Larp in Ebnat-Kappel, Switzerland
20. - 23. August 2026
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When your world has crumbled all around you - the cities empty, the roads perilous - who do you become? Do you hang on to hope? Do you try to save what remains of society? Do you fight for a new future, even if it may not be for you? How far do you go to survive?
“We Who Remain” is a larp with pre-scripted characters set in a bittersweet, post-apocalyptic world. Following a catastrophic pandemic and the appearance of human-animal hybrids, humanity is hanging by a thread. But giving up is not in their nature, and somewhere in the mountain wilderness, a motley group collides in a story of legacy, loyalty, loss, and belonging.
Larp is short for “live action role play”. It’s an improvised role-playing game where you act as a character in a given setting. Unlike in a play or a movie, you don’t just watch a story, but actively participate in it and experience the story first-person. But unlike in theatre, there is no audience watching - everybody is playing together. In this larp you get a pre-scripted character, bring a costume, and act as your character for the duration of the game. You don’t need prior acting or larping experience to play this larp.
This is the first run of this larp. It is still in development, and we are writing the game as we go in our free time. We would love for you to join us on this adventure but also rely on your help, feedback, and patience that things might not all go as planned.
“We Who Remain” is set in an alternative timeline of a post-apocalyptic Europe. Society has completely collapsed over a decade ago and a worldwide pandemic has wiped out most of humanity. Imagine empty cities, slowly being reclaimed by nature. Country borders and global politics have become irrelevant. While some militarized organizations try to keep civilization alive, scattered groups of survivors are dealing very differently with the new reality. And slowly but surely a new every-day life is setting in. Our story is told in a secluded house in the area once known as Switzerland, where quite different factions are finding refuge.
In 2006 the world has been hit by a fast spreading, deadly pandemic of what is only known as “the Sickness”. It is now close to twenty years since the Sickness has first been diagnosed. It is highly infectious, and people started dying in far greater numbers than hospitals were equipped to handle. The Sickness is still around in 2026 (when we play). It can be detected, sometimes slowed down, but so far no cure has been found.
About five years after the Sickness started spreading, society fell in on itself in a string of events now known as “the Collapse”. It wasn’t a single occurrence or war, but rather a slow implosion over several years. Infrastructure failed, more people died of the Sickness than systems could handle. Politics became chaos, production strings broke down. By now, 80% of humanity has been wiped out. The rest is living off what remains and trying to outrun the threat of getting infected.
While “We Who Remain” is inspired by “Sweet Tooth” it is an independent project and is set in its own world. We don’t make any profit off the project and hold no connection to DC, Warner Brothers or Netflix.
The Characters of this larp are all dealing with the post-apocalyptic world differently. Some have hidden away with a few friends or relatives, others have joined one of the larger and more or less organized factions that emerged. Lack of food or other basic survival needs aren’t as much of a problem as distrust, not knowing what the future will bring, and the constant fear of the Sickness. Apart from the hybrids, all characters have some memory of the world before the Collapse.
In all the chaos of the Sickness, a curious occurrence emerged: no more human children were being born. All babies that came after the Sickness had some sort of animal traits and quickly became known as hybrids. They are somehow the only ones immune to the Sickness. There are different theories to why that is and how human the hybrids even are. Hybrid-characters are all about 18 to 20 years old. While there are also younger hybrids in the world, we won’t be playing any minors. Most hybrid characters have hidden away from the Alliance hunting them and have lived quite secluded up to now.
Note: Playing a hybrid will require you to portray the animal characteristics by some kind of make-up. Captivity will be a strong theme for these characters, and they will have less agency than the others.
A group of young radicals set on protecting the hybrids. They are a bit older than the hybrids, most of them having been children when the Collapse happened. Their activism is meant well but doesn’t shy away from violence. They have their own system of rules and hierarchies and idealize the change the Collapse and the hybrids have brought, even if most of them have yet to meet a hybrid in person. They blame the generations before them for having failed society and lead to its destruction.
One of the larger and more organised factions in central Europe, the Alliance has an army like structure - strong hierarchies, scrapped together uniforms, firearms. While they aren’t bound to a country (those don’t exist anymore anyways), they follow the self-proclaimed goal to save humanity and find a cure to the Sickness at whatever costs. These characters can be any age. The Alliance has drawn different kinds of followers, since they keep up a lot of infrastructure and have gathered a net of resources (such as medicine and electricity). The Alliance is the oppressive force of the game.
