The group of people who travel together at the start of the larp are referred to as the Collective. In this post we’ll give you a brief timeline of what’s happened since the collapse. People have joined the collective at different times, and your final character will list when that is. We don’t expect you to know all this by heart, but we know that there are many who want this kind of information, and you should at least read it through once. It gives you a backdrop for conversation and building relations.
The day of the collapse is called Day Zero. That happened about a year after the fungus infection started killing people. At the start of the larp, it’s 2 years and 4 months since the collapse. A lot of pain, suffering and death has happened, and everyone in the collective has lost someone during this time. A friend, a family member, a lover, an enemy they turned out to miss after all… Tragedy takes things away from everyone, but sometimes, there’s a glimmer of hope among dark clouds.
Day Zero
The State goes into media blackout. Everyone is left to fend for themselves. This is the first day of anarchy.
The collective is not yet established
Violence Erupts
As the old order tries to take control at Plantation 0573, riots erupt and most of the people present are killed. The survivors gather in a group they call the collective and leave the remains of the plantation after a few days.
The Long Walk
The collective suffers deeply while constantly on the move for a hundred days. Many people die from the infection, starvation, cold weather, attacks or accidents.
Old Establishment
After constantly being on the move for three months, searching for shelter and food, the collective arrives at National Career Center #3 (sorting camp 3), where there are several other small groups as well. They stay for over 7 months.
Exodus
People stay at camp 3 for as long as there are resources to consume, but the camp is not equipped for this many people for long periods of time. The groups split up and the remains of the collective start searching for a new haven. They’re on the road for around a month.
Limbo
Morale is record low as many people in the collective die. There’s not enough protection and far too little food until the group discovers a set of underground passages in the sewers.
For 6 months, the collective is stuck in a mind numbing loop. Sending nighthunters to search for food and other resources while the sewers remain the base of operations. Eventually, the fungus spread throughout the pipes and the collective is forced to move.
Paradise
After marching for nearly two weeks, the collective comes upon a community with working structure, renewable resources and protection. The collective is accepted in after grueling negotiations with the community leaders. It seems safe, and gives many a long needed respite. Several other small groups are accepted into Paradise.
Besieged
Nothing lasts forever. After months of recuperation and rebuilding, Paradise is besieged by dangerous marauders with weapons and vehicles. A couple of days later, the siege ends in a blood bath, when the raiders attack
Members of the collective manage to slip past the attackers with the help of a few raiders looking for a way out. They leave the rest of the community to their own fate.
Unsettling Findings
18 days after leaving Paradise, and without any real tools and a desperate lack of food, the collective is forced to take drastic chances as they come upon a small village showing signs of recent life. They plan a raid, but are stunned to find people imprisoned within a building.
Worried about getting attacked, they grab what little they can and a few able-bodied people among the prisoners before whoever runs this place return.
Arrival
Another ten days on the road, suffering losses and an ever decreasing amount of food. Finally, the collective get a lead to a good hiding place as a traveler is willing to take them to an old, abandoned hospital nearby, where they can find shelter and maybe even some food.