énouement
The bittersweetness of having arrived here in the future, where you can finally get the answers to how things turn out in the real world but being unable to tell it to your past self —who your baby sister would become, what your friends would end up doing, where your choices would lead you, exactly when you'd lose the people you took for granted—which is priceless intel that you instinctively want to share with anybody who hadn't already made the journey, as if there was some part of you who had volunteered to stay behind, who was still stationed at a forgotten outpost somewhere in the past, still eagerly awaiting news from the front.
Setting#
It's the 1970s in Florence, a period of experimentation and avant-garde, and at the same time of economic prosperity. For the Time Being blurs the place and time to focus on the surreal and dreamlike atmosphere.
The tones are predominantly dramatic, surrounded by a delicately convivial atmosphere. There will be plot twists and moments of tension, choral scenes interspersed with moments of intimate confrontation.
Inspirations: Rusty Lake videogame series * Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead * Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Characters#
There are twelve characters in total. Six members of the Cantine theater company, and six from the Zoia family.
- The Zoia Family
Three siblings who haven't spoken since that 'fateful Christmas', and their three children, drawn into the family feud. The death of a wealthy and eccentric aunt brings them together after 10 years in her luxurious apartment where they once spent Christmas, for the reading of the will. Word has it the aunt was an important arts patron.
Players who choose to play a family member will receive, before the start of the event, a character sheet containing the character's background and relationships, based on the player's choice.
Choose a Zoia family member if you want to decide the fate of a deeply divided family, and if you want to step into the shoes of someone who finds themselves forced to revisit old family issues they would have preferred (or perhaps not entirely) to forget.
- The Cantine Company
The Cantine company has made a name for itself with their very particular acting style, which crosses into philosophy and artistic performance, as those years of experimentation wanted and which they expressed in their 'Manifesto of Shadows'. A few days before the event they are hired to put on a show by an apparently anonymous letter...
Players who choose to play a company character will NOT receive a sheet with a character background, but a description of two of the archetypes the character typically plays in theatrical performances.
The company will receive in-game a script that must be staged however the group likes. Important: you won't be asked to memorize the lines — it's avant-garde theater! You can perform while reading lines from the script, or miming them, or writing them on huge sheets of paper. Get creative!
Choose one of the company's actors if you like the idea of stepping into the shoes of an avant-gardist of the era and an archetype, if you prefer a choral emotional experience and if you actually want to stage a moving and conceptual performance!
Play style#
The rhythm of For the Time Being is set by the players, who will decide how to react to the unfolding events. Players will be free to move through these spaces and decide their characters' fate.
Location#
The game will take place at an agriturismo near Impruneta, in the Florence area. We'll meet at a nearby point (a café or outdoors) where the briefing will take place. Then we'll move to the apartment.
Logistics#
The game lasts approximately 6-7 hours. Meet-up is at 3pm at a location still to be confirmed, and the end will be around 11pm.
There will be food, water, and alcohol for everyone at the event. There are also 4 beds available for those who would like to stay overnight. There aren't enough for everyone, so we plan to leave them for those who genuinely can't get home after the event, or who don't have better accommodation.
The cost of the event is €45.
Safety#
If for any reason you feel uncomfortable with what is happening, use the safety words 'go easy' to invite other players to tone it down, and 'stop' to halt them. At any time feel free to step out of the game and approach an organizer.
How to register#
The event is closed but can be reorganized. Contact us to arrange a new run!
Narrative
Simulation
Gaming
* Using the GNS roleplay classification model