Hi, I'm Scott Eerie, and I've been playing, running, and staffing larp events for over 20 years in the New England area. I'm going to be talking about behind-the-scenes larp stuff, mainly advice on running larp games.
And now for part 2 of "6 Big Mistakes When Running An Event."
4. Key Staff Members Showing Up Late
I have a habit of showing up early to events, sometimes even around 2 or 3PM on Friday. At an appallingly high number of events I've attended, I showed up before (sometimes hours before) the guys RUNNING the event.
If you're running an event and you are one of the key, top-tier staff members (I'm looking at you, Mr. Game Director), show up early. Like, show up the day before if you can. If you can't be on the site until Friday, show up at 7am. If you can't be there early enough to make sure things get done and the game can start at a reasonable time, then maybe you shouldn't be running a LARP.
Also, make sure you get the stuff you need to run the event there as early as possible. These are things like costumes, tags, props, floating skulls, etc. Trucks full of such necessities tend to break down, get stuck in the mud, get lost, run out of gas, or get stolen. All of these things have happened at least once at various games I've attended.
5. Mistreating or Misusing NPCs
Ah, the grunt. The lowly NPC. The guy/gal who's there to play the crunchies, wandering monsters, the minions. A role I've played many times.
These people can also be your most valuable asset. You can't run a good game without them, but they are often treated as second class citizens or relegated to the role of an extra.
They need leadership, guidance, and training. NPCs are there to help, but you can't just throw them out there with a stat card and some weapons. Hordes of untrained NPCs can ruin the players' fun and possibly the game. It's up to the game staff to prepare them.
NPCs are not "Non Paying Customers." They are unpaid workers who volunteer their time and effort to help entertain your players. Learn to love them for it.
6. Forgetting That Players Paid To Be There
In New England, LARP events commonly cost between $80 and $100, which may or may not include the cost of food. Throw in a yearly membership fee on top of that and it's quite a hefty sum for many to play a game.
Most games just expect their players to understand (and talk amongst themselves) when things are running late, when there aren't enough NPCs, or when nothing has been going on for hours at a time. At most businesses, this would be unnaceptable, and refunds and apology gifts would be given to the customers. At a LARP, this is just considered "part of playing a LARP".
I guess this is why expectations are so low across the board. This is where many would say the "club" aspect of LARP shows its head. I'm hoping we'll grow out of this particular attitude.
There you have it. These topics will be explored (and exploited) in loving detail in future posts. Until then, happy LARPing!
Showing posts with label Guest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guest. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Guest Post: 6 Big Mistakes When Running an Event (Part 1)
Hi, I'm Scott Eerie, and I've been playing, running, and staffing larp events for over 20 years in the New England area. I'm going to be talking about behind-the-scenes larp stuff, mainly advice on running larp games.
or, What the Hell Am I Doing Running a LARP Event?!
Well, here I am. Rather than hitting you, genteel reader of this blog, with an in-depth essay on one of the innumerable LARP topics I consistently rant about to my friends, I'll just ease you in with a post that hopefully isn't too heavy. And we all love numbered lists, right?
Running a LARP isn't easy. I get it. I've run them before.
There are also WAY more than 6 mistakes. I could write a book full of them, but for the sake of simplicity (and sanity) we'll just stick with a nice, even 6.
And you might think some of these mistakes are so basic that no one could possibly mess it up. Well, you'd be wrong. These are common mistakes, as I've seen them again and again, and many larps never seem to get it right.
So here they are, in no particular order of importance:
1. Improper Planning and Preparation (Or Rather, "pre-event, last-minute chaos")
This is a big one which almost every LARP I've been to is guilty of, even games that have been running for years. This is a broad topic that, quite frankly, needs its own book, let alone a couple of paragraphs in a numbered list. I'm sure many of my future posts will concentrate on this one.
All I can say here is, you can never prepare enough or plan too early. And, if possible, get a project manager or two on your team.
