Over the past weeks we’ve been working with a group of participants, volunteers, and staff to perform a range of post-event surveys, focus groups, and feedback sessions. From this a series of questions arose that we felt would be a great place to start as we begin the journey to The Brandywine Festival 2026.
1. Context & Vision
1. What’s the overarching vision for The Brandywine Festival over the next year?
A: That’s a very broad question, but in as few words as can be managed it comes down to strengthening the foundation of the magic that we saw from this first year. Even with the learnings and shortcomings we saw a wildly engaged, passionate, and excited community of Tolkien fans that came together to create something greater than the sum of its parts. This comes in a broad range of goals and objectives, but each of them we are encouraged to see are well within our grasp.
2. How would you describe the “next chapter” of The Brandywine Festival — thematically or narratively?
A: That’s a great question! The Brandywine Festival, for the foreseeable future, will always take place the same year, the same place, and within the same set of lore and canonical circumstances. What makes this event so exciting is the opportunity for us to explore near endless variety of ways these circumstances could play out. This past year we focused on Spiders, Ruffians, Rangers and Elves. Next year we may focus different variety of characters and concepts that could have feasibly happened. This allows us to keep the event fresh and pivot into new creative opportunities while always keeping the spirit of the Festival consistent. For players who have built friendships, groups, and story, it’s an easy RP mechanic to always refer to previous events as “Last Year” or “Last Festival” without needing to date it. This allows for player group continuity without it somehow mechanically affecting canonical structures within the RP. Thematically or Narratively we will explore and tease next year’s plot over the course of the year, and prepare some fun ways for players to get involved even before the event begins! More on that to come.
3. What are your Top 2–3 Goals for your team and community in the next phase?
A: Our top 3 goals are all operational or executional in nature for this year. The first would be further venue development that will lead to a range of improvements from player arrival process to accessibility to closer water, toilets and showers. Venue development also allows us to increase our teams ability to work efficiently on site in ways that decrease complexities around the use of the site. This will affect everything from radio signals for NPC Coordinators to the ability to access areas of the site for maintenance mid event.
Goal two is centralizing and standardizing communication and the flow of information. Written guides and documents are great but we see that for some participants the length and breadth of these documents can be overwhelming. Developing additional means of staying informed and prepared while keeping a unified message and flow of information is a big goal in this coming year.
The third goal is to increase playability and accessibility of content within the festival grounds proper through Co-Creation and additional community engagement tools. This means more RP opportunities for participants, more NPCs and Playmakers, and more activities that don’t require long hikes up into the hills. This also provides participants with the tools and means to develop more complex interconnected personal plot and story they can explore with fellow participants.
2. Event & Story Development
1. Are there any new upcoming story arcs, plot concepts, or activities planned?
A: Without giving away any spoilers, Yes! We’ll be exploring a new set of story arcs that will introduce new NPCs, New Playmaker Co-Creation, and a range of new Activities. This year will focus on plot that is more centrally located, and provide a broader range of opportunities within the festival grounds proper. We look forward to sharing more on this as we draw closer to the event.
2. Will you be introducing new mechanics or gameplay systems?
A: We will be! We’re excited to introduce a few new mechanics for players to engage with regarding Quest or Activity. We’ll be releasing a larger article on the topic in the coming months, but can say even at this stage that we will be using a badge or costumed element to better identify NPCs or Playmakers within the gamespaces. This first year we made the decision to seamlessly embed these NPCs amongst players but quickly found that this led to players either not realizing plot opportunities or misidentifying excited players with potential NPCs. This led to confusion and frustration we feel is easily corrected at the minimal cost of minor immersion breakers. Other changes are in development and we look forward to communicating about them in the future.
3. Will there be any changes to costume guides, rulebooks, or roleplay tools?
A: There will be! Costume Guides will be refined to clearly communicate some shifts to greater accessibility, and Rulebooks will reflect new Roleplay mechanics we will introduce to help players facilitate aspects of Out of Game needs and requirements in a more In-Game fashion. This in coordination with our improved New Player Workshops, we look forward to making the event even more accessible for new LARPers.
4. Are there any new activities planned (mini-adventures, workshops, performances, tavern evenings)?
A: There are! We’re excited to invite new artisans, performers, and vendors that will providing a range of new In-Game activities. We’ll have more details and information on this in the coming year!
3. Operational & Infrastructure Upgrades
1. What improvements are planned for logistics (registration, ticketing, camping layout, etc.)?
A: The first big change is a move away from Kickstarter. For an initial first year it was needed to launch the event, but at this stage would do more harm than good to continue using. Moving over to Burgschneider as a ticket sales point, and SKALD as the ticket management tool will really help solve many of the issues we had with range of logistical tasks. Improved Arrival processes, traffic flow, and camp placement are all on the docket for this year. A smooth start to the event regardless of weather is always the goal, and we’re excited to take what we learned this past year and apply it to making those improvements.
