LARPing

[Obryn]

I used to play Belegarth (Dagorhir, before the two games split from one another) for about 8-10 years. I'm semi-retired on account of being old

Anyway, Belegarth makes up most of the group that comes to Gen Con every year with Edhellen Armories and their boffer weapons. I worked the Gamer Olympics for a few years with them.

It's only a LARP in the loosest sense of the term, and over time has evolved a lot more into a funny kind of sport. Sure, you have a character name, and you have medieval-style garb, but there are very few people who actually play a character.

It's mostly an excuse to run around and hit people with foam weapons. There's no magic, no classes, no levels, and no real limitations other than what you, personally, can do. Honestly, the rules can fit on one page; most of the exceptions are common-sense safety precautions.

Anyway, if you're looking for good, fast, hard-hitting combat, I'd look it up. It's a blast, and I often miss it. I still have my 8' spear and shield in my garage...

-O

 

[timbannock]

I LARPed it up with some Vampire: The Masquerade (or whatever the Mind's Eye Theater equivalent is/was).

It was pretty much a core group of about 10 kids who ran it powergaming the crap out of it and playing completely ridiculous characters that killed nearly half the n00b's characters that showed up. This happened weekly for about 6 months before people started to realize how boring it was getting killed every week by the people hosting the game.

One of the Princes was a Lasombra Sabbat infiltrator...? He would use Shadowstep (teleporting by stepping into shadows) at the end of every meeting with the Primogen Council. And yet, no one suspected...

Five players created some characters to attack the city's Elysium. The characters were Logan, Piotr Peter, Kurt Wagner, Scott Summers, and Orora Munroe. Three guesses as to who they were, and the first two don't count!

Needless to say, I LARP no more.

 

[Ginnel]

The funny thing is that Curious Pastimes, decended as it is from the Lorien Trust system, is considered one of the more arcane fest rulesets. Maelstrom is admittedly more arcane between games, but rather simpler in play - plus due to the style of game its not unknown for players to go an entire weekend event without interacting with the rules at all (Which is why they often forget them, the dozy so-and-so's ).

That said, smaller systems like the various Treasure Trap derivatives and their offspring often have singificantly more complex rules, though there has been a distinct drive away from NERO style rulesets in the UK over the last ten years or so.

Sounds like someone who has been in similar circles I've played:

Birmingham Treasure Trap
Lancaster Uni's fantasy LARP (can't remember its name)
World of Darkness
Vampires in public (played on the campus at lancaster uni, more combat based and you could have latex replica weapons but why bother when you could have Dominate/guns)
Maelstrom
Omega (Maelstroms predescor)
The Gathering (only the once, too big too focused on big established characters very overwhelming, Lorien Trust event)
Live Cthulu (my favourite yet hardly any combat, played 3 one shots real good fun, usually wartime era but we had a modern game too)

Bizarrely enough I don't count myself as a Live Role Player and don't own any kit apart from a fake ruby Brooch, I usually only play when friends are running it

And whats this boffer stuff? whats the point in getting dressed in character if your weapons stick out like the proverbial sore thumb

I prefer tabletop generally less effort needed by myself, I can make whatever character I want without being limited by physical skills/kit I have available.

Combat heavy LRP (live role play, some reason live action role play just annoys me) does seems to too easily degenerate into Diablo 2 point and click.

My favourite type is the very light on combat one off events which run over a day/evening. I don't generally like leveling up because it puts new players at a disadvantage and as I haven't usually played regularly that would be me

 

[Mournblade94]

I am a member of LAIRE, in fact I used to be the head of the logistics department, but I recently shifted to plot staff.

LAIRE may sound familiar because our name was used in the film ROLE MODELS. Yes they asked our permission (I have the fax to prove it

We are a live combat larp, with a good magic system, and a fun rogue system. Our rulebook is nearly 300 double collumned pages and very professional.

We easily draw in 110 people in an event. We have one event every month. Play time is 9:30 pm Friday to 2:30 pm sunday. This January, in which the north east got 2 inches of snow and dire cold... had 95 people.

I am on plot staff, and I assure you... we make modules and storylines for low level characters as well as high.

We have character sheets but it is just used to keep track of skills and mana and such.

If anyone here wants I can get you lots of information as my wife runs the logistics now.

Our site is www.laire.org Ask to join and you will get approved. If you do not let me know here and I will see to it that it happens quickly.

Fees are : Membership : $20 a year
Events are $40 per event to play, or free if you want to be an NPC... go goblin go.

We have been around since 1990.

