Do you like GMing, but feel it would be better if it also involved a long walk in the woods? Do you enjoy writing encounters for the writer’s room and have ideas for longer plotline? Did becoming an encounter ref leave you itching to run a whole event? Perhaps you’re totally new to LARP volunteering, but you have some great new ideas for the game? You could be the next member of our Event Team!
We’re looking to recruit 2 new team members over the winter period. In the past, we’ve approached people individually when looking to recruit to the event team, but this time we’ve decided to invite people to apply as we want to open it up to people that we might not realise are keen to volunteer for this kind of job.
What do the Event Team do?
Outside Events
- Engaging in the ongoing development of the game (e.g. rules updates, expanding on world setting and history, developing systems and policies to manage how the game is managed on an OOC level)
- Communications – Writing posts for the website, answering emails
- Event Logistics – All the practical jobs to make sure that we arrive on a field with everything that we need to run a game, from processing insurance to filling character packs, to getting the monster kit to site in a van.
- Making and maintaining props and monster kit
- Writing Plot, including the overall event outline, encounters, research responses, local informants’ information etc
At Events
- Plot actuation; making sure those encounters are run out, adjusting the schedule as needed to manage unpredictable situations
- Reffing encounters and making decisions on rules calls
- Communication; keeping players, crew, and sometimes site owners in the loop about what’s going on, receiving and responding to player/crew concerns
- Solving emergent problems – from misprinted lammies to holes in the bathroom floor, sometimes we need to find quick solutions so the show can go on
- Managing safety and code of conduct concerns
These lists don’t cover everything we do. We also don’t do all of them directly; a lot of the time when a team member has responsibility for a big task, they aren’t doing it all themselves, they’re liaising with other team members or non-event team volunteers (e.g. Writers Room) to make sure that the task is done. We try to make sure people are always working on the things they’re interested in (or at least, when something tedious has to get done, not totally put off by).
Do I need experience running LARP?
Not at all. Previous experience running larp can be helpful, but there lots of other kinds of experience that can be transferrable; you might have been on a convention or society committee, you might be a scout or girl guide leader, or perhaps your work involves finding insurance for events
What’s the time commitment involved?
We generally have a team meeting every two weeks for about 60-90 minutes. During the winter, this can be a bit less frequent, and in the month before an event we usually move up to having a meeting every week. Outside of regular meetings, expect to spend some time working independently on plot writing and/or following up on other tasks agreed at the meeting. During events, we aim to allow for each team member to take a slot off to play or monster, but expect an intense weekend of activity and allow extra time at the start and end of the event for set up and take down
Will I hear spoilers?
Yes, it’s not really possible to avoid in this role
If you’re interested in applying for the role
Please fill out this form before the 9th of November
We’ll get in touch within the next few weeks to set up a chat where you would discuss it further with a few members of event team, and see whether you’d be a good fit for the role. If we get a lot of applications, we may not be able to meet with everyone; in that instance we will let you know if you have not been shortlisted