The Theory of "Play More" Mechanics

Today's post was prompted by a discussion over at the Wasteland's forum about the magic rules in the game.

You see, there is some concern about the power level of the mage. But a lot of this is really a faux issue. You see, the mechanic for regaining your magic skills is intended to let mages "play more" instead of playing harder.

In short, mages can meditate to regain their "focus" (magic points). This process takes 5 minutes, which makes it difficult to pull off on the battlefield. If you use a consumable item, you just get back the maximum focus. If you do not use that item, you get back your focus, but your max focus drops by 5 points until the end of the game day.

Truth be told, this is a really solid design for a "play more" skill. It has most of the features you want. It's hard to restore it on a module, so building encounters around conserving resources would be easy. It answers the problem of frivolous use.

Really, the only problem I see with the system is that it doesn't scale perfectly from low level to high level.

Players who start a mage will probably have a maximum of about 20 focus, and that's if they void themselves of anything non-magical. Players who decide to pick up a gun skill (important, as this is an airsoft game) will have less. When I played, I think I had 9 focus.

Obviously, the hit to max focus at that level is pretty significant. Even the best starting mages lose 25% of their effectiveness if they meditate without an item. And to top it off, Wastelands is a game where resources are quite sparse, so getting your hands on those items isn't the easiest thing.

On the other side of the coin, high level mages have a lot of focus, so depending on the number of modules they play, they might not care much about the hit to max focus. Additionally, the magic crafting skill doesn't have a lot of stuff going on there, so higher level mages who have that skill have pretty regular access to those items. Magical healing is still more expensive than regular healing (unless you have a godly mage, but I don't think anyone has that level of magic yet).

I think a percentage of focus would work better and help bridge the gap between low and high level mages, but I'm a math person and that math might be confusing for non-math people. But all in all, I don't think the system is really as bad as some people make it out to be.

But the point is, stop treating a "Play More" mechanic like it's giving someone more power. It's meant to let the mage play the entire day, rather than using their spells and then sitting out.

The Week In LARP - October 31st

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!

And the Winners Are...

Thanks go out to everyone who sent in their information for drawings last week. I've had time to process the results and have come up with the list using a sophisticated method to determine the winners *cough*excelrandfunction*cough*. And here is the list, with the order of the winners!

1. Michael Jones - Free WAR Weekend
2. Eric Kociecki - Free Cinci Weekend
3. Mark Henry - Free WAR Gameday
4. Ben Mathis - Free NCN Weekend
5. Chrsitine Bair - Free Cinci Gameday
6. Vincent Errico - Free WAR Gameday
7. David Jurns - Free Exiles Weekend
8. Tera Boster - Free NCN Gameday
9. Angela Kroger - Free Cinci Gameday
10. Mark Mora - Free NCN Gameday
11. Sarah Canton - Pass
12. Jordan Selch - Free Wastelands Weekend (New Player)
Alternate: John Siemon - 10 Free Rads (Wastelands)

Congratulations to our winners!

Here's the way we're going to do this thing.

I'm sending an email out to all the winners to let them know that they've won, and each person will have 24 hours to pick their prize before I move on to the next person. Once a person selects their prize, I'll move on to the next, while editing this post with what that person selected.

In the case that the people at the bottom of the list do not want any of the remaining prizes, I have selected alternates to receive prizes, who will be contacted separately.

For reference, here is the list of prizes (which will be edited as prizes are selected.

- Free weekend at Cinci - Taken by Eric
- Free weekend at NCN (Non-transferable) - Taken by Ben
- Free weekend at WAR - Taken by Michael
- Free weekend at Exiles - Taken by Dave
- Free weekend at Wastelands (New Player Only) - Taken by Jordan
- Free game day at Cinci (2) - Taken by Christine, Angela
- Free game day at NCN (2) - Taken by Tera, Mark M.
- Free game day at WAR (2) - Taken by Mark H., Vincent
- 10 Rads at Wastelands (Non-transferable) - Taken by John

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.

Anniversary! Prizes! No Tuberculosis!

