The venue for “Episode 1: Idle Tears” is Bidston Observatory Artistic Research Centre (“BOARC”). The full address of which can be found below:
Bidston Observatory,
Wilding Way,
Prenton,
CH43 7RA
We are aware that it is difficult to find venues which work effectively for all attendees – especially those with accessibility issues. The purpose of this page is to provide you with as much information about the site and our plans as how we intend to use it, so that individuals can make informed choices as to whether they would like to attend the event.
We are willing to make reasonable changes in line with our Accessibility Policy where possible and will be honest with you if we feel that we cannot make something work. If there is something set out below which you require further information on or if you have questions about, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us at EquinoxInstituteLrp@gmail.com
Game Content
Physical
This event will include contact based LRP fighting. We do not require attendees to have the ability to engage in combat and, should an attendee have an accessibility need that requires them to be exempt from combat, we will make adjustments accordingly.
It is envisioned that there will be at least one combat orientated encounter per Act with the exception of Sunday’s Epilogue. We do not intend for the plotline of “Episode1: Idle Tears” to be resolved entirely through combat or physical skills.
Social
One of the game requirements of The Equinox Institute LRP is create a game which fosters a collaborative approach towards characters acheiving their goals. In order to do this, attendees are encouraged to work with one another by sharing knowledge and combining their Specialisations. There will also be Game Team written characters to interact with. This is ultimately a game which will therefore require heavy amounts of social interaction.
Psychological
The Equinox Institute LRP is an alternative modern world horror LRP dealing with adult themes. Please see our Content and Themes page for information on our Accepted, Restricted and Banned Topics.
As mentioned on our Content and Themes page, our list of Restricted and Banned Themes is not exhaustive and is based on the Game Team’s own experience and best judgement. It is always subject to change. If you are looking to attend this event and are concerned about any of the topics listed, please email us at EquinoxInstituteLRP@gmail.com for further information and we will see what we can do to make our game more comfortable for you.
In addition to the themes listed on the Content and Themes page, the following content and themes will be present at Episode 1: Idle Tears:
Core Themes for the purpose of this event (in addition to those set out in our Content and Themes Policy) are:
- Claustrophobia
- Drowning
- Freezing to Death
- Heatstroke
- Isolation
- Natural Disasters/Severe Weather – for the avoidance of doubt, this topic will not be about an end of the world scenario or event. It is not something characters will directly experience but may receive information about.
- Thirst (Dehydration)
- Self-Harm
- Suicide
Restricted Themes:
All of the current Restricted Themes apply where set out in our “Content and Themes” page and where they have not been updated to “Core Themes”
Discrimination (Gender and Sex)– historic and/or on-going discrimination relating to Gender/Sex is a pertinent part of a Game Team written character’s backstory.
Discrimination (Age) – historic and/or on-going discrimination relating to age is a pertinent part of a Game Team written character’s backstory.
PVP
The Equinox Institute LRP envisions that there will be political and ethical disagreements between characters in attendance. Attendees should not intimidate others through physical presence or loudness to prevent others from roleplaying. We have a number of Safety Calls which allow our attendees to reduce the intensity of an encounter or request others give them physical space.
By having the majority of characters from one unified organisation (this being The Equinox Institute) characters are held accountable by one another from within the organisation and by Game Team controlled factions outside of the Institute. This, along with the goals of our Social Contract, are designed to discourage physical or combat related PvP and to instead build a community which is focussed on empowering others to create interesting story and debate within the confines of the Equinox Institute game world.
Expectations
The Equinox Institute LRP is a horror LRP set in an alternative modern-day setting with adult themes. There will be strange paranatural events, hidden mysteries to discover and modern-politics to navigate. We do not intend to bait and switch our event into one focussed on other topics or themes. To that end, we clearly set out our intentions for the event in The Next Event section of this website.
Costume
The Equinox Institute LRP is set in an alternative modern world. Clothes appropriate to the modern-day are acceptable though we would encourage attendees to not wear clothes with distinctive modern pop-culture references and to dress in a manner which fits their chosen Character Class and Specialisation where possible. See the various Character Class pages for links to our various Pinterest boards and inspirations for the aesthetic of each Character Class.
Venue information
Physical ACCESS
BOARC is grade-II listed building which sits on a hill which has roads and tarmacced areas around the venue. Beyond the venue there are dirt tracks which lead to surrounding public park land. It is envisioned that some limited elements of the event will take place in these public spaces outside of the venue. This may require periods of extended walking and the dirt tracks are not wheelchair accessible.
