Rules 11

A Shared Illusions Game

SlenderLARP is a game in which regular people encounter something beyond the real world, something irrepressibly powerful and surpassing human understanding. Characters in SlenderLARP are regular people with an interest in the supernatural, whether cynical or believing.

The character you develop will interact with the game world (the ‘Slenderverse’) in the way you choose. Your character can be a version of you – a version who likes wandering around in the dark looking for monsters – or a completely different type of person. You will have some basic stats which will be easy to keep track of during the game, and will govern the results of the actions you take..

SlenderLARP Rules v1.1

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LARP stands for Live Action Role Play and is a type of gaming which literally takes you to the centre of the action. More engaging than computer games, films and books, and not scripted like a play, it combines the best elements of these to make you and your fellow players the focal point of the story.

To take part, you’ll create a character to interact with the game world (the shared reality your characters will live in) and act as they would, ‘IC’ or, ‘In Character’. There are some basic rules which determine outcomes of certain actions; whether they are successful or if they fail.

Making sure the rules are followed and that the game is fair are the Referees, or ‘Refs’. They’ll also be there to make sure that you are safe ‘OOC’, or, ‘Out of Character’. Sometimes you’ll hear them referred to as ‘Yellows’, or ‘yellow mist’, so-called because in most LARPs they wear yellow high visibility jackets which tell the players to ignore their presence (we think that’s ironic, too). In SlenderLARP, the Refs look part of the game, but you’ll be introduced to them all at the player briefing before Time In.

SlenderLARP falls into the Horror genre. This means that the focus is not necessarily on combat, or political manoeuvring of nation states, but on unravelling the horrific mysteries of the supernatural. A great deal of action takes place at night and in dark and strange spaces. There is also a lot of walking, and a fair amount of this can be outdoors. As much as we’d encourage you to be true to your character please make sure, OOC, that you’re prepared to be up overnight, a little sleep deprived and occasionally exhausted from working against your body clock, dealing with tension, and possibly trekking through the woods or abandoned buildings.


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Principally, SlenderLARP runs two kind of events. There are shorter, ‘night’ events, that generally run from dusk till dawn. The event begins with an in character meal before heading out for the night.

As well as this, we also run ‘full-length’ weekend events. These events run from Friday evening, to Sunday after lunch. The bulk of the action occurs at night, with time after dawn on Saturday and Sunday to get some sleep. Part of Saturday will be used for a restful period when people will be able to chat, roleplay, explore the site in daylight and deal with their own interests and goals. Depending on the facilities on site, it may be possible to bring laptops, e-books and handheld gaming consoles to use IC at the event. You’ll be informed ahead of time if this is an option.

Both types of event involve camping, so bringing your own tent, sleeping bags and such will ensure you don’t freeze to death in the evening. If there are indoor bunks available, you’ll be told in advance; although crew, and people with medical requirements, will be given priority.

The following rules will give you all the basics you need to create your character and begin interacting with the Slenderverse.


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When generating your character, keep in mind that the Slender game and ARGs do not exist as they do in our own world. Unless otherwise agreed, your character will not have encountered the supernatural before.

To join the game, your character must become a member of PARC; a supernatural research group called The Paranormal Abnormality Research Club. Reasons for joining this group can be as varied as you like. If you would prefer to create an alternative organisation, this is possible, but please bear in mind you could end up being the only member!

Backgrounds indicate what your character has done, or is doing up until the point they first encounter the supernatural. Your character could have done anything during their life up until now. They might be a carbon copy of you, or something entirely invented.

It’s important to have an idea of how your character is going to fit into the Slenderverse, so we recommend you write a background between 200 and 1000 words in length. The more relevant detail you include, the better the story, the more we’ll get to know your character and can intertwine your story with ours.

Backgrounds should be submitted to [email protected]

Here is an example of a background submission:

‘Danny Knight was dedicated; too dedicated, some say. He loved helping people, and being a paramedic allowed him to do exactly that. Working long hours didn’t bother him, as long as he got enough money to pay the bills and know that he was making the lives of others better.

On the rare occasion he was not working, Danny enjoyed reading trashy detective stories, and working out. He loved keeping in shape. He also spent some time with his girlfriend, Lisa, who persuaded him that PARC would be his thing.’