Today, we're celebrating the Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary for the LARP Ohio blog. Sunday will be 1 year for the blog, making it official that this blog lasted at least 10 months longer than expected.

We've had our ups and our downs. Discussions a plenty. Maybe an argument here or there.

Tim asked me "Now that you've done a year of LARP blogging, what do you plan on doing next?" To which I responded, "I'm going to Disney World." But seriously. I am. And I leave on Sunday.

ENOUGH ABOUT MY AWESOME VACATION.

So, here's some statistics for the blog.

Posts: 254
Posts/Week: 4.875 (pretty close to the goal of 5 per week)
Views: 35,000+ (since Google started tracking it in July)
Comments: 1025+
Quantity of Rock: Too much rock for one hand.


But seriously, none of this could be possible without the support of the local players and especially the local games.

The local games,
The ones who are going to give you stuff,
For free,
Free stuff,
Free stuff for you,
Get it?

We're giving 12 prizes away, courtesy of the local games. 12 prizes! Total value is worth more than $350! Interested? Better read on!

Item Advancement

There's a lot of talk on the NERO boards currently about adding additional levels of weapon/armor advancement to the game. People are kind of up in arms about the fact that you either have a normal weapon that can break, or a magical weapon that lets you ride unicorns and smite your enemies forever... or something like that.

Item advancement is a tough topic for every game. You have to find a way to put the gear treadmill at a reasonable enough pace for people to stay interested. Make it too hard or too slow, people will get frustrated. Make it too fast or too easy, and people will get bored.

So what can be done? Let's look at the ways that some other games handle it.

D&D (3rd)
Magic items are super easy to come by, but somewhat difficult to make. They are pretty much required for handling some encounters. The major limitations are item slots and the fact that they become exponentially more expensive as the quality increases. This could be considered the baseline for item availability, as this was honed after years and years of dorks playing the game.

NERO
Magic items are harder to come by, and even harder to make. When you're at a good game, they shouldn't be mandatory, but they definitely give a significant boost to players when they have them. Sometimes, magic weapons are mandatory (but this should be uncommon). Plot is permitted to put items out, but not enough that everyone gets magic items at events. In addition, the way that items are put out often make them disappear, but that's a plot issue more than anything else.

Exiles
In Exiles, I would classify guns/technology as magic items. These are extremely easy to come by and they never expire, but are essentially required. Players can upgrade their guns/technology to let them carry more bullets or fire faster, but it becomes incredibly expensive towards the highest tiers of guns. Technology and magic items (they do exist) both require players purchase skills to use them, and those skills may not be available to all classes. Magic items are often 1/ever effects and technology items often cost a lot of money to power.

Wastelands
Items last a number of events that the players play. Guns are easy to come by and pretty much required. Like Exiles, better weapons are often defined by how many rounds they can fire and how easy it is to fire those rounds. I don't have a lot of experience in that system, so I can't really say how some of the more magical items work, but there are some minor trinkets and such that make lives easier (1/ever spells, full meditation, etc).

Mirror, Mirror
I'm not sure how easy it is to get magic items, but if you want one, you can get one by buying a skill (Signature Item). Your signature item will last forever and even if you lose it, it will come back to you (barring extreme circumstances). I don't believe having a magic item is required at all. Magic items give two tiers of benefits (minor and major), with minor ones acting like 1/event skills and major offering some constant effects.

I'm not going to pick one system that I think is the best. But I do believe, just by looking at these systems, that NERO is significantly behind the pack when it comes to item balance. NERO needs to do something to make items easier to make/find, and possibly reduce the power of those items. Reducing the power wouldn't happen without some significant overhaul, but making the creation process easier shouldn't be too hard. Drop the ridiculous component costs, un-tie extensions from a batch, and allow re-extensions, and you should see the magic item system become significantly more balanced.

The Week In LARP - May 16th

Note: I had every intention of getting this out sooner, but an unexpected delay in airport security prevented me from putting this together at the airport. I apologize.

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

Whole lot of NERO to be had this week(end).

