EVENT INFORMATION
Standard Ticket
$150
Sponsor Ticket
$200
Sponsor Tickets support players with tighter finances.
Any remaining Sponsor funds will go towards paying our volunteer staff!
Sponsored Ticket
$100
Sponsored Tickets cost less so that more people can afford to play!
No proof of need required.
at CAMP WARREN, 44 Koeck Road, Columbia, NJ, 07832
on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 through SUNDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2023
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Meals will be provided for breakfast, lunch, & dinner on Saturday. There will NOT be a provided meal on Friday night. Sunday morning breakfast will be leftovers from continental breakfast on Saturday & snacks. It is HIGHLY suggested that you bring along extra food for yourself. Full kitchens with refrigerators & ovens are available for your use in 4 of the cabins. A full menu will be available soon, & we will do our best to accommodate most diets.
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This is an 18+ game. No minors may attend, even with guardian supervision.
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No drinking allowed, before, during, or after play. If you come onto site & we have reason to believe you are intoxicated, we will ask you to leave without refund.
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Unfortunately due to the nature of play in Survive (pop guns, screaming, running, fighting), no animals will be allowed on site during play, even if they are service animals.
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We ask that all players respect the buildings & wilderness that surround them. Do not leave trash outside, dispose of cigarette butts appropriately, & clean up any messes you create. On Sunday, we will all clean the site together after decompression so that we can leave on time. If any damage is done to the buildings, please report it so that we can take care of it!
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Character creation will happen during workshops at the beginning of the game, but having a relatively "normal" person in mind will help you put together your costuming. There aren't any skills or stats to worry about!
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You only have to bring clothing that's appropriate to your character while they're still alive. We'll provide the monstrous makeover if you die.
You can add blood stains, patches or repairs, & distress your characters everyday clothing!
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If you feel that your character would carry some kind of melee weapon, you may bring one, but understand that it won't work on the monsters. It has to look realistic & must be made of combat-safe materials (foam).
Firearms of any sort should NOT be brought by players.
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Flashlights, matches, glowsticks, etc. must ALL provide RED LIGHT ONLY. You can put red cellophane over cell phone lights or flashlights.
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Friday Night: Intro Workshops.
Saturday
10:00am-1:00pm: Character Workshops
10:00am: Provided Breakfast
Noon: Provided Lunch
1:00pm: Begin Play
5:00pm: In-character dinner
Midnight: Game off
Sunday
De-roll, cleanup
INTRO
The world ended one night. The dead stopped dying. They became unkillable, mutilated monstrosities, & as far as anyone can tell, they only do one thing: kill everyone they can find. Make them like the others.
Especially the ones they loved most.
But you didn't die. You found a reason to keep on living, even at the end of the world. You weren't alone.
Scavenging during the day and hiding at night, your small group has endured for two long weeks. Whether you knew each other before, or if you even like each other, you survived the hardest days of your life together.
THE MONSTERS
Anyone that's lived this long has figured out a few things out:
They don't come out during the day. Nobody knows where they go, but daytime is safe.
Stay in the light. They won't go into white light… except the ones without eyes.
Locks and barricades don't work. They're too strong.
Guns work on some of them, but they always come back.
If you walk, they walk. But if you run, a few will chase you down.
They're distracted by things shaped like people. Dolls, statues, mannequins. Use them to get away.
They aren't stupid. They remember everything from when they were alive. Everything.
They all lie. Never listen.
PLAY STYLE
Survive is an immersive, minimal mechanics game that focuses on creating horror through investment. It's our goal to make you feel like you're really there, really care about what's happening, & be horrified.
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Minimal rules means there's less getting between you & the fiction. No skills, no stats.
Your character sees what you see.
Your character does what you do.
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These monsters aren't something you can't fight, only escape.
Guns buy you time, but the dead can't die.
One hit & you're down.
Don't get caught. -
We set the stage, but there's no script. Everyone could die an hour after nightfall, or you might not lose a single person.
This story is written with your actions. -
We encourage you to try your hardest to overcome the odds.
Real investment means real fear.
Be willing to care.
Feel the fear of loss. -
If you're killed in this game, by a monster or anything else, you will be changed into a monster. Your motivation will change, & you will begin to work wholeheartedly with the creatures you used to hate & fear.
Embrace the dark.
ACCESSIBILITY
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Camp Warren is a well furnished summer camp with a central building & cabins, designed to be accessible.
The main building has several bathrooms, showers, a full sized commercial kitchen, & a dining area. Each of the cabins have heating & AC, a private bathroom (many with a shower), & several bunk beds. 4 of the cabins (F1 - F4) have full kitchens.