2. Lack of Scheduling
Some games run without a schedule. Some games have a schedule, but only use it before the event for planning the "big stuff". Some games think they have a schedule, but instead have a random list of encounters. And at some games, only the few people on top of the staff hierarchy ever get to even see the schedule.
Schedules are critical to running a smooth game, and must be implemented properly. It should be prepared well in advance of the event. Every major encounter, module, and field battle must be listed with the time, number of NPCs needed, and the staff members running them.
Everyone on staff, "low ranking" NPCs included, needs to be able to see the schedule prior to the event. It must be prominently displayed in NPC Camp so everyone knows what's going on at the event. I know things will be way off time-wise, but the benefits far outweigh the extra planning involved.
3. Bad Staff Communication at the Event
Writeups are good. All the major encounters and modules, minus the top secret plot goodies, should be written up and made freely available to the NPCs and staff. Include simple, one sheet guides for playing common monsters and common things every NPC should know both in and out of game.
Walkie-talkies are good but can break immersion, so use them cautiously. Have them in key areas so staff can get in touch with home base when they need to. Even better are cell phones using text messages only. No one wants to hear "The Final Countdown" ringtone while they're trying to figure out a way into Zardon the Lich King's garden.
Tune back in next Wednesday for Part 2 of 6 Big Mistakes When Running an Event!
or, What the Hell Am I Doing Running a LARP Event?!
Well, here I am. Rather than hitting you, genteel reader of this blog, with an in-depth essay on one of the innumerable LARP topics I consistently rant about to my friends, I'll just ease you in with a post that hopefully isn't too heavy. And we all love numbered lists, right?
Running a LARP isn't easy. I get it. I've run them before.
There are also WAY more than 6 mistakes. I could write a book full of them, but for the sake of simplicity (and sanity) we'll just stick with a nice, even 6.
And you might think some of these mistakes are so basic that no one could possibly mess it up. Well, you'd be wrong. These are common mistakes, as I've seen them again and again, and many larps never seem to get it right.
So here they are, in no particular order of importance:
1. Improper Planning and Preparation (Or Rather, "pre-event, last-minute chaos")
This is a big one which almost every LARP I've been to is guilty of, even games that have been running for years. This is a broad topic that, quite frankly, needs its own book, let alone a couple of paragraphs in a numbered list. I'm sure many of my future posts will concentrate on this one.
All I can say here is, you can never prepare enough or plan too early. And, if possible, get a project manager or two on your team.
2. Lack of Scheduling
Some games run without a schedule. Some games have a schedule, but only use it before the event for planning the "big stuff". Some games think they have a schedule, but instead have a random list of encounters. And at some games, only the few people on top of the staff hierarchy ever get to even see the schedule.
Schedules are critical to running a smooth game, and must be implemented properly. It should be prepared well in advance of the event. Every major encounter, module, and field battle must be listed with the time, number of NPCs needed, and the staff members running them.
Everyone on staff, "low ranking" NPCs included, needs to be able to see the schedule prior to the event. It must be prominently displayed in NPC Camp so everyone knows what's going on at the event. I know things will be way off time-wise, but the benefits far outweigh the extra planning involved.
3. Bad Staff Communication at the Event
Writeups are good. All the major encounters and modules, minus the top secret plot goodies, should be written up and made freely available to the NPCs and staff. Include simple, one sheet guides for playing common monsters and common things every NPC should know both in and out of game.
Walkie-talkies are good but can break immersion, so use them cautiously. Have them in key areas so staff can get in touch with home base when they need to. Even better are cell phones using text messages only. No one wants to hear "The Final Countdown" ringtone while they're trying to figure out a way into Zardon the Lich King's garden.
Tune back in next Wednesday for Part 2 of 6 Big Mistakes When Running an Event!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Be A Mentor
Note: This is a guest post by Dave J. He's a player of both NERO and Exiles, and has some staff experience at both. Remember, the LARP Ohio contest is still accepting entries. Get your shot at a free game in Ohio.
I have broken Dave's post into three parts, as he's got three main independent points.