2. Any updates to props, sets, costuming, or venue?
A: Oh yeah! New Props, new Set pieces, new NPC Costuming, and lots of improvements to the venue are all in the works. More information on these will come in the new year!
3. Are there safety, accessibility, or inclusivity improvements in the works?
A: We knew from the beginning that The Brandywine Festival attracts a broad range of levels of mobility, and an even greater range of people who simply don’t want to have to walk up that big freaking hill for the third time today. Although we did have a ton of players who loved those excursions into the wider event spaces, for some it was simply not an option and it left them feeling left out. That's not our goal, and we’re keen to address it by improving the accessibility of that content to those who wish to remain within the festival grounds or camping areas proper.
4. Will there be new staff roles, departments, or volunteer programs?
A: Yes! We will be announcing a range of Staff Roles that include new Department Leads. Additionally our Volunteers will be welcomed in with a new onboarding and training process that helps them fully understand their role in the bigger picture. Additional paid staff positions will also become available. More information will become available on this in the coming months!
4. Digital & Community Development
1. Are you developing or updating digital tools (website, database, character tools, rulebook PDF)?
A: Absolutely, and boy are we excited about it! We’ll be launching a dedicated Brandywine Festival website with improved onboarding and event prep information. Updates to Rulebooks and Costume Guides, and a range of new digital content offerings that help players prepare for the event in a more engaging manner.
2. How will players or staff be able to get involved in venue development weekends?
A: This past year we invited volunteers to join us in some grounds keeping and venue development. It was a great weekend, and we look forward to inviting volunteers back in 2026. These and other opportunities will be available for those interested in getting more involved.
3. Any plans for social media, community engagement, or lore-sharing content?
A: This is right in line with what we’re looking to do to help prepare players for The Brandywine Festival in new and more engaging ways. 50 and 60 page guides are great for those who need the fine details, but some folks prefer a more abridged version to begin with that helps them to begin preparing without the need for sudden heavy reading. We’re also excited to release more event footage, launch some community giveaways and contests, and even release some teasers for Plot.
5. Player Feedback & Collaboration
1. How are you incorporating player feedback from the last event?
A: This past year’s feedback has been invaluable in helping us identify key pain points for players. The majority of them we were aware of immediately after the event, others we weren’t made aware of until the surveys came in. Both are being taken seriously with a focus on solving those we can outright fix, and improving those areas where we can’t completely remove the inconvenience. Every survey has been read and reviewed, and is being incorporated into the plans we make for 2026 and beyond.
2. Where are you on getting back to Outstanding Help Tickets on the Discord or Email?
A: The team has been back now for a week, and is currently working through the backlog of tickets. It may take some days to hear back from us, but know that we’re working on each one with attention and care. You may receive a message or email response for further details, or to move the discussion off Discord where it can more effectively communicated. Keep an eye out for our responses on either platform.
3. How can players participate or volunteer in shaping what’s next?
A: We love that participants want to get more involved, and we can’t wait to provide you with more information on this in the coming year. At this stage you can apply for an NPC role, but in the future there will be a range of volunteer opportunities available. Keep an eye out for future news on this!
6. Ticketing and Camping
1. Will Community Tickets be available after Nov 10th?
A: Community Tickets will go offline on Monday the 10th. Community Tickets will only be available until this date. We initially communicated the goal to keep these available after public ticket launch but found this caused a series of compouding issues on other fronts.
2. Will Early Arrival be available after the Nov 10th?
A: Yes, Early Arrival will be available to purchase on the Nov 10th. Playmakers and NPCs will be welcome to arrive prior to Early Arrival upon request. We look forward to opening up this for those bringing really exceptional camping setups, taverns, or other interesting co-creative concepts.
3. Will a Shuttle Service be available for 2026?
A: Yes! We are coordinating a Shuttle Service through Louisville International Airport for both Pre-Arrival and the Standard Arrival day. We will have more information on this coming in January.
7. Timeline & Milestones
1. When can we expect Kickstarter Backing Rewards to ship?
A: Kickstarter backing rewards (Mugs, Certificates, Pins) began shipping last week! You can expect to see an email on this once your shipment has left the warehouse. If you collected your Backer Rewards during the event, you’re all set to go!
2. What’s the general timeline for updates and new information?
A: We’ll be releasing a Timelines and Milestones article in December that will outline the coming year, and will provide more detailed information on points participants can get involved.
3. Are there any major milestones or reveal dates you can tease?
A: Did you know January 3rd was Tolkien’s Birthday?