WARNING: Last game the buildings had NOT be de-winterized, which meant that there was no running water outside of the main building. We’ll do our best to make sure the site managers have corrected that this time.
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There are paved walkways between all the buildings, & the relatively small footprint of the site makes travel easier for those with low mobility. Each structure has ramps with rails. The grassy areas of the site can be uneven, but other than a few holes (which we will do our best to mark), it is safe & easy to walk & run over. The paved surfaces allow cars or other vehicles to be easily driven to any building on site.During play, you will never be required to run. The antagonists of the game will be able to sprint after people that are seen running, but will only ever walk after people that are walking. They may still walk faster than the people they are pursuing, which means that those with mobility issues may still be at a disadvantage.
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Large portions of this game will run at night. There will be a combination of white & red lights illuminating the buildings, but large segments of the play area will remain dark. This will make visibility a challenge for all players, but especially those with poor vision. You won't be expected to read in low light situations, but you may have to identify some general shapes.
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Cap gun toys will be used at this game to simulate gunfire. While they’re safe to use & shouldn’t cause hearing damage, they can be loud, startling, & potentially harmful to those with specific hearing or heart problems.
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The night time portion of the game will very likely be physically demanding throughout, & will last up to 4 hours. There will be no structured rest time, as characters aren’t truly safe at any time. There will be an out of game building and it’s also perfectly fine to choose to die at any point.
CONTENT WARNINGS
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This game will heavily focus on themes of mortality & the death of your character’s loved ones. It is possible that you will encounter stories about the death of children, the elderly, pets or other animals, but there will be no graphic depictions (verbal or visual).
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Survive will prominently feature semi-realistic gore & fake blood. You can elect to not have any fake blood put directly onto you.
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Characters in the game may be encouraged to die in a number of ways by the monstrous antagonists. Part of transforming into a monster involves briefly roleplaying self mutilation.
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Players will have access to cap gun toys & ammo. They will be able to simulate firing on the monsters or even each other by pointing them at other players, pulling the trigger, & causing a loud popping sound. They pose no physical danger to the players, & will have bright orange safety caps so that they can be easily identified.
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Survive includes some religious aesthetics & themes, but is not connected to any specific ideology or belief structure. While it is the end of the world, & many refer to the monsters as “angels,” this is not a story about Abrahamic religion, or any other religion. These themes will lead to some religious content as characters in the world attempt to cope with their horrific new reality, but it is not going to be the center of the story. Cult-like behavior will be encouraged at certain points during play, but will not be linked to religion.
If you have any questions or accessibility concerns, feel free to contact the staff.
We’re happy to answer any questions or try to make accommodations.
SAFETY TOOLS
The horror genre exists to connect us to intense emotions that are otherwise inappropriate to explore.
Survive is a horror game & is intended to inspire extreme emotions.
These are the steps we’re taking to help players feel safe, self-regulate & give them space if they need it.
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Characters will receive in-game name & pronoun tags. The survivors haven’t known each other very long, so it makes sense that they’d just use some name tags. Everyone is expected to use the pronouns & names other players put on their tags.
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This game is going to have a lot of rough themes & topics in it. However, there are some frequent trauma triggers that don’t have much to add to the experience we’re trying to create.
Players & characters WILL NOT bring up, joke about, & especially won’t roleplay:
- Sexual assault, harassment, or abuse
- Animal abuse
- Child physical abuse
- Elder physical abuse
- Racism, homophobia, ableism, eugenics, Nazi/white power shitThe following topics can be mentioned or talked about in the abstract, but not described in detail, roleplayed, visually presented, or otherwise graphically depicted:
- Child death or emotional abuse
- Elder death or emotional abuse
- Pet/Animal death -
Characters cannot initiate romance with another character unless players pre-negotiated the possibility BEFORE GAME. A lot of people don’t want to navigate that while trying to play, & intense roleplay can make romance seem like a great idea even when it’s not.
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If a player is overwhelmed, is facing content they don’t want to interact with, or wants to leave for any other out-of-character reason, they may look down, cover their eyes with their hand (the traditional "don't look at me" pose) & leave the scene. If people aren’t getting the hint, they can say, “Break Away,” to more clearly indicate that they’re Breaking Away.
When somebody Breaks Away, everyone else continues to roleplay without breaking character, mentioning their leaving, or in any other way acknowledging that they’ve left.
Players can come back from a Break Away whenever they’re ready.
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There will be a building that is out of game where players can go & collect themselves if they used a Break Away, or if they just have to step out of game for a bit. This building hasn’t been decided yet, but we’re going to try & keep it as far from the action as possible. Players can use this building whenever they want, & other players should avoid playing near this building. If possible, some cots will be available in this room so that exhausted players can rest in safety.