Here's a list of questions we've been asked that we think people will generally find useful to know but we haven't found a good home for on any other page. If you have any questions, do email them to talesuntold.larp@gmail.com.
Q: What is included in my ticket? Why is it £80?
A: The price of the Player Ticket covers:
We have set these prices based on our actual expenditure from Event 5, factoring in increasing costs of food, fuel, ink, and other resources we need to create the best game experience we can. We compared against similar LARPs and found that many have tickets in the £75-100 region not covering catering. We want to be up front about what we're providing, the number of props we create as a small team, the easy-entry LARP experience we want to provide to players and crew, the quantity of content, and our ability to maintain the quality of game and plot we love, we feel these prices are fair.
We recognise that rising LARP prices do present a challenge to many people, so we also offer Concessions to £50 for players and payment plans in order to remain accessible.
Combined with a £30 Meal Ticket, altogether the fully inclusive cost of the weekend in 2024 is expected to be £110 (£80 Concession) which is an increase of £10 over 2023 but is representative of the increased costs of hiring a venue and a van – two fundamentally essential parts of running our events.
Q: Why are Meal Tickets being sold separately?
A: We are following the lead of other comparable LARP Events by separating the cost of food and the cost of the event. Aside from improving the organisation of our event budget and expenditure (enabling us to more accurately predict our costs across the year), this also means that attendees have more visbility on the costs of running the event itself, and also provide the opportunity to choose to acquire food elsewhere (which given the proximity of the town of Kinver itself to the site is more possible at our current site).
Q: Why is catering no longer included for Crew?
A: When we started running Tales Untold in 2019 and when we increased our prices for 2022/23 we had a smaller Crew and we optimistically wanted to try to cover food for Crew in some part with the ticket costs from Players to about 50%. Heading into 2024 we have a larger crewbase which is wonderful, but also it is no longer viable to subsidise catering for Crew without taking a not insignificant loss with our other rising prices. If this will be a barrier to anyone who would like to come and crew though, please do get in touch with us and we can see what we can do to help out.
Q: What safety measures will Tales Untold be putting in place due to COVID?
A: Our COVID Safety Policy and Risk Assessment can be found here.
If you have any questions or concerns about this, please do contact us at talesuntold.larp@gmail.com.
Q: Is there an age restriction on this game?
A: Due to legal restrictions, you must be 18 or over to play Tales Untold.
Q: How do I join your mailing list?
A: Email talesuntold.larp@gmail.com.
Q: Is there any indoor accommodation available? I am unable to camp for medical reasons.
A: We are able to provide limited indoor accommodation during Event 4 with a priority given to those with access needs and to Crew first. The accommodation will take the form of a bunk house - bedding and mattresses not guaranteed to be provided. We have a further limited gender-separated indoor accommodation that we can provide for attendees who are not male. Please inform us either on your booking form or by emailing us if you would like indoor accommodation and we will assign based on needs.
Q: I have restricted mobility - is the site accessible for me?
A: The site we have for Events 4-7 is Kinver Scout Camp, which is a scout campsite in the woods in Staffordshire/Worcestershire. The site has attempted to be wheelchair accessible and all areas we are intending to use for gameplay have step-free access. There are wheelchair accessible toilets and showers in the main block as well. If you have questions or concerns about accessibility please contact us at talesuntold.larp@gmail.com.
The main area of site we use for IC gameplay (“Camelot”) is reasonably flat and is accessed up a hill with a gentle slope. The walk between OC Camping / Cabins and Camelot is around 5 minutes. The walk between Camelot and the toilets is 1-2 minutes, including access to the wheelchair accessible toilet.
We operate Vignettes as strictly non-combat linears on a reasonably flat area directly next to the main camp. Quests will have Combat and take place in a wider area with hills – non-combatants can be accommodated in Quests with prior notice to the Quest Team during the event.
There is a large hill with a slope or steps to the Chief's Lodge where we have previously situated the Font of Magic. We are reviewing this location to move it somewhere more acessible.
Q: Can I play a non-combat character?
