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The Core Themes

When creating The Equinox Institute LRP we have aimed to capture the following Core Themes through both our rules and storytelling. These six themes are:

  • The World is a Lie
  • Nightmares are Real
  • Maintain the Masquerade
  • Stronger Together
  • Survival and Sacrifice
  • No Power without Cost

More information on these is set out in detail below.

The World is a Lie

The world is like an iceberg in a vast ocean.

Most people observing the iceberg only see the tip of the structure jutting out above the water. This represents the normal, the routine and the mundane – the summation of what most people would understand to be ‘reality’. 

Many do look further however and see that the iceberg goes deeper. Just below the ocean’s surface are those mysteries of the universe that humanity can comprehend but does not yet have answers for. Most observers see these strange occurrences and try to rationalise them to fit their worldview – that the bits observable above the water must dictate that which lies just below. Often these individuals are wrong. 

And then there are those few individuals who see how the iceberg stretches down even further into the water – out of sight of those who dwell in the light and view it only from the surface. Out of morbid curiosity, some of these individuals may forego their own safety to see how far the iceberg goes. Down in the darkness, they may find answers to the mysteries that elude others and yet…

The iceberg is vast, unfathomable and unmoving. There are even greater questions the further one dives and perhaps, creatures and things living amongst its nooks and crevices which were never meant to be discovered. The lucky few who dive this far escape without issue. More however die in the depths, silent and alone seeking truths they may never find. Others escape, bring things back with them that they should not have. For the people who have only seen the tip of the iceberg, these entities are alien, unfathomable and unexplainable. Many rationalise it to fit their worldview. Others are forced to face the truth – that they know nothing in the face of an uncaring reality. 

The characters of The Equinox Institute are individuals who have seen the iceberg and have, for their own reasons, chosen to dive down into the darkness to discover the fundamental truths of the universe. It is unlikely they will ever know everything – but they know more than most. The question is, how far are they willing to dive? 

Nightmares are real

The Equinox Institute focuses on paranatural terrors and the wide and varying forms they can take. It is also a world which is unafraid to show how something seemingly benign and helpful can become terrifying after the fact.

Apart from the existence of the overtly monstrous, it is also a game which deals with adult fears such as corruption, existentialism and psychological manipulation. These are adult topics and we address our approach with respect to these through our Policies.

Finally, it is also a world where characters are caught between the knowable (traditional horror stories and tropes heavily embedded in human culture) and the unknowable (creatures doing the same thing but with different weaknesses, unique entities that reflect more modern horrors). Not all nightmares are neatly categorised but all are very real to the characters facing them.

Maintain the Masquerade

Let us return to that iceberg. Imagine you delved down into its murky depths and you discovered something wondrous. Perhaps it is untapped mineral wealth or a coral whose properties act as a cure to a fatal disease. You return to the surface and, against the odds, people believe you. At first it’s fantastic – wealth, fame and power follow. But success breeds ambition and resentment. Others delve into the darkness, seeking the same riches that have come to you. At best they find nothing. At worst, they disturb something they shouldn’t have or bring something to the surface that should never be there. Others come from what you have found, seeking to take it for their own – by force if necessary. When the whole sorry affair is done and the fighting dies down, the net result is that perhaps the world is a worst place for you having even tried to share its secrets with others.

The Equinox Institute isn’t against using strange occult artefacts and people to achieve its goals but it never loses sight of its mission – to protect people from occult and extraterrestrial threats. One way that it does this is by maintaining the masquerade and a sense of normalcy. If people don’t know about the supernatural, they won’t go looking for it and can live lives in blissful ignorance. Meanwhile, Equinox can carry out its job without interference. 

This theme also ties into some of the ethical questions surrounding the game. Equinox regularly gaslights members of the public and puts out fake stories to cover up events. Assassination while seen as a weapon of last resort, still remains a useful tool in maintaining secrecy..It also requires its members to keep their professional and personal lives separate wherever possible. All of these are roleplay challenges which may be put to the players during the course of the game.

The Game Team also understands the importance of addressing these respectfully and with caution. Further information with regards to this are set out in our Policies.

Stronger Together

Atalanta, huntress of Arcadia slays the Calydonian Boar. Beowulf alone manages to defeat Grendel and his mother. Buffy, a descendant of the First Slayer, is able to use her incredible abilities to fight the vampires and demons that populate the world. At first glance, stories such as these, are tales of individual heroism triumphing over monstrous evil. In reality however this is not the case.

While Atlanta draws first blood on the boar with her bow, it is only truly killed thanks to the collective effort of herself and her fellow Argonauts. Beowulf dies having received a mortal wound in battle against a dragon – a dragon which is only defeated when his friend Wiglaf joins the fray. In order to defeat the First Evil, Buffy and Willow use the Scythe to empower all of the Potential Slayers around the world to assist in their battle. In both of these tales, only with the assistance of friends and allies are the heroes able to overcome their greatest foe. 

The Equinox Institute is not a story about individual heroes. It is a story about how working together, whether in smaller groups or part of a larger collective, makes people stronger and able to overcome seemingly impossible odds. It is the only way anyone can hope to face the darkness and triumph.

Survival and Sacrifice

The characters of The Equinox Institute LRP are not ageless or impervious to harm – even where they have paranatural powers that suggest they may do so. Many can be felled as easily by a bullet and a blade as they can be by plague or poison. Food, water and air are all necessary to life. As if to contrast this, the paranatural seemingly has no such weaknesses – at least not that can be readily identified. To that end, in order to get the job done, everyone has to pull together in order to survive.

But working together is not always enough. Sometimes it is about making difficult choices. On the one hand that can be as simple as determining whether to tell someone the truth or to lie to them about what is happening. On the other, when no one is left standing between you and the monster – will you run or will you fight? Are you willing to die for the cause or live to see another day?

The Equinox Institute LARP intends to put attendees in a position where they have to make big, world encompassing choices and big, personal sacrifices. It is a game where the only reward for completing a mission is the fact that you lived to see another day and that you have learnt from the experience. 

No Power without cost

There are a limited number of individuals who, upon interacting with the paranatural come back changed. This can be as simple as developing an unseen sense for the strange to as complex as being able to read the history of an object or speak with the dead. In some cases, these changes manifest physically leaving onlookers with no doubt the person in question is no longer human. 

In The Equinox Institute LARP having powers should not be seen as a gift but as a curse. While useful each comes with a cost that risks the individual losing a part of themselves – whether that is their agency, mind or life. Everytime a power is used, a character grows closer to becoming the very things they seek to contain or destroy. It is a delicate balance and one each individual has to weigh up carefully. 

This doesn’t just apply to people with powers of course – it applies to paranatural items and locations. While some are undeniably useful, the fact remains that tampering with the unknown can lead to unintended consequences.

Finally there is political and economic power. Humans are equally capable of using their social influence and monetary wealth to control others. Part of the narrative explores the cost paid by Equinox’s founders and senior members to create the organisation and have it survive to the modern day. This is something for players to discover and consider during the course of play.