My submission to VoidSpace https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfABVWl9mEaU3EVh0w2U0qyCGJUs1cH4IinNmxI2ekEs3WJLw/viewform?pli=1&pli=1&edit2=2_ABaOnudq2YTk2HEk0M5Zg35csHEBOj-Sc1mx6QV55kKfmWwyB6EynvZJDn0Q7VhX1oh5dRE
Welcome To The Unseen Court is a name tag game. It's meant to be part of an event or gathering that uses name tags to help participants introduce themselves to each other but also to subvert that process a little by adding a bit of story and gameplay to what is often a hackneyed and corporate activity.
What is your show about? Tell us what happens, key themes, emotional impact, or anything else we ought to know.
It's not a show. It's a lightweight game attached to the name tags that we so often get at events like this one. It's meant to add a layer of serendipity and social connection to what tends to be a hackneyed and corporate tool for professional socialising.
Basically, every player chooses a faction when they get a name tag. The factions are based on the four suits in a standard card deck: Spades, Diamonds, Hearts and Clubs.
<aside> đź’ˇ The Lore of the Suits
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There is a hierarchy and backstory to these factions. I’ll be creating a very simple website that explains the rules (THE LAW) and the backstory of the Factions (The Lore). I’ll have a QR code to go to that site and it will also let people fill in an optional form to register themselves for their Faction. This same form will also collect feedback and “interesting moments” during play to help document the game but also help me to make future performances better.
Your only goal in this game is to gather "glory" for your faction. Glory is given in the form of a sticker that you need to collect from other players. All players start with three glory stickers. You collect this glory by talking to other players and convincing them to give you one of their glory stickers for your faction and you put the sticker on the back of your name tag. It might be a transaction or a persuasion. I might add a twist to this to allow players to get more glory points to distribute and collect but I'm still working on that mechanic.
That's pretty much all their is to it. At the end of the event, i'll tabulate the glory collected for each faction by its members and will publish the results of the game to anyone who cares (probably on an Instagram account but potentially via the Voidspace newsletter or wrap-up).
What is the audience's role in your piece? (This is a chance to tell us how it's interactive)
By wearing a name tag and choosing a faction, you enter the game. It is up to the player about how deep they want to go into the story behind the factions. There is no pressure to play at all but hopefully it will be compelling. I hope the role we are asking them to play is very lightweight and comfortable to wear. I like what Arlo Park said about this: "it should be you, but just wearing a different hat". By reading about the lore, you are given some story to weave into your persuasive argument for collecting glory for your faction.
What stage of development do you expect to be at by the festival (we are open to sharings and works in progress as well as finished pieces)
I expect it to be in "beta" format - basically it will be the second iteration of this project (the first was at Burning Man in 2024) - you can read the rules for it here: https://jukevox.notion.site/A-Daring-Game-of-Hearts-1063527e71964d97a7bf7c2c0328be4d