TEXT: s  w  i  p  e 
  a queer dating sim larp 
  by fenced forest media // blake s. © 2019 
   
   
   
  The more players join, the more interesting the game becomes. Try it with a group of ten 
  or more. This may be easier online. Or try it alone, with a set of fictional characters. 
   
  There is no GM. A facilitator may be appointed to set up the game, and may choose to 
  act as the app itself in order to streamline play, pre-matching players and handing out 
  the resulting lists. This is not necessary, as there are infinite ways to set up and run this 
  game based on what players are trying to achieve. 
   
  SWIPE’s mechanics are original. With proper attribution, you may use them as you like. 
   
   
   
  c  h  a  r  a  c  t  e  r     c  r  e  a  t  i  o  n 
   
   
  Players may either portray a version of themselves, a fictional character, or an entirely 
  new character. Choose your pronouns, your name, and your tags; roll your stats, and 
  write all these on an index card. This card will be your Dating Profile. 
   
  Count off all players, assigning each a unique number on their Profile. These numbers 
  may be used later to randomize players. 
   
  If you have the time and resources, have everyone create their Profiles in advance and 
  set up your gameplay method before the session. This is especially helpful if playing as 
  a large group with a limited amount of time. 
   
   
  1 
  
   
   
  s  t  a  t  s 
   
   
  Each player has five stats. Roll 1d6 for each. Reroll your lowest. Once only, you may swap 
  your highest score with that of any other stat. You may also decide that all stats are 
  chosen instead of rolled, especially if playing real people or existing characters. 
   
  Higher numbers mean a character displays a greater amount of the given quality. Higher 
  stats are generally more successful on Dates, but make Matches more difficult to find. 
  Low scores tend to warn of unhealthy interpersonal behaviors and are less successful in 
  both Matches and Dates. Write your stats on your Profile. 
   
   
  EMPATHY       ​✰      ​HUMOR      ​✰      ​EARNESTNESS      ​✰      ​ADAPTABILITY      ​✰      ​COPING 
   
   
  EMPATHY​ informs how well you listen, how kind you are, how far out of your way you’re 
  willing to go for others, and how much you try to understand people unlike yourself. 
   
  HUMOR ​informs how likely you are to be funny or charming, help someone else have 
  fun, think something is funny or fun, take critique and challenge in stride, create mirth 
  from sorrow, or enjoy a high-pressure situation. 
   
  EARNESTNESS ​informs how manipulative or straightforward you are, and how easily you 
  can tell whether someone else is being dishonest. 
   
  ADAPTABILITY ​determines how quickly you integrate new truths into your worldview, 
  how independent you are in your free time, and how well you handle the unexpected. 
   
  COPING ​determines your level of discipline and responsibility over your own mental 
  health & needs, and how your actions affect the mental health of others.  
   
  Each stat’s starting range is from 1 to 6. Stat modifications made after Dates cannot 
  lower any value to below 0 or raise any value to above 10. 
   
   
   
   
  2 
  
   
   
  t  a  g  s 
   
   
  ORIENTATION ​determines how and to whom you experience attraction. You can take any 
  number of these tags as long as they don’t directly & obviously conflict. 
   
  Orientation tags include more than sexual/romantic orientation, they can include 
  aspects of identity and solidarity or separatism. Examples of possible tags include 
  “asexual”, “lesbian”, “nb4nb”, “non-monogamous”, etc. Orientation tags are free-form 
  and individual. Players of marginalized groups may stipulate that they will only date 
  within their group, but players from privileged groups may not, with the exception of 
  religion. For example, a Christian may choose to match only with other Christians, and a 
  Black person may choose not to match with any white people; but white people may not 
  choose to only match with other white people, and a heterosexual may not exclude 
  pansexuals or bisexuals. When considering matching with asexual or aromantic people 
  if you aren’t on that spectrum, be honest with yourself about what you desire from a 
  relationship. Don’t force a match with anyone you wouldn’t be good for. 
   