A: Absolutely! Though there is combat in the form of the Jousts, the Melee and Quests, non-combat characters are most welcome. Vignettes (smaller Quests) are always non-combat. The Conquest game, interaction with NPCs around Camelot, and creation of Magic are all pure non-Combat activities which form a central part of the game, and Quests should present opportunities for non-combat characters who are still willing to be fought around to head out of Camelot. Being non-Combat should not in any way prevent you from interacting with the game.
Q: Can my Realm have a religion?
A: Sure! Reference it when you submit your Realm to us. See Camelot's entry on Hundred Realms for an example of this.
Q: What if I die mid-event?
A: If your character dies mid-event you can roll in as a new PC or be given a temporary NPC to play for the remainder. All character creation options will be available except that you cannot create a new Realm at this time. Of course, we will go through the options with you should this become relevant.
Q: If my Realm loses all its Territories during an Event but I remain Monarch/General of it at the next one, will I gain new Territories?
A: Just as Realms that have not lost their Territories, you will not receive new Territories between events. You may continue on as Monarch of a Realm with no Territories in hope of regaining your lands, but this must be achieved yourself.
Q: Can I ride my steed?
A: No. The term 'steed' in Jousts is simply a hang-on from the archaic use, and refers to your second. It is unsafe to give someone a piggy-back into a LARP fight.
Q: Is there IC camping or somewhere we can set up shop for our Realm?
A: Since only the campfire will remain as an IC option for 24hrs there is no overnight IC camping, but feel free to set up shop near the main hall for your Realm. This isn't expected or required in any way, but we know some people will like to do this.
Q: What happens if I crush / eat / snort Magic Beans?
A: Firstly, OC please don't do this, it will not be pleasant and we'd prefer our Beans to remain as intact as possible. IC, if you break a Bean it is useless for Magic, and reduces it to a crumbling mess of no magical use. Snorting the powder is generally unpleasant. Beans themselves do not taste good, and if you do eat one (which will likely hurt your teeth), you will achieve little more than a mild irritation of the stomach. The power of Beans only seems to come to fruition when cast into a Scroll.
Q: Can my character include links to magical creatures?
A: Magical Creatures certainly exist across the world of Tales Untold and can be included in backstories and character submissions subject to the approval of the Core Team - we may ask you to change some things to fit with plans or ideas we already have.
Q: Can I have links to the Fey?
A: Fey/Fae/Faeries/Fair Folk by their “traditional” or popular representation will not be appearing in Tales Untold and as such we are preferring to avoid creatures named directly as the Fae or that follow “traditional” representations. Certainly we are open to creatures that serve a similar narrative purpose being linked, but we hold those subject to Core Team approval and may ask you to change things.
Q: How do I increase my skills?
A: There is no skill advancement between events at Tales Untold. You may, if you wish, switch out your skills between events. This is not to say you cannot use Magic to amplify your skills in play…
Q: How do Conquest Phases match up to the Year?
A: The Phases match up to the Seasons: Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer, and Midsummer. A year is still the same length as a real world year, but the world has divided it into 5 seasons instead of 4.
Q: Which way is North? Is it the way up the map is?
A: The Tales Untold team declines to officially endorse any direction as North, given that this has become a topic of in-character dispute. Any map distributed out of character by the team (such as the one on the Hundred Realms page) is drawn from an arbitrary orientation.
Q: What happens if a PC Monarch or General can't make an event?
A: In that event, our policy is (of 08/08/19) to get in touch with the player in question to ask if they would prefer us to generate an NPC to take the Crest, to nominate another Player, or to do nothing.
Q: How big are Magic Scrolls?
A: Magic Scrolls, provided by the game, are A5 paper rolled up or folded.
Q: Is the map the Oracular Mirror?
A: No, the map is just a map.
Q: Why can't I create a new Realm for Tales Untold after Chapter Three?
A: In order to allow us to present a playable Conquest game and to keep track of the plot threads we already have, we have decided to stop expanding the Conquest board and work with the Realms we have. New characters are more than welcome (encouraged, particularly) to join any Realm they like, but after the Realms submitted with characters before the January 2022 original deadline we won't be accepting new Realm submissions.