LARPing

[Silver Moon]

Back in the 1990's I played in several one-shot LARPs at cons. The best two were home rules ones: A 15th Century one named "Popemaker" where the charcters were bishops choosing the next Pope (KidCthulhu's ancient and senile Italian Bishop was selected) and another called "Comrade" set in Russia immediately after the Russian Revolution. I also co-ran a "Star Trek" larp that took place immediatley after the movie "Generations" that had the casts from every Trek series in it.

 

[dinsdale]

Spent a good amount of the 90's LARPing in the MIT Assassin's Guild and NERO/NERO-Alliance/Alliance and had a great time (with few exceptions).

The MIT Assassin's Guild concentrated on short (1-10 day) games with different settings/characters and slightly different rules every time. The focus of individual games can be anywhere on the roleplaying/combat axis (though the combat is not physical). Their current rules template is publicly available.

As mentioned, the Alliance type LARPs are typically weekend-long combat-oriented events with characters and plots that carry over from event to event. Depending on the people/campaign there can be a good amount of roleplaying to be had.

 

[Zaruthustran]

I've played NERO, SOLAR, Amtgard, Curious Pastimes (a 2,000+ person event UK LARP similar to Maelstrom), and Mind's Eye Theater (in the US and London).

Of those, I found the UK larp to be the best. The rules were dead simple, and the accents were great.

Seriously though, the best part about the UK larp was that high level characters were rewarded with titles, gold, and experience--and not hit points. The king himself had just as many (or as few) hit points as a common soldier. But the king was still powerful, because he was surrounded by bodyguards, could send out hordes of well-equipped champions, had magic arms & armor, had sources of information and other resources, and so on.

In my experience NERO and the other American larps skewed way too close to tabletop RPG systems, with complex rules and silly character progression. I recall one fight where I whaled on a guy for 15 or 18 unanswered hits, then he hit me once and killed me. Such systems allow crap swordfighters to be effective in combat, which (in my opinion) is the wrong move because it discourages the development of real skill. Also, it's horribly unfriendly to new players, because new players are completely ineffectual.

 

[pawsplay]

In my experience NERO and the other American larps skewed way too close to tabletop RPG systems, with complex rules and silly character progression. I recall one fight where I whaled on a guy for 15 or 18 unanswered hits, then he hit me once and killed me. Such systems allow crap swordfighters to be effective in combat, which (in my opinion) is the wrong move because it discourages the development of real skill. Also, it's horribly unfriendly to new players, because new players are completely ineffectual.

Agreed. The last time I played NERO, I was playing a very low level character and the module was hosting some high level challenges for other players. Someone took pity on me and gave me some kind of magical effect that allowed me to hurt the bad guys. Well, with my hard-earned swordfighting skills I chewed through one of the top minions, hitting him ten or twelve times without being touched. Then the Boss Monster said something like, "Fireball, 35" or something like that, and I was very and thoroughly dead.

Also, having to do division in the middle of a fight is lame. If I have 17 hit points, and you are wielding a 4 point weapon and a 3 point weapon, I don't want to even think about how many times you have to strike me before I'm dead.

 

[Umbran]

In my experience NERO and the other American larps skewed way too close to Such systems allow crap swordfighters to be effective in combat, which (in my opinion) is the wrong move because it discourages the development of real skill. Also, it's horribly unfriendly to new players, because new players are completely ineffectual.

I don't play NERO, but in general, the new players are crap sword fighters. Boffer-combat is an art on its own, and it takes time to get good at it. If the rules weigh heavily on player-skill, the new players will be ineffectual in combat.

 

[pawsplay]

I don't play NERO, but in general, the new players are crap sword fighters. Boffer-combat is an art on its own, and it takes time to get good at it. If the rules weigh heavily on player-skill, the new players will be ineffectual in combat.

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.

 

[Zaruthustran]

I don't play NERO, but in general, the new players are crap sword fighters. Boffer-combat is an art on its own, and it takes time to get good at it. If the rules weigh heavily on player-skill, the new players will be ineffectual in combat.

Skill in Boffer combat ramps up very, very quickly. If the new players are at all athletic, they'll pick up a reasonable amount of skill in no time.

And I see nothing wrong with skilled fighters being represented in-game as "skilled fighters".