  Compare your own gender & orientation against a prospective partner’s to see if they 
  are reasonably compatible. Characters with a 6 in Adaptability and an Empathy above 3 
  may choose to ignore their own Orientation tags for a specific person, but no player may 
  ask another player to do this. 
   
  INTERESTS ​are things so important to you that you’d prefer to share them with a partner. 
  Adaptability determines how many interests you must have in common in order to be 
  Compatible with another player; those who are more Adaptable need fewer things in 
  common. Choose eight interests. Certain interests can match even when they are not 
  the same. There are no codified rules for this; use your best judgment. For example, if 
  one person has Photography and Music, and the other has Cosplay and Dance, they 
  could be considered to have two interests in common. Law and Cuisine? Not so much. 
   
  ETHICS ​are core personal values. Choose the three most important issues to you, on 
  which a prospective partner must agree. Be as broad as possible while still accurate. 
  Players with low Empathy can disagree on some Ethics and still be compatible. 
   
   
   
  3 
  
   
   
  m  a  t  c  h  i  n  g     w  i  t  h     o  t  h  e  r  s 
   
   
  Calculate your Compatibility score with each person. If you are using a facilitator in your 
  session, they may do this part for all of you. 
   
  First, ​compare each of your Orientation tags​. Are they compatible? If none contradict 
  each other, take +1 to Compatibility with this person. If any do, you may not proceed. 
   
  Next, ​compare each of your five stats​. 
  ○
  Stats that match give +3 Compatibility. 
  ○
  Stats within 1 point of each other give +2 Comp. 
  ○
  Stats within 2 points of each other give +1 Comp. 
  ○
  Stats 3 points apart give 0 Comp. 
  ○
  Stats 4 points apart give -1 Comp. 
  ○
  Stats 5 points apart give -2 Comp. 
  ○
  Stats 6 points apart or more give -3 Comp. 
   
  How many interests do you share​? Subtract your Adaptability score from 7. The 
  remaining number is how many interests you should share. One fewer than this number 
  gives a penalty of -2 to Compatibility. At two fewer than this number, you may not 
  proceed. Each shared interest more than the required grants +1 to Compatibility. 
   
  Lastly, ​compare your Ethics​. If both players’ Empathy is above 2, you may only proceed if 
  you can agree to all of each other’s Ethics. 
  ○
  Total agreement grants +2 Compatibility. 
  ○
  A player whose Empathy is 2 requires agreement with only two Ethics. 
  ○
  A player whose Empathy is 1 requires agreement with only one Ethic. 
  ○
  Two or more players with an Empathy of 1 do not have to agree with any of 
  each other’s Ethics in order to proceed. 
   
  Any Compatibility level above 0 is Swipeable. The maximum possible achievable 
  Compatibility before dates is +24. Compatibility scores are solely used in 
  decisionmaking and do not have a mechanical effect unless values are negative. 
   
   
   
  4 
  
   
   
  s  w  i  p  i  n  g 
   
   
  Any Profile with a Compatibility score of 1 or greater with you is a Match and therefore 
  Swipeable. This means you can choose to either ask them out on a First Date, or remove 
  them from your Matches entirely. A player who refuses a First Date you ask them on 
  cannot be asked again, though they can ask you. 
   
  To ​Swipe Left ​is to reject the Match. If this person Matches with you, they can still ask 
  you out, but you have decided not to consider asking them. This cannot be undone. 
   
  To ​Swipe Right ​is to initiate contact and send this person a message asking them on a 
  date. Choose your words carefully -- this is your first, and maybe only, impression. 
   
   
   
  s  c  e  n  e     s  e  t  t  i  n  g  s 
   
   
  Your First Date can take any form. Here are some suggestions for running a group game 
  with many First Dates and Matches happening concurrently. 
   