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In this particular case, Danny would be given a background of:

Paramedic You can perform first aid and heal injuries. You will be given an appropriate lore sheet.

This is just an example of a background. Some may be more or less detailed than this.

On rare occasions, some of the detail relating to the Slenderverse and its inhabitants might need to be tweaked, to make sure it’s consistent. You’ll never be asked to change any part of your background unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Once your background has been approved, you should use the wiki at http://www.parc-uk.org to supply details of your character he or she would be happy to share publicly with other members of PARC (and the internet at large).

The wiki is a supplemental game resource, and content will be taken into account during play. Information on past and future investigations, contacts, group members, and supernatural encounters can be included, among other things.

In order to edit the wiki, you will need to sign up for an account, and then email the account name to [email protected]

Danny’s wiki entry looks like this:


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http://www.parc-uk.org










All characters start off in a state referred to as ‘Asleep’. This represents that they have not yet encountered anything truly supernatural. After the first event (or evening, if the event is full length), the character will progress to ‘Sleepwalking’. At this point, the Game Team will give a series of benefits for the player to choose from based on their backgrounds and in character involvement.

As stated, you get your first benefit after the first night of the event. You then gain one benefit for every event attended in full. This will be in response to your characters downtime, submitted to [email protected]

Going back to Danny for a moment, he might have spent the evening ensuring others were not hurt, and being protective. He might for example, be offered a choice of benefits like this;

Superior Medic Using an appropriate phys rep, you can cut a character’s heal or recovery time in half.

Committed You are so focused on your goal that certain supernatural mind effects do not work on you.

In Shape At the game team’s discretion, you are capable of moving heavier objects than others might be able to.

Each list will be tailored to an individual. There are many benefits, and what you will be offered will change depending on your characters background, actions, and downtime after the event.

It is possible to obtain additional benefits, but this comes at a cost. At any point when you are able to select a benefit, you can also choose to take one or more hardships. These will severely hinder your character, but each hardship you take allows you to take an extra benefit.

A list of existing Hardships is available on the SlenderLARP website.


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Danny for example, might want to take something in line with his character concept like:

Exhausted You suffer a constant feeling of being tired, and struggle to run for long periods of time. Certain supernatural abilities might affect you more.

At any point when you are awarded an additional benefit you can choose instead to ‘buy off’ a hardship.

Certain events might result in a hardship being imposed upon your character, or grant an additional benefit during play. In order to avoid breaking immersion, you will be given a very brief overview at the time, then filled in properly during a quieter period.


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It’s important that you avoid the Slenderman, even if you believe you have determined the rules under which he operates. If he gets too close to you, he may be able to influence your behaviour and prevent you defending yourself. At the start of the session, the out of character briefing will include a noise sample. This noise, when heard in play, means you must stop resisting and turn around to face the Slenderman; your character is under an effect which they are unable to fight off.

Sometimes, your character may be affected by a special ability which controls his or her behaviour. The use of one of these abilities is indicated by a particular sound played on an mp3 player by the individual with the power in question. This sound will be made known to you at the player briefing before time in.


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Characters, and Monsters alike, all possess hit points which indicate their general state of health and how much damage they can take. As a character, your body is divided into 6 locations; two arms, two legs, torso and head. Each location has 1 hit point. Damage types and their effects are written in more detail below.

Guns and melee weapons can be found in game, or acquired through certain benefit choices.

Phys-reps for melee weapons should be appropriate, LARP-safe, cored, latex weapons. There are many shops online and at festival LARP events which sell these kind of weapons for both fantasy and futuristic systems. If you would like suggestions of where to purchase or commission appropriate weapons, please ask the game team, who will be happy to help.

Guns should be appropriately phys-repped by a cap gun. This will need to meet stringent safety requirements or will not be allowed. If you intend to pursue a gun benefit, please speak to the game team beforehand in order to be able to purchase an approved weapon.

If your character is fortunate enough to possess a weapon, he is able to attack with it. This weapon should be represented by a LARP-safe phys-rep (physical representation). Phys-reps which do not meet a suitably safe standard will not be permitted. All phys-reps must be checked before the game begins.

