Policies

Booking Opens: 23rd October 2023
E7 Plot Point Deadline: 29th April 2024 - after this point we cannot guarantee we'll be able to write backstory information or plot interests from E7 into the event but will do what we can.
Main Booking Deadline: 27th June 2024
Character Submission Deadline: 27th June 2024 - characters submitted after this point will only have minimal writing team support for E7.
Late Booking / Cancellation Deadline: 27th August 2024
Meal Ticket Deadline: 13th September 2024

Once bookings have opened for an Event you may reserve a place at the event by filling out a form which will be accessible when booking opens. Please see Next Event for details of information to include. Once your reservation has been confirmed you should send the £20 deposit to confirm your place. If you do not do so your place may be offered to someone else.

There are 75 player spaces and 50 crew spaces available at each Event. In the event that more bookings are made than we have spaces, we will operate a waiting list in case spaces become available.

You do not need to have finalised your character in order to book.

You must pay the full amount (£80 Player / £50 Player Concession) by the main booking deadline. If you do not pay the amount you your place may be offered to someone on the waiting list, and you will possibly lose your deposit.

Bookings made after the main booking deadline will need to be paid in full before they are accepted. No booking will be taken after late booking deadline so that we can finalise numbers.

In order to finalise plot and props for players, all characters must be submitted by the Character Submission Deadline. We reserve the right to cancel any booking that fails to submit a character by the deadline, particularly where we have received no communication on the matter.

Meal Tickets are booked separately and cost £30 which must be paid in full before the Meal Ticket Deadline and are non-refundable after that Deadline.

The Core Team reserves the right to refuse a booking without needing to give a reason why.

Concession prices of £50 for Player Tickets are available for those who need it, for example to:

• Students
• Those not in full time employment
• Disabled attendees
• Anyone attending in order to care for another attendee

Concession eligibility is taken on trust. If you are unsure whether you should qualify, you are welcome to email us at talesuntold.larp@gmail.com to ask.

Payment should be made by PayPal to Katie Moore using the Family and Friends Option. You must use the Family and Friends option (Tales Untold is not a business) as otherwise we lose around 10% of payments to PayPal fees. We will get in touch to ask for payments to cover the lost 10% if you use the incorrect option.

Payments may be made in parts if you desire - if you choose this option we will send periodic reminders of your outstanding balance. The balance will still be due by the deadline unless agreed otherwise with us. This option is not available for Late Bookings made after the Main Booking deadline.

Cancellations before the main booking deadline will receive a refund not including deposit.

Cancellations made after the main booking deadline but before the cancellation deadline will receive a 50% refund not including deposit. This includes cancellations that we make due to failure to submit a character before the deadline.

Cancellations made after the cancellation deadline will get no refund.

Meal Ticket Cancellations receive 100% refunds until the Meal Ticket Deadline after which point they will receive no refund.

For Chapter 3 onwards, please read the COVID-19 Safety Policy for information about cancellations due to COVID-19.

You may not make physical contact with another attendee without their consent except where the combat rules require it. You may always go out of character to check for consent.

You should not reference themes that are listed as restricted in the Acceptable Themes policy. You should take care when referencing themes on the same policy which are listed as sensitive.

If someone asks you to stop pursuing a topic of conversation, do so without question. If someone asks you to leave them alone, do so without question. If that causes issues, contact the core team.

You may report harassing behaviour by any attendee of an event to a member of crew. Your identity will not be revealed during the handling of this complaint. You may make reports about crew to either Head Ref.

Any and all illegal activity will be reported to the authorities. Offending players will be removed from the game.

If a member of crew makes a decision you may challenge it once. If the member of crew asserts they are still correct you must accept their ruling. If you are still unhappy with the decision you should escalate it to the Head Refs afterwards.

Following the spirit of the rules is just as important as following the letter. Lying about meeting Bond conditions, cheating in combat, and other such behaviour is certainly not in the spirit of the game and players found to be behaving in such a way are liable to be excluded.

