Last Week In LARP
Did you attend a LARP event last weekend? Let us know how it was in the comments!
This Week In LARP
I hope your Halloween was super Halloweenie!
NERO
WAR will be hosting a 2-day event this weekend starting on Friday, November 4th and ending Sunday, November 6th. The game will be held at Camp Oyo at the IG location of Ashton. It's $50 to PC ($30 with a good NPC ratio) and is free to NPC. This game wll be using 9th edition rules.
Independent
Wastelands will be hosting a 2-day event this weekend starting on Friday, November 4th and ending Sunday, November 6th. The game will be held at the John Beltz Retreat at the IG location of Misthaven. It's $40 to PC and free to NPC. Remember to bring proper eye protection for use with Airsoft guns.
If you've got a game running this week and we didn't mention you, either drop a comment here or shoot an email to larp.plot.tips@gmail.com, and we'll add you as soon as possible!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Dungeon 101
Hey there! As a new contributor to this blog, I thought I would start of with something straight forward and that I find great satisfaction in doing. First, however, I would like to tell you a little bit about myself.
My name is Ben Mathis. I have been LARPing for approximately 5 years now, and I have done mostly just NERO. I grew up in West Virginia with my mom and always found interest in the medieval aspect of history as well as fantasy games, even from a young age.
Anyways, enough about me. Let's build a Dungeon!
In the games that I have attended, almost every single one had some sort of big dungeon crawl module. In these modules, I would either have to run through and just kill everything, eventually reaching a goal, protect someone while going through, or find an object. I love these types of modules because they are very immersive when done correctly.
Unless the "dungeon" has no cool effects.
How do we fix this? Well, here is your crash course in Dungeon Creation 101.
1.) Lights are you friend. When turning a building into a dungeon, it's good to use different colored lights. These lights really set the mood and can create different effects while in a dungeon as well. For example, when a green light is on, a certain monster can't be affected by spells, but when a red light is turned on, that ability goes away. Lighting can make dungeon modules more dynamic if used this way. If used for just atmosphere, it is equally cool because what dungeon has white lighting? exactly.
2.) Fog, Fog, and more Fog. I have always enjoyed the use of fog machines. They can be used in a bunch on different types of encounters. I like to set up a fog machine behind some sort of wall or a place where it can't be seen by the PC's directly. Also, it is a good idea to use a fog chiller (there are a million tutorials on the internet for how to make these) otherwise, it's just smokey. The purpose of the fog is to have it settle on the floor for an eerie sort of effect.
3.) Walls. This is probably the most important thing for a dungeon. You can flop on everything else, but if you don't have walls, you don't have a dungeon. Walls can be made out of various materials. The two main materials that I have seen to work have been the thin pink siding insulation and tarps. I have found that you can do a lot more cool stuff with the siding insulation. It is easier to paint on than tarps, looks more like a wall, and creates an overall better scene. However, it sucks to move because you can't fold it and it is hard to hang if you aren't allowed to nail it in. Tarps on the other hand still look decent when painted on and they are A LOT easier to hang. Walls can add a different element to your dungeon such as the hall fight where the PC's have to push through monsters to continue.
4.) Traps. Every dungeon needs traps. They are a lot of fun to set up and a lot of fun for PC's to go through. A fairly easy trap that you can make can be found in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pRO5Kf55PI (ignore the odd costume?) Just put all that stuff in the video in a small box and you are good to go!
There are a lot of cool things you can do when setting up a dungeon. The most important thing is that you think it is a cool set up and the PC's have fun while running through it. You could always add some static props (which I will be discussing in my next post later next week) to just lay around and look cool. So I'll ask you this:
What is your favorite dungeon prop to use? What is your favorite prop to experience?
YouTube Friday: Tough Gig
I found this little gem last week. It's a rather old TV program where Dara O'Briain immerses himself into a group, and then tries to do stand up comedy focused on their group. In this episode, he chose LARPers.
He does an amazing job of being honest about his feelings, including when he feels uncomfortable. And he enjoys it and seems to finally embrace it at the end. As I've mentioned many times before, I love stuff like this.
Enjoy!
He does an amazing job of being honest about his feelings, including when he feels uncomfortable. And he enjoys it and seems to finally embrace it at the end. As I've mentioned many times before, I love stuff like this.
Enjoy!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
LARP on the History Channel
LARP has a long running tradition of looking bad in larger scale forms of media. On the other hand, there's been plenty of local editorial pieces that have been very kind, providing informational content on games without making the players look like weirdos.
There's an opportunity going around the internet, regarding a show that the History Channel will be making. It's a show about LARPs, probably covering different groups around the country.
People are afraid, and rightly so.
You see, the casting director is the same person who did casting for Wife Swap. And anyone who has watched Wife Swap should know that they don't have a habit of painting the participants in a good light.
However, the same group has also done casting for shows like Pawn Stars or Missouri Truck Stop, which aren't too bad. And the show is going to be done by the History Channel.
I personally think that we should do our best to put a good foot forward and try and participate, while asking them what they intend for the program (without being too pushy).
If anyone is interested in contacting the casting director, send an email to LARP.Ohio@gmail.com and I'll give the contact info.
There's an opportunity going around the internet, regarding a show that the History Channel will be making. It's a show about LARPs, probably covering different groups around the country.
People are afraid, and rightly so.
You see, the casting director is the same person who did casting for Wife Swap. And anyone who has watched Wife Swap should know that they don't have a habit of painting the participants in a good light.
However, the same group has also done casting for shows like Pawn Stars or Missouri Truck Stop, which aren't too bad. And the show is going to be done by the History Channel.
I personally think that we should do our best to put a good foot forward and try and participate, while asking them what they intend for the program (without being too pushy).
If anyone is interested in contacting the casting director, send an email to LARP.Ohio@gmail.com and I'll give the contact info.
New TV Project Will Feature Role Playing Groups From Across The Country!
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Danielle Gervais. I'm a Casting Producer based in New York City and I'm currently casting an exciting new tv project that will be dedicated to Live Action Role Play and the groups and individuals who participate in it! We're searching the country for the most dynamic, interesting and dedicated groups of players and we're open to all types of live action role play, both fantasy and historic. If you'd like to learn more, please don't hesitate to contact me!
I look forward to speaking with you!
All My Best,
Danielle
NEW TV PROJECT IS SEARCHING FOR THE ULTIMATE HISTORIC and/or FANTASY LIVE ACTION ROLE PLAY GROUP!
From the Producer’s of History Channel’s Pawn Stars comes a brand new show dedicated to Historic and/or Fantasy Role Play and the people who love it (and live it!)
We’re searching the country for a passionate and talented group of Historic and/or Fantasy Live Action Role Play participants to feature on this new series, which will follow them as they battle their way from city to city. If you or someone you know would be interested in participating in a TV Project dedicated 100% to Historic and/or Fantasy Live Action Role Play, we want to hear from you!
Please email us with some photos, a brief description of yourself and your group and why you’d be perfect for this show! Don’t forget to include your contact information.
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!
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