This Is The Forbidden History
The Forbidden History is not merely a larp about characters, but also a larp that encourages us as players to explore the search for the sublime in parallel with our characters. Whether it is in embracing passions we had forgotten, in appreciating new artforms, exploring freedoms we thought were barred from us, daring to burn brightly as a character or in the view of the morning sunrise, we try to bring those things with us even after it is gone.
Should you go to this larp?
Have you ever been ashamed for the things you love?
Ever felt the need to distance yourself from something you felt or wanted to say, because you felt you would be judged for it?
Would you you want to be free of that?
Ever shied away from pursuing a passion because it was ’silly’ in your eyes, or you feared it was silly in the eyes of others?
Do you shield yourself from social risk with irony and self-deprecation?
Do you feel scared of being who you are, completely, with your heart and soul?
Would you like to be in a place and with people that encourage you to be all that you can be?
These are only some of the questions we ask participants before the Forbidden History. We believe that through playing characters who reject these things, and by playing in an environment that supports you in doing so, we get to experience some of that atmosphere as participants as well. That is one of the reasons we keep coming back to St. Theodora’s, and one of the reasons you should go to this larp.
At the Forbidden History, we seek to portray individuals who seek to live life to the fullest and as their true selves, no matter their sexuality or gender, and we want to dare to do so as players as well.
It is a larp for those who are attracted to the atmosphere of academia, the secret compacts of hidden societies, intense friendships and romances, melancholic beauty or passionate abandon.
The play style is realistic, close to home and with a focus on your own personal journey. It is low on high stakes, public drama. We want our participants to engage in close relationships and in safe exploration of boundaries, thoughts and philosophies.
It is not a requirement to know the school topics to participate in the larp, and the academic levels will not be at real college levels within these topics. However, we would prefer if it you are interested in delving into them and discussing them, even from an amateur level.
Story
The Forbidden History: Paradise Lost takes place in the days after the mid-term exams have been completed, in the middle of the Spring semester. During these days students find out their grades, and Professors focus on the areas they want to delve into, greatly decreasing the amount of assignments for their classes. It is a time for reflection, for slow days in the company of friends and for looking back at the time that has passed. The pace is lower, there are more small gatherings and a chance to repair bonds that have been broken. Though it ends with a ball, the stakes are lower since unlike the autumn ball, there is no Secret Society recruitment going on. It is instead a time to celebrate friendships and belonging, as well as looking to the future.
It is focused on everyday existence at this college, secluded away both geographically and mentally from the outside world.
What is The Forbidden History not?
- This is not a larp about bullying.
- It is not a larp about being shut out or being ostracised, but rather about being part of something, discovering things about yourself.
- It is not a larp with public scandals or great upsets to the status quo. It is not about rebellion against an outward system.
- It is not a high school larp. This is not a larp about school tropes – it is college, the students and professors are devoted adults.
- It is not an 80’s larp. We picked the 1980s because we wanted it to be modern without having mobile phones. Most of them do not dress or use make-up in any normal 80s fashion – rather, they are inspired by timeless classic fashion and historical eras. There are multiple ways where the larp fiction differs from the real 80’s, including politics and circumstances in the world, all detailed in the expanded material.
- It is not a larp where anything magical or divine will be proven true. However, the experiences of the characters might very well resemble the divine or the mystical.
- It is not a larp where you have to be young to play a student or old to play a professor. Our average age is the same in both groups, and there are players aged everything from early 20s to their 60s.
Paradise Lost vs Eden Unmasked
The Forbidden History exists in two iterations. They are not sequels, and no stories are continued between runs. Rather, the two different titles show you which of the two oneshots we are currently playing.
Eden Unmasked is set after the mid-term exams in the first semester of the college year (October–November). It focuses on the wonder and discovery of St. Theodora’s and all its aspects, but also the compromises and challenges that come with life at the college. It is about embracing life – experiencing each moment as fully as possible – while knowing that there will be an end sometime in the future. It is a larp about beginnings. Aside from mentor group sessions, classes, and society meetings, the significant events are:
- Posting of mid-term exam results.
- Knock Night, where Freshmen and Untapped Sophomores are initiated into Secret Societies.
- The St. Theodora’s Masque (a masked ball).
Paradise Lost is set in the spring semester after mid-terms (March–April). The students have two months left of the college year, and are starting to face the dread of returning to the real world, either for the summer or, in the case of the Seniors, for good. It is about the melancholy of trying to experience each moment as fully as possible knowing that there will be an end. Aside from mentor group sessions, classes, and society meetings, the significant events are:
- Posting of mid-term exam results.
- Ascension and succession within some of the Secret Societies.
- The last days of freedom before everyone starts studying for their final exams.
- The Spring Ball, where the Seniors ceremoniously hand over the future of the college to the Juniors.
