LARPing

[Waspinator]

Something I've been wondering about for a while is how LARPing actually works. I've heard bits and pieces from various people, but never seen an actual write up of the rules of a LARP. Does anyone know of a good example?

[kbk]

I'm not sure if I recall everything correctly, but here goes:

When engaged in a skill challenge you would solve it by doing Rock-Paper-Scissors. Some powers (We were doing Vampire at the time) like Potence (extra strength), allowed you to throw "the bomb" which would be guaranteed a win. Of course if 2 people had it, you have to resolve normally.

If you had a passive power going like obfuscate, you held your arms in a certain way to signal it to others.

Obviously, complex rules are simply impossible. In some ways your limited to doing what a normal person can.

That said, my recommendation on LARPing is don't. It may seem like a good idea, but then, so did crack to those crackheads.

[Weiser_Cain]

Well if you're a crack head you still think it's great idea.

[Quincunx]

kbk is referring to White Wolf LARP. Other systems have different resolutions, up to and including whether you can land a hit with a blunted and padded sword.

[kbk]

kbk is referring to White Wolf LARP. Other systems have different resolutions.

Truth. I haven't tried the others. I got scared by really creepy WW LARPers.

[Tsotha-lanti]

LARPers have more sex (while playing).

[kbk]

LARPers have more sex (while playing).

Reminds me of a comic in the back of the book of erotic fantasy...

[Quincunx]

Not blaming you. I was in that rarity, a good WW LARP, and even then we were an unbalanced lot.

Also did a boffer LARP which had devolved to whacking your nearest and dearest with foam-and-PVC every Sunday, and while it wasn't much for roleplay, I would recommend it every time for flexing your muscles and stress relief.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I did some LARPing with a group a while back. We used foam swords, which each person had a set amount of damage per hit (usually 1-3) and a set amount of HP (10-30+ depending). If you hit you'd call out your damage, and you'd keep track of how much HP you have left when hit.

If someone managed to make/buy an armor costume, the character they played would get an armor value when wearing it which would reduce damage taken based on how protective it was. Any hits on a spot that the armor didn't cover would ignore it, of course. People had shields, which were plastic and all foam-and-duct-tape, which they'd use to block attacks but never bash with. Hits to the head, hands, and feet were never counted, and if anyone intentionally swung for someone's head they'd be told to GTFO.

PCs wouldn't actually die, they'd just go to 0 HP and be unconscious. Someone could hit an unconscious character and call a deathblow to kill them, but nobody was allowed to do that unless they were told to by one of the GMs. If someone held their weapon on someone's arm, leg, neck, etc. and counted 10 seconds aloud, they'd cut off that limb wherever their weapon was held at; interruption, such as the victim getting out of the way or someone knocking the weapon aside, would ruin the attempt.

GMs and spectators would wear white headbands, if someone was invisible or didn't exist they'd hold their hand on top their head. If something needed to interrupt play, someone would call Hold and everyone would stop where they were at. Once whatever needed to be resolved was done, such as a teleport or a super-fast type special ability, or if someone tripped or got backed into something dangerous, then a GM would count 3-2-1-game on.

Some people would have a set amount of Magic Points, always referred to as something different like Focus or Mana, with special abilities with set costs. Some had special strikes that would deal extra damage (a 5 point hit for 1 MP) or a disarm attack (hit their weapon with yours and call Disarm, they drop it). Other people had spell-type abilities which dealt set amounts of damage and would automatically hit (point at someone and call the ability and damage) for a set cost, or heal a set amount for a set cost.

Most of it was based on a player's ability to fight with the lightweight foam swords, and going by the story according to the GMs. I was always one of the extras who played a monster/NPC, when the next season started (they met one weekend a month from spring through fall) I could have played a PC if I'd wanted to keep playing, but I never got back into it and ended up moving away. The PCs did whatever they wanted as long as it was in-character and in-setting, and the extras played the monsters and NPCs according to what the GMs told them to do. We'd camp out in the woods from Friday night until Sunday afternoon, and the PCs would be in-character the whole time. One game they were getting attacked by monsters every half hour for a whole night, they were really on edge the next day but it set the mood for the story to go how it was planned. It was a lot of fun, I'd definitely do it again.

[Totally Guy]

Thought about it but there's one pretty major thing that I really don't like. I'd need to come up with a personality and I can't for the life of me see why I'd want to be someone else. Then I'd be interacting with someone else that isn't them.

Did any Larpers here see this as an issue? Or how did you overcome it?

[Tsotha-lanti]

Thought about it but there's one pretty major thing that I really don't like. I'd need to come up with a personality and I can't for the life of me see why I'd want to be someone else. Then I'd be interacting with someone else that isn't them.

Did any Larpers here see this as an issue? Or how did you overcome it?

Wait, what... you think roleplaying is a problem with LARPing?

