Risk Management

Monstrosity is a story about a group of humans tortured and killed by a group of vampires, and we tell that story with our bodies, using realistic violence and actual sexual activities. To be clear: Monstrosity is a risky larp, and it requires a significant amount of risk management. To do so, we have two strategies: reduce the probability and severity of the risks you’ll encounter, and make sure you have all the information you need to make risk aware consent decisions.

Risk Management As a System

We, the crew of Monstrosity, don’t believe that there’s such a thing as a “safe” larp: no larp is 100% safe, and all have different levels of risk. Our responsibility is to mitigate and communicate that risk to you, which is why you’ll never see us mention “safety” when we communicate with you.

We have an extensive risk assessment you can read here. As of December 2024, we’ve identified 35 individual hazards and developed 47 controls to mitigate them, and we constantly update the assessment. You don’t need to know anything in that document: it’s our job to train you on anything you need to know after you arrive. What’s important to know is that all of these controls are part of a system to reduce the risk of the larp.

As a system, these controls not only reduce the probability and severity of the risks you’ll encounter, but they back each other up. We don’t ever use only one control to mitigate a risk, in Monstrosity, we usually use at least three. Also, at least one of these controls has to be “inherent,” meaning that it doesn’t require any action on your part to work. For example, if one of the participants breaks a glass, a facilitator knows what to do and has access to equipment to clean it up. If a control requires you to do something, we’ll train you to do it during workshops (and we only have a couple of things we train).

There’s one important control you should know about: we have a Participant Advocate at every run of Monstrosity. This person is a specially-trained facilitator who is there to support you and promote your welfare at the larp. You can talk to them at any time before, during or after the larp about anything you’re feeling: they’re there for you. Also, remember that the Participant Advocate has full confidentiality from the rest of the staff, so you can talk to them without worrying about what might happen if someone else finds out. If you need help, the Participant Advocate is the person who will help you find the care you need.

How You Will Mitigate Risk

First, we trust you. You’re an adult, and you make adult decisions. You have been mitigating risk your entire life, and since you’re still around, doing a decent job of it. Keep doing what you’re doing.

Second, we’re going to back you up. You don’t need us to tell you to eat lunch or get some sleep, but we’ll offer reminders to help you out. Remember, everyone makes mistakes, and we’ve seen enough run-throughs of this larp to spot the tricky parts. We’ll help you make informed decisions.

Third, we have some tools for you. All of these are “tools, not rules” - we’ve designed our system assuming that at least one participant is going to forget or misunderstand a tool, and we’ve backed you up with other controls. Instead, these are tools you can actively use to prevent harm. They include:

Natural Language - In Monstrosity, we simply use natural language to state our needs, wants and boundaries at all times. If we’re in-role, we assume the need, want or boundary that the character stated is the same for the participant playing the character… unless the participant uses the Consent-To-Risk cue, below. We’re going to practice stating what we want and need and communicating our boundaries at the larp, and we’re also going to practice listening, respecting boundaries, and even saying “no” when it’s appropriate.
Consent-To-Risk Cue - You’ll encounter lots of consensual non-consent during this larp, whether it’s violence, forced sexual activity or other forms of abuse. Often, we want our character to encounter these activities, but we still need a way to signal consent. The Consent-To-Risk Cue is a physical cue that signals active and continued consent, regardless of what the person using the cue says. For example, a participant could scream “stop hitting me” while using the cue; the other participant knows that they consent to the risk of the scene as long as they maintain the cue. We’ll go over the cue, and its limitations, at the larp.
Self-Care Cue - Sometimes, you need something you don’t have, or you’re not sure you have what you need. Maybe someone is doing something you don’t want done, or you’re panicked or triggered, or you’re not 100% sure you’re consenting and not just surviving. For these moments, we have the Self-Care Cue. The Self-Care Cue can be signaled verbally, with sign language, or physically, and prompts everyone to take a moment of self-care by stopping, taking a deep breath to reset themselves, and asking “what do you need?” This is a pause, not a stop, and after needs are met, we return to play.
Zoning - This is less something you, as a participant, do, and more a set of expectations. When you arrive for the out-of-role party on the first night, we’ll have signs and discuss zoning in the physical space. Zoning simply establishes different levels of physical role-play, in terms of sexuality and violence, that you can expect to see in specific areas. It also establishes what we call “baseline role-play” that you can expect to encounter everywhere in the larp, which includes non-explicit sexual contact (such as kissing), specific acts of violence such as grappling, vampiric feeding, nudity and scenes of non-consensual role-play.

Consent Is a Constant Decision

While we all will do a significant amount to mitigate risk, there’s still a chance you could come to harm. We do our best to communicate these risks to you in advance, and when you fill out your application, you actually acknowledge a number of them. These include:

Monstrosity is an erotic horror larp that includes situations of violence, non-consent and death; as a participant, you can expect to encounter (and participate in) situations with nudity, sexual activity, fake blood and realistic portrayals of violence.
This is a live event. You will be in close quarters with other people. While we have taken steps to reduce this risk, you may get sick at our events, and possibly miss time at work.
This larp contains realistic portrayals of violence, opportunities for significant physical activity, and you’ll likely encounter BDSM paraphernalia. There is a greater than normal risk of physical harm than in other larps of this type.
Participants also often experience bruising after the event due to both planned activities (close physical contact with each other) and accidents (such as falls or bumping into furniture).
You must be at least 21 years old to play Monstrosity.

However, while we want you to make an informed decision when you apply to Monstrosity, consent is not something you give once; consent is an active and constant process. The information we’ve listed above isn’t comprehensive, but rather the critical information we think you need to make a risk-aware consent decision to attend the larp. Throughout the preparation and actual play of the larp, we’ll be giving you information with which to make informed decisions. More importantly, you’ll be learning about the larp and your place in it, to constantly update these decisions.

Remember, consent is not the same as harm. Consent simply means you have made a decision to take part in an action. You can still be harmed, and even if there’s a consent violation, we might get lucky and have no harm occur. What’s important is that you make an informed decision to engage the risk.

This informed decision is our goal. The purpose of risk management is not to be safe; the only safe larp is the one no one ever plays. Instead, the purpose of risk management is to allow us to take risks - and do so in a purposeful manner, with a clear idea of the reward. Monstrosity is a high risk larp, but it tells a story worthy of that risk, and so we have chosen to offer it to you. It’s up to you to decide if you think the reward is worth the risk to you.