Conscience

A Mediterranean LARP by NotOnlyLarp

A Larp about humanity

What makes a mind conscious? Are humans permitted to do whatever they desire to androids? What makes a human being «human»?

Conscience is a LARP inspired by the famous HBO tv series Westworld about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the moral implications of those innovations for all involved. It explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged.

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Vision

This larp is an original creation inspired among other things on HBO’s Westworld TV Show, but doesn’t use characters or follows the plot from the series.

Framed in a mixture of western and corporate themes, Conscience intends to address subjects such as ethical choices, the nature of humanity, the consequences of one’s actions, and the limits of consciousness in AI.

CONSCIENCE LARP

The experience

The in-game location will be both the wild west theme park Conscience and the headquarters of the company that owns the park, Aleph.  The park opens every day at 10 am and closes at 1 am and a number of plots, created by the company’s Plot writers, repeat on a loop day after day, but every day is different, depending on the Guests’ behavior.

Be a GUEST

The Guests in the park can live out a true Western experience with no restrictions and no effects on their real life. They could rob a bank, join the desperados, become a sheriff, or save innocent people. It is an escape from the everyday world they live in. For the players of the Guests, their experience will be either a descent into villainy or an ascent into heroism, whatever is decided in-game. They can also choose a different path every day; plot loops only last one day, so the next day guests will find a new blank canvas for them to play in.

Be a HOST

Hosts are the robots that exist to satisfy the Guests’ desires in Conscience. They are subject to the three laws, inspired by Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics:

  • A Host will never permanently harm a human being.
  • A Host will obey the orders of authorized human beings, except if the order is in conflict with the first directive.
  • A Host will preserve its existence, except if self-preservation is in conflict with the first or second directive.

The Host’s plots can be changed by Aleph’s Plot writers. Their personality and mind may be modified by Aleph’s Behaviour team. 

The experience for participants playing Hosts relies on objectification, the absence of consciousness, and servitude to humans. It is not an experience that is suitable for all players, because it is very oppressive. If you have problems feeling objectified, please consider not playing a Host in Conscience.

Be an ALEPH EMPLOYEE

Aleph is headed by an unseen Board of Directors, but its day-to-day operations are organized in departments, each with its own Head: QA, Behaviour, and Plot writers. Game experience for players portraying company employees will revolve around the contradictions of corporate work and the ethical dilemmas they face. All company workers can visit the park during their free time, so they will also have the chance to be a Guest and live the Western experience.

QA (Security and Maintenance)

QA consists of two different departments: Security and Maintenance.

The players in Security will live the military/private security experience with training, monitoring the Hosts, and playing directly in the park as undercover Guests.

The players in Maintenance will be the blue-collar workers that work in the mechanical repair of the hosts. Their conflicts will be related to their attachment to the Hosts and their low status in the company, but also there are some characters written as the ultimate abusers as they have access to hosts in private areas.

Behaviour

Behaviour players will be the ones involved in the creation of the Host’s personality and behaviour. They will be in charge of altering the Host’s minds, either for plot reasons or because of behavioral issues, and will perform interviews with the Hosts. Their conflicts will mainly be related to the ethics of playing God.

Plot writers

Plot writer players will be in charge of plots and the fun of the Guests. They will write up new ideas and events, rehearse them with the Hosts, and program them. Their conflicts will be related to creative processes, egos, and how to entertain the Guests.

Aleph employees will need a tablet and a smartphone with headphones, and they will need to be also in Aleph uniform during working hours. Irrespective of which department they work in, every Aleph personnel member works to improve the Guests’ experience.

All characters will need a phone with an internet connection (you can buy the sim connection with us) and Discord app installed. If you can’t use your phone, you can contact us to hello@notonlylarp.com

What is new?

We are redesigning some aspects of the larp, keeping what worked before but making some changes:

  • Rewriting some of the characters and plots.
  • Adding additional play experiences for Aleph staff and guests
  • Overhauling the host experience.
  • Some characters will disappear, new ones might take their place
  • The larp will be played in acts, to facilitate calibration off-game.
  • New structured workshops to teach everyone how to play the larp
  • Gamification of the Guest experience to make the play more interesting for guests and hosts alike.
  • The option to play hosts in ‘servant mode’ in the cabins.

  • Event Location

    The location of the game is in the desert of Tabernas, Almería (Spain). The buildings and facades date from the 60s when Sergio Leone discovered Tabernas and started filming his numerous cinema successes here, turning Tabernas into an instantly recognizable part of the new genre known as spaghetti-western. “For a Few Dollars More,” “Lawrence of Arabia,” “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,» and some episodes of the famous tv shows «Penny Dreadful» and «Game of Thrones» were shot in Fort Bravo.

    More about Fort Bravo

  • Event Location

    The location of the game is in the desert of Tabernas, Almería (Spain). The buildings and facades date from the 60s when Sergio Leone discovered Tabernas and started filming his numerous cinema successes here, turning Tabernas into an instantly recognizable part of the new genre known as spaghetti-western. “For a Few Dollars More,” “Lawrence of Arabia,” “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,» and some episodes of the famous tv shows «Penny Dreadful» and «Game of Thrones» were shot in Fort Bravo.

  • Event Location

    During the game, the tourists will unknowingly play members of the One Smile Association, people allowed into the park as a part of the company’s social responsibility program. They are easily told apart as they do not wear Western clothes. Hosts are programmed to ignore them.

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