Bill and Tim, it seems, spend most of their time talking about either LARP theory (rules, playtests, mods, etc) or running plot. Although this is great info, I think it also behooves us to think about how we, as players, approach the game.
Naturally there are all the standard messages: take your hits, don’t cheat, blah, blah, blah. Not that those are bad things to hear, but I think we can all just agree that we’ve heard those before and have no need to go over them again. I did have a few ideas that don’t seem to come up too often.
Be a Mentor
This is a big deal, and important to the survival of the game as a whole as it ensures a continued player base. Everyone agrees that Plot teams need to run “newbie plot” but the responsibility for new players doesn’t end with them. I know; as a more experienced player new people can be frustrating because OH MY GOD THEY DON’T KNOW ANYTHING. While it is true that they don’t know anything, in a way, it’s actually a plus. Someone who doesn’t know anything is someone who can be taught. As a teacher, let me tell you that people can be molded into whatever you want (shout out to B.F. Skinner! Holla’!), and in LARP we have the added bonus of a motivated person. Nobody comes to LARP saying, “Gosh, this game looks fun. I’m going to go, but my big goal for the weekend is to suck as hard as humanly possible.” New players want to be good at the game, they want to be involved, and they want to be paid attention to (really, those motivations can be applied to just about any situation). If we want to play with good players, we need to train good players.
If you see a few new players sparring among themselves, and it’s apparent that they take their ideas on combat from Japanese cartoons, take a few minutes to show them the ropes. Take a passel of new players modding and stand in the background while they push forward. Push them out of your circle and tell them to kill that 10-body orc. Talk to them out-of-game about costuming, role-playing, and character development.
Remember, if we don’t teach people how to play the game, we have only ourselves to blame when they don’t know how to play it.
I have broken Dave's post into three parts, as he's got three main independent points.
Bill and Tim, it seems, spend most of their time talking about either LARP theory (rules, playtests, mods, etc) or running plot. Although this is great info, I think it also behooves us to think about how we, as players, approach the game.
Naturally there are all the standard messages: take your hits, don’t cheat, blah, blah, blah. Not that those are bad things to hear, but I think we can all just agree that we’ve heard those before and have no need to go over them again. I did have a few ideas that don’t seem to come up too often.
Be a Mentor
This is a big deal, and important to the survival of the game as a whole as it ensures a continued player base. Everyone agrees that Plot teams need to run “newbie plot” but the responsibility for new players doesn’t end with them. I know; as a more experienced player new people can be frustrating because OH MY GOD THEY DON’T KNOW ANYTHING. While it is true that they don’t know anything, in a way, it’s actually a plus. Someone who doesn’t know anything is someone who can be taught. As a teacher, let me tell you that people can be molded into whatever you want (shout out to B.F. Skinner! Holla’!), and in LARP we have the added bonus of a motivated person. Nobody comes to LARP saying, “Gosh, this game looks fun. I’m going to go, but my big goal for the weekend is to suck as hard as humanly possible.” New players want to be good at the game, they want to be involved, and they want to be paid attention to (really, those motivations can be applied to just about any situation). If we want to play with good players, we need to train good players.
If you see a few new players sparring among themselves, and it’s apparent that they take their ideas on combat from Japanese cartoons, take a few minutes to show them the ropes. Take a passel of new players modding and stand in the background while they push forward. Push them out of your circle and tell them to kill that 10-body orc. Talk to them out-of-game about costuming, role-playing, and character development.
Remember, if we don’t teach people how to play the game, we have only ourselves to blame when they don’t know how to play it.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Starting Your Own LARP Group
Note: This is a guest post from Andrew Seiple, creator and owner of Wastelands. Remember, entries are still being accepted for the LARP Ohio Contest.
