Blankspace
Content warning
The themes of suicide, horror/fear, guilt, psychological and physical violence, loss and helplessness are central to the design and cannot be avoided.
If you feel uncomfortable with these topics, do not register. If these topics are triggers for you, consider whether or not you want to continue reading.
More about our rules about playing on suicide in the corresponding section under "Design".
Blankspace
Blankspace is a symbolic horror larp about guilt, hope and running away from the past. It is inspired by the (book and) film Bird Box, although we explicitly distance ourselves from its treatment of mental illness. Other inspirations include the films Alien and The Babadook as well as many other media. The style is inspired by the traditions of Nordic Larp and German Modern Larp.
The larp is set in an unspecific retrofuturistic future where Earth is desolate and space is hostile to life. On the spaceship Enkidu, its crew and some settlers are travelling towards the planet Eos that promises a simple, carefree life and a new beginning. But the past catches up with them - in the shape of a monster that drives most of those who see it to suicide.
Through the metaphor of horror, the larp aims to explore how we deal with the shadows of our past: Do I run away? Do I face my demons? How long can I look away? Is there any hope of forgetting? Can I make amends? Am I a different person? Can people ever change at all?
Is this larp for me?
Blankspace is first and foremost a larp about the personal development of characters and how they deal with their past, secondly horror and thirdly science fiction. It is less a science fiction larp than a surreal chamber play in a science fiction aesthetic. If you're looking for sci-fi horror but don't like internal character play, you won't enjoy the larp very much - however, if you like character development but aren't the biggest sci-fi fan, you should have a lot more fun.
- You like stories full of metaphors and symbols, surreal atmospheres and magic realism
- You like to play on personal stories, emotional immersion and internal play - even alone with yourself
- You like old horror movies and enjoy being scared of what you don't see
- You want to experience personal stories transparently and collaboratively
- You are able to pay attention to your own needs, communicate them and, if necessary, use the tools we provide for calibration and safety
- You need strong worldbuilding, solid logic and a clear explanation for everything
- You find it difficult to stay immersed when nobody else is present
- For you, a great scene requires spectators
- From horror, you expect fake blood, action and special effects
- You want to fight and win or find out secrets and solve a plot
- You have problems in the dark, being alone in narrow corridors or walking longer distances
- Suicide, fear or guilt are triggers for you
If you're not sure whether you feel comfortable and safe with the themes and style of this larp, please get in touch. When in doubt, don't come - not every larp meets every taste and comfort zone, and that's totally okay!
| Thursday | |
|---|---|
| 21:00 – 01:00 | Early arrival |
| Friday | |
| 09:00 – 10:00 | Breakfast |
| until 10:00 | Late arrival |
| 11:00 – 18:00 | Workshops (incl. breaks) |
| 19:00 – 23:00 | Play |
| Saturday | |
| 09:00 – 10:00 | Breakfast |
| 10:00 – 22:00 | Play |
| 22:00 – 02:00 | Optional debrief and party |
| Sunday | |
| 09:00 – 10:00 | Breakfast |
| 10:00 – 12:00 | Joint clean-up / deconstruction |
| 12:00 | Departure |
All details about the game
Who do I want to be?
Here you can find more information about the characters - and soon also the short teasers from which you can choose during casting.
Read more
Team and credits
These are the people currently working on Blankspace. This list doesn’t include on-site crew since it is not yet clear who will be there, but you will get a list of all runtime helpers and NPC later.The larp is completely non-profit and run by volunteers only.
Lara Hartung
Game Design, Story, Character Writing
Armin Saß
Game Design, Story, Production Design
Tobias Mühlau
Character Writing, Game Design, Project Management
Afra Spies
Executive Producer, Project Management, Logistics, Character Writing
Sebastian "Tichi" Hahn
Project Management, Community Management, Finances
André Balzuweit
Production Design
Lorina Safron
Character WritingPrevious team members, helpers and special thanks
Susanne Evans
Logistics, Team-Management & Writing playtestSteffi Matzander
Logistics, Team-Management & Organisation playtestRobin Plötzwich
Technology, Runtime SupportKuri
Monster costumeRalf Passbach
LocationHartmut Wächter
Location & Support playtestVera
Runtime SafetyJasper
Buildup & onsite Production, Runtime SupportMarcel
Buildup & onsite ProductionPauline
Buildup SupportAnke S.
Safety & Sensitivity ConsultingRuntime Support Run 1 & 2
Sjut, Hermann, Mia, GünterProofreading
Lorenz, Anita, Mo, Jessi, Johanna, Kevin, Richard
Credits
for
Mechanics
kissing mechanic
known to us from the larp "Villa Morgenrot" (2018)
violence mechanic
known to us from Where Androids Die (2018) by Atropos
tap-out
first used at the Larp "Inside Hamlet" (2015)
OK-Checkin
first used in the larp "New World Magischola" (2016) by Learn Larp LLC
crossed arms
known to us from the german fantasy larp scene
AI POLICY
All relevant parts of the larp were created by humans.
We do, however, use generative AI to help with minor tasks - e.g. to generate textures and stock image backgrounds that only serve aesthetic purposes, help with translation, shorten texts, brainstorm names or similar.
We acknowledge the impact generative AI has on artists and the unethical sourcing of its training data, and we never use AI to replace the paid work of artists - only our own unpaid work or free resources.
All background images on this website were created with Adobe Firefly and reworked and extended by human artists from the team.
All artworks relevant to the actual game, especially the character artworks, were painted by André Balzuweit and Lara Hartung without any use of AI.