It is always acceptable to drop out of character to correct someone's use of pronouns. If you don't feel comfortable correcting someone, it's always acceptable to find a Ref and ask them to correct someone for you. Repeatedly failing to use the correct pronouns for someone will be viewed dimly by the Core Team.

It is permissible to drink on site, but respect the choice of others not to drink. It is not acceptable to fight drunk, and if a member of crew determines that you are too drunk to remain safely in the game you will be asked to go to the OC area until you are able to.

Players and Crew are reminded to be respectful to one another. In particular, since Crew are paying volunteers, Players are reminded to be courteous of Crew and not make out of character demands on their time. If you wish to request a particular roleplaying interaction from a member of crew, seek a Ref.

Breaking the Behaviour Policy during an event is grounds for removal from the event.

Safety is of utmost importance at Tales Untold. Anyone who engages in combat should be aware of how to LARP fight safely, and have had their weapons checked by a member of crew. If a member of crew tells you you are doing something unsafe, listen to them and amend your behaviour accordingly. If you disagree with that call, take it up with the Head Refs later. Persistently fighting unsafely is a good way to get yourself excluded from the game.

The call “STOP THE GAME” is our safety call. If you hear this, stop what you are doing and stay where you are so that the situation can be addressed. This is always an Out of Character call and should never be used in character.

The call “TELEVISION” - which is obviously OC and should not be used in character - indicates that the speaker needs to disengage from the current roleplay for OC reasons (such as anxiety, feeling overwhelmed by the situation, etc). It may also be represented non-verbally by crossing one's arms over their chest which should also never be used in character. When TELEVISION is called (whether verbally or not), all parties involved in the current roleplaying interaction, including the person who called TELEVISION, should stop the current interaction. If you believe TELEVISION has been called but not respected, call “STOP THE GAME”.

The call “OC: DIAL DOWN” should be used to indicate that the speaker would like to de-escalate the current roleplaying interaction without stopping it. This may be non-verbally communicated by holding two fingers in the air and waving downward. All parties involved in an interaction when “OC: DIAL DOWN” is called should de-escalate the situation - e.g. reduce volume or intensity of speech - and accommodate this request.

All participants should be aware of the LARP Safety rules and abide by them at all times. In particular, if someone is hitting you too hard in LARP combat then you should tell them so (or if you feel unable to do so, ask a Ref to tell them so). If someone tells you you are hitting them too hard they are by definition correct, and you should adjust how you are hitting accordingly.

We will have first aiders on site and their identities will be made clear to everyone at the briefing before TIME IN.

If an incident occurs, please report it to the Head Refs. When you do so, please provide as full and clear an account of what occurred as you can so that the Refs can be quickly brought up to speed as to what occurred.

If an injury results as a result of LARP fighting, the person responsible will be required to demonstrate they can fight safely to a combat Ref before they will be allowed to enter a LARP fight again.

Our COVID Safety Policy and Risk Assessment can be found here. We will review it on a monthly basis to make sure that it is up to date with government guidance - if you have any questions or comments, please get in touch!

The Core Team believe that nobody should be forced to roleplay with someone with whom they are uncomfortable around OC. At any point during an Event, attendees may ask the Core Team to ask another attendee to avoid interacting with them. No reason needs to be given, but it is expected that such requests are made in good faith. Both sides should respect this request, with the understanding that given the nature of the event interaction may still occur. If at any point either party feels that this request is not being honoured, this should be taken up as soon as possible with a member of Core Team.

Player Events may be sanctioned but this will only be at the complete approval of the Core Team. Player Events will at a minimum need to have their own self-contained plot, be accessible to existing players, and be run for the purpose of running a plot, not for additional politicking. Do not assume that the Core Team will approve your Event until you have discussed it with us at talesuntold.larp@gmail.com.

If you have a complaint about something please take this complaint to either of the Head Refs (Anna or Katie) either in person during an event or by contacting talesuntold.larp@gmail.com. If you are not comfortable bringing a complaint to the Head Refs then you may bring complaints to Quest Ref.