Hello. My name is Andrew Seiple. I’ve been roleplaying for about 20 years, and LARPing for approximately 15 of them. I started with Vampire LARP, moved on to NERO, and tried various independent LARPS in and around the Ohio area. A few years back I got the idea that led to starting the Wastelands post-apocalyptic LARP, a game that runs roughly quarterly in the western Ohio area. It’s been a hell of a struggle at times, but it’s been very personally rewarding, and I look forward to running it many years to come. But there’s much to do when you want to start a LARP, and I think that by listing a few things that I had to deal with below, folks who want to do their own thing LARP-wise might get a better idea of what’s to come. This isn’t a hugely detailed list, and I am NOT an expert in this subject matter. But I think that it might be of use, so here you go. On to the good stuff…
So. You’ve got it. You’ve got the idea, the dream, the fever, and you gotta try it. You’ve been to NERO, or maybe tried a little Vampire, or done stick-jock time in Amtgard or Belegarth. You think you know how it works, you definitely know when it doesn’t, and you reckon you can do it better! Or differently, or in some way that hasn’t been tried before. You’ve got white-hot mechanics, or a gimmick that’s fun to use, or a plot that would make the late Mr. Tolkien weep in awe.
Or hell, maybe you just want to play a kind of game that isn’t out there yet, and no one else will do it.
For whatever reason, you’ve decided to start your own LARP.
Buckle in, because it’s a bumpy ride…
There are a few things that you need to look at. Call them basic concerns… These are topics that should raise tricky questions, time and again. If you’re not prepared to handle them, then you may want to reconsider running a LARP.
Hello. My name is Andrew Seiple. I’ve been roleplaying for about 20 years, and LARPing for approximately 15 of them. I started with Vampire LARP, moved on to NERO, and tried various independent LARPS in and around the Ohio area. A few years back I got the idea that led to starting the Wastelands post-apocalyptic LARP, a game that runs roughly quarterly in the western Ohio area. It’s been a hell of a struggle at times, but it’s been very personally rewarding, and I look forward to running it many years to come. But there’s much to do when you want to start a LARP, and I think that by listing a few things that I had to deal with below, folks who want to do their own thing LARP-wise might get a better idea of what’s to come. This isn’t a hugely detailed list, and I am NOT an expert in this subject matter. But I think that it might be of use, so here you go. On to the good stuff…
So. You’ve got it. You’ve got the idea, the dream, the fever, and you gotta try it. You’ve been to NERO, or maybe tried a little Vampire, or done stick-jock time in Amtgard or Belegarth. You think you know how it works, you definitely know when it doesn’t, and you reckon you can do it better! Or differently, or in some way that hasn’t been tried before. You’ve got white-hot mechanics, or a gimmick that’s fun to use, or a plot that would make the late Mr. Tolkien weep in awe.
Or hell, maybe you just want to play a kind of game that isn’t out there yet, and no one else will do it.
For whatever reason, you’ve decided to start your own LARP.
Buckle in, because it’s a bumpy ride…
There are a few things that you need to look at. Call them basic concerns… These are topics that should raise tricky questions, time and again. If you’re not prepared to handle them, then you may want to reconsider running a LARP.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Stake of Woah
Note: This is a guest post by Mickey. If you've got something to say and would like to make a guest post, feel free to send it to larp.ohio@gmail.com.
There is a real life lesson I have learned that I think is very helpful for a staff dealing with stress; that some people will never be pleased. There are players, fellow staff members, NPCs, campsite personnel, and so on that will never ever actually be happy with what you do. You know the type, always griping and complaining, always whining, always bringing you and your staff down. You’ve tried to engage them in different ways, listen to them, change based on feedback, and yet nothing works. You despair of a solution. But, odds are many people overlook the simplest solution of them all. Stop caring.
It sounds callous I know, after all the person might be a paying customer or a volunteer helping you out so you feel like you *have* to care about their complaints. But the truth is, the simple and fundamental truth is, that you don’t. Not really. As soon as you identify someone as someone who will never be pleased then every second you spend on trying is wasted time you could better spend elsewhere. Rather than throwing your time and effort down a useless rat-hole, spend it on all the other people who are not just energy sinks. The amount of net positive resulting from this is pretty amazing.
