Concept
With this work we wish to join in the wake of this year’s nationwide commemorations on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Italy from Nazi-Fascist rule. Though it is not meant to be a reenactment of the original story, it is based on solid research and it will try to portray as credibly as possible those complex and painful times. The characters, for one, are shaped around known personalities of the war and the fictional facts that will unfold during the event were written with historical records constantly at hand for inspiration. The event is produced by a group of authors with explicit anti-fascist, anti-Nazi and anti-totalitarian views. However, we have a goal to explore the obvious political theme with impartiality. Where appropriate, we will show violence and brutality from all sides, and we have done the utmost to provide you with dramatic and believable characters, that are first and foremost human beings in their complexity rather than pictures of flat, single-minded “fascists” or “communists”. Our ultimate goal is to offer an insightful, in-depth roleplaying experience and allow a glimpse at life in a rural community in occupied Italy in the Fall of ‘44.
Design
This larp is styled after the broad Nordic tradition and specifically the cinematic feel of projects such as “The Monitor Celestra”. Focus is on immersion and drama, in a 360-illusion, realistic environment. Players are invited to embrace a “play to lose” attitude and interaction will fundamentally be natural and self-regulated via safe words. There will be minimal simulation rules for such things as wounds, poisoning etc. and combat will be on the honor system (plastic knives, smoke/fireworks and blank-firing weapons will be employed).
Rhythm and conditions will be moderately hardcore, as gameplay will be 24-hour over a couple of days with in-game sleeping and eating, and several chances for comfort disruption, such as marches, night patrols, raids, food gathering and the like. Some will enjoy a bed in a stone house but others will be camping. It is recommendable that participants are comfortable with this perspective, as some things you just can’t opt out unless you leave the game (e.g. sleeping in a tent if that’s in your character). The narrative is character-centered, there will be very little NPC presence and all characters will be pre-written and interwoven with plots and relationships. Players will still be free to fill-in and customize anything not in the sheet (rather, they are warmly encouraged to). The 70-some characters will be organized in diegetic groups and sub-groups with typical conflicting agenda elements. Pre-larp workshops will be employed for briefing and getting acquainted and a post-larp buffet break will allow for informal debrief and war stories.
Partecipating as an International Player
‘The Rebels on the Mountain’ is the first step of the Italian larpwrights collective ‘Terre Spezzate’ onto the international larping scene. The main language of the event will be Italian, but English will be supported as a secondary language in-game.
We have reserved a minimum of four places (two female, two male) in each run for ‘diegetic foreigner’ roles, characters who are not native speakers and will be able to interact in English with a set of bilingual characters, and can experience the difficulty of improvised communication with the others. Think, for example, of Allied soldiers that got separated from their units, hiding with the population or even fighting alongside the rebels: this is perfectly consistent with history.
These international characters will be in no other way different from the rest, enjoying a full game experience, including personal plots and props, hard choices, emotions and drama. Even more, they will be of great value in introducing important themes and historical references in the larp, such as, how much was the civil war that ensued in Italy after the 1943 armistice only an Italian matter? In which ways and to what extent were the Allies involved?
Practicals
There will be two identical runs of the game in July 2015: 10-12 and 17-19. You can pick either, but not both, so as to give the chance to participate to more people. The location is a rustic hamlet turned into a mountain resort, located 780 m above sea level in the Alps near Turin.
We would really love to have you with us and we will do our best to ease your logistics. To begin with, the international ticket will include all you need during the game: food and lodging from the afternoon of Friday to Sunday noon, character, props and a full costume. Moreover, we will arrange for a player to give you a lift from Turin or Milan. They will also host you for an extra night before and/or after if you need it to accommodate for travel schedules, or you can arrive at the location a day earlier on Thursday as well as leave on Monday morning. So all you really need is find your way into the country and bring suitable shoes.
To subscribe, just pay the €60 fee with PayPal using the button below (pick the gender you physically identify with in the drop down menu). In due time, you will receive via e-mail a pdf booklet in English with all the information and narrative you need to play. In the meantime, feel free to get in touch with us for any question at Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. E' necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo. .
Special update
The international response to this event's launch has exceeded our expectations, seeing all 8 places filled in a few hours. We decided to honor this heartwarming interest by making an extra effort to fit 4 more international characters (2 per run, 1 male and 1 female) in the narrative weave. Those places are gone, too, so we created this Waiting list for international players.
It is typical to have some cancellations before a larp, so please don't hesitate to register in the Waiting list if you are interested! We will get back to you as soon as somebody cancels.
Register on our database
After you have subscribed using Paypal, we ask you to register on our character database as well. This will allow you to see other characters' descriptions and to choose your own character (characters are not published right now, but they will soon be).
Moreover, registering on our database will help us to prepare the participants' list and other formalities. You can register using this page.
Support this larp
If you so desire, you can choose pay an extra 40€ and be a "Supporter" of this event. Thank to our Supporters' generosity, we are able to keep ordinary prices low and still buy great gear for our larps. Being a Supporter grants you the organizers' eternal gratitude, and some minor benefits:
- first choice on characters
- greater customization of your character (the organizers will have a final say on this)
- your name will be included in the larp "End Credits" on our website
- you will be able to transfer your participation to a different player, in case you can't manage to come
- a small souvenir of the larp
Read more
The English translation of the full website is available! Check it out here:
• Design and Themes: History, ethics, politics - minimal ruleset and "play to lose" - WYSIWYG - Dramatic resolution - Languages
• Characters: The Resistance formations - Nazis and fascists - Citizens of Montelupo - A guide to character selection
• Setting: The turbulent Italian context in 1944 - The Gothic Line - Montelupo and the surrounding valleys - Daily Life
• Practical: Props - Costumes - Location - What to bring - About Meals - Schedule - Arriving on Thursday
• The complete Player's Guide, in PDF format
"I ribelli della montagna" is a project by Terre Spezzate; the team for this event is led by Andrea Capone and Elio Biffi.
