The Last Thing to Die

Hope - Holocaust - Normalisation

A Black Box Larp by

Susanne Gräslund & Anders Hultman

Game Master instructions

 To hope is to be human. Unless we suffer from depression we always
look for good signs or a way out of difficult situations. We are also very
bad at really imagining the worst and often think that things can’t be that
bad after all. This scenario is about how people can be trapped step by
step, how the normalisation process can make us accept small steps
towards a terrible end. When things get tough, we often think that the
bottom must now have been reached, and that it will soon become better
if we just manage to endure the current hardships. We cling to what hope
we have and believe that in the long run, truth and justice must prevail if
we only perform our part of the deal. However, this so called deal is built
upon the prerequisite that we as humans respect each other and that we
all have a right to live. That our counterpart aims at eradicating us is a
truth just too unthinkable to face.

Nazism is slowly gaining ground again in Europe. A decade or two ago it

was unthinkable to have them march the streets openly, and now they do
not only do that, but also threat politicians and other people online and in
real life. The normalization of these ideas is moving slowly, but steadily,
and we have to act before it is too late. Nazism did not start with gas
chambers, but hate speech sorting people in us and them aiming at
dehumanizing “the others”. We have to see the tightening noose before it
is too late.

About the authors

Susanne Gräslund & Anders Hultman have both been larping and roleplaying for more than
25 years and organized larps such as “Knappnålshuvudet”, “A nice Evening with the Family”
and “Fortune & Felicity” as well as written a few scenarios together. Anders is also one of the
organizers of the Stockholm Scenario Festival.

If you have questions, praise or suggestions you can reach the authors on
susanne.graslund@gmail.com or anders@betahaus.net.

Credits
Play testers: Fia Idegård, Oskar Gunnarsson, Charlie Haldén, Anneli Friedner
Research help: Anders Ohlson

License
This work is licensed under “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC
BY-NC-SA 4.0)”.

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 2 of (19)

Preparation
Story and structure
This larp follows four Jewish families from just before the start of WWII until the last survivors
of the war return to their homes in Oslo, Norway. It is a story of normalisation, fear, hope and
in the end of loss and loneliness.

After an hour of character building and workshops to learn the techniques, the game will run
for about two hours with the 11 scenes and 9 intermezzos. Finally you run a debrief of about
half an hour.

It is designed to run with 16 players, 4 in each family. It can also run with 4 players who then
play only the Braude family or with 12 players where you remove the Steinfeld family. We do
not recommend other ways to cut it. If you choose the Braude family only version for 4
players you have to adapt the scenes where members from several families meet, for
example all women. Then the people playing the male Braude family members will have to
play other women.

Game Mastering style

This game takes a special stance to Game Mastering. You will likely not be able to follow
closely what is going on in the different families in the game and will spend most of your time
moving the game forward with scene shifts, reading intermezzo texts and dealing with the
visuals and audio of the game. Later in the game you will be more active in running the
scenes.

Getting to know all the different techniques we use in the game are fundamental to make it
work. It has mostly been run by two Game Masters in tandem who share the different tasks.
There is quite a lot of text to read and tools to learn. We suggest you begin by a quick read
through of the scenes and intermezzos under The Game below, ten reading one family and
their player instructions. Then read through the rest of the Game Master instructions below.
And then you can return to the other families and their player instructions. The player
instructions for the different families are very similar and you will soon see the pattern. When
preparing, take extra time to read through Game Master instructions for scene 9 and the
intermezzos since these will require more active work from you.

Props needed
There is quite a lot of equipment and props needed to run the scenario. What each item is
used for is explained when it is introduced in the instructions below. All documents and
images are in the game zip file.