People from different scientific and medical backgrounds from before the Collapse. Scientists are being held at high value and strongly sought after by the Alliance. They are the last people that might have the knowledge to find a cure for the Sickness. Most of them are working for the Alliance - some more voluntarily than others.
While most characters belong to a specific faction, there are also a few scattered people that have not joined a specific faction at the beginning of the game but are living their life independently. Amongst these is the small family that has lived at the house in the mountains in peace for quite a while before all the others showed up.
This is a story about what we are living for. About the people close to us, the families we found. About what we want our future to be and how our past shaped us. At times, it is a difficult story with lots of tears. And sometimes it is a heartwarming story. But mostly, it is a story about all the things that make us who we are.
Finding a place to belong - Exploring the woods - Listening to the last existing radio channel - Failing at doing research - Following a chain of command - Tending to sick relatives - Being afraid of flowers - Being loyal - Bloodying your hands in the name of science - Getting back what you lost in the Collapse - Holding on to hope - Being stuck in a house in fuck knows where - Finding beauty in a broken place - Fighting for what you believe in - Protecting your community - Discovering traces from before - Fighting against extinction
Contacting with the outside world over radio - Trying to find a way to escape - Building a hideout - Scanning sickness levels - Finding left behind snacks - Warming your hands at a campfire - Punishing those that fall out of line - Hugging someone for the last time - Hunting down hybrids - Feeding prisoners - Having a “forced group morale” party - Dancing to a forgotten song - Punching your enemy in the face - Facing your own death - Doing military-like drill for extreme situations - Pretending to be someone you are not - Sniffing things - Hiding under the sofa - Stealing scientific papers - Setting up an antenna on the hill - Sacrificing yourself - Playing hide and seek in the forest - Taking a bath in a rotten bathtub - Looking at a map - Sharing a kiss while the world burns - Threatening a soldier with a slingshot - Losing your last memento of home - Swearing an oath with your friends
These are big themes of the game that can be sensitive for some people.
In character backgrounds and due to the improvised nature of larp, other themes (e.g. pregnancy, suicide, harm to children) can also come up. Please look after yourself and use our safety mechanics if needed.
These things are definitely no part of the game and should be avoided by everyone.
There are many ways to play a game and many terms used in the larp community. The playstyle we envision for this larp is defined by players focusing on creating good scenes together, rather than on ‘winning’ by making sure that your own character achieves their goals. Instead, allow your character to struggle and perhaps fail; give spotlight and opportunities to others and pick up their ideas; play for the flow and fun of playing and experiencing the story, without being attached to a particular outcome. Lift up and help others to portray their character by reacting to and supporting their characters’ strengths, position and role.
We generally want to encourage a play-style where we build a story together while playing, rather than planning it ahead or in between. This requires trust in each other and an openness that the game might go differently from what you expect. But we also believe that this is the way to the best larp magic. If you want to do something - go for it, but never expect someone else to react a certain way. And likewise - react to the things that happen around you, there’s no right or wrong.
We want to encourage brave play, set on a common ground of shared trust, expectation of the best and room for failure. We trust that you are familiar and comfortable with the contents of this website. They are there to set a shared baseline on which we can play together. Take care of yourself and opt-out if you don’t feel comfortable with a situation.
If you feel stuck in your game, come to us organisers or NPCs, rather than pull other people out of game. This is what we are here for and are happy to help.
If you add “really, really” to a sentence, you communicate that something is meant off game (e.G. “I’m really, really cold, let’s go inside” communicates your off-game needs, not your character’s needs)
This ends a scene immediately for everyone surrounding. Explain your needs off-game, resolve the issue, and then continue playing.
We use these terms a lot in talking about larp. They are used to distinguishing everything that happens on the character level, in the story, “in-game”, from everything that happens on a player level or “off-game”. In addition to the mechanics above, you can also use those terms to communicate on which level you are speaking.
Shield your eyes with your hand to off-game enter or leave a room without being noticed in-game. This is meant for exceptions. Try to avoid standing around in the play area and chatting with a hand over your eyes.
