'Terps - Review of a LARP. Contains graphic violence

During the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq the US army employed a few thousand combat interpreters to assist them in negotiating with the local people. The combat interpreters were people who lived in the country, often with families, and were promised visas on the US's exit. They needed visas on the US's exit. By working with American troops they had been considered by the Taliban and ISIS to be the enemy. They were threatened. Their families were threatened. But it would be OK because once the war was over they could leave the country for safety and a better life.

It didn't happen like that

Although some were given visas, some were left in their country, no longer protected and facing retaliation. In November 14 Junid Herean in Afghanistan, was captured and killed by the Taliban, a reprisal for his role as an interpreter. He was 26 years old.

A man who gave his name as Nader, also in Afghanistan, said that he struggled against two Taliban troops who were attempting to execute him. They shot him in the leg, he lay down and they thankfully left. He believes that had he not struggled he would have been killed.

In Iraq Malak (name changed) is currently on the run from ISIS, family in tow, after seeing a video of his fellow interpreter and close friend be beheaded.

The life's of these men and the life's of their families are currently in danger. Some are waiting for the US visa they were promised, a process they were told that could take up to 5 years, others were fired by the US military, often they claim towards the end of the US's involvement in the war and over minor issues. Nadar claimed he was fired for refusing to shout at an Afghan woman.

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When Jason Morningstar wrote 'Terps it was to tell this story. Combat interpreters trying to improve the war torn place where they lived and the lives of them and their families. A science fiction lens has been placed over the true events. The Combine, an interstellar peace keeping operation has despatched troops, known as COMPROFOR to the planet Sirai where law and safety have been threatened by the PFLS.

COMPROFOR, not familiar with the language or customs of the planet have employed combat interpreters to communicate with the people of Sirai. The combat interpreters will earn a good wage and at the end of the war they will get a Combine visa for themselves and their families. Everyone involved knew that leaving them behind unprotected would result in their death or worse at the hands of the PFLS who would now view them as traitors.

There were interpretation scenes, family scenes and process scenes where the interpreters were attempting to get their visas. The game I played was run by Graham Warmsley and Karolina Soltys.

I played Karijan. My character sheet said that I used to be a taxi driver in the capital of Sirai. The PFLS killed my husband and I sent my salary home to support my mother and child (when I explained this in the first scene it was clear that the COMPROFOR officer had no respect for the interpreters "You don't think about them having families, do you?") It also said on my character sheet that if COMPROFOR pulled out and left us behind PFLS would shoot me at the grave of my husband and make my child watch.

We each had 3 scenes and the majority were disturbing. Until my last scene I thought I'd got off lightly. After someone had experienced something horrible, the death of their wife or being shown the chopped off hand of their brother or after someone would refer to the Sarai people as 'us' after a mission Njel, a retired army officer would always say, "not us, them. We are Combine now." It was something he held onto even after his daughter had acid thrown in her face.

My first two scenes were an awkward one where I was trying to apply for a visa and an officer was interrogating me, finding something wrong with every one of my answers. My second scene was a relief, meeting my daughter in a safe house but lying to her about how she just had to wait a little longer and everything would be wonderful. I also lied in my third scene when I was brought into see a suspected PFLS member who had been badly beaten. She said that she knew where the base was and I told the officer that she didn't know. He dismissed it as her lying and said as an officer he couldn't been seen to be involved in anything unpleasant, but if he left the room for 5 minutes then maybe I could get something out of her. I refused until he said 'do you want a visa or not?'

I sat with her for a few minutes begging her to give something up. I didn't hit her until she threatened my child. 

When I came back to the barracks area and collapsed Njel reminded me that they weren't us any more.

Then, the last scene - they had done the job apparently and were just leaving a few local forces behind to clear things up a bit. They were sure our visas would be sorted eventually. We would just have to wait.

And they left.

We talked about another plan, rushed and panicked although we knew this was coming. We would take our families and go underground. We would hide for as long as we had to. We weren't Sirai citizens, we weren't part of The Combine. "we are us" Njel said - although of course that wasn't, never would be enough.

I want to believe in the 4 characters making their way to somewhere safe with their families, maybe even finding their way off the planet and on to a safer one. I can believe that if I want. I can believe that because it was a game. I can believe that because we were pretending. If only the combat interpreters left in Afghanistan and Iraq could be so lucky.