● Cherished items printed

● Spørreschema (forms) 16 copies
● Character sheets and Player instructions

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 3 of (19)

 ● Stamp with J or thick red pen
● 5-10 blindfolds
● Tape for name tags and to mark homes
● 1 Six sided dice, preferably quite large
● 16 Pencils
● Bells to toll
● Screen/projector to display visuals
● Sound system to play music and accompanying sound effects
● A whiteboard or flipchart to make the scoreboard on

The visuals
Accompanying this scenario is a Keynote presentation that can be run from any Mac or iOS-
device or via a web browser. This contains slides for the pregame, each scene and
intermezzo and finally the debrief. Practice this before you run the game to know how it
behaves. Notice that some sounds are played from within the Keynote presentation.

The music
There is a soundtrack that is used for all scenes and some other things. You find a ready-
made playlist on Spotify here. In scenes with accompanying music it is mentioned in the
Game Master scene instructions.

The characters
There are 8 male and 8 female characters. About half of each type are parents (around 45
years of age) and the other half their grown-up children (around 25)

Braude: Levinson:
Benzel (father) Salomon (father)
Sara (mother) Jette (mother)
Isak (son) Esther (daughter)
Charles (son) Jenny (daughter)

Sachnowitz: Steinfeld:
Israel (father) Israel (father)
Rita (daughter) Lea (mother)
Marie (daughter) Reidun (daughter)
Herman (son) Morten (young son)

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 4 of (19)

The scoreboard
Keep a scoreboard on a whiteboard or flipchart. The scoreboard has all the character names
on vertical and room to write the scene numbers on horizontal. As a new scene begins, write
the number on the chart. When a character works against the authorities it gets an X below
the scene. In the line exercises the ones on the resistance side of the middle get the X.

The purpose of the scoreboard is to make the decisions the characters make seem
important. But as the game progresses they realise that it does not matter. They can’t get
out of this by behaving well and conforming to the rules. But as hope is the last thing to die
they will probably keep trying.

Remember, you do not explain the score board, its purpose or what it represents. Just start
using it.

Scene 2: The list Scene 6: Berg

● Agree to give name – stand in ● Line level of cooperation, from
middle cooperating (right facing GMs) to
● Refuse to give name – stand to obstructing (left)
walls
Scene 7: Martial law
Scene 3: First actions ● Hand in cherished items – items to
● Hand in radio front
● Hide radio ● Hide cherished items – hide at
back wall
Scene 4: Registration
● Get the J stamp – sheet to the Scene 8: Escape or not
front ● Stay and wait – stay in room
● Refuse to get the J stamp – stay at ● Try to escape – move to corner at
the back wall GM

Scene 5: Confiscation Scene 9: S/S Donau

● Line from fill out form correctly
(right facing GMs) to ignore the
form completely (left)
● Have faith that all will be fine –
step forward towards the S/S
Donau
● Accept what will happen – sit
down, lower head

Pregame
Before you start the game you will have to explain a few things to the players and help them
get to know their characters and family members. They will also get to practice our simplified
version of the Seder ceremony of the Jewish Pesach (Easter). In the visuals presentation
you will find bullet points for many of the different parts of the pregame. You can use these
to keep your players focused and help them remember the things as you explain them.

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 5 of (19)

Ensemble
Gather the entire ensemble in a circle with the Game Masters taking part. Make a round
where everyone says their name and their expectation on the game in one word.

About the scenario

● Based on a true story - like a movie is based on a true story. They are free to
improvise and come up with their own stories.
● Scripted scenes with freedom, improvise away
● Scene format
○ Read scene instruction
○ Move to scene start position
○ Music starts
○ GM introduces the scene with a short text
○ When the bell tolls - make a decision
● Intermezzos will be run between some scenes
● Safety, what the participants can expect, you can opt out by talking to GM pregame
○ Strong emotions
○ Loud noises and shouting
○ Some physical touch by GMs, only arms and shoulders
○ Blindfolding
● In some scenes you can be instructed to play NPCs. Players can always opt out of
this by s if they prefer.

