Happy Day after July 4th! Hopefully everyone got all or at least part of the day off to stand outside and sweat by a BBQ watching fireworks :)
Thinking about the reason for the season, as it were, got me thinking about holidays in other worlds. People as far back as we can figure have had their own celebrations. They've had special days that commemorate events, nature, the seasons, deities, and whatever else was important to them. It follows, then, that your created world could have the same thing!
Due to scheduling, it's not always possible for a LARP to set aside a certain date for your holiday. But there's no reason why your world can't have a, say, mid-summer festival. Or really any type of festival that commemorates a certain event around a certain time of year. PCs, you could even start this off by recognizing a previous event you were a part of (Happy Day of the Dead Lich everyone!). Then keep doing it at the same time every year.
This can add a lot to the in-game atmosphere. Holidays are something that gives a people an identity, as what you celebrate says a lot about you. Look at Americans - we've got quite a few days that others don't specifically share, like 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Labor Day; and that says a lot about what Americans have valued as the holidays were created. Some days may be wild, some may be somber, but it can really help build your world and your NPCs. If you only run a few events a year, these holidays could even be the reason for the gathering. Rather than referencing the last "market day" or whatever your group uses, you could instead talk about what happened at your harvest festival, or last Dragonslaying Day.
As plot, I've always loved using holidays (maybe a bit too much) as inspiration for mods or other encounters. If anyone remembers the 3-legged turkeys at Ashton around Thanksgiving, I apologize :) But holidays can give you great ideas for mods where you need them. In spring, maybe some potions at your Festival of Love got out of hand. In the fall, maybe different groups need help harvesting. After going to a lot of events, they can run together, so giving something a theme can make that game memorable.
You can also use it as a reason to have games, contests, and other events. Staff doesn't need to set it up, they can work with an interested PC to help it come up. These can be contests of skill using in-game and out-of-game skills. I've found it's good to have both, so that people who are good at one or the other can still participate! And don't leave out non-martial talents like art, baking, or performance. This is fun for the players and also helps Staff take breaks as the games are going on so they can concentrate on other mods knowing the PCs are occupied.
I will say that this sort of all-out fair can't be done too often. Every one of your events can't have contests of strength, as that can get boring - unless, of course, you've got a fun plot reason. A town of barbarians may regularly see who's stronger to determine leadership or something. This could even evolve into a ritual of some kind - but I digress :) In general I think the character that was the strongest at the June event will be the strongest at the July event, so in LARP time doing this once or twice a year makes more sense. I think the specifics about running a game-day festival could be a whole new post, so I won't go into it more.
You can also support the theme in other ways. Have someone make a special Midwinter treat that you only make that time of year. Give out little trinkets that represent the holiday. Come up with traditions for your NPCs to mention, and even incorporate them in game. Example: If you have a day of remembrance, bring in one of your NPCs to lead a candlelight vigil, make a speech/toast, add new names to the banner of the fallen etc. This specific example double-dips, since it goes back to the post about remembering fallen characters (see what I did there)! :)
But what do you think? Does your game have any regular festivals? How can it work for you?
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Monday, July 2, 2012
The Week In LARP - July 2nd
This Week In LARP
Happy 4th of July!
NERO
WAR will be hosting a 2-day campaign event this weekend starting on Friday, July 6th and ending on Sunday, July 8th. The game will be held at Camp Giscowheco (WV) at the IG location of Lumberton Shire. It's $50 to PC ($30 with good NPC ratio) and is free to NPC.
NERO