by Kathrine Abel & Sebastian Nemeth
Where the meadow ends, the forest rises. Quiet and gentle and dark and crooked at the edges. The trees stand as if they lean against each other to keep their balance; they smell of moisture, bark and old beer. Today is one of those days when the Bear is sleeping, and all the animals can frolic.
Participants: 4
Game Facilitators: 1
Total time: 5 hours
Language: Danish/English
Age limit: 15+
How much to read: 2-3 pages
The Bear is Sleeping is a scenario in the genre of symbolic realism, about a Father in the cabin who waits in vain for his adult children, and about the children’s play as animals, back then in their old imaginary world. A story about a family marked by violence, escapism, and the consequences of adults being inadequate adults.
Father lost his temper, Mom was busy with herself, and the children tried to be children in the midst of the discomfort. Through shifting between cabin scenes and forest scenes, reality and imagination bleed increasingly into each other, as the players gradually shape and explore what happened behind the cabin’s closed doors.
The scenario speaks to both players and gamemasters who appreciate layered storytelling: where children’s imagination and animal symbolism reflect real experiences, and magical images are allowed to hold what is difficult to say directly. How do children mirror the adults around them?
The scenario is framed around Father waiting. Are the children coming? What about all the things in the cabin? And what will become of Father?
- Childhood Imagination
- Parental Neglect
- Symbolic realism
Content notes
Family violence. Adult language. Lonelyness. Cute animals.
Type of participant:
You love to tell stories in a calm, contemplative tempo, where every word carries weight as Father wanders alone through the cabin. You also love to revel in the lively, sparkling chaos that erupts when children play together. You delight in playing social realism disguised as a fairytale.
Type of game facilitator:
Your task is to guide the players through the story with instruction, a (children’s book) narrator’s voice, and supporting roleplay. You take an active role as the GM and enjoy juggling both narrative and atmosphere. There is a fair amount of reading aloud, and you must be comfortable using harsh, adult language when the story calls for it.
