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!

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.

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.

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!

Osiris Sanction

On a previous post, I lamented the fact that there was no game in which players played themselves. However, on that same post I was introduced to the game Osiris Sanction. And I've got to admit, I'm pretty impressed.

Normally, I give posts regarding technique or theory, but this one goes out to the actual players in Ohio.

Would you be interested in playing Osiris Sanction?

In Osiris Sanction, the players are essentially spies working to bring down a super-powerful secret group (think Illuminati). In doing so, they engage in three types of missions: Alpha, Beta, and Theta.

Alpha missions are very "cloak" (as in "Cloak and Dagger" WITHOUT the dagger). This is where people discern clues that indicate information can be found in a real world location or by talking to real people. You will most likely have to do research to interpret clues. All this happens in the real world, without any weapons at all.

Beta missions basically include any online communication or gameplay that exists in online spaces. The most common example for Osiris Sanction is Second Life, but it could take place in any online space (usually using something that's free to play).

Theta missions exist in a VR mainframe that is advanced enough that it seems almost lifelike. The gameplay consists of advanced laser tag type combat (with hitpoints and options for weapons), but also includes hacking and disarming of bombs, each which use skills that are close to the real world counterparts.

Usually a full adventure starts with Alpha/Beta communication, and upon success of interpreting those clues, you discover what the theta mission will be.

I am thinking of getting a Cleveland cell together (with the possibility of running some stuff in Columbus), but I wanted to get an idea of how many people would actually play. There would be a cost to participate, as securing the gear and locations for theta missions is a little pricey, but it probably wouldn't stray far from the cost of LARP events around here now.

For more information, visit the Osiris Sanction Website. I would suggest reading through the rulebook (although reading through the meat of the Theta isn't super important right now), and then reading through "A Coyote Story."

Who's interested?

The Week In LARP - October 24th

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

Celebrate Halloween with a great LARP event!

NERO

NCN will be hosting a 2-day event this weekend starting on Friday, October 28th and ending Sunday, October 30th. The game will be held at Camp NEOSA at the IG location of Syrinx. It's $45 to PC and $2 to NPC (for insurance). This game wll be using 9th edition rules, and will be a horror-based murder mystery. For more information, visit their forums.

NERO SWV will be hosting a 2-day event this weekend starting on Friday, October 28th and ending Sunday, October 30th. The game will be held at Camp Cherokee (KY) at the IG location of Borderlands. It's $50 to PC and free to NPC. This game wll be using 9th edition rules.

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!