 

[Ginnel]

Our site is www.laire.org Ask to join and you will get approved. If you do not let me know here and I will see to it that it happens quickly.
.

Do you mean www.laire.com ? cause that seems to link to a Live Role Play site .org seems non-existant.

 

[TheWyrd]

I've played through a number of Mind's Eye based LARPs. Vampire, Changeling, Hunters, even a house ruled to hell Cyberpunk game. I haven't played it since the jump to the New World of Darkness though.

Biggest problem with the game was resource management. As the night went by you became progressively less powerful the more you did stuff. So generally the rules encouraged you to hang out and bide your time until around 11:30 when suddenly everyone discovered they were at full power and hadn't done anything yet.. so lets have a mass combat.

More generously, the game structure was puzzles in the early evening leading up to a final combat. Also known as Capes with Fangs.

Problems with the game aside, as with all games if you get a good group of people then it still remains fun. My 4 years of college LARPing were a memorable time that I wouldn't give up, even if I feel too old for it now.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

I am a member of LAIRE, in fact I used to be the head of the logistics department, but I recently shifted to plot staff.

LAIRE may sound familiar because our name was used in the film ROLE MODELS. Yes they asked our permission (I have the fax to prove it

We are a live combat larp, with a good magic system, and a fun rogue system. Our rulebook is nearly 300 double collumned pages and very professional.

We easily draw in 110 people in an event. We have one event every month. Play time is 9:30 pm Friday to 2:30 pm sunday. This January, in which the north east got 2 inches of snow and dire cold... had 95 people.

I am on plot staff, and I assure you... we make modules and storylines for low level characters as well as high.

We have character sheets but it is just used to keep track of skills and mana and such.

If anyone here wants I can get you lots of information as my wife runs the logistics now.

Our site is www.laire.org Ask to join and you will get approved. If you do not let me know here and I will see to it that it happens quickly.

Fees are : Membership : $20 a year
Events are $40 per event to play, or free if you want to be an NPC... go goblin go.

We have been around since 1990.

Hehe, Role Models is actually what made me consider LARPing seriously. Of course, I had an interest even before that.

 

[Mournblade94]

Do you mean www.laire.com ? cause that seems to link to a Live Role Play site .org seems non-existant.

Thank you Ginnel...

I was getting my wires crossed with ENworld.

Yes

It is www.laire.com

My name is Carl Cascone, if anyone here needs anything from the site. If you want to contact me through the LAIRE site, you can contact Danielle Stiles (my wife, head of logistics on the contacts page) or Mark Struzzi (I work for him as plot staff.

All are welcome.

 

[Mournblade94]

I've played through a number of Mind's Eye based LARPs. Vampire, Changeling, Hunters, even a house ruled to hell Cyberpunk game. I haven't played it since the jump to the New World of Darkness though.

Biggest problem with the game was resource management. As the night went by you became progressively less powerful the more you did stuff. So generally the rules encouraged you to hang out and bide your time until around 11:30 when suddenly everyone discovered they were at full power and hadn't done anything yet.. so lets have a mass combat.

More generously, the game structure was puzzles in the early evening leading up to a final combat. Also known as Capes with Fangs.

Problems with the game aside, as with all games if you get a good group of people then it still remains fun. My 4 years of college LARPing were a memorable time that I wouldn't give up, even if I feel too old for it now.

Resource management is always a big deal. It requires a good plot staff to make sure you have REASONS to use your resources before the end. In LAIRE mentioned above, the event is divided into 4 cycles: (9:30 Pm friday to 7am saturday; 7am-7pm saturday, 7pm sat -7am sun, 7am sunday to game close) You have full resources at the start of each period, and if you don't use them for any period they are gone (no doubling up).

TOO OLD? I am 36. The master of the thieves guild before he left was 63. The mistress of our healers guild is 59. Please... NEVER TO OLD.

 

[dinsdale]

Which is why adding disparties in damage dealing to a magnitude of five times or more just makes things worse. Or, speaking from my own experience, discouraging to a new player who actually has some skills.

This effect comes from an effort to balance player and character experience.

At the core of the NERO-Alliance type system is the hope/idea that the character can shine regardless of the player skill. Thus, even though you may be the best boffer-combat master in the world, your 1st level character will not be more effective than people who have been playing the game and building up that character for a year or more because you have to land so many more hits than a higher level character of lesser player skill.

You are correct, however, that it can make it doubly difficult for new players if they do not realize this. Good games will try to nudge the players towards challenges of their level and tailor some portions of the event towards them, but there's a limit to what this can do.