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Event Series Event Series: Palo Alto Wednesday League Event

Palo Alto Wednesday League Event

February 1, 2023 @ 12:00 pm 6:00 pm


(Wednesday Palo Alto–2022-23)

SIGN UP FORMS ARE HERE

Hours 12:00-2:30pm & 3:30-6pm

Information Sheet

Registration: New players can only join at the start of a season.  All families must pre-register for this event. There are a limited number of spaces available. Registration and payment are required to save your spot. To register fill out registration form and e-mail to christophermelville@fanwar.com or turn in to Christopher Melville at a Fanwar event. Payment may be given to Christopher at a Fanwar event, sent via PayPal at the above email address, or sent in the mail (PO BOX 149, Graton CA 95444).  Make checks payable to Christopher Melville or Fanwar LARP and please write your child’s name on the check or payment memo as well.

Reminder: Because this event is during the week, parents are not required onsite, provided you have emergency contacts on file with the organizer and your child does not pose a significant risk to the flow, safety, or management of the event.  All children must demonstrate that they are responsible and cooperative and cannot leave the premises for the duration of the camp hours without express written permission (see below).

Cost: Players sign up for each season of play.  They must pay for the entire season of play (Fall, Winter, or Spring etc.) on the first event of the season (unless they make other arrangements).  Players are not allowed to pay for each day they attend, but must make one payment of the flat rate.  If they miss a large number of sessions, they can arrange to get credit for the missed days.  Trades for crafting of supplies and repair work is also accepted for those who wish to play a lot but keep the costs down.  See Christopher for projects to do as trade. Players with several years of experience can also volunteer and attend events for free as “baddies.”

Location: The camp is being held at Mitchell Park, in Palo Alto CA.  We meet near the roundabout.

What to bring: Students need to bring food and water (if attending both sessions), clothing for variation in the weather, as well as adequate sun protection and good athletic shoes.  Costumes and props are also a wonderful addition to our events.

Schedule: We plan to meet every Wednesday and begin in the afternoon, with an early afternoon and an evening session.  Each session is a series of missions, training, and role-playing encounters.  (If you need early drop off or late pickup- contact me).  Each season of events follows a specific story and will change and be refreshed with each new season and setting, allowing new players to catch up in the story during each new season.

Weather & Emergencies: Though we plan to meet on the listed days, there are some where we simply cannot safely run LARP outdoors.  If the fields are saturated due to rain, and closed by the city, or if wildfire smoke makes outside air unhealthy for kids, or if heavy rain and wind are forecast during the hours of larp, we usually cancel that day.  Keep an eye on the website www.fanwar.com and our Facebook Page, for updates about date cancelations.  Because the fees are being kept low by using a flat rate, weather related cancelations are not refundable.
 SIGN UP FORM

1st Child                                                                                Age:                       2nd Child                                                       Age:        
3rd Child                                                                                Age:                        4th Child                                                       Age:        
Parent 1  Parent 2 
Cell #  Cell # 
Email  Email 
Emerg. #   

Is your child permitted to walk off site (out of the park) during the camp hours to go get food, drinks, on their own?   YES [  ]   NO  [  ]

The cost for LARP League Events is a flat rate per season.  We no longer offer Weekly Leagues on a drop in basis, or billed daily.  You may attend one or both sessions of the day for this cost (2.5 hours or all 6 hours, one flat rate).

[ ] Fall Wednesday Season Pass: (Aug) 24, 31 (Sept) 7,14,21,28 (Oct) 5,12,19,26 (Nov) 2,9,16,

Cost: $390. (paying by Check [ ] PayPal [ ] or Cash [ ] 

[ ] Winter Wednesday Season Pass: (Nov) 30 (Dec) 7,13 (Jan) 4,11,18,25 (Feb) 1,8,15,22

Cost: $330. (paying by Check [ ] PayPal [ ] or Cash [ ] 

[ ] Spring Wednesday Season Pass: (Mar) 1,8,15,22,31 (Apr) 5,12,19,26 (May) 3,10,17,22

Cost: $390. (paying by Check [ ] PayPal [ ] or Cash [ ] 

