Hello All Fanwar Players and Families,
We are entering into the second half of camps for the summer and I’m sending you all info as well as Fall Registration for
the weekly leagues so that you can enroll before others and assure a space. Below is the key points I’m covering in this
email.
(1) Remaining Camps Almost Full
(2) Fall 2021 Weekly Leagues Sign Up Forms and Info
(3) COVID Delta Variant Prep. and Camp Plans
(4) Wildfire Smoke Impact Prep. and Camp Plans
(5) Updated LARP Health and Safety Guidelines
(6) Useful links to track possible changes due to COVID community spread or air quality due to wildfires.
(1) Remaining Camps Almost Full: So I just wanted you all to know that the remaining Palo Alto Summer camps are
almost completely full and if you have been holding out for a spot last minute, you are going to be too late. Given that
COVID restrictions may force us to cap the number of players (see below) it is even more critical to secure a space now
if your planning on it.
(2) Fall 2021 Weekly Leagues Sign Up Forms and Info: We will be back in the fall with the usual weekly events, with no
major changes to the way they run! The California School Districts have agreed to be in person in the fall and thus I will
running my leagues as well. You can sign up for Palo Alto or Sebastpol Weekly events here. If you are interested in the
weekend events (usually on the first and third weekend in Palo Alto, and the second weekend of the month in
Sebastpol), you don’t need a sign up form for those events. Just check the Fanwar website calendar and show up to the
events your interested in. Some events require you to have experience with the game, or many years of playing to
attend, so check the requirements before attending if you are not sure. Here are the sign up form for next year, which
combines Fall, Spring, and Winter into one universal form (for ease of use). You don’t have to sign up for all of them
obviously, but it makes it much easier to use the form through the school year or mark down your planned attendance so
I can be sure to keep space for you. A reminder that payment is monthly for weekly leagues (you pay for the month, not
the day), but are credited any days you missed into the following months payment (simply subtract those days from your
next payment check).
Palo Alto Mitchell Park Wednesday League Sign Up Form here
https://www.fanwar.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/FANWAR-Sign-Up-Palo-Alto-Wednesday-League-2021-22.pdf
Sebastopol Willard Libby Park Thursday League Sign UP Form here
https://www.fanwar.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/FANWAR-Sign-Up-Sebastopol-Thursday-League-2021-22.pdf
(3) COVID Delta Variant Prep. and Camp Plans: With Delta variant becoming the dominant strain there has been a
sizeable uptick in the amount of community spread in the country, though less so in the Bay Area. While parts of nation
are really looking bad, the Bay Area has kept the hospitalizations low and the death rates near zero from COVID. So
while things are looking rough, they are holding steady for us here locally. With that said, I want to share the plans I
have should those levels continue to rise. Rather than suddenly have to pivot to indoor, as we have done in the past,
here are the tiers of precautions we will take if the community spread continues to rise.
(A) Continue as Planned: Currently we are at a level where the listed safety protocols on our Health and Safety Doc will
hold. We will continue to use Universal Masking (as the California Schools have opted to do for next year as well), as it
is more equitable and as teachers, this means a lot. I do not wish to create an environment where some kids can excel
at this sport while others must where masks, and thus I will require all students to mask up for the foreseeable future.
Currently, the California Schools and CDC agree that masks are optional outdoors, even at school, for vaccinated and
unvaccinated students. For summer camps, I will still require players to mask up while involved in larp activities to
respect those with more fragile health situations. Do note that Game Masters and Helpers may remove their masks
during lessons or detailed role play to facilitate clear learning, but will wear them during more active encounters.
(B) Reverse Course: Should levels spike more dramatically, we will then move to this level of play, where we return to no
interaction at all between cohorts at a camp, and social distancing and daily health checks.
(C) Small Cohorts: If levels continue to spike then we move to this level of LARP in which we fragment the camps into
much smaller teams of about 14-16 people, who completely isolate from the other groups at the park, and work only
with their one Game Master. We may meet up at the start and end of the day, but only at a safe distance to share info.
(D) Change Locations: If levels go beyond where the parks are even a place we can play, we will move to a school site
(there are some we have used last year) or another closed campus type space where there is no public access, and we
can assure that we will not be interrupted.
(E) Online if Shelter In Place: If all of the above fails, we will then go back to online LARP, but only if the state mandates
a shelter in place order.
