Description
Berlin 1942, a gray morning, an apartment, a suburban building. You heard them coming with sirens blaring and ran to the only place you could hide: the attic.
It’s dark here. The ducts inside the walls carry the sounds of the tormentors searching the building for you. You hold your breath. Then hear a whisper. You are not alone.
First They Came is an immersive historical RPG about the danger of Nazi persecution. Yup. Straightforward, no metaphors. No oppressed magical creatures, no cosmic horror war experiments, only real events from our past (and, unfortunately, the looming specter of real events occurring in our present).
First They Came follows five characters, neighbors in hiding. All are (loosely) based on real people. All have identities targeted by the Nazi regime. Typically they live busy, separate lives but today, they’re crouched in the dark in their apartment building’s attic. The Gestapo are downstairs. They’re hunting for someone.
Game is a GM-less, zero-prep one shot with LARP-inspired mechanics. Thirteen audio tracks create a soundscape while driving in-game events. To capture the inherent claustrophobia, game requires players to wear blindfolds or turn out the lights. Game also includes 15 realistically-reproduced documents for players to review instead of using character sheets. Over 2-3 hours, players will explore fear, guilt, anger toward injustice, and hopelessness while simultaneously considering the solidarity of community. What power do they have? Is there yet hope? What has fascism taken from them, and in what ways have they been complicit simply to get by?
First They Came was created by Chaos League, a multi-lingual Italian LARP collective. Chaos League has been active since 1992 and counts artists, writers, and performers amongst their ranks. With this background in mind, game includes in-depth Best Practices as well as a Safety Guide. These were designed (like a LARP) to balance education, immersion, and player safety.
First They Came is not for everyone, but we know you’re out there. Do you prefer direct, honestly-represented events over narrative distance? Curious to walk in the shoes of others? Does your heart want to have a valuable, human experience (even if it hurts)?
- Full color 16.5cm x 24cm artbook with 15 full color documents
- For 3-5 players
- Requires blindfolds (or a dark room)
- CONTENT NOTE: game deals with heavy subject matter as well as themes of identity, guilt, fear, anger over injustice, and hopelessness