@ pawsplay: totally agree. In the huge LARP I attended in Nottingham, every weapon did 1 damage and every person had 1 hit point per body location (arms, legs, torso, head). If you spent one of your 3 skill points on "body development" you had 2 points per location. Armor added on to that, but only if the blow struck the armor. In any case, all weapons did 1 damage.

Dead simple. And in combat, people were yelling taunts, commands, and battle cries, as opposed to the chaos of NERO's "Four Normal!" and "Nine Magic!"--which inevitably devolves into "FORMAL! FORMAL!" or "NIENAGIC! NIENAGIC!"

Sigh. NERO was such a disappointment after that UK LARP. I went from make-sense system that used replica latex weapons and rewarded player skill, to a kludgy, complex system that used duct-taped plumbing for weapons.

I eventually just joined the SCA, which was a blast. But I miss the fun of running around all day, getting into chaotic melees WITHOUT 50 pounds of plate armor. Latex weapons really are the way to go.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Oh, and speaking of american-style LARP.... http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/248560-holy-cow.html

 

[Gimby]

Skill in Boffer combat ramps up very, very quickly. If the new players are at all athletic, they'll pick up a reasonable amount of skill in no time.

And I see nothing wrong with skilled fighters being represented in-game as "skilled fighters".

@ pawsplay: totally agree. In the huge LARP I attended in Nottingham, every weapon did 1 damage and every person had 1 hit point per body location (arms, legs, torso, head). If you spent one of your 3 skill points on "body development" you had 2 points per location. Armor added on to that, but only if the blow struck the armor. In any case, all weapons did 1 damage.

Dead simple. And in combat, people were yelling taunts, commands, and battle cries, as opposed to the chaos of NERO's "Four Normal!" and "Nine Magic!"--which inevitably devolves into "FORMAL! FORMAL!" or "NIENAGIC! NIENAGIC!"

Sigh. NERO was such a disappointment after that UK LARP. I went from make-sense system that used replica latex weapons and rewarded player skill, to a kludgy, complex system that used duct-taped plumbing for weapons.

I eventually just joined the SCA, which was a blast. But I miss the fun of running around all day, getting into chaotic melees WITHOUT 50 pounds of plate armor. Latex weapons really are the way to go.

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.

 

[Switchblade]

I get the sudden urge to shout FOIP for some reason. If you don't know don't ask, it's not worth the bother.

Ah yes, the LT. Locational body hits, locational armour hits, attacks that may or may not ignore armour body and pattern and a weird mix of immunities against a plethora of damage and spell calls meant an absolute headache. There were a couple of times a healer stood over me asking how injured I was just as I had ran the numbers and worked out I was unhurt. My own fault for getting lammied in such a odd manner. Good times.

Combat in maelstrom is so much easier. Though this could be because I was an armour plated, shield carrying, axe wielding Myrmadon religious fanatic with no fear of death and near everyone else were frock coat wearing dandies and traders who wore rapiers and flintlocks as fashion statements with no skill in using them. That may have helped just a little. You don't have to count your hits when no one is hitting back and all the gunshots went into mouthy wasp.

I mostly play non combatants now but I'd still rather play a non com in a combat system than in a non combat system. I've tried the whole vampire thing and something is lacking. Though fortunately it was a game where we went the entire duration and I only saw skill checks come out twice, both due to NPC attack. There is a certain lack of excitement. Deals going wrong and double crosses just feel a little more exciting when the first you know about it will be a blow to the back rather than "I'm stabbing you"

There is something in a contact larp you just don't get in table top. Like when you are in a copse of trees after dark trying to sell a lethal poison worth a fortune, everyone is jumpy then some noob starts absentmindedly fiddling with his sword and everyone suddenly puts their hand to a weapon. Or the long walk from two campfires when you know in the shadows there ARE monsters out there, and unlike tabletop they are not adjusted to be a challenge to you and survival is unlikely if you run into them. Or the big fight going wrong and finding only 2 of 15 of you are upright, the monsters are at full power and are between you and escape. Sure these things can happen in tabletop but you just don't get the fear or adrenaline. Or the joy of fighting in driving rain and numbing cold where you can barely hold your sword, you are sliding in the mud, can't see straight and have no idea what is going on in with the fog of war (and fog of fog). LARPing well done is awesome.