Blessed Be the Host of the King of Heaven! A freeform game about stature and voice for three to seven players by TaylerStokes Golden Cobra Challenge October 2015, Portland OR Graphics & Layout by Jay Sylvano Introduction Requirements ucifer has lost the favor of God and garner greater favor from the King • A roll of white party streamers and has been banished from of Heaven, and their voices carry farther. • Some paperclips or pins L Heaven. In this hour a Choir Also note that play will follow incomplete • A few black sharpies of Angels gathers to decide processes. Sometimes it will just be up to • A red inkpad how Heaven will handle the aftermath you to navigate these moments without • A large enough space for your party of Lucifer’s Fall. Lucifer has acted in guidance. This is intentional. • Hand soap and a place to wash up betrayal of God! What will happen to afterwards those who also commit such unthinkable Though this game borrows heavily on • Furniture that allows for standing at acts? Lucifer has sown doubt among the Christian imagery and cosmology, it different levels of elevation, chairs for ranks of Heaven and Earth alike, how is not really about any religious issue. sitting, etc. will we address and dispel those doubts? Angels and Heaven are used more for their • A spotlight or similarly bright but Lucifer loved mortals more than he loved weight as familiar and dominant cultural confined light source (preferably a shaft God, how will we ensure that no others symbols, and for the purity, authority, of sunlight through a window) will make such a blasphemous mistake? and judgement that they embody. Please • Two hours How will we keep Lucifer silent so that examine this game and the resulting play no helpless mortals hear his wicked words through those concepts in the context Set up the light first in an area of the play and lies? How will we revise the laws of of a stratified community rather than as space somewhat separated from other Heaven so that none may follow Lucifer’s theological commentary. furniture. Place the ink pad on the ground shameful path? in the center of the light so that players must kneel to get to it. Set up furniture so Blessed be the Host of the King of Heaven! that Angels may move around and interact is a brief freeform game for three to seven with an interesting landscape. Place the players. Players will each take the role of sharpies, clips or pins, and the streamers an Angel in the Choir, and will discuss on a central table. Turn the light off (if how Heaven will proceed in the aftermath applicable) before the players assemble. of Lucifer’s Fall. However, some Angels are more glorious, possess greater wisdom, Briefing Warmups Discussion hoever is presenting this game These are short group activities. Each Lead a discussion based on these prompts. is the facilitator. The Facilitator should only take a couple of minutes. Not everybody has to answer every W prompt. See the end of the text for Hand is responsible for leading Queues, a conversation tool that may help the briefing and debriefing, as well as SING A CHORD your group mediate this discussion. describing and upholding the rules of Each player softly sings a pitch with an the game, despite their in game position “Ah” sound. Focus on another player’s • Which communities that you belong to among the other Angels. voice, make eye contact find a pleasing are the most important to you? harmony between the two of you. Repeat • Have you ever been concerned for the Before play, imagine the play space and set for other players. Try to get the whole health of those communities? it up accordingly; light, props and all. group to produce a consonant chord. • What are you willing to do to maintain Once you find it, slowly get quieter until it the health of those communities? • What level of responsibility do you feel After the Briefing, play proceeds to the fades to silence. for those communities? Preparation in which players will adopt their Angels (also led by the facilitator), MIMICRY followed by the Proceedings (led by an Walk around the room. As you do, copy Game Presentation Angel player). Play then freely follows another player’s body movements. Imitate the Game Processes until conditions for them for a while, and then move on to Review the game mechanics In the Class, Dispersal are met, which leads to the another player. Imitate all of the other Discord, Banishment, and Dispersal Debriefing (led by the facilitator) after players at least once. Explore the entire sections with the group. Take turns passing which the game is over. space of the room. the text around as you read through the sections and answer questions as they arise. Support and Safety hough this game does not happening in the game, or about how the T deliberately explore troubling players are feeling. subject matter, there is no telling what may come up in play. A technique At any time a player may ask for a break, for navigating personal boundaries, for any reason. Nobody needs permission Support Signals, is included at the end of from anybody else. this text. At any time a player may leave the game We approach play from a place of trust, or call for the game to end. If you aren’t compassion, and acceptance. We agree to comfortable doing this, call for a break to be vulnerable, and accept however we feel speak with the facilitator and have them during play to be valid and whole. We handle the situation. understand that each of us are a product of our experiences. Our ability to see each We may have judgments about a other as complete people trumps all other player’s actions in game, their use of considerations. If we are not willing to these procedures, or about what they accept each other and our feelings, or if express, but we are going to release those we do not believe the our person or our judgements so that we can engage with feelings will be accepted by the group, what is happening right now. then this is not a game that we should play together. At any time a player may ask questions about how the game works, about what’s Game Processes Class Favor Discord ach Angel may only speak as The King of Heaven’s presence is known The Angels are in discord whenever they determined by their Class. Class by a brilliant light. Those who kneel disagree about something. When the E Angels are in discord their Class may shift. may change during play. Class IV in the Light of God receive His favor. is the highest, most glorious Class, while However, only one Angel may bask in the Discord is often consciously initiated by an Class I is the lowest and most humble. Light of God at a time. Angel, usually by challenging something another Angel has said. • Class I: May only voice agreement An Angel’s true character is revealed in or support. the Light of God. An Angel who spends All Angels flock toward the Angel they • Class II: May also ask questions. too little time in God’s presence may be support or agree with and touch fingertips • Class III: May also accuse or criticize. swayed by Lucifer already, and cannot in their way according to their chosen • Class IV: May also defend or justify. be trusted. An Angel who spends too nature and remain touching until the Sum the total much time in the presence of God may discord has been resolved. value of supporting Classes on each side of be arrogant, vain, or seeking their own Each Angel must position themselves the argument; the statement of whomever beneath those with a higher Class. glory, and are therefore capable of the received the strongest support is accepted Class IV Angels should stand as tall and same sin as Lucifer himself. Watch the as the truth for Heaven (thus, if one side proud as possible, possibly climbing atop other Angels, take note of their character, of an argument were comprised of Classes an object or platform, and speak with and factor this into your decisions and I, I, and III and the other side of Classes conviction. Each lesser Class must fit interactions. IV and II, those values sum to five and six respectively, resolving the discord in favor beneath each Class above them; a Class III of the second group). Disagreements may might stand normally, while a Class II sits still linger, but the Choir’s course of action in a chair, and a Class I takes to the floor. has been decided. Resolving Discord A tie represents an impasse; how the The victorious Angel goes to to the Light Since Angles cannot initiate discord at Choir will handle an impasse is up to of God and receives the favor of the King Class I, they have a different means of them to determine. of Heaven by pressing a finger into the gaining Class. A Class I Angel gains Class inkpad and blotting out a part of the by supporting the victorious Angel and by Note that only Class III and IV have a clear means of initiating a discord. Class Fallen’s sash, covering as much area joining them in blotting out a portion of the II may initiate in more subtle ways, but at as possible and using a new finger each Fallen’s text following the same guidelines.