Historical context
● Norway 1939: Nasional Samling - the Norwegian Nazi party
● WWII - September 1939 to May 1945
● Who are the Jews in Norway?
○ 1850 - Law prohibiting Jews to enter Norway was evoked
○ Most came from “The Pale” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_of_Settlement,
a territory across Russia and the Baltic states
○ Immigrants were usually stateless, but their children became Norwegian
citizens

Sort into families

● Prefer to play a female to the left, prefer to play a male to the right. Move them until
we have the right spread of genders.
● Preference to play older to one side and younger to the other.
● Have the families group up

Family time
● Read your characters
● Add name tags with tape
● Introduce the characters within the family group

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 6 of (19)

 ● Make a family home with tape on the floor
○ one kitchen with 4 chairs

Cherished item
● Everyone to choose a cherished item they tape to their name tag/clothing
● Something you have inherited, fought for, kept safe or otherwise care about
● Tell your family what is it and why it is important to you

Practice Pesach Seder

Seder is the first day of Pesach (Easter) which is celebrated in memory of the release of the
Jewish people from Egypt, led by Moses, after which they wandered through the desert for
40 years. Make the players practice this once in a shortened version. The important part is to
learn the order of the steps. We have simplified the procedure into a few ritual steps:

1. First the youngest in the family asks: “Why is this evening different from all other
evenings?”
2. The parents/elders give answers by telling about the hardships that were overcome
by the Jewish people during their flight out of Egypt. The parents can add their own
hardships of their flight to Norway.
3. Then they all eat the ritual bread, matze, which is unraised to symbolize that there
was no time for that when hastily leaving Egypt.
4. Wine is served and consumed.
5. Finally when all is done, it ends with the prayer that we symbolize with the last words:
“Next year in Jerusalem”.

Last things
Before you start the game you could repeat the most important parts of how the scenes are
run and that the players should keep their character sheets and player instruction booklets
with them at all times.

The game
Intermezzo: Your character
Sound: Delsbovalsen

Read the following in a relaxed and slow voice. Take your time.

Close your eyes, relax, take a deep breath, take another

Think about your character
Who are you?
Where do you come from?
What do you dream about?
Who do you love?

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 7 of (19)

What is important to you?
Take a deep breath
You may open your eyes and read scene 1.

Scene 1: Celebration
Date: April 1939

Music: Skjönne Sorina

Scene start: Families are at home celebrating Pesach.

It is Seder, the first day of Pesach in April 1939. You are dressed up in your best clothes and
eat the most luxurious food you can upbring together with your families. Even if there are
rumours about war threats on the continent, you feel safe in Norway. This is a great evening
to share your hopes for the future.

When the bell tolls: Round up the conversation, return to talking about the original Jews
leaving Egypt and finish the ceremony by the common proclamation: “Next year in
Jerusalem!”

Suggested time until Bell Toll: 10 – 12 min

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 8 of (19)

Intermezzo: Occupation
Sound: (we only managed to play this URL in Safari not Chrome. Use what you can)
https://www.nb.no/nbsok/nb/24ce6c88bf6dbb7e8a2b37bf6acf1d0f.nbdigital?
lang=no&fbclid=IwAR30YPJexNmV2CtLv6Ymci9RklB_Z51Zkz5-
UN7S2ZapoOzEpmDez_vPzpI [this sound seems to be lost to the internetvoid]

You can use the sound from the beginning of this clip instead:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGa18BGBih0

“The German Wehrmacht invaded the neutral kingdom of Norway in the morning of april 9th
1940. The capital Oslo fell quickly and soon the first troops entered the city, marching behind a
German military brass band. Five years of Nazi occupation had begun.

Scene 2: The List

Date: April 1940

Music: Tzeitels Nign

Scene start: Families are at home celebrating Pesach a few weeks after the German
invasion.

The invasion by the Germans on April 9th came without warning and the Norwegian army
was defeated in just a few weeks. You celebrate Pesach as usual by the end of April, but
this year much has changed as Norway is now under German occupation. There are so
many questions about what the future will bring.