NERO

NERO WAR will be hosting a 4-day! event this weekend starting on Wednesday, May 18th and ending Sunday, May 22nd. The game will be held at Camp Giscowheco at the IG location of Lumberton. It's $70 to PC the whole thing ($45 with a good NPC ratio) and is free to NPC. For more information about per-day pricing, visit the forums here. This event will be using 9th Edition rules with some chapter specific variants.

OGRE will be hosting a mod day this weekend on Saturday, May 21st. The game will be held at Camp Lazarus (Kelly Lodge and Phillips Shelter). It's $10 to PC and $5 to NPCs I am not sure whether this is 8th or 9th edition rules. Please post in the comments if you know which one it is.

Independent

Wastelands will be hosting a 1-day event this weekend on Saturday, May 21st. The game will be held at a Warehouse in Dayton. It's $20 to PC and is free to NPC.

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!

Fighting Item Inflation

One of the most difficult challenges in a LARP game is dealing with Item durations. If you don't control this well, you may end up having a problem with item inflation. Too strict or stingy with items might turn players off as it's one less avenue of advancement. So what's the best way to do it?

Most games use a system based on time for item expiration. The problem with this is that it favors players that come to every game, rather than players who might only make it out once or twice a year. It also makes it more likely that items will be hoarded by a team or withheld from more casual players.

Some systems have no real expiration on their items. In the worst case, this leads to serious item inflation. Best case, the game staff has to actively go out of their way to try and remove powerful items and money from game, which is tightrope walk between curbing item inflation and griefing their own players.

I really feel the best way to do it is to have items expire based on "use." Wastelands uses a system like this, where most items have a 4 game duration, and the tags are marked after each event. This way, players who are more casual don't have to check and find out if their gun expired between events, as you know at the event if your weapon is going to expire or not.

The obvious issue with this system is that without additional controls, merchants who specialize in selling consumable items are hurt the most. If your character is looking to sell a potion and can't find a buyer before it expires, you lose your investment. For that reason, I would institute a minor activation rule on any item.

Essentially, once a player activates an item for use, it now counts as being used at this event and loses a game day. However, if it remains safe in the merchant's box unpurchased, it would not lose a game day. But if a player took a potion into battle and just happened to not need it, a game day is still consumed. Now, the reason you wouldn't be able to use this on "magic" weapons or armor is that allowing those items to be stored would once again lead to item hoarding.

It's still a work in process, but let us know what you think in the comments!

NPC Exchange

In light of the recent Joint event of Exiles and Wastelands, I think it's a good time to talk about NPC exchanges in Cross-Gaming.

This tactic was first brought to my attention when reading about Accelerant, a system with many games with very similar rule sets. A lot of these games run in close proximity to one another, so the player pool is somewhat limited.

While many people are willing to play both games, there is still a significant portion of players that simply don't have the time, money, or interest in playing in two LARPs. Additionally, fighting for these players could end up hurting both games, as one of the largest problems for LARPs is a lack of NPCs.

So they developed the NPC Exchange.

Basically, I can NPC for one of the games and use the experience from that on my character in the other game.

The real benefit of this is that players only have to get costuming and such for one character, but they can enjoy both games. This also gives built in NPCs that don't really PC, so the issues around limiting the NPC information to prevent metagaming are not really a problem. Not to mention you would get more NPCs for your games, because players who only want credit in one game will have to NPC the other in order to get credit.

This really only works for smaller, more independent games, but could be utilized in larger games with enough checks and balances, and could go a long way to fixing some NPC issues that people have.

Would you NPC a second game to get experience for your primary game? Do you think this would break the experience system? Drop your opinions in the comments!

Plasti Dip = Prop Magic

I know we've had a number of occasions to talk about various methods for creating boffers, but we've never really had an occasion to talk about general prop making. Even in combat-oriented games, we often use props and objects as important tools for storytelling.