When making a complaint about an incident, please provide as full an account as to what happened as you can so that the Refs are able to be brought up to speed as to what specifically occurred.

When working out how to handle a complaint, we will let any complainants know of any conflicts of interest from the relevant Refs if that is relevant.

When players or crew book into Tales Untold they will be added to the list of attendees on the Next Event page using first name and identifying initial of the name that they booked with.

All attendees will have the option to email the Head Refs (talesuntold.larp@gmail.com) for one of the following options:

• Red Flag a name - you are aware of or have experienced behaviour from this person that you believe makes them unsafe to LARP with. Examples of this may be bullying, harassment, or abuse. You don’t have to give a reason for red-flagging a name. Someone who has been red-flagged will be asked to not attend Tales Untold. We will not tell them who has raised this flag or why.
  • The exception to not needing to give a reason is if you are red-flagging a member of the Core Tales Untold team, as we will need to investigate such a matter fully in order to ensure that the game can continue to run knowing the attendees will be safe. We will continue to avoid giving details of who raised the flag or why without their permission during such an investigation.
• Yellow Flag a name - you do not believe this person to be unsafe, but for personal reasons do not want to play closely with them and do not wish for us to contact them about this. You don’t have to give a reason for yellow-flagging a name. In this case, we will avoid writing you into the same areas of the game and will not tell them that they have been yellow-flagged. We will be unable to request avoidance.
• Request Mutual Avoidance - you do not believe this person to be unsafe, but for personal reasons you do not want to play closely with them and would you avoid each other during the event. In this case, we will issue a mutual avoidance request between the two of you.

Tales Untold maintains this policy to encourage a safer roleplaying environment on the basis of good faith and trust amongst attendees. The team will take a significantly dim view on anyone found to be abusing this policy.

By the nature of enforcing requests, the Head Refs will need to share details of any flagging between themselves, but it will not be shared with any other member of the Core Team.

During events you may always report harassing or unsafe behaviour to Refs as well, as noted in our Behaviour Policy.

The following information is stored securely by Google Drive and only accessible to the Tales Untold team:

• Your out-of-character (OC) name.
• Your contact email address.
• List of Tales Untold events you have attended.
• Your photography preferences.
• Any data transmitted through Booking Forms (including dietary requirements, access requirements, emergency contact information, etc) is handled by us but deleted when it is no longer relevant.
• For Event 3 onward information relevant to ensuring attendees are compliant with our COVID Policy (which will be deleted when no longer relevant).

The following information is stored securely by Google Drive and only accessible to the Tales Untold Head Refs:

• Any requests made as per the Safe Community Policy (minimal information stored to maintain our records but no information beyond what is needed is kept)
• Safety incident details

The following information is handled by the relevant external party:

• Photographs of you taken during the game (with your permission) held by our photographer

The following information is stored on our website server and publicly available:

• Your generated content (character information, realm information, etc)
• Association of your name (see below) with your character

• We will display the OC name that you provide us on your in-character bio, on your userpage, and on the “Player Characters” page. This will be visible to anyone who looks at the wiki.
  • By default, this will be displayed and stored on-wiki as your given name, plus the initial of your family name (e.g. Katie M).
    • In the event that this is not enough to uniquely identify you, we will use up to three letters of your family name (e.g. Katie Moo). If that isn’t enough to uniquely identify you, then people will just have to deal with it.
  • If you wish your name to be displayed in another form (e.g. initials only) then let us know.
• Email talesuntold.larp@gmail.com if you wish to change how your name is displayed.
• We request that this name is the same as you would use to introduce yourself to other players.

• We will use your email addresses only for game related purposes and will not disclose them outside the GM Team.
• We maintain the following mailing lists of email addresses through the medium of Google Contacts, only available to the Tales Untold Head Refs:
  • Tales Untold general mailing list
  • Tales Untold Event X Players mailing list (per event)
  • Tales Untold Event X Crew mailing list (per event)
• Upon booking (or by request), you will be added to the relevant mailing list(s).
• We will only remove you from mailing list by explicit request, in case it becomes necessary to contact attendees of a specific past event.

