must cease action and raise their hand - this is to deal with an OC issue or dispute that may not be safety related. The rest of the combat may continue around but cannot engage with those under the 'hold'. Once the issue has been dealt with the person who initiated the hold may declare "PLAY" and combat may resume.

Mental & Emotional Safety

Quiet Space

All VP games will feature a "Quiet Space", this is a dedicated OC space for both players and crew who feel the need to sequester themselves for their own mental well-being. You can attend this at any time, however, we ask for a member of the Game Team to be made aware so we know where you are.

Content & Trigger Warnings

All Games will release a list of content warnings or potential triggers that might feature in the game, so players and crew can decide if they wish to attend. If there is a specific trigger that an attendee might wish to avoid, they can inform the Game Team so we can steer them away from a particular scene or encounter.

Support Each Other

While as Game Runners we will make every effort to sign-post when events might be triggering to players and crew, we acknowledge it will not always be feasible for an OC check-in before certain roleplay happens. It is every attending adult’s personal responsibility to ensure their own mental well-being while attending our games. In addition, all players and crew have a duty of care to ensure they are doing their upmost to safeguard others during the run of this event.

The Check-in System

Check-ins with scene partners are encouraged, especially if the scene is highly charged or your scene partner seems overwhelmed. We encourage the use of a simple, discreet system to monitor emotional load during play. These can be said verbally and must be honoured.

  • Green – I’m good to continue.

  • Yellow – I need the scene to soften or slow down.

  • Red – I need the scene to stop or shift immediately.

 

If for whatever reason a verbal statement cannot be made, a gesture can be used instead;

Using a hand to shield the eyes without covering them (as if protecting them from the sun), indicates that this individual is experiencing a level of discomfort. If in a group setting the individual will attempt to remove themselves from the situation if possible. If this is not possible, or the roleplay is on a one-to-one basis, the roleplay must be de-escalated immediately without question.

Mental Health

All VP Games will feature an at-hand Mental Health first aider to provide care if required.

Ongoing Support

If a player or crew member experiences lingering distress due to experiences in the game, they are encouraged to reach out to the Game Runners. We will listen, support, and help offer access appropriate resources.

Equality & Diversity

Everyone Belongs Here

We welcome participants of all:

  • Races and ethnicities

  • Genders and gender expressions

  • Sexual orientations

  • Faiths and belief systems

  • Disabilities (visible and invisible)

  • Neurotypes

  • Body types

  • Socioeconomic backgrounds

  • Ages (within event guidelines)

No one should feel they must hide or minimise who they are to participate.

Zero Tolerance for Discrimination

We do not permit:

  • Racism

  • Sexism or misogyny

  • Homophobia or transphobia

  • Ableism

  • Classism

  • Ageism

  • Harassment, slurs, or microaggressions

  • Stereotyping or tokenising of any identity

This applies both in-character and out-of-character 
While characters may hold prejudiced views as part of the fiction, players must never direct real-world prejudice toward one another. A game that engages with certain themes will explain in its Game Book the reason why and how certain aspects may be engaged with in what we hope is a safe and story-driven environment.

Gender

All VP events are assumed "Gender Neutral" unless stated otherwise - this will be made clear in a game's Game Book.

  • Regardless of an attendee's personal or character's gender, all attendees should be treated equal. Their identifying gender should not come into play.

  • All attendees are welcome to play a character of a different gender identity to their own.

  • Attendees must use a person's preferred pronouns - bear in mind, their character's pronouns may be different from their personal pronouns. It is always safe to check.

  • Regardless of the signs featured at a venue's toilets, all toilets should be considered gender neutral and attendees can use whichever toilet they feel most comfortable using.

  • Deliberately misgendering a player or character is not acceptable.

  • Correcting mistakes should be done promptly and with minimal fuss.

Sexual Harassment

A victim of sexual harassment can be of any gender, as can the perpetrator. Our definition of sexual harassment includes any of the following behaviour:

  • Repeatedly asking a person to socialise when they have indicated they are not interested

  • Repeatedly standing or sitting too close to or brushing up against a person without their consent

  • Sexual comments, banter, jokes, or innuendo in company that includes people who are not comfortable with that

  • Sexualising or sexually objectifying another person without their consent

  • Touching a person in an intimate or sexual way without their consent

  • You must not sexualise another participant against their wishes. This rule covers how you speak to another participant, but also how you speak about them, as well as any writing or art that you publish. Portrayals of any character (PC or NPC) needs the explicit & enthusiastic consent of that person. If they change their mind for any reason you must remove them from said work.​

Sexual Activity

Sexual touching and full nudity in public spaces is prohibited​. You must not make other people into an audience for overt sexual activity whether in-character or out-of-character. Everyone has different levels of comfort and we want to respect each other's boundaries. Consensual kissing in public is fine, but anything further and we encourage the engagement to move to a private space. This rule also includes sharing erotic fiction with other participants - IC smut or erotica are fine but if read out loud it must be done so in a place where people can leave if they are not comfortable.

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People who are drunk, intoxicated, asleep or passed out can't consent to sex.

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