See, we all have those people in our lives and our games. We fret and worry and gnash our teeth about how to please people who, at core, prefer to complain than actually have fun. And while we do so we wind up neglecting all the other people who are genuinely interested in a positive experience. Focus on the latter, stop feeding the former, and your games will be healthier and happier. You might lose a player here or there, though odds are they’ll stick around so they can complain more, but you’ll be less stressed and anxious about them.
This is an outgrowth of the 80/20 principle. Put simply, it states that 80% of your outputs come from 20% of your inputs and it can apply in a lot of ways. In this case, 80% of your complaints are usually from 20% of people giving feedback. If you can refine it down and determine which of those 20% are just never going to stop you can probably eliminate 50% or more of your complaint headache at any given event or game. You just have to let it go and stop catering to the vampires of your goodwill. The second, and I mean the *second* you realize that your reactions cannot change the outcome it is time to stop worrying about it. Their complaints no longer have any deterrent value to your behavior if changing your behavior does not stop their complaints.
Anyway, I’m beating a dead horse here, but it’s worth it because LARP staff are often inherently people pleasers (why else spend so much time and effort staffing?) and it needs to be drummed into them that not all people are able to be pleased. Cut them loose and focus on the rest.
-Mickey
Editor's Note: Mickey didn't like his title, so I changed the name to match his reference to Goodwill Vampires. Also, he loves sparky vampires. That'll teach you to change my avatar on the national forums.
There is a real life lesson I have learned that I think is very helpful for a staff dealing with stress; that some people will never be pleased. There are players, fellow staff members, NPCs, campsite personnel, and so on that will never ever actually be happy with what you do. You know the type, always griping and complaining, always whining, always bringing you and your staff down. You’ve tried to engage them in different ways, listen to them, change based on feedback, and yet nothing works. You despair of a solution. But, odds are many people overlook the simplest solution of them all. Stop caring.
It sounds callous I know, after all the person might be a paying customer or a volunteer helping you out so you feel like you *have* to care about their complaints. But the truth is, the simple and fundamental truth is, that you don’t. Not really. As soon as you identify someone as someone who will never be pleased then every second you spend on trying is wasted time you could better spend elsewhere. Rather than throwing your time and effort down a useless rat-hole, spend it on all the other people who are not just energy sinks. The amount of net positive resulting from this is pretty amazing.
See, we all have those people in our lives and our games. We fret and worry and gnash our teeth about how to please people who, at core, prefer to complain than actually have fun. And while we do so we wind up neglecting all the other people who are genuinely interested in a positive experience. Focus on the latter, stop feeding the former, and your games will be healthier and happier. You might lose a player here or there, though odds are they’ll stick around so they can complain more, but you’ll be less stressed and anxious about them.
This is an outgrowth of the 80/20 principle. Put simply, it states that 80% of your outputs come from 20% of your inputs and it can apply in a lot of ways. In this case, 80% of your complaints are usually from 20% of people giving feedback. If you can refine it down and determine which of those 20% are just never going to stop you can probably eliminate 50% or more of your complaint headache at any given event or game. You just have to let it go and stop catering to the vampires of your goodwill. The second, and I mean the *second* you realize that your reactions cannot change the outcome it is time to stop worrying about it. Their complaints no longer have any deterrent value to your behavior if changing your behavior does not stop their complaints.
Anyway, I’m beating a dead horse here, but it’s worth it because LARP staff are often inherently people pleasers (why else spend so much time and effort staffing?) and it needs to be drummed into them that not all people are able to be pleased. Cut them loose and focus on the rest.
-Mickey
Editor's Note: Mickey didn't like his title, so I changed the name to match his reference to Goodwill Vampires. Also, he loves sparky vampires. That'll teach you to change my avatar on the national forums.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Where All ‘Da Ladies (er, Babies?) At?
This is another guest post from my wife, Jennifer. If she does another, I'm just going to make her a contributor.