• At Events, a photographer will be present to take photos.
• These photos will be shared on Facebook and Google Photos and can be taken down by contacting the photographer directly.
• You can opt out of having photos of you taken by contacting the Core Team or the photographer.
• With your permission, photos may be used for advertising and display purposes. You can revert your permission at any time.

• By default, your character information will remain active once the game is over. Your personal information will be deleted.
• If you wish us to delete your information once the game us over, then email us and all identifying records and material held on you will be deleted. This does not include game-related documents such as character notes, plots, and props we have internally that do not identify you OC.

• The Administrator for the server is Katie Moore, and is the person responsible for enforcing this policy is Katie. She can be contacted via email at talesuntold.larp@gmail.com.

Credit to Mike Chester who wrote most of this for Redemption

Whilst Tales Untold is designed for adults first and foremost, we acknowledge that the logistics of childcare during LARP events can be difficult to organise and we do not want this to be a barrier for attendees with young children. The Child Safety Policy below details the reasonable support we can provide as Head Refs, and the responsibilities of Players and Crew attending an event where a child is present.

By bringing an young child to Tales Untold, parents and guardians must accept that:

• Tales Untold was written for players over the age of 18.
  • By default, children should be treated below the abstraction layer, as an extension of the parent/guardian accompanying them, not as a character in their own right.
  • Within the bounds of our Acceptable Themes Policy, Tales Untold contains several themes which we consider inappropriate for children, as well as props and special effects which may be frightening or unsettling. While attendees are asked to be mindful of their behaviour around children, responsibility ultimately falls with the parent/guardian to remove their child from spaces which could be distressing.
  • As below, the Head Refs will aim to give adequate warning to parents/guardians expected to come into contact with special effects which may be not just unsettling, but unsafe for a child.
• Parents and guardians are responsible for the care, supervision and safety of the child during the event.
  • Children must never be left unattended on site. We ask that parents and guardians stay with their child at all times; no other attendee should be held responsible for childcare during the event. If you are not confident that you can supervise your child at all times, please do not bring them to Tales Untold.
  • Parents and guardians are responsible for providing suitable food and accommodation for any child they bring to the event. Baby-changing facilities are included on-site for E4 and E5.
  • You should assume that hazards typical of any outdoor event (e.g. trip hazards, insect bites, allergens) will be present. If you have any specific questions about on-site safety, please get in touch with the Head Refs in advance and we would be happy to discuss specifics with you.
  • The Head Refs will aim to give adequate warning to parents/guardians expected to come into contact with special effects which could be unsafe for a child, e.g. loudspeakers and smoke used on a Vignette.
• Some spaces are not safe for children.
  • No child may enter any space where combat is permitted, i.e. Quests and the Proving Ground.
  • Other spaces may be deemed out-of-bounds for children at the discretion of the Head Refs, catering team and site owners. The Head Refs will aim to give you as much notice as possible if this is the case.
• The Tales Untold Child Safety Policy may vary event to event.
  • Our ability to support children and their parents/guardians at Tales Untold will depend on the site facilities and the content of the upcoming event.

With the exception of the parent/guardian, no attendee, whether Player or Crew, has any more responsibility for the safety of a child present at the event than they would in a public space. That said, we support a positive, accepting and safe community, and so all attendees are asked to:

• Be respectful.
  • Although responsibility for the safety of a child lies with the parent/guardian, all attendees should be mindful of their behaviour around children, as respect remains a key part of our Behaviour Policy. Engaging with acceptable adult themes in a space where the parent/guardian can choose to step away is absolutely fine; going out of your way to make a child or their parent/guardian uncomfortable is not.
  • As with any form of harassment, harassment of a parent/guardian who is breastfeeding is absolutely unacceptable at Tales Untold.