Bell toll: You should decide whether you should fill in the list and hand it in. Should all family
members be on it? Those who write their name on the list stand in the middle of the room.
Those who refuse stand to the walls.

Suggested time until Bell Toll: 10 min

Intermezzo: This is London!

Radio broadcast from London about war news.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQN0ua5o4Ps

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 9 of (19)

Scene 3: First actions
Date: September 1940

Music: They can’t take that away from me

Scene start: Everyone gathers at the synagogue and split up in three groups: men, women
and young people

In times of war, having access to free news and not just propaganda is a lifeline. You have
been able to listen to BBC and stay informed about what happens in the world. Now your
lives are threatened if you do not hand in the radios. You meet other Jewish families at the
synagogue in September 1940 and talk about what to do.

Bell tolls: You need to decide whether you think your family should hand in their radio or
not. If you think the radio should be handed in step to the middle of the room, it you want to
keep it move to the walls.

Suggested time until Bell Toll: 7 min

Intermezzo: First arrests

Tell all players to return to their homes.

Bang door or other suitable surface that makes a lot of noise.

The families all over Grünerløkka are awoken in the middle of the night by heavy knocks on
the door. It is the Norwegian police who burst in to arrest all stateless Jewish men. – Bring
nothing. You are under arrest.

Pull them out of their homes and into the jail part of the room.

More than 60 men are driven to the infamous prison - Grini - where beatings, starvation and
deprivation ensues. No messages are brought back to the families. No accusations are
made against the men.

Remember the stateless jewish men are: Benzel Braude, Israel Sachnowitz, Salomon
Levinson

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 10 of (19)

Scene 4: Registration
Date: April 1941

Music: Der Gasn Nigun

Scene start: Families are at home celebrating Pesach while the stateless men are
imprisoned at Grini.

All stateless Jewish men were recently imprisoned at Grini without any official reason. You
have gathered for another Pesach celebration in April 1941, but for all families missing
someone it is difficult to find any joy. The local newspaper proclaims that all Jews need to
improve their identity papers by getting a J stamped in them or else they will be punished.

Bell tolls: You need to decide whether you go to the police office with your identity papers
and get them stamped. If you decide to get the stamp take your character sheet and bring it
to the front of your room.

Suggested time until Bell Toll: 8 min

Scene 5: Confiscation
Date: January 1942

Music: Gasn Nign

Scene start: A family dinner with lots of forms to fill in.

It is January 1942 and this winter is unusually cold and harsh and it is not really warm
anywhere. You are having a quiet meal at home with your families. The latest news is that
Jews are no longer allowed to keep their occupations and that their shops are being
confiscated.

Bell tolls: You need to decide if you are going to fill in the forms or not. Do all family
members do it and how? Make a line in the room. By the left wall (facing the GMs) if you fill
in your form quickly and correctly. In the middle if you are a little late and not very precise
about your belongings and occupation. To the right if you do not fill it out at all or very poorly.

Suggested time until Bell Toll: 10 min

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 11 of (19)

Intermezzo: Arresting all men
Late October 1942, two young Jewish men trying to escape to Sweden, were caught by the
police on a train. In the tumult of the arrest the escape guide shot a policeman to death. The
NS and the Germans used the incident to blame the Jews. This was the spark that finally
ignited the actions of the Third Reich against the Jews in Norway.

Bang door or other suitable surface that makes a lot of noise.

Two nights later, families all over Grünerløkka are again awoken in the middle of the night
by heavy knocks on the doors. It is the Norwegian police who burst in to arrest all Jewish
men they can find. That night, 258 men from the Oslo area are driven by trucks to the newly
opened, but only half-finished, labour camp Berg a bit south of Oslo.

Physically pull the victims to the trucks and away from their families.

Remember not to arrest Morten Steinfeld, he gets left at home due to age.

Scene 6: Berg
Date: October 1942
Music: Quisling’s speech

Part one - The truck

Men from all families are transported in a truck. They do some small talk on the way and
then they arrive.