Because that's like the definition of roleplaying. You pretend to be someone else interacting with people who pretend to be someone else.

[Partysan]

If that is a problem, then, at least in my opinion, you are not a roleplayer.
But you can of course have a personality similar to your own, just adapted for the game world.

just for showing some LARP scenes from Germany...
http://drachenfest.info/trailer2008.html
Text is: Wyvern Adventures present:/a fantastic play of your fantasy/dive into another world/a world full of myth and secrets/a world imbued with magic/a world of warriors and heroes/enter the living city/let yourself be seduced by it/discover the wonders of the dragonlands/shape the world through your deeds/affect the course of history/many thousands of players from hole Europe/hundreds of exciting plot streaks/create your character/bring him to life/again, the dragons call to battle/choose your way/fight for victory in battle/the Dragonfest 2008

[Totally Guy]

Wait, what... you think roleplaying is a problem with LARPing?

Well I was just thinking about having make friends twice, once for in character. Once for out of character. It depends what your goal is and that would be mine.

So again, was this a problem at all for you?

No need to toss me a villain ball.

[RagnaroksChosen]

I'v Done NERO and Madrigal, both boffer games, two diffrement systems. Magic spells in both use things called packets Which are cloth squares filled with bird seed and tightend with rubber bands.

There both alot of fun and i sugest every true gamer try them atleast once...


Be ware of the gheyness of White wolfs LARP.

[Tsotha-lanti]

Well I was just thinking about having make friends twice, once for in character. Once for out of character. It depends what your goal is and that would be mine.

So again, was this a problem at all for you?

No need to toss me a villain ball.

Never LARPed. I don't really find it necessary to make friends with everyone I play with (say, in MUSHes). (Although, to an extent, sharing an activity makes for a kind of friendship already. Actors manage it fine, I should think.) And, on the other hand, I don't see why you'd have to be making friends in-character.

This sounds like a completely different issue, though.

[Behold_the_Void]

I tried it, wasn't really my thing. I do say that LARP is probably the best format for a certain time of game which actually does appeal to me, i.e. a scheming political-style game involving a lot of powerful people out to screw each other. However, as I understand those games are extremely difficult to get a good group together for and in general, just wasn't my thing.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

I've done a lot of LARPing, but mostly in WW, NERO, and Amtgard, representing the three 'extremes' in LARPing.

WW is pure non-physical. Everything is description. Basically, it's not even a real 'larp', it's just gaming that's not table-top.

NERO goes for ultra-immersion. From lay-on to game-over, your character is IC, and can be ganked at any time. Think of it as being in WoW on a PvP server where all territory is 'contested'. You've got an IC currency as well, which makes it much more 'realistic' as far as a game goes, and you actually have to land blows (with stringent restrictions on how hard to swing) with 'boffer swords'. Casters toss birdseed packets, and (just like D&D) OP'd.

Amtgard is less roleplaying and more wargaming. Basically, it's Live Action War. I like their combat system and their weapon construction a *LOT* more than NERO's. I also like their Bardic, which is a lot of fun to listen to even if you can't carry a tune in a bucket. There is a RP aspect to it, but it's more of an optional thing. All fighting stays on the battleground or the ditch field, due to safety issues.

To ge honest, NERO had the most potential, but fell the furthest. WW, I never liked because I actually wanted to swing a sword when my character did. Amtgard was fun, but it was more wargaming than roleplaying.

So I never really found a LARPthat worked for me.

[sombrastewart]

There are some other game systems that are boffer combat, but instead of HP systems, they use location based. ie: Hit the arm, you can't use that arm anymore. I've been through a few of these and had no problem with the immersion factor.

[valadil]

First off, there are two kinds of LARPing. Boffer and theater style. Boffer LARPing is the kind with the big foam swords. Theater style is more like a play without a script. I have more experience with that.

Theater style LARPs have mechanics depending on the game. Some games what to be more mechanics heavy than others. Usually the mechanics are combat related. They're also often simple enough that the LARP writers come up with mechanics specifically for their game. One system I came up with was that everyone had a combat stat from 1-5 (and a publicly known toughness stat so people could guage each others prowess, but this wasn't always accurate). People in combat did rock paper scissor. The winner got +2 to their combat stat. Whoever had the higher score gained advantage. Once you had advantage another victory could knock someone out for 5 minutes. If you got a success while at a disadvantage you went back to the starting point. This was simple enough that players could memorize it quickly and didn't need GMs to coordinate combats. Once someone was knockedo out they could be killed, but we left that out of combat so that all murders would be deliberate.

Basically the system worked out so that you were even against someone of your skill. You had a 2/3 chance of beating someone one level below you, since you beat them if you tied or won RPS. Against someone one step above you you had a 1/3 chance of winning each round since you could only beat them with the +2 from winning RPS. More than 2 levels away and the fight was pretty much guaranteed.

