Some people today watch their peers drift into extremist forums, conspiracy theories, and other toxic communities. At the same time, many societies are shifting in a more authoritarian direction. If we dismiss the people drawn to these spaces as simply stupid or hateful, we fail to understand what is actually happening – and we lose our ability to respond to it.
In this talk, Katrine Wind presents Epos Daimon, a Nordic larp for teenagers that allows participants to experience life as an esteemed member of an authoritarian system from the inside. By exploring how fascist and hate-based systems can feel meaningful rather than threatening, the larp creates a deeper understanding of their emotional appeal and why that appeal makes them so powerful.
Katrine Wind is a Nordic larp designer, writer, and speaker known for Daemon as well as co-designing Spoils of War and Helicon. While based in Denmark, she has run her larps internationally across Europe and the US in collaboration with local producers.
Her designs focus on strong social structures, highly playable characters and relations, as well as mechanics and pacing to support immediate emotional impact (naming the approach River Rafting Design). Katrine regularly writes and lectures on larp design, contributing to concepts such as Dyadic Play, River Rafting Design, Dinner Warfare, and Playing an Engaging Victim to the international larp community.
Professionally, Katrine is a political scientist working with leadership, digitalization, and organizational structures.