Physical Activity Release Live Action Role Play (LARP) (the “Activity”) IN CONSIDERATION OF being permitted to participate in the Activity, the undersigned, on behalf of myself and my heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, hereby: 1. Release and forever discharge the Organizer and its employees, officers, directors, shareholders, affiliates, agents, representatives, successors and assigns (collectively the “Releasees”) of and from all claims, demands, damages, costs, expenses, actions and causes of action (collectively the “Claims”) in respect of death, injury, loss or damage to myself or property howsoever caused, arising or to arise by reason of or during my participation and/or involvement in the Activity, and notwithstanding that any Claim may have been contributed to or occasioned by the negligence of any of the Releasees. 2. Indemnify and save harmless the Releasees from and against any and all liability incurred by any or all of them arising as a result of or in any way connected to my participation in the Activity. 3. Understands and acknowledges that the Organizer does not carry or maintain health, medical or disability insurance coverage for the undersigned and therefore agrees to assume responsibility for such insurance coverage on the undersigned. 4. Agrees that in the event that any provision of this Release and Indemnity is held to be invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity or unenforceability of such provision will not affect the remaining provisions of this Release and Indemnity which shall continue to be enforceable. I understand that the undersigned will be held to a standard of conduct during this event. Failure to abide by safety rules will result in a warning or expulsion from the event. I also understand that these events may include special effects and costuming that is considered frightening to some children. I also understand that the undersigned may use and be hit by a foam weapon of some sort by other participants and/or staff during this event. I understand/have helped the undersigned to understand that I/they may decline to participate in any part of the event. I give MUSE and FANWAR LARP permission and consent for photos/videos to be taken of the undersigned during activities, and for these to be used for promotions in brochures, press releases, and other media. By signing up the undersigned for this event, I acknowledge and understand that the participant will be voluntarily engaging in activities that may involve contact and the risk of serious injury, permanent disability, or death, and may cause severe social or economic losses due to not only the participant’s actions, inactions, or negligence, but also to the action, inactions, or negligence of others or conditions of the premises or of any equipment used. Further, I agree that I will not, nor will anyone acting on my behalf claiming by or through me, bring or maintain any suit in Court to assert any claim against MUSE, FANWAR LARP and/or any instructors/assistant instructors/staff for any claim that I might have arising out of the undersigned participation in any activities performed by, directed by, or endorsed by MUSE, FANWAR LARP or the instructors/assistant instructors. I agree to pay for any and all expenses (including but not limited to any medical expenses) that might relate to the participant’s care and treatment.

I HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE READING, UNDERSTANDING, AND AGREEING WITH THE FOREGOING. Name(s) of Participant(s) _____________________________

Signature(s) of Participant(s)____________________________ 

Name of Parent/Guardian of Participant(s)_____________________________ 

Signature of Parent/Guardian of Participant(s)____________________________ 

FANWAR LARP SUMMER DAY CAMP HEALTH SAFETY PROCEDURES FOR 2022-23

Note:  We will comply with the County Health Orders for whatever county we are currently operating in.

LARP Camps Procedures

COVID Omicron B.5 Variant Prep. and Camp Plans: With Omicron variant becoming the dominant strain there has been an enormous increase in community spread.  We now require KN95, N95, or other similar style masks at LARP until this wave subsides.  Due to the wide accessibility of vaccines we do not have to return to a level of play that is so isolating for our students, but may if a new variant arrives that renders our vaccinations ineffective.  Thus the following steps are listed below. Note that if the Community Spread Levels ever drop back into the green, masks would then be optional.

(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 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 wear masks, and thus I will require all students to mask up for the foreseeable future.  Currently, the masks are now recommended for crowded outdoor spaces, and because LARP requires a lot of talking and getting into other peoples space, we follow this guideline for now.  For 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.

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 (100-150) then it has to do with amount of time it is forecast to cross that line.  If its only going to hit 150 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 100-150): 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 150-200):  If the smoke levels approach 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.

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.  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.

1.                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 time of COVID19

  • 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?

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..

2.               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

 Face Mask or Covering (cloth or other breathable fabric, covers the nose and mouth but allows for safe breathing while active). 

 Bag or Box Lunch (since some students cannot leave the campus, they must bring enough food for themselves to be comfortable all day long)

 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).

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).

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).

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.

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.

3.               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 two to four groups depending on the current health and safety protocols.  We may be allowed to mix these groups on different days, but assume that your group is static unless told otherwise, and do not interact with other groups unless given permission to do so.

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.

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.