(4) Wildfire Smoke Impact Prep. and Camp Plans: This year is on track to be one of the worst for wildfires ever, and that
is saying a lot given how bad last year was. We are already well ahead of acreage burned for this time of year, and we
are in a drought, combined with now seeing heat domes that break high temperature records becoming a regular part of
the season. It is not a matter of if we will have smoke impacts, but when. Thus, I am laying out the plans for what we
will do if smoke impacts out summer camps or fall events.
(A) Continue as Planned (Green-Yellow): I mostly base my decisions to do LARP on a given day on the Air Quality
predictions. If they are in the green (0-50 ppm of 2.5 particulate) or yellow (50-100), we are good to go. If they are
forecast for Orange (150-200) then it has to do with amount of time it is forecast to cross that line. If its only going to
hit 155 or so, for an hour or two, we are fine, but all day well above 150 means we have to adjust our event (see
below).
(B) Reduce Activities (Orange PPM 2.5 above 150): At these levels we, we will adjust our day and do less running
around. We will select more relaxed and discussion based missions. If this level of smoke combines with high
temperatures, we may cancel, as masks, smoke, and heat doesn’t combine well. Usually we will first setup cooling
stations where students can get icepacks and relax as needed.
(C) Cancel Activities or Go Online (Red PPM 2.5 above 200): If the smoke levels pass 200 PPM for the majority of the
event, we will cancel the event or (if it is a Summer Camp) move the event online for that day, checking back in the next
day to see if the air is better. Normally we might move indoors in a situation like this, but with COVID, this is a worse
option in our case.
(D) Change Locations: If levels are forecast to be above 200 PPM for an extended period of time, we will move the camp
to a location forecast to have better air (closer to the coast for example), and hold the remainder of the camp or weeks
events there instead of the usual location.
(E) Online if Shelter In Place: If all of the above fails, we will then go back to online LARP, but only if the entire region is
inundated with smoke for the foreseeable future.
(5) Updated LARP Health and Safety Guidelines: Below is the most updated LARP Health and Safety Guidelines which I
expect will remain in place for the rest of the summer. There is a link below as well to the version which I update.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FTY1LWpLh4YJSnAQ7xqaYR2EQwIwRxH1sRr6belYwq8/edit?usp=sharing
FANWAR LARP CAMP HEALTH SAFETY PROCEDURES FOR 2021 (as of July 10th)
Note: We will comply with the County Health Orders for whatever county we are currently operating in.
LARP Camps Procedures
Due to the increased need for safety procedures during this pandemic, we must follow these guidelines below if we plan
to attend any LARP camps this season. These guidelines are based on state and county laws and keep us all safe and
able to enjoy this outdoor experience. If these guidelines are not being followed, it jeopardizes the entire camp, and we
may lose our opportunity to attend the camps all together, or worse, may shut down the entire camp, so please take
these measures very seriously.
- Parent Responsibilities (these are the pieces that need to be attended to by each family to ensure they are doing
their part to protect others at the camp).
Protocols for attending camps during this Pandemic
Before the camp starts, you need to contact me if any of the following is true.
• Have you or your child had a fever in the last 24 hours of 100°F or above?
• Do you or your child now, or have recently had, any respiratory or flu symptoms, sore throat, or shortness of
breath?
• Have you been in contact with anyone in the last 10 days who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or has
coronavirus-type symptoms, and you yourself are unvaccinated?
If any of the above applies, we need to reschedule your camp. If you question your health or your child’s health in any
way, please do not come in. Safety is first and foremost. - Parents and Students Responsibilities: the following items are needed for each student to have at the camp for
their personal use. It is the responsibility of the parents and students to make sure these items are bought every day.
i. Face Mask or Covering (cloth or other breathable fabric, covers the nose and mouth but allows for safe breathing
while active)
ii. Bag or Box Lunch (since unvaccinated students cannot leave the campus, some must bring enough food for
themselves to be comfortable all day long)
iii. Fork Friendly Foods (we want to discourage any students from eating foods with their hands at camp. If possible,
please send food that allows your child to eat with a fork, or is wrapped in such a way as to allow them to not need to
touch it to eat it).
iv. Drinking Water (students will not have access to drinking fountains or other drinking water on site, so they must
bring enough water for them to be comfortable all day long in changeable weather).