This topic started when I was making my character for the Wastelands portion of the Joint Game this weekend. I decided to play an Orc, as I love the rough and tumble culture that surrounds them in the Shadowrun stories. Before I went to buy some tusks online for an absurd amount ($20-30 after shipping), my friend Karin mentioned that she was just making foam tusks.

What a novel idea!

While I consider myself a tape jockey and I even have some white gaff tape available, I didn't think it'd look the way I wanted. So I finally broke the seal and bought some Plasti Dip for my tusks. The goal was to make foam tusks that are Plasti-Dipped and painted white.

The setup was pretty easy, all things considered. I carved a couple of tusks out of a part of a pool noodle, hung them on a wire, and dipped them in. While they looked pretty rough after the first coat, most of the imperfections in the foam were gone by the second coat.

The next day (it takes at least 4 hours to dry per coat), I busted out some white acrylic paint and gave them a once over. As I'm writing this, I'm waiting for them to dry to see if I need another coat. The black primer behind the white paint allowed for a grainy look, which actually looks pretty good on tusks.



I'm definitely going to be adding Plasti Dip into the rotation when I make my non-combat props from now on. If you consider yourself a prop wizard, I definitely suggest giving it a shot. You should be able to pick up at least the 14 oz. black primer at your local Home Depot/Lowes for about $7.

Anyone else have any experiences with Plasti Dip, good or bad? Let us know in the comments!

The Week In LARP - February 28th

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

March is the month where LARP in Ohio really starts to pick up. Start the engines!

NERO

NCN will be hosting a 2-day event this weekend starting on Friday, March 4th and ending Sunday, March 6th. The game will be held at Camp NEOSA. I am not sure what the price is to PC, but it's $2 to NPC (covers insurance). This event will be using 8th Edition rules.

Independent

Exiles and Wastelands will be running a Joint Event this weekend, starting Friday, March 4th and ending Sunday, March 6th. Exiles will be running from Friday Night to Saturday afternoon at the IG location of Black Rock Station, and Wastelands will be running Saturday afternoon and night at the IG location of Stormbreak Post. The event will be held at Geneva Hills. It's $40 to PC both events, and is $20 to PC one and NPC the other. Players will receive full experience for both games. Remember to bring eye protection for the Wastelands portion of the event!

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!

Adventures in Cross Gaming: Exiles and Wastelands

So you've been wanting to try out that LARP game you've never played, but haven't had the chance to. Maybe you didn't have enough money to do it or it was too far away. Maybe you were afraid that you wouldn't like it.

Well, you'll have your chance, when Exiles and Wastelands will be running a joint game near Columbus, March 4-6th. Half of the weekend will be Exiles and the other half will be Wastelands. Get a taste for both games!

Now what could be even better than that? Oh, I know. The fact that you will get full 2 day Learnin' for Exiles, AND 2 day NPC credit for Wastelands. Amazing!

If you've been on the fence about either game, this is your chance to give it a shot. Even if you only like one of the two enough to continue playing it, you'll get full experience for your money, so the time playing the other one won't be wasted.

I hope to see more Joint games in the future. Exposure to multiple games this way is great for the hobby.

New Year Resolutions

I'm not a big fan of New Year Resolutions. I, like most people, never make it more than a month or so before breaking pretty much every single one of them. So instead, I set my sites low this year, in hopes that I would actually achieve my goals.

Here are my LARP Resolutions:

- Play a static character, and make poor decisions despite knowing OOG that they are poor decisions.

- Attend at least 2 new games. One of those will be Wastelands, but the second one is open for now.

- Try at least 3 LARP games at the Origins gaming convention this year.

- Add a significant element of horror to one of the games I'll be running. Enough to creep out/scare someone.

What are your New Years Resolutions?

What To Do In the Off-Season?

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I was at the in-laws house for Christmas, where internet is a scarce commodity (and water is too, apparently). The family survived by playing game after game of Dominion for warmth, or something like that.

---

Around this time of year, I never know what to do with myself. With no games in the near-near future, I have a little bit of time to work on some of the projects that should have been done a long time ago.