My husband will be doing a podcast on LARP’ing and the ladies, but I thought that since I am one I would do a blog post in addition. Or as an introduction. Depends on when he gets the cast done and up (hopefully, after he takes the trash out and plays with our rambunctious puppy…not likely, but hopefully.) My guess is that he isn’t going to talk about this particular topic, which is BABIES! Or at least little people that are not age appropriate to play NERO/LARP…
A lot of my lady LARP friends and male buddies have been dropping the kids off at the pool recently. And I mean that literally. I guess we have reached an age when that has become somewhat popular….or accidental. Either way, there is now a little bundle ofjoy, a product of conception. Yay you! But now that you have that little bundle of love and poop, what does that mean for your LARP-time?
Going to an event can be extremely difficult if you have a child, let alone multiples. Obviously, the baby/child is going to need to be cared for in a significant manner for the next decade or two. Maybe three if you are unlucky. You can’t exactly leave them with a bowl of water and some cat food and hope for the best. So now you have to find someone to watch the child while you play. Maybe it is your family, but many times they live too far away to make it a real, viable option. Or you aren’t exactly close to your family, and you recognize that leaving your kids with them would be the equivalent of dropping them on to the Event Horizon for a fun-filled weekend in creature-infested deep space. Another idea is having one spouse stay home with the child while the other plays, and you can trade events back and forth. The big drawback to that is not being able to have a few, stress-free days together to lay back and chill. A final idea, which works well if the child is a bit older, is a sleepover at a friend’s house. Those are basically your options at this point. I don’t know of any others off the top of my head.
Many who play LARP consider their LARP family to be, well, almost more understanding and supportive at times than their real family. So why don’t we rely more on them? There are a number of scenarios that could incorporate child-care and a LARP setting in a safe and fun-filled way for everyone.
I, personally, have no inclination to have children or babies in the middle of a town setting or anywhere nearcombat/in-game. I also do not want to see my LARP time go up in smoke when Bill and I decide it’s time to replicate. There are too many factors at LARP that could be considered dangerous: campfires, snakes, combat, cliffs, whatever. There are reasons you can’t just bring your kid and have them run around with you throughout the weekend. Besides the danger, it would be fairly friggin’ annoying to those that don’t have kids, those that have kids and want to be away from them…i.e. basically everyone. However, I do believe there are ways that it could be done safely and allow everyone to have a break, while at the same time keeping them out of sight and safe. Here are some ideas I’ve heard:
1. LARP for Kiddies: This could take on a number of different forms and would be camp-dependent (i.e. have to have an appropriate camp). You choose a nice cabin, out a bit from the actual field of play. You contact the ownership and arrange this with other parents ahead of time. You would be able to leave your child at the cabin and take shifts with the other parents. You could take them on nature hikes, play games, etc…even pack some food and stuff to bring ahead of time. At least one parent would sleep there at night with each child, so there would be plenty of people around. This would allow parents to play, but at the same time have a much more affordable childcare option than driving great distances to leave them with family or not coming at all. If there are more children, the more parents take shifts to help. If we are talking the 8-13 range, you could do a LOT with that. There would need to be some discussion about insurance and some very carefully worded legal releases and waivers.
2. The Off-Site Option: There are lots of local hotels. Again, same idea, just do it at a hotel. Keep in mind I’m not thinking 30-40 kids, but maybe 3-4. It’s doable. They could even come to the camp (maybe) to do some stuff during the day, or there are a lot of local options for things to keep them busy. The downside to this is the expense. It might be upwards of 150.00 for two nights at a hotel. However, if everyone chipped in 20.00-30.00 this would be a very doable option. Maybe the owners would take pity and give a bit of a discount…after all a lot of players aren’t able to come because of the “kid issue,” so in the long run they would actually be making MORE money, not less.
Keep in mind that this would be arranged ahead of time by parents, so there isn’t an issue of leaving them with someone you feel is untrustworthy or creep-tastic.
So there are two options. What do you do with your kids when you LARP? If you don’t LARP what do you think of the possibility of this at LARP?