  Online Group Chat 
   
  Easiest method for larger groups. Invite all players to a Roll20 session and post the 
  Dating Profiles with their unique numbers where everyone can see. Players can either 
  compile their own Match lists manually, or the facilitator may do this in advance. 
   
  Blind Dating 
   
  Use the Speed Dating rules below, with the facilitator selecting two numbers at random 
  and screening them for Comp. Instead of several short conversations, you have a full 
  First Date without any prior idea of with whom. 
   
  5 
  
  ~ Chez L’Amour ~ 
   
  This is a full LARP scene intended for large groups in a room together. Players are paired 
  off with their chosen dates, all having a fancy dinner in the same romantic restaurant.  
   
  Speed Dating 
   
  If a facilitator has not pre-matched players, use a lottery ball or digital number 
  randomizer to select Dating Profiles at random by number and pair them. Before session 
  timers begin, measure and record Compatibility, reshuffling pairings for any Comp 
  scores that dip below 1. 
   
  Time yourselves having a 3-minute conversation. Within this time, attempt to create 
  situations for yourself to roll against each of three different stats as described above. 
  Write down your ending Compatibility after every date. Ask someone out for a second 
  date who has a higher compatibility with you than others … or just a face you like. 
   
   
   
  t  h  e     f  i  r  s  t     d  a  t  e 
   
   
  Roleplay the date as a scene. This is where your stats really shine. 
   
  Anything you do or say that is under the purview of any stat will require a roll of 1d10 with 
  the relevant stat added. If your score in that stat is within 2 points of the other person’s 
  score in the same stat, add +1 to the roll. If the score is the same, add +2. If the other 
  person has more than 3 in both Humor and Empathy, add another +1 to your roll. 
   
  A result of less than 9 means that your action left a negative impression on your date. 
  Lose -1 Comp each time this happens.  A result of 9-12 is ambivalent, and changes 
  nothing. A result of more than 12 means that your date is impressed with you. Gain +1 
  Comp each time if Comp is currently positive, or +2 if it is negative. 
   
  Either player may end the date at any time. Ending a date with negative Compatibility 
  ensures no subsequent dates. Take Comp scores into account when deciding whether 
  to ask a person out on subsequent dates, especially if deciding between several people. 
   
   
  6 
  
   
   
  m  o  v  i  n  g    f  o  r  w  a  r  d 
   
   
  Any single Date during which the Comp score of the pairing ends the Date changed by 
  ten or more points will have a permanent effect on the stat modifiers of both characters. 
   
  A ten-point increase or greater in Compatibility during the span of a single Date allows 
  each character to make a case for adding one point to one stat. The chosen stat must 
  reasonably be involved in what made the Date so good. After this point, no more Dates 
  are required before embarking on a long-term relationship, if the players so choose. 
   
  A ten-point or greater decrease to Comp within a single Date requires each character to 
  make a case for one stat to lose one point in. They may not ask each other out anymore. 
   
  A Compatibility of less than 1 at the end of a Date prevents any more Dates. If at any time 
  a pairing’s Compatibility reaches 25 or higher, they have fallen in love, and it is up to 
  them what to do about these feelings. 
   
   
   
  e  p i  l  o  g  u  e 
   
   
  Gameplay ends when all parties decide it ends. Some players may leave while others 
  continue; new ones may be introduced. The game may reconvene in later sessions if 
  one doesn’t finish it. Gameplay will automatically end if at any point all players are either 
  out of Matches or in committed monogamous relationships. 
   
  If run as a long-term campaign game, players may move through many relationships 
  and breakups. Polycules may become complicated. Marriage and children may enter. 
   
  Real relationships formed through this game, of course, are encouraged to continue 
  past the boundaries of gameplay, taking with them the lessons learned therein. 
   
  Be gay. Do crimes. Have fun. Love and respect each other. Take care of yourselves. 
   
   
  7 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Self-Exploration, Emotional, & Relationship/swipe.pdf