Who knew Battlestar Galactica could be used as an educational tool? A live-action roleplaying (LARP) group in German has commandeered an old destroyer and in early February, will run a game of real-life deceit, betrayal and emotional turmoil, using the events and characters of SyFy’s show as a base.
Don’t get your hopes up of attending — “Projekt Exodus”, as it’s called, will start on 4 February and end on the 8th, however, not only is it completely sold out, but the whole thing is being held exclusively in German. So even if you could get there in time, you’d have to brush up on your guten tags.
The idea behind the event is that, because there is no audience, players can get into their roles without becoming self-conscious and properly explore the ramifications of their decisions on actual people. The group itself describes it as “political education”.
For those that are having a crack, they’ll be escorted aboard the Mölders, a German destroyer from the 1960s, now used for nothing in particular and currently parked near Wilhelmshaven in Germany. Characters are assigned when players first register, with a personality test of sorts conducted to determine your role.
After a day and a half of preparation, participants will spend a couple of days dealing with “intense emotional experiences, reach difficult decisions, and learn to deal with their consequences”. In addition “constructs of interpersonal relationships will be revealed or break down, and new structures and orders will emerge from the chaos of an apocalypse”. So yes, you’ll basically be living out the rebooted Battlestar Galactica… if it had occurred on a rusty German warship.
When it’s all said and done, a “day reflection” is planned, along with a party for those involved. The cost to register was €300, or about $435.
[Projekt Exodus via The Verge]
Photo: Projekt Exodus