My husband will be doing a podcast on LARP’ing and the ladies, but I thought that since I am one I would do a blog post in addition. Or as an introduction. Depends on when he gets the cast done and up (hopefully, after he takes the trash out and plays with our rambunctious puppy…not likely, but hopefully.) My guess is that he isn’t going to talk about this particular topic, which is BABIES! Or at least little people that are not age appropriate to play NERO/LARP…
A lot of my lady LARP friends and male buddies have been dropping the kids off at the pool recently. And I mean that literally. I guess we have reached an age when that has become somewhat popular….or accidental. Either way, there is now a little bundle ofjoy, a product of conception. Yay you! But now that you have that little bundle of love and poop, what does that mean for your LARP-time?
Going to an event can be extremely difficult if you have a child, let alone multiples. Obviously, the baby/child is going to need to be cared for in a significant manner for the next decade or two. Maybe three if you are unlucky. You can’t exactly leave them with a bowl of water and some cat food and hope for the best. So now you have to find someone to watch the child while you play. Maybe it is your family, but many times they live too far away to make it a real, viable option. Or you aren’t exactly close to your family, and you recognize that leaving your kids with them would be the equivalent of dropping them on to the Event Horizon for a fun-filled weekend in creature-infested deep space. Another idea is having one spouse stay home with the child while the other plays, and you can trade events back and forth. The big drawback to that is not being able to have a few, stress-free days together to lay back and chill. A final idea, which works well if the child is a bit older, is a sleepover at a friend’s house. Those are basically your options at this point. I don’t know of any others off the top of my head.
Many who play LARP consider their LARP family to be, well, almost more understanding and supportive at times than their real family. So why don’t we rely more on them? There are a number of scenarios that could incorporate child-care and a LARP setting in a safe and fun-filled way for everyone.
I, personally, have no inclination to have children or babies in the middle of a town setting or anywhere nearcombat/in-game. I also do not want to see my LARP time go up in smoke when Bill and I decide it’s time to replicate. There are too many factors at LARP that could be considered dangerous: campfires, snakes, combat, cliffs, whatever. There are reasons you can’t just bring your kid and have them run around with you throughout the weekend. Besides the danger, it would be fairly friggin’ annoying to those that don’t have kids, those that have kids and want to be away from them…i.e. basically everyone. However, I do believe there are ways that it could be done safely and allow everyone to have a break, while at the same time keeping them out of sight and safe. Here are some ideas I’ve heard:
1. LARP for Kiddies: This could take on a number of different forms and would be camp-dependent (i.e. have to have an appropriate camp). You choose a nice cabin, out a bit from the actual field of play. You contact the ownership and arrange this with other parents ahead of time. You would be able to leave your child at the cabin and take shifts with the other parents. You could take them on nature hikes, play games, etc…even pack some food and stuff to bring ahead of time. At least one parent would sleep there at night with each child, so there would be plenty of people around. This would allow parents to play, but at the same time have a much more affordable childcare option than driving great distances to leave them with family or not coming at all. If there are more children, the more parents take shifts to help. If we are talking the 8-13 range, you could do a LOT with that. There would need to be some discussion about insurance and some very carefully worded legal releases and waivers.
2. The Off-Site Option: There are lots of local hotels. Again, same idea, just do it at a hotel. Keep in mind I’m not thinking 30-40 kids, but maybe 3-4. It’s doable. They could even come to the camp (maybe) to do some stuff during the day, or there are a lot of local options for things to keep them busy. The downside to this is the expense. It might be upwards of 150.00 for two nights at a hotel. However, if everyone chipped in 20.00-30.00 this would be a very doable option. Maybe the owners would take pity and give a bit of a discount…after all a lot of players aren’t able to come because of the “kid issue,” so in the long run they would actually be making MORE money, not less.
Keep in mind that this would be arranged ahead of time by parents, so there isn’t an issue of leaving them with someone you feel is untrustworthy or creep-tastic.
So there are two options. What do you do with your kids when you LARP? If you don’t LARP what do you think of the possibility of this at LARP?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)