If your character does not have a weapon, you can simulate hand-to-hand combat, as detailed below.

All strikes must be safely and slowly acted out at half speed. Players not taking care to ensure others do not get hurt will be asked to leave the game. Please also remember that roleplaying this kind of conflict can be intimidating for some, and not everyone will want to take part in hand-to-hand combat.


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Weapons such as knives and guns deal lethal damage. When struck with a weapon, it is assumed that the location takes one point of lethal damage. There is no need to call ‘lethal’ on a successful strike.

A location which is reduced to 0 hit points is unusable. If it is an arm or a leg, then this will affect your mobility. If it is your torso or head, then you will fall unconscious. This lasts until you receive medical attention.

A location which is reduced to -1 hit points, in addition to being unusable, is ‘bleeding out’. If you do not receive medical attention, you will fall into your death count, and begin dying.

You cannot block a lethal strike unless you also possess a weapon. You may try to block with an item you hold, but this may damage or break the item.

Hands and feet deal subdual damage. When struck by a hand or foot, a location sustains no damage, but becomes unusable for 10 seconds.

Leg: The character has a ‘dead leg’, and can’t put pressure on it.

Arm: The character has a ‘dead arm’ and can’t hold anything in that hand. If it is safe to drop items in that hand, you should do so. Breakable items should be transferred to the other hand, or lowered safely to the floor and left there until the arm recovers.

Torso: The character is winded and can’t breathe properly for 10 seconds. You do not have to fall to the ground, but you can do nothing more than stop to catch your breath.

Head: The character is dazed. You do not have to fall to the ground, but you may stagger or fall against something or someone for support.


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When a location reaches 0 HP, it is useless. If this is the head or the chest, your character falls unconscious and requires medical attention to recover.

Once a location falls to -1 HP, not only is it useless, it is ‘bleeding out’.

‘Bleeding Out’ takes 5 minutes, after which you enter your ‘death count’.

A character’s ‘Death Count’ lasts for 5 additional minutes, during which your character will require urgent medical attention, or will die at the end of this time.

To ensure that a character dies, you must execute them with a series of ‘death blows’. It takes 10 fully roleplayed half-speed strikes to kill a character with this method.

There are other methods of killing people, such as electrocution, poisoning, or blowing them up. Many of these things are covered on separate lore sheets. Lore sheets can be obtained from the game team.

If your character dies, you can choose to create a new character and continue playing. While it can be disappointing to reach the end of a particular character’s story, there are always more stories to be told...

Only a doctor, nurse, paramedic, or someone with extensive first aid training, is able to deal with wounds. The sooner an injury is attended to, the better the recovery, so it’s important to get to the wounded quickly.

The medic attending to your character will need to diagnose, treat, and follow up with you. This is the only way you will know if you are making a recovery.

Characters with the appropriate medical skills will have their own lore sheets describing methods of diagnosis, treatment and follow-up, and their effectiveness.


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The game has been designed to be as immersive as possible. For this reason, we have only 5 ref calls which will affect play of the game.

Time Freeze All players must stop what they are doing, close their eyes and not move. This will be used sparingly when it is necessary for something to happen very fast.

Time In Used at the beginning of the game and after a Time Freeze, this indicates you are in play.

Time Out Used at the end of the game, this indicates the game is finished.

Man Down Man Down is only to be used when someone has an out of character injury. It also acts as a time freeze. A member of the Game Team will assess the situation and give further instructions as necessary.

SlenderLARP is a horror game and it is possible that players, and even crew, can become scared, or be shocked during play. This is expected, and no one will judge you for it. If you are in a position where you feel you need to step out of the game temporarily because you are getting too stressed, please use a variant of this phrase:

“Do you remember the time we saw the Loch Ness Monster?”

Any time the phrase ‘Loch Ness Monster’ is used, a ref or crew member in range will take you out of the situation and make sure you are okay. This is an out of character call that cannot be used for an IC reason.


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Rulebook changes from 1.0 to 1.1:

Complete overhaul of entire rules system

Introduction of Backgrounds for characters

Introduction of Benefits/Hardships for characters


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Documents

Rules 11