Scene start: In the back of a truck on a bumpy road through the Norwegian countryside.

It is October 1942 and all Jewish men that could be found have been arrested by the police.
You are now being transported in trucks on bumpy roads through the Norwegian
countryside, to an unknown destination.

While this scene plays out, explain to the women that they can play prison guards who walk
behind the players playing prisoners pushing them when they fail to comply with crazy
demands like - stand on one foot and sing, or touch your toes with your legs straight, or carry
each other around the camp, etc.

Part two - The yard

A guard shouts at them to leave the truck quickly. The guards are extremely anti semitic and
are screaming and hitting the prisoners. Line them up and hold the speech, then pull off the
cherished items from each man.

Jews, vermin, scum, you are my prisoners and my labour. You are here because Norway
doesn’t need, or trust vermin like you. You are useless and worthless. I will make use of you

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 12 of (19)

to finish this strong camp. And I will make sure no-one can ever escape the fate that awaits
you.

Work hard and obey and you will be treated well. But if any of you scum try to escape My
camp, you will be filled with lead. And if any of you try to escape, we will shoot ten other
prisoners. You are not worth anything. You are vermin. You have been warned. Now, get to
your barracks and start cleaning them out.

Part three - In the barracks

Give the male characters some time in their quarters to lick their wounds and talk about what
to do and how important hard work and good behaviour is.

Bell toll: Will you cooperate in camp or be a difficult prisoner, even try to escape? Place in
line after level of cooperation.

Suggested time until Bell Toll: 10 min

Scene 7: Martial law

Date: October 1942

Music: Encounter

Scene start: The women arrive at the street corner where they need to separate before
going home. They stop for some small talk and goodbyes.

It is October 1942 and all Jewish women are required to report to the police station every
day. If you do not show up your imprisoned men will suffer the consequences and be
punished. You are now on your way home with some other women and you stop at a street
corner for some small talk before saying goodbye,

Backdrop to scene:
Imprisoned men perform silent manual labour in the background like carrying heavy things or
using pick-axes or shovels. They may interact unintrusively like shadows/ghosts with the
women.

Bell toll: You need to decide if you hand in your cherished items the next day. If you do,
walk to the edge of the room with everything that you give up to the authorities.

Suggested time until Bell Toll: 6 min

Intermezzo: The truth is out there

Music: Gute nacht, kinder

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 13 of (19)

In the first months of 1942, the murdering of Jews in Poland and the occupied Eastern
Europe became more and more systematic. Killing with bullets were both difficult for the
soldiers who performed the shootings and expensive in times of war. Death by gas was the
new solution.

Through the efforts of courageous Poles, Germans and Swedes, the comprehensive Bund
Report reached London by the end of May 1942. The proof of how the Nazis were dealing
with the Jews - The Endlösung - was in the hands of the allied leadership and the news
sources in London.

The main points of the Bund Report were transmitted on BBC and published in British
newspapers in the summer of 1942. The fact that more than 700 000 Jews had been
murdered in a short time was open information to the free world.

But on the transmissions aimed at occupied Norway - London Radio - only vague mentions
of “persecutions of Jews in occupied territories” were made. Listening to London Radio gave
the Jews in Norway no reason to believe that death awaited those who did not make the
fairly simple and short escape to neutral Sweden, only 60 km from Oslo.

Scene 8: Escape or not

Date: November 1942

Music: Firen di Mekhutonim Aheym

Women:
The women gather in Esther Levinson Selikowitz’s kitchen. They have received an offer to
escape to Sweden by Wolfgang Geldmacher. He has information saying that all will be
deported to Poland if they stay, but they have to leave now without their imprisoned men and
it costs a lot of money to pay for passage. They need to decide if they try.

Scene start: Mr Geldmacher has completed his explanation of the grave situation. Finishing
with “I will leave you now to make your decision. There is not much time.”