That's just one example. Other theater games I've seen usually have more complicated combat. We wanted to keep the combat system boring so that people wouldn't be inclined to fight.

[Kurald Galain]

Some powers (We were doing Vampire at the time) like Potence (extra strength), allowed you to throw "the bomb" which would be guaranteed a win.

I thought scissors trumped bomb?


Anyway. I've tried theater LARP once (of the Werewolf variety), but I found it boring as it mostly consisted of people sitting around talking about who deserved this week's glory point for non-existent deeds, and ignoring the single Bone Gnawer present. Although this likely was a result of the group, not the game, it consisted of nothing ever happening (and, well, it lacks the special effects budget of a tabletop werewolf session).

Several friends of mine are boffers and having a great time doing it, although I've never really tried it myself.

[ShaggyMarco]

There are some other game systems that are boffer combat, but instead of HP systems, they use location based. ie: Hit the arm, you can't use that arm anymore. I've been through a few of these and had no problem with the immersion factor.

This style is what I've mostly done and have found the most immersive.

No remembering HPs most of the time (though you mught have a stone skin that must be brought to 0 before your arm/leg/torso takes a wound), and if you want to hit something, you hit it. Traps were even usually actually rigged up (sort of...there would be trip wirse tied to mouse-traps, if you trip the wire, the GM running the module/trap encounter would call the hold and tell us what happens).

The systems I played in were based loosly on NERO-style boffer-larping, but were very different.

First of all, it was all classless point-buy builds, so characters were varied, interesting, and had varied skill-sets. It is very wierd to make friends in-play (it just happens, characters want allies and conflict brings people together) and then finally get to know them later. Some of my best friends I met through larping and grew to be friends with them IC before I ever even KNEW their real names. It's a cool experience.

As said before, magic is frequently an option that involves throwing color-coded spell packets (red=fire magic, white=healing magic, black=evil magic, green=wood magic, etc.) and saying certain verbals which include the name of the spell so that those being cast upon know what is supposed to happen.

I went a couple of full-weekend events without ever going on a module, just interacting in-character in-town and participating in town-wide interactions. It was immersive, rewarding, exciting, and lots of fun.

That said, Salon-style LARPs are lame. Rock-Scissors-Paper LARPS are lame. Boffer with a solid system and an excellent plot-commitee is the one true way.

Really, just like any DM can salvage a poorly designed table-top, I imagine a good plot commitee (and great players) can make any type of LARP worthwhile.

[Eldaran]

I thought scissors trumped bomb?


Anyway. I've tried theater LARP once (of the Werewolf variety), but I found it boring as it mostly consisted of people sitting around talking about who deserved this week's glory point for non-existent deeds, and ignoring the single Bone Gnawer present. Although this likely was a result of the group, not the game, it consisted of nothing ever happening (and, well, it lacks the special effects budget of a tabletop werewolf session).

I did Changeling, Vampire, and Mage this way. And it really is pretty much just nothing but talking in character, with an occasional 30 minute plot point out of a 6 hour session, at least for Vampire and Changeling.

Mage is a little more interesting, but that's mainly because you have ridiculous amounts of power in that setting, especially around other mages.

The way the rules works, is just an adapted form of White Wolf's D10 system, where instead of rolling an extra dice for each point you have in something, and getting a success on 8-10, you add 1 point to a single D10 roll (often done by drawing cards from ace to 10) and you get a success for a 10 and every 5 points you exceed it by.

There's also the concept of downtime reports, where you can do a number of actions equal to your resolve, usually 1-5, in between games. Usually at least one of those was some sort of power recharging, like feeding in Vampire or scaring people for glamour in Changeling. You couldn't do anything harmful to another player's character in downtime though, unless you already had some way to affect them from a previous game, and even then it required storyteller approval.

[Lemur]

LARPers have more sex (while playing).

And more booze. A lot more. At least, that's what Ragnarok (a Dagorhir meetup) was like when I went there 2 years ago. Then again, Dagorhir is even more of a boffer sport (or wargaming, as Shneekey puts it) than Amtgard.

Dagohir and Amtgard are the only LARPs I've participated in, and they tend to fall in the more physical realm, with roleplaying being only semi-required, although the degree to which this is true also depends on with who and where you're meeting up.

Thought about it but there's one pretty major thing that I really don't like. I'd need to come up with a personality and I can't for the life of me see why I'd want to be someone else. Then I'd be interacting with someone else that isn't them.

Did any Larpers here see this as an issue? Or how did you overcome it?

Do you have this issue while playing D&D or tabletop games? It's the same thing as far as I can see. Personally I've never seen this as an issue, and I'm wondering why you would even think it is one. If I were to have any sort of problem, it would be that I never remember anyone's name, be it their persona's or their real one.

[EvilElitest]

meh, i only do Wayfinder over the summer
from
EE