v. Soapy Spray Bottle (this bottle should be filled with water and soap that is safe for your child to use on
themself. It
can be used to spray on their hands or personal items they wish to clean when the bathroom is not available. If a spray
bottle isn’t available, a labeled water bottle filled with soapy water should work.
vi. Hand towel (since students may need to wash dry their hands more often than usual, it will be helpful for them to
have a decent sized towel that they can dry their hands on should they need extra washing between bathroom visits).
vii. Sunscreen or Hats as needed (since it can be quite hot at times, and players will also be wearing masks and
gloves,
hats that keep off the sun and/or sunscreen that they can use are needed).
viii. Emergency First Aid Card: Each student should bring a card with their emergency contact number, and any
prudent health issues, such as allergies, etc. clearly printed on it, to be turned in to Christopher’s Box at the start of the
camp, in case of emergencies.
ix. Backpack or Bag for all the above items: Since students need more personal items than usual, providing
something
with their name on it that can contain all these items is a necessity. - Student Responsibilities (there are the pieces that need to be enforced with the students to be sure we are
protecting each other and the use of our facilities)
o Face Masks/Covering Required: All students at the camp must have a face mask on during all larp activities.
o Stay in your Group: Students will be broken into groups of no more than 12 unvaccinated players which will be
referred to as their Group Number: These groups will be supplemented with more fully vaccinated players bringing
group sizes closer to 20-25 as of 5-17-2021 (Update- while groups will still be mostly Static, they may now engage in one
or two encounters with other groups but mostly for short periods of time, and the majority of the day is spent isolated
from all other groups)- 6/15/2021
o Non-Vaccinated Students cannot leave the campus grounds during camp: We must keep our groups from any
unnecessary contacts, and this means no leaving campus for lunch or any other purpose during the day.
o Students must only use the bathrooms one at a time: We have access to a bathroom that is directly off the
blackstop, and will not enter the other school buildings at any time. We will only use this bathroom one at a time and
must get permission from our group leader before we do.
o Reduce Germs in the Bathroom: Students should refrain from touching items in the bathroom with their hands
(using a paper towel etc. instead). If a toilet has a lid, it should be shut before flushing to reduce particles entering the
air. Students must wash their hands for 20 seconds and thoroughly rinse and dry them before returning to larp
activities.
o Wash Hands before eating lunch: Students need to be sure they wash their hands before starting to eat at lunch
to reduce the chances of any germs being transferred to food.
o During lunch, six feet apart: Since we will be taking our masks off to eat, students must sit six feet apart during
lunch.
o Stay in the areas designated for larp only: We have use of the space at our site for larp, but only the outside
areas
which we must take care of.
o Wash Hands before Leaving LARP: Before leaving LARP to go home, each student will be sure to wash their
hands,
either with their personal supplies for this, or at the bathroom as usual. - Changes to Game Rules and Procedures:
We may adjust certain game rules if necessary to allow for more social distancing and health measures, but currently,
the core rules set works for current health and safety procedures.
If you, or your child cannot or will not comply with these procedures they will be barred from the camp and future camps
as well.
(6) Useful links to track possible changes due to COVID community spread or air quality due to wildfires: Below is a list
of links I use to determine if we will be able to run larp on a given day. They can be useful tools for you as well to
predict whether we are likely to have issues and to be prepared for them.
Risk Levels – Global Epidemics
https://globalepidemics.org/key-metrics-for-covid-suppression/
San Mateo County Coronavirus Updates
https://www.smchealth.org/coronavirus
Sonoma County Warnings and Updates
https://socoemergency.org/category/warnings-and-updates-english/
AirNow.gov Air Quality Predictions and Levels
https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Sebastopol&state=CA&country=USA
Purple Air Realtime Air Quality Monitors
https://www.purpleair.com/map?opt=1/mAQI/a10/cC0&inc=422928#8.56/37.9215/-122.5785
NOAA Website
https://www.weather.gov/mtr/#
National Fire Situational Awareness Site
https://maps.nwcg.gov/sa/#/%3F/%3F/39.5005/-121.0544/7
Thanks again for all the time, energy, resources, and commitment you have each put into this community and for sharing
these wonderful adventures and stories with me in a way we all enjoy. LARP gives many of us the freedom to be the
people we truly are and to be together in a way that bypasses the constructs of school or sports, and instead, brings us
together as friends, family, and just good people. Thank you for that.
All my best,
Christopher Melville
FANWAR LARP Director
www.fanwar.com