Person A forms a circle with thumb and index finger to ask if Person B is off-game okay. If Person B replies with a thumps-up, play continues as before. If Person B replies any other way, Person A should check in if they need anything off-game.
While deaths should be a meaningful and impactful part of the story, it is possible to die at any time during the game. Usually it is for the victim to decide if they want their character to die as an outcome of a scene or not. But there will be certain In-Game areas, where characters can be killed without the possibility for the player to prevent it. Those areas will be clearly visible and pointed out before the game. You will always be able to use safety mechanics, to prevent entering these areas against your will.
If you die, you will play a new character. It’s recommended to bring some spare clothing for this case. We will help you with input for something fun to play that makes sense in the current state of the game. Active suicide is not part of the game but can come up in character backgrounds.
Due to the close setting and themes of captivity, the baseline for touch is in this larp that everyone should be fine with touching each other by the arms, hands and shoulders. Hugging and being lightly grabbed and held by the arm should be okay. You can always opt out of scenes if they make you feel uncomfortable.
Violence needs to be vocally telegraphed, and the victim has to answer. This is so, that everyone has the chance to opt out with our safety mechanics (e.g. "I really, really don't want this"). If there is no use of safety mechanics, the scene can continue, even if the answer of the character is something like: "please, don't do this". This is to allow fluid play in a safe environment. In any case, make sure no one gets off-game hurt. Escalate slowly and don’t attack people from behind without warning. Use slow, deliberate movements. If in doubt, lose. Weapons are always stronger: Gun trumps knife, knives trump tools, tools trump hands, no matter who wields them.
While sex isn’t a huge part of the story, intimacy and closeness is. We use the following default mechanics:
Two people touch each other forehead against forehead.
Face each other, hold both hands up and touch each other's palms. You can do this standing, sitting, against a wall or laying down. You can play out the sex scene as long as you want. During the scene, your genitals must not touch your co-player. We are aiming for simulation, not stimulation. You may hold eye-contact, close your eyes or use the kissing mechanic. Anyone involved can say “fade” at any time to skip right after the sexual act. Let go and continue to play.
With any kind of intimacy, focus on the moments before and after and make those big (take clothes off, make things awkward, hesitate, back out, etc.). If you want to up the intimacy (e.g. real kissing), check in with your co-player off-game. If you want to down it, use safety mechanics.
Please keep your genitals covered when playing intimate scenes. Nonsexual nudity is allowed (e.g. skinny-dipping), though we don’t expect this to be a bigger part of the in-game setting than it would be in real-life.
We want to enable players to participate in this game independently of financial means. That’s why we are trying to keep our fees as low as possible and why we are offering two community tickets. In addition, to enable solidarity across our player base, we are offering different ticket prices for people in different financial situations: A standard ticket covers the cost of production, while every player who opts for a sponsor ticket will make it possible for us to offer one subsidised ticket to someone else. If more people apply for subsidised or community tickets than we can offer, we will draw at random.
Sign-up opens
Sign-Up closes
Spots confirmed
You will get an email informing you if you got a spot or not
Character Casting
You will receive a form to specify character preferences
Character Short Descriptions
You will get your character and a short description, as well as a costume guide on our website.
Full Character
You will get your full character descriptions
Preparation Livestream
All players are expected to either join live or watch a recording before the game
Start of the Larp
Alcohol is prohibited during playtime and workshops, including alcohol that is brought privately. In-game, alcohol is represented by non-alcoholic beverages. After the workshops on Thursday and after the game ends on Saturday, alcohol is allowed, but we ask you to drink in moderation.
Payment is due in full 30 days after receiving a spot confirmation. Please reach out to us, if this does not work out for you, so we can find a solution together.
If you have to cancel your spot, please notify us as soon as possible, so we can find a replacement. If we find someone to take your spot, you will get refunded the following amount:
Due to our small team and the big logistics involved, all refunds will happen after the game. If this policy places you in financial problems, please reach out to us and we’ll find a solution together!
“We Who Remain” is a larp by Roscht. We are a Basel based larp orga that exists since 2020, you can find out more about us on www.roscht.ch. Contact us via mail on info@roscht.ch.
MAIN ORGA
Rumo Wehrli, Mischa Geiser and Lovis