• I plan on making some Steampunk gear for Exiles, as I will most likely play a Technologist when my current character bites the big one. Technologists are a prop-heavy class, but I think it could be a lot of fun.

• I need to go over the reps I have that need to be repaired, and throw away the ones that have been far past that point for some time now.

• Work on a new costume for a new character. This is going to mean some scrounging, some modifying, and some sewing. Also, said character is going to need some new boffers.

• Get the minimum stuff required to attend a Wastelands game. Essentially, this means Airsoft eye protection as well as a boffer or two that are a little more modern than what I've got.

• Start writing up some plot for the game (possibly games) I'll be running.

So what kinds of stuff do you do in the off-season?

Off-Season Rules Revision

After this weekend, pretty much every game will be in its off-season. Plot teams will change, camp sites will appear and disappear, and most importantly, rules should be revisited.

One of the biggest problems in any game is the stagnation of the rules. There is always something you can do better - you just have to do it. But in order to find out what those are, you have to take a step away from your creation and listen to the players.

Blizzard did.

World of Warcraft started out as an imperfect game, yet has become the biggest MMORPG in the world. They did so by listening to their customers, implementing UI functions that people created with addons, streamlined parts of the game to make it more user friendly, just because that's what the customers wanted. It's also important to note that what the customer wanted has changed over time. That's why you can't be content that one system of rules will work forever.

I encourage every game to have some sort of survey where the players can discuss the rules, list what they like, list what they don't like, and so on. That way, if there seems like an overwhelming number of players that dislike something, you can change it. This is particularly true if you're using playtests.

I know that Wastelands already does an end of the season rules revision. How about your game? If you run it, have you listened to your players lately? If you're just a player, have you voiced your concerns to the ownership lately (or at least tell them that they're doing a great job)?

The Week In LARP - November 29th

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

We're nearing the end of the season, but there's still some LARP to be had in Ohio!

NERO

WAR will be hosting a 2-day event this weekend starting Friday, December 3rd and ending Sunday, December 5th. 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.

Northcoast NERO will be hosting a 2-day event this weekend starting Friday, December 3rd and ending Sunday, December 5th. The game will be held at Camp Muskingum at the IG location of Port Windless. It's $40 to PC and is free to NPC, but any players playing for free must bring $2 for insurance. There is also a $10 door fee if you do not pre-register on the forums (although you can pay at site) In addition, if you plan on PCing the next Windless events, you can pay $70 for both.

NERO Northlands will be hosting a 2-day event this weekend starting Friday, December 3rd and ending Sunday, December 5th. The game will be held at Rolling Hills Lodges at the IG location of Bramblethorn Glade. It's $40 to PC ($35 with pre-registration) and is free to NPC.

NERO SWV will be hosting a 2-day event this weekend starting Friday, December 3rd and ending Sunday, December 5th. The game will be held at Chief Logan WV at the IG location of Haven. It's $40 to PC and is free to NPC.

Independent

Wastelands will be hosting a 2-day event this weekend starting Saturday, December 4th and ending Sunday, December 5th. The game will be held at Camp Birch at the IG location of Stormbreak Post. It's $20 a day to PC and is free to NPC. Additionally, a $10 food donation is requested.

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!

IBGA's and You

Don't worry, IBGA's are not sexually transmitted diseases. In fact, they stand for "In-Between Game Actions." Since we haven't yet perfected the ability to play LARP 24/7, people are looking for ways to extend the experience. There are often a number of things that characters would want to do which are simply easier to do in writing than acting out.

But how much IBGA is too much?

Ultimately, IBGAs are difficult to control, since they require interaction from volunteers who run the game. I know there might be a lot of things your character might want to do, but remember that there are 15 other characters with things to do as well, and one or two people have to read through all that and comment on each one. It's a tough job.

A lot of games have specific rules regarding IBGAs. Exiles uses IBGAs to help direct the personal plot of characters and gives them goals for the next game. That way, doing IBGAs doesn't give you any actual benefits, other than the possibility for personal plot learnin'.