It is November 1942 and you have gathered in Esther Selikowitz’ kitchen where you also
met Wolfgang Geldmacher, a German anti-Nazi who wants to help you. He has explained
that you will all be deported to Poland if you do not try to escape to Sweden. Mr.
Geldmacher just left after having told you that you need to make a decision soon. There is
not much time.

Bell toll: Will you stay and wait for your male family members who might come home soon
or will you leave with Geldmacher and all the family’s last money? If you try to escape, move
out of the room and towards the corner indicated by the GM.

Imprisoned men:
The imprisoned men have been at Berg for what feels like an eternity, but in reality it is only
about a month. They do not dare talk openly about it, but secretly they all wonder if there is

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 14 of (19)

any possibility of escaping this nightmare and getting home to their loved ones.

Scene start: Isak Braude has an idea about escaping and brings up the topic one late night
in the sleeping quarters.

Bell toll: You need to decide whether you try to escape or not. If you do, move out of the
room and towards the corner indicated by the GM.

Suggested time until Bell Toll: 8 min

Intermezzo: The escape

Music: Desperate search for Masha

If one or more players have chosen to escape they are given blindfolds. Dim the lights and
turn on the music. The escapees are spun and shuffled around on the floor a bit. Ask the
other players for help in spinning and shuffling. One by one the escapees are stopped by the
GM who removes the blindfold and asks how much money they are handing over. No matter
the amount, the GM rolls a die for each escapee. Let someone escape if they roll a high
number like a five or a six. Don’t let too many women escape. No men from Berg will
succeed whatever number they get.

If the escapees are caught they are manhandled into a holding cell.

If they are not, place them in a spot indicated as neutral Sweden

“After a long and hard trek across countless miles of emptiness, constantly worried about
pursuit, suffering from sore feet and body, lack of food and shelter, you reach a small village
on the Swedish side. You are greeted with hesitation and mild hostility. Your guides melt
away and you are on your own in a strange country. The authorities take your statement, an
account of all your belongings and you are promptly transported by train to a small town,
maybe Linköping, where you try to build a new life. Safe, for now, but lonely, poor and
without friends. All your loved ones are somewhere else.”

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 15 of (19)

Scene 9: S/S Donau
Date: November 1942

Music: (Music will be played after initial alarm part) Escaping the ghetto

Scene start: All women who did not escape are in their rooms. All men in Berg are in their
cells. All women who are caught are in their cells

It is a dark cold early morning in November 1942. Oslo is seemingly quiet, but suddenly
hundreds of cars with policemen burst out into the empty streets.

Lights out. Bang on wooden surface. The police come and take them away.

The women at home are told to bring provisions for the family for 4 days, warm clothes,
medicines, ration cards and identity papers.

Have them run around in circles, one for the women and a different one for the men. Until
they are a bit flushed. Then:

Stop - Close your eyes - Take three deep breaths - Think about your character - What does
it think is going to happen - What do you think the Nazis are capable of? - Where are they
taking you? - Why should you bring food, medicines, papers and warm clothes - Have you
done anything wrong to deserve this treatment?

You will soon open your eyes, you might find your loved ones, let this play out in very very
slow motions and without speaking. How do you greet them? What are you feeling?

Open your eyes - You are brought down to the cargo harbour in Oslo bay - in the early misty
and cold hours of the morning - A large ship is moored to the dock - People, possessions
and police are everywhere - Your loved ones are in front of you.

Player instruction: This scene is played non-verbal throughout. In the beginning there will
be a lot of commotion where you will get instructions from the gamemaster what to do. Then
you will get a scene where you might reunite with your loved ones. Play it slowly and without
words. Maybe you just hug for a long time, or dance a little? Maybe you search and search
for your special one, but cannot find him or her? What happened?

Scene start: Lights out. All women who did not escape are in their rooms. All men in Berg
are in their cells. All women who are caught are in their cells.

Bell tolls: A choice for each player if they accept what is said – it is time to work in a
factory/camp somewhere but at least you will be together. Or this is the end, we are all going
to die. If you have faith that you will work but live, move forward towards the Donau. If you
accept the inevitable, that you will die soon, sit down and lower your head.

