[LARP] Bringing real-world musical skills into a LARP as flavour

[richardj]

I'm a regular crew member with my LARP group in the UK, and I was recently prompted to create a recurring NPC 'bard' (read: musical NPC with few magical abilities) to add flavour to the world as well as to give me an easy 'chillout NPC' (this is our term for an NPC we can play just to go and interact with players without a need for a story point, in non-combat situations. For example, at the end of the day when no more encounters are scripted and you just want to find someone to have a drink with and RP).

As a musician, I'm excited about this, and would particularly love to bring my experience of Afro-Brazilian folkloric music in as part of the african-syncretic-inspired aspect of the game world. But, I'm not sure exactly how to do that - I usually play as part of a percussion group (samba band, capoeira bateria, other drumming groups) rather than alone. I've considered taking my berimbau (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berimbau) and singing some longer solo songs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqGEHdNzBX4) I know from capoeira experience (many of the songs I know involve call-and-response, which isn't feasible when nobody knows the response). How can I make these (mostly)portuguese-language songs work as a musician-type character in an English-speaking group?

Does anybody have experience of bringing real-life skills into LARP (especially as crew), and could relate their thoughts and any tips? Does anybody have opinions as players, how this could be received? Thanks in advance!

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Unfortunately, most LARPs explicitly don't rely on your actual skillset because typically LARPs are an escapist fantasy, where you can be all you can't be. So depending on the mechanics of your LARP, this probably isn't going to turn out well. But here's some thoughts:

In Amtgard, there are several types of spells, with different balance points. One type of spell is the 'verbal incant', which typically has a mouth-filling or toungue-twisting incant, but produces a consistent effect and doesn't need to throw anything at the target. For example, the (touch-cast only, in most cases) Heal spell is:

“Sword Cut, spear stab, mace smash, arrow jab,
Let the white light of healing descend on thee.
Let the white light of healing stop thy spilling blood.
Let the white light of healing mend thy bones.
Let the white light of healing close thy wounds.
Let the white light of healing restore thy vigor.
The white light of healing hath healed thee.”

You have to recite the whole thing, while remaining in contact with your target, in combat, to heal them. Needless to say, this is not precisely trivial (although a 'combat medic' healer with a shield can do a pretty good job).

The Bard class in Amtgard has an entire series of skills called Chants that, as long as you keep the chant going, are ongoing effects. This is something your background might be particularly suited for.

Being a musician and chanter, you can probably handle complex verbals like this much easier than most people could. This might give you an idea about how a bard might work, depending on what sort of mechanics you want to include.

The problem, really, is that very few people are skilled musicians, and very few musical instruments are suited to LARPing. So either it needs to be kept strictly to non-combat only areas, or needs to be verbally based or based on a very small instrument that won't get damaged in combat.

[richardj]

The problem, really, is that very few people are skilled musicians, and very few musical instruments are suited to LARPing. So either it needs to be kept strictly to non-combat only areas, or needs to be verbally based or based on a very small instrument that won't get damaged in combat.

Sorry, I should have made this clearer in the original post (I'll edit momentarily): I'm planning that this NPC could be used exclusively in non-combat situations, and also I misspoke calling them a bard - they won't be a typical-rpg-type bard who is there to buff players and provide other musical magical effects, rather as a character the players can speak to and potentially ask for small favours, who happens to be a musician (with potential low-level, falvourful magical effects such as using music to call to the spirit world, etc). Thanks for the response and advice!

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Sorry, I should have made this clearer in the original post (I'll edit momentarily): I'm planning that this NPC could be used exclusively in non-combat situations, and also I misspoke calling them a bard - they won't be a typical-rpg-type bard who is there to buff players and provide other musical magical effects, rather as a character the players can speak to and potentially ask for small favours, who happens to be a musician (with potential low-level, falvourful magical effects such as using music to call to the spirit world, etc). Thanks for the response and advice!

Here's an idea, then... a Skald. Part musician, part shaman, part 'formerly warrior, in my youth, before I grew up and settled down', purely awesome roleplay potential.

If you're wanting the players to contact the spirit world, that would be a venue. Calling chants would actually be quite appropriate for that, with those players wishing to contact the spirit world needing to actively participate in the ritual. So the players will need to at least learn the basics of how to chant on command, but more importantly, will be more engaged in the activity if they are actually a part of it.

[Wraith]

In my experience as a LARPer, I learned the valuable lesson: No one will do anything for you.

Admittedly I'm coming from the rather jaded perspective of a Ritualist who dropped 90% of my character points into Ritual Magic, to only be able to run four rituals in 5 years - each of which lasted about 20 minutes after 8 hours of hair-pulling and cat herding...

...However the lesson is still valuable in the context of amusing yourself; if you want to do something, just pick up your bag and go out and do it because if you ask other people for what they think of it, they will either dither and keep you waiting for days at a time or they'll get annoyed and complain at you because what you're doing isn't going to directly benefit them.

So the best thing to do is be pro-active; grab your instrument of choice, go sit in the tavern, drop a bowl on the floor with some IC coins in it as bait and start playing whatever you feel like. I'm not saying that you should be obnoxious and Death Metal-howl over a crowded room of people trying to have a conversation, but if they give you a round of applause at the end of a song then you know it's working. Offer to play requests for a few coins, crack some jokes, announce that you're available for private shows..... Maybe make some outlandish boasts about knowing some secrets or having been involved in some sensitive plot-relative events? It doesn't have to be true, but it will get people to come up and start a conversation with you.

In other words, don't wait for other people to start something. Be brave enough to start it yourself and others will follow. :smallsmile: (And avoid Ritual Magic; unless you happen to be in 'the clique' and can be allowed to use your skill card more than once every 5 events, it's an expensive road to nowhere....)

[richardj]

Here's an idea, then... a Skald. Part musician, part shaman, part 'formerly warrior, in my youth, before I grew up and settled down', purely awesome roleplay potential.

If you're wanting the players to contact the spirit world, that would be a venue. Calling chants would actually be quite appropriate for that, with those players wishing to contact the spirit world needing to actively participate in the ritual. So the players will need to at least learn the basics of how to chant on command, but more importantly, will be more engaged in the activity if they are actually a part of it.
That sounds excellent!


...However the lesson is still valuable in the context of amusing yourself; if you want to do something, just pick up your bag and go out and do it because if you ask other people for what they think of it, they will either dither and keep you waiting for days at a time or they'll get annoyed and complain at you because what you're doing isn't going to directly benefit them.

So the best thing to do is be pro-active; grab your instrument of choice, go sit in the tavern, drop a bowl on the floor with some IC coins in it as bait and start playing whatever you feel like. I'm not saying that you should be obnoxious and Death Metal-howl over a crowded room of people trying to have a conversation, but if they give you a round of applause at the end of a song then you know it's working. Offer to play requests for a few coins, crack some jokes, announce that you're available for private shows..... Maybe make some outlandish boasts about knowing some secrets or having been involved in some sensitive plot-relative events? It doesn't have to be true, but it will get people to come up and start a conversation with you.

In other words, don't wait for other people to start something. Be brave enough to start it yourself and others will follow. :smallsmile: (And avoid Ritual Magic; unless you happen to be in 'the clique' and can be allowed to use your skill card more than once every 5 events, it's an expensive road to nowhere....)

Great advice, thanks.

Now to look into advice for playing a skald successfully... I guess learning a few short stories (and how to improvise them) would be a start!