Wastelands have a number of skills specifically designed for IBGAs, which allow players to follow leads, establish contacts, and acquire goods. However, you have to purchase the skills with karma points to get any benefit, so it's not like players get anything for free.

Games like NERO and Alliance don't have any set rules for IBGAs. Generally, you can communicate with players and NPCs all you want, but you can never actually receive any items or gold or use skills without purchasing a plot submission.

So what should you consider when you are looking to perform an IBGA?

Dealing with Firearm Mechanics at LARPs

Editors Note: This post is not suggesting the use of any kind of real firearm at a LARP. Real firearms are not toys.

For more discussion on the subject, listen in to my guest appearance on the Mid-Level Crisis Podcast.

While we've got a ton of high fantasy LARPs around, there tends to be a lack of more modern or post apocalyptic LARPs, at least in the US. I find that the biggest reason for that is that adding a gun mechanic to the game makes scaling a lot more difficult.

Currently, I know of three different games that use guns, and each approaches it differently than the others. Those LARPs are Rising, Exiles, and Wastelands.

Rising uses NERF guns for the gun mechanic in their game. The base damage of guns is only slightly higher than the base damage of weapons, and ammunition is severly limited. The common zombie in that game would normally take three shots (or one aimed shot) or five melee strikes. The big benefit of range is the severity of damage in that game (if they get through your armor, you're a one-hit wonder). Their design is even damage with melee with limited ammunition.

Exiles uses rubber band guns. They do a pretty decent job of portraying the inaccuracy of weapons at that time, and bands are pretty safe. In-game, guns are the great equalizer. Even measly pistols do 20 damage (much more than most people can handle.) In addition, every shot carries a stun effect that knocks you out of the fight for five minutes, unless you're revived or you purchase a very expensive skill. Guns are IG items, and you can't fire them very fast unless you have a very nice gun. Finally, if you're hit in the gun with a melee weapon, you have to drop it. Their design is extreme damage with unreliable weapons with externally limited firing speed.

Wastelands uses nerf and rubber band guns, but they also use Airsoft guns. Guns in that game carry a smaller stun effect (1 minute) and do less damage than Exiles, but far more than rising. They have many limiters on what guns can come into game for safety sake (spring and electric airsoft guns, less than 250 fps, no post-factory mods), and you can only fire your guns once a second. Also, there are zones where you cannot fire your guns and you can never fire at individuals that are within 5 feet of you. Their design is increased gun tech and reduced effectiveness of guns, compared to Exiles.

All of these games have a tough time scaling around the gun mechanic. This is mostly due to the fact that guns are so much more effective (but not necessarily more powerful) than melee weapons in real life, and we have a hard time getting over the real life perceptions of weapons when designing our games. But I also think they've each got some clever ways of equalizing the game around firearms.

So how do we get past this?

The Week In LARP - September 27th

Last Week In LARP

There were a large number of events for you to choose from, including a brand spankin' new campaign with Anderian. Drop a review for the event you attended in the comments!

This Week In LARP

Didn't get a chance to get your LARP on last weekend? Don't worry! There's still plenty of LARP to be had this year.

NERO

WAR will be hosting a 2-day event this weekend starting Friday, October 1st and ending Sunday, October 3rd. The game will be held at Lewis Arboretum at the IG location of Rockcrusher Forge. It's $50 to PC ($30 with a good NPC ratio) and is free to NPC. Additionally, if you attended the last Rockcrusher Forge event, you'll get half off the normal price! ($25/15 with good NPC ratio)

OGRE will be hosting a 2-day event this weekend starting Friday, October 1st and ending Sunday, October 3rd. The game will be held at Chief Logan Reservation at the IG location of Starlen's Crossing. It's $40 to PC and is $10 to NPC.

Alliance

There are no local Alliance events this weekend. If you know of an event that might be a bit further away, drop the details in the comments!

Independent

Wastelands will be hosting a 1-day event this weekend on Saturday, October 2nd. The game will be held at Owensville Volunteer Site at the IG location of Sanity. It's $15 to PC and is free to NPC, and a $5 food donation would be appreciated.

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!