FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is this game only for women?

​No. The primary focus of the game is the role of the WAAF but there will be places available for RAF pilots.

Can men play WAAF?

Our only gender restriction is on characters - WAAF must be female characters and RAF must be male characters.

Can I play if I’ve played before?

We are happy to see returning players. The core elements of the game haven’t changed, but we have enhanced some aspects based on feedback from the last two runs.

Are we camping?

There are no bunks available on site. You can camp In Game or Off Game. There is limited space for indoor roll-mats in the crew room - if you desperately want one of these, rather than camping, please contact us at at wingandaprayerlarp@gmail.com. Alternatively you can take a room at a nearby hotel, WAAF were often billeted with local families near the base, travelling in for their shifts.

There are no showers on site.

What's the food situation?

All meals on Friday and Saturday will be In Character, which means rationing is in effect! The menu is vegan friendly. You'll get a chance to make us aware of any additional dietary requirements before we decide on the menu.

There will be period-appropriate cakes and biscuits available at any time in the Mess, along with tea and coffee. Both cow’s milk and rice/oat milk is provided.

If you wish to bring additional snacks, drinks or any alcohol, you are welcome to do so. We ask that only period-appropriate food and drink be brought into in-game areas. And remember that being drunk on duty is a serious offence!

Can I crew instead of playing?

No. We have a very small crew to run this game, all of whom have already been selected for specific roles. But thanks for the offer!

Is the game 24-hour Time In?

There will be no Time Out call on Friday night, but nor will any plot events be scheduled between 00:00 and 07:00 on Saturday.

What time does it finish?

We aim to call Time Out at around 23:00 on Saturday, but this is flexible depending on how exhausted the players are.

How accessible is the game?

The site itself is fully accessible by wheelchair. There are no stairs, and a disabled toilet is available. We will also have an Off Game space available for ​those who need to take a break.

Any and all modern mobility aids, assistive technology etc. required will be entirely acceptable and should be regarded as OOC by all players.

We will attempt to make sure that all accessibility needs are catered for wherever possible. Please do get in touch if you have any questions or would like to check the game’s suitability.

Please note, however, that WAAF characters will frequently be put in high pressure situations and will constantly need to handle numbers when on shift. These factors are fundamental to the game and cannot be avoided.

I’ve heard there will be numbers - will I have to do maths?

Numbers are a central feature of the game, but you won’t have to do maths.

The WAAFs that you play will be tracking the position of Luftwaffe raids and communicating them; to other WAAFs and to the RAF fighters going up to intercept them. Nearly all of the numbers you’ll be handling are map positions, which will sound something like William Monkey, Two Three, Nine Two. Two words, and two pairs of digits. The words tell you which big map square you mean, and each pair of numbers is the distance along one side of that square.

For most players, you’ll be told a position by someone else and then put a marker on a map at that position. Or you’ll look at a marker on a map and tell someone else its position. Some players in earlier runs found it easier to jot the numbers down on a notepad as they worked, and that’s absolutely fine if you find it helpful. In any case, you’ll never have to remember a number for more than a few seconds.

A few players will be working a radar station; they’ll get a range and bearing to a target and they’ll use a map table with a special built-in ruler to convert those to a grid position. Different numbers, but still no maths.

It’s important to understand that those numbers really mean something. They indicate where the Luftwaffe are, and where they’re heading. That has an impact on the story that emerges from the day. We’re not scripting your experience; it’s a consequence of what you do in response to what you know.

That said, this, the Dowding System, builds a complicated computer out of lots of people each doing a very simple task.Because you're just a small piece of a bigger system, your focus will be quite narrow, and you'll be repeating the same task again and again during your shifts. In between, you’ll have plenty of space to decompress, and live the life of the off-duty WAAF.

We don’t expect that anyone will be a master of anything they’re doing when the game starts, but previous runs suggest that by the end of the day you’ll be a polished machine!