There’s a disconnect between the problems that larpers talk about and the problems that they really care about. Some concerns are pretty clear and constant: people want a safe game with supportive players, for example. Other worries are more insidious. One in particular rarely gets talked about… it’s one of the biggest problems our players worry about before the weekend, but rarely gets a second thought afterwards. We’re talking about the bunk problem… and our unique solution to it.
What Is the Bunk Problem
The bunk problem is the problem that until you get to site and drop your stuff on a bunk, you don’t actually know where you’re going to sleep. And our sleeping space is very important (despite the fact that most of us don’t use it nearly enough during the event). We also tend to have a lot of criteria we’re looking for in a bunk. We might want a bottom bunk or a bunk with more support. We might want it in a particular cabin with our friends. We might want it to be safe from undead intruders or have a hiding space to avoid theft. Regardless, most of us have a bunk we really want.
Whenever we get over a hundred people on site, we start hearing people say “there are no bunks left.” This is never actually true… we actually end up disassembling dozens of bunks because we have too many on our site, and we need more indoor space. It’s not that people are lying, what they mean to say is that “I can’t find a bunk that fits my needs.”
The Solution That Isn’t - Med Sleep
Some people have sleeping needs; for these people, we make reasonable accommodations. In the case of bunks, it’s almost always Med Sleep. We typically have the ability to help people out if they come to us with a specific issue (and without disclosing the requests people have made, we get some unexpected ones). But the problem is Med Sleep only meets people’s needs: it doesn’t help fulfill their wants.
Dystopia Rising is an immersive game, and sleeping in character is a big part of it. It’s not just the possible danger of being attacked at night. We want the camaraderie of bunking with our friends. We want to set up our character’s sleeping spaces and maybe even spread out a bit. We want the comfort of a short walk to the showers (or even the convenience of having one in our own room). There’s a reason people want these things in a sleeping space… they’re awesome. But the issue is that everyone wants the same thing, and we only have a limited number of bunks that have it all.
Bunk Anxiety
If there’s stuff everyone wants, and limited amounts to go around, people will start competing for it. Once we hit about 120 people on site, someone is going to have a quarter-mile hike to the showers. We’ve only got eight bunks that have their own shower and bathroom. There are only 12 spots in the cabins. If you want one of those bunks, you have to beat out everyone. And when you’re rushing to get out of work and get to game, you’ll probably develop some anxiety about it.
A lot of these worries come from other sites and older games. There have been plenty of DR games where the last people to show up have slept on the floor - this isn’t going to happen at Forestburg Scout Reservation. Regardless, it’s something that people feel, and unfortunately, it often drives us to break the rules.
The biggest problem that occurs is people saving bunks. We’re constantly seeing people put their stuff on multiple beds. While this behavior is wrong and a violation of both our chapter’s rules and one of the basic social contracts… we understand why people do it. Which is why we incorporated the concept of Bunk Slips into our Early Bird promotions.
Our Solution: Bunk Slips
Every month, we offer perks to folks who sign up early; one of these perks are the bunk slips. Essentially, it’s a way to save a bunk that’s allowed: when your friend shows up at site, they can grab a piece of paper with your name on it, and use it to save a bunk for you. People on Early Set-Up get first dibs, and usually the “Hotel” and the smaller cabins fill up quickly, as well as the bottom bunks in the Anderson-Ambrosia cabin or wherever Lonely Streetz is sleeping.
This is about as fair a way to reserve bunks as we could figure out. Remember, no one is entitled to a particular bunk - you don’t have a bunk that’s “yours.” The best thing we can recommend is to make sure you buy tickets during the Early Bird promotion and then volunteer for Early Set-Up. Not only will you be able to make sure you get your bunk, but then you’ll be able to grab your friends' slips and reserve theirs.
The Early Bird for April ends this week… if you want to make sure you get your bunk slip and choice of NPC slots, sign up today!