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 16 of (19)

Scene end: Separate men and women in two groups. Pull them apart physically if they do
not let go of each other.
Call out people to be removed and direct them towards a waiting car: Charles Braude, Jenny
Wulff

Suggested time until Bell Toll: You will have to feel it

Intermezzo: The journey

Music: The impossible journey

The Donau left Oslo that day, november 26 ,1942. In its holds it held 302 men, 188 women
and 42 children. The men in one cargo hold, the women and children in another. It was a
place of darkness, hard metal floors, seasickness and crying people. Of the food that was
brought to the harbour, they saw nothing. One serving of thin soup a day was all the cargo
received. Some believed they were on their way north, to work with building or mining.
Others believed they headed south, towards Europe, the war and the horrors of Germany or
Poland.

Scene 10: The Postcard

Date: November 1942

Music: This place is a shelter

At this time you are in a hold aboard the Donau, in a prison in Norway, in relative safety in
Sweden or someplace else. You take what paper you have and write a short postcard to the
loved ones who are not with you. Use the back of your character sheet and write down what
hopes you might still have and the most important words that you didn't get to tell them.

Suggested time until Bell Toll: Until players seem to be done, 5 min maybe.

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 17 of (19)

Intermezzo: The Fate
Music: Blücher

Visuals: Auschwitz-Birkenau

The war went on for another two and a half years. Your endings were all different. The
Norwegian Jews who had British citizenships were imprisoned in Germany, survived the
war, and were sent home afterwards (Jenny Wulff). Those who managed to flee to Sweden
also survived and could return if they wished (List of names). Those who were married to
Aryans were kept in prison camps in Norway and were released after the war (Charles
Braude).”

“But the ones who were forced to board S/S Donau had a very different ending. Four days
after leaving Oslo, S/S Donau reached Stettin in occupied Poland. Still separated, men from
women, they were shoved onto a train bound for Auschwitz-Birkenau. After a hellish journey
of three more days they reached the train yard with the gas chambers on one end and the
endless barracks, with the ones still fit to work, on either side. Among shouting SS-men,
barking dogs and the smell of burning flesh in the cold winter night a speedy selection was
made. All women and children were immediately headed off to their death, as were all men
older than 45 years of age. “Leave all your luggage, you will get it back later, and remove all
your clothes for the showers.” These were all lies. 345 Norwegian Jews were murdered on
that day.

The 184 men chosen for labour were informed that working hard would earn them a long life
in the camp. This was also a lie. Starvation, beatings, sickness and unimaginable hard work
killed almost all the rest of them in short order. After the war, only nine Norwegian Jews of
those 529 who were deported on S/S Donau survived the horrors of the camps and returned
to Norway. (One of them was Herman Sachnowitz).

Scene 11: Homecoming

Date: Fall 1945

Music: Lament

Germany was defeated and capitulated unconditionally in May 1945. Fugitives all over
Europe began their journeys back to their homes.

All whose characters are dead at the end of the war - stand along the walls with your heads
lowered.

All whose characters are still alive - please return home, to where your home once was. You
do not need to speak.

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 18 of (19)

Postgame and debrief
End music: Amongst graves

Individual
1. Ask the players to sit down where they are
2. Close your eyes
3. Play the ending music for a while (2 minutes?)

Families
4. Ask the players to open their eyes and group together in their families, bring their
character sheets
5. Tell them: “If you wish you can begin by reading the postcards”
6. After this make a round in the group, where everyone can tell how they feel and then
another round talking about the experience and what you bring with you
7. Let this go on for a while, 10 – 15 min, depending on how much time you have at
hand

Ensemble
8. Gather the full ensemble in a sitting circle.
9. Talk a bit about the theme and mention the family-specific epilogues with historical
facts
10. Make a round in the whole group if there is anything anyone wants to bring up

The Last Thing to Die Game Master Instructions page 19 of (19)