Watan is a 12 person Live Action Role Playing game (LARP) set in a fictional Middle Eastern country where you play as political powerheads trying to rebuild a government after a devastating civil war. Watan was designed by Walid Raouda and Myself as Co-Designers for our senior thesis. Contributors were Laura Reyes, Swathi Sambasivam, and Alise Lim.
Watan Trailer
Mission Statement:
We created Watan to explore what role playing in a culture that is distinctly non-western could be. We wanted to create a space that was able to globalize and humanize the idea of the conflict in the Middle East in a way that was approachable and able to be engaged with by people of any culture.
What is Watan:
Watan is separated into three distinct play areas, each serving a different purpose to the play experience.
The first is the map which is the physical play space in which your country exists. Each decision you make will have an effect on your countries map and together throughout the game you will be collaborating on creating your map.
The first is the map which is the physical play space in which your country exists. Each decision you make will have an effect on your countries map and together throughout the game you will be collaborating on creating your map.
The second space is your private area where you will answer questions that arise within your country and attempt to develop a solution that betters your country while pushing forward the agenda of your specific faction.
The final space is the public parliament. This area plays out like a model UN structure where you will present, debate, and vote on which solution proposed is best for your country.
Gameplay Video:
Watan was showcased at the NYU Game Center 2022 showcase on Twitch and in person, and is up for consideration for awards at Indiecade. You can contact me if you would like more info on Watan. This is the link to Watan