Overview
The Academy is an in-character organisation run by The Concord team and the Concord player base. The aim is to provide in-character roleplaying experiences and a story to younger players, while also helping them learn about the game, world, and mechanics of Concord LARP. It is hoped that this will provide an introduction to the world of Live Action roleplay while also being exciting in its own right.
Aspects of the Academy
The Welcome
On the first day of each Summit, the Academy hosts a welcome which will be entered on the Academy Schedule for that Summit.. The welcome serves a few purposes both in and out of character. It is intended to be an important activity for guardians and students to attend as it is the basis for the rest of the weekend.
During the Welcome, students and guardians will be:
- Introduced to the staff of the Academy (Both in character and out of character)
- Have the rules and processes of the academy explained to them.
- Retrieve any academy-specific equipment or supplies.
- Be placed or select one of three Houses. (See: Houses)
- Select which lessons they wish to attend over the weekend.
- Ask any questions they need.
- Attempt the Test of Mettle (if appropriate).
Lessons
Lessons form the core of The Academy experience. Each lesson is an hour long and will be lead by a Player character or a member of the Academy. The Lessons are delivered largely in character and have a focus such as History, Swordsmanship, Alchemy, Politics or some other topic. The goal is to provide an interesting environment that teaches younger players who to interact with the game while also getting them used to being in character for longer periods of time.
Teachers sign up for lessons a head of time, ensuring that all slots are filled, that the teachers hold a Working-With-Children Card and that the lessons are of good quality. There will be lessons each day of Concord spread across all three days, and these lessons will be on the Academy Schedule for that Summit.
Player characters who provide a lesson will be paid In-character for their time and effort.
The Apprentice Skill
All students of the Academy may use the Apprentice skill. While they may not normally do anything that requires XP expenditure in the game any character with the Apprentice skill may perform any skill under direct one to one supervision of a player character who has that Skill. From archery to casting Attune Waystone, from using Divine Lore to join a Spherical ceremony, or from swinging a polearm to brewing a potion. A character Supervising Academy students may usually only supervise one student at a time and cannot themselves utilise the skill while the student does. Any costs for the skill must be paid by the supervising character. The rules on supervision may be altered during formal lessons with pre-approval of the lesson plan.
Test of Mettle
The test of mettle is a two-part test to determine if a younger player is responsible enough to participate in combat and to check if a character is fit enough to defend the Concord. Any student of the Academy of 12 years or older may attempt the test of mettle if their parent nominates them. It is intended to be somewhat challenging, Students and parents should not assume that they will pass as the intent is to not only ensure that the younger player is prepared, but also to be rigorous enough that other players feel comfortable fighting the younger player.
The test is held on the first night of the Summit usually after the Weaponmaster has run at least one Combat Lesson which will cover many of the same elements of the usual combat clearance, similar to the one that all players must undergo. The Test of Mettle will operate a little differently to the standard combat clearance and all players who pass the Test of Mettle will still be required to have completed a Combat Clearance as usual before engaging in unsupervised combat.
In the final part of the Test of Mettle, students will go, one at a time to a fighting arena. While being observed by the Academy Battlemaster and a member of the Combat team, they will be a part of a 3 vs 3 fight. During this fight they must demonstrate that they:
- Understand the combat rules of Concord
- Understand how to fight safely, both in delivering and receiving strikes.
- Do not panic in a close quarters battle that includes aggressive roleplay.
If the characters involved in the fight, the parent and the combat team member agree that the student passed, the student will be able to engage in combat with the following statistics:
- 3 Base hitpoints.
- Short / One handed weapons
- Standard bleedout time.
- Characters who have completed the Test of Mettle may attend the Major Confluxes. They may not attend minor or skirmish confluxes (excepting the Field Trip).
Test of Citizenship
The Test of Citizenship is a test administered by the Academy. A student who passes it becomes a full citizen of The Concord and a full player character of Concord LARP, gaining a full set of skills and investments as per a regular character and the ability to vote/stand in elections. It is intended to ensure that the player is prepared for moments of roleplaying importance but also that they are confident in their own understanding of the game and its machinations.
A student of 12 or older may attempt the Test of Citizenship if nominated by their parent/guardian. The test is intended to be somewhat challenging, students and parents should not assume that they will pass. However it is not intended to be a moment of undue stress, students can request special allowances if needed.
The Test is conducted on Saturday evening as will be in the Academy Schedule each Summit. During the test, the student will answer a series of questions from a panel. The panel will contain the Students Parent/Guardian and the Headmaster, with sometimes an additional member of the Concord Team or notable character also being present. Questions will tend to be along the lines of:
- Who are you and where are you from?
- What is your Realm and what are the most important things about it?
- What role do you see yourself taking up in The Concord?
- Which of the Spheres is important to you and why?
After the questions have been answered, the panel will discuss the student in private and decide if they are ready to become a full citizen. Students that pass the Test of Citizenship may continue to attend the academy and engage in academy content.
Plot/Story
Much like any fantasy-academy story, there is a tale being woven between lessons. While Academy characters are welcome to involve themselves in the world of Concord as much as anyone else, there will also be a story interwoven throughout The Academy, for them to interact with. This story will not be gated off and only affect the students, but would be a part of the wider world but would only really be investigated and solved by the Academy students.
Field Trip
The Field Trip is a Conflux open only to the characters of The Academy, allowing them to go off into the wider world and experience a thrilling adventure. It will both act as a high point of the Academy story for that game, while also being a chance for these characters to be in the limelight. There is one field trip a game, normally held in the middle of the afternoon on Saturday. It is open to all Academy students.
Student Council
The Student Council is a governing body made up of students elected by their peers to make decisions on behalf of the student body. This group has some limited resources to address problems within the Academy but also supports the wider Concord through its patronage. This is a chance for students to experience the titles and power of Concord and what that means. The student council meets once a game, on Saturday evening at seven. The Student Council is made up of one representative of each student house and is chaired by the Headmaster of the Academy.
Student Houses
Academy students are organised into three houses; Forgesteel (Blue), Thronesboon (Red) and Hartswood (Green). These houses are designed to foster competition and teamwork, mimicking the role of Realms in the larger game. Students join a House at their first welcome and will be given a marker showing their allegiance. Houses compete for House Points, which can be given out by teachers, academy staff, and by other player characters that support the Academy. The house that wins the Summit Cup will be rewarded at the closing ceremony. Non-Academy players are encouraged to embrace the parochialism of the Student Houses, and get involved in the competition, as it will create stronger ties and stronger heroes.
Closing Ceremony
The Closing Ceremony completes the Academy for the Summit and closes its processes. During this time the winning house of the Summit Cup is chosen and any other awards presented.
Getting Involved
The Academy is always looking for support in a wide variety of ways as it aims to bring a lot of new content to new roleplayers and make them feel welcome.
As a Parent/Guardian of a Young Player
If you have a young player who is looking to join The Academy at an upcoming event, post on The Concord LARP facebook page or email the Concord Team and [email protected] We'd be happy to provide any additional information to make this process as smooth as possible.
As a teacher/lecturer
If you're interested in giving a lesson at an upcoming Concord Event, please get in touch with the team at [email protected]. This way we can work with you to make sure its a great idea that will tie in with other Academy Content. Remember, all teachers need a Working-With-Children Card and you can teach as much or as little as you want (so that the rest of your game is unaffected. Lessons can be taught by multiple people, but all will need a Working-With-Children Check
A a regular player
For all our regular players we ask that do you your best to make younger players feel welcome and safe. Pick a student house to support, help them with their tasks, tutor them in the ways of The Concord and let this new aspect of LARP make the world feel all the more real.