BOARC consists of five floors: the ground floor, first floor, roof, basement and sub-basement. The ground floor is fully accessible but currently there is no wheelchair access to the other floors on the site. Access to the other floors are via flights of stairs which consist of approximately 26 steps at 17cms in height. A number of facilities are located on other floors including bedrooms.
It is our intention to use the entirety of the site with the ground and first floor acting as the main hubs of player activity. That being said we will be running encounters on the roof and in the basements and accordingly, this may make it difficult for attendees with mobility issues to experience these.
If you have any specific access requirements, we encourage you to get in touch with us in accordance with our Accessibility Policy where we can provide further information regarding access in and around the Observatory.
Bedrooms
There are 5 single bed spaces (2 permanent and 3 temporary) and 1 double bed space on the ground floor of the site. These are divided into the following:
- One room with 2 single bed spaces (permanent);
- One double bedspace which is wheelchair accessible; and
- One room with 3 temporary bed spaces.
There are 15 single bed spaces ( 13 permanent and 2 temporary) and 6 double bed spaces on the first floor of the site which is accessible via staircase. These are divided into the following:
- Three rooms with 1 double bed (permanent);
- Two rooms with 1 single bed space and 1 double bed (permanent);
- One room with 1 double bed and 3 single bed spaces (permanent);
- One room with 4 single beds (permanent); and
- One room with 8 single beds in a bunk bed format (permanent) and 2 single bed spaces (temporary). This space has connections to several in-character areas.
Where possible we will look to allocate double bed spaces to couples or pairs of attendees who are comfortable sharing a bed with one another. We will obtain this information from our attendees once they have confirmed their bookings. Once we have obtained this information, we will look to allocate attendees to bedrooms accordingly.
Unless otherwise stated, all bedrooms are considered to be out-of-character spaces during Transitions and in-character spaces during Acts. There will be select, clearly marked bedrooms which will remain out-of-character at all times throughout the event. Attendees can alert the Game Team as to whether they want to have one of these rooms having successfully obtained a place at the event.
Noise/Acoustics
The building contains several small rooms where the acoustics seem acceptable and there is little to no echo. The difficulty with these spaces is that they may become loud or overcrowded if attendees spend too much time in these rooms. It is our position that the venue is large enough that, should attendees need to spread out to find quiet areas they should be able to do so.
We will be making use of recorded sounds and music during the course of the game. This is primarily used for atmosphere but may also be used to signal the beginning and end of an Act.
Quiet room and oc areas
We will have an out-of-character quiet room which will be on the ground floor. We will ensure this room has adequate seating and access to the Game Team should someone need to speak with us. A select area of the venue will also be out-of-character at all times for Game Team to facilitate the running of the event.
fOOD and Kitchens
This is a self-catered event and the Game Team will provide no food or beverages during the course of the event.
There are two kitchens on the ground floor of the venue that will be available to attendees who wish to cook. The largest of these is a Communal Kitchen with a pantry which shall be available for use by attendees. The second, Smaller Back Kitchen is reserved for those with specific dietary or allergy requirements to carry out cooking in such a manner which avoids cross contamination.
We will provide dedicated time for attendees to order or prepare food, during which time there will be no Game Team facilitated plot or use of skills (please see our Act Structure section for timings for “Episode 1: Idle Tears“) .
toilets and showers
Toilers are gender neutral and labelled based on facilities.
There is an accessible shower and toilet room on the ground floor of the building as well as a laundry room. On the first floor of the building there is a shared bathroom with bath, shower and toilet as well as a shower block with 4 showers.
Sheets and towels are provided and there are two washing machines and a dryer on the ground floor so attendees can do laundry if needed.
fIRST AID
The Equinox Institute Game Team will have First Aiders and Mental Health First Aiders on site. Attendees are asked to take care of their physical and mental health as a priority and to look-out for the health and well-being of their fellow attendees wherever possible.
PUBLIC Transport links
The nearest railway station to BOARC is Liverpool Lime Street.
From Liverpool Lime Street, BOARC can be reached by Mersey Rail from the Liverpool Loop Line. Taking the Metro in the direction of New Brighton or West Kirby will bring you to Birkenhead North, which is the closest metro station. This journey from Liverpool Lime Street takes approximately 12 minutes.
The venue is then a 20-minute walk away. This walk includes a small hill. If this is difficult, we would encourage you to book a taxi to meet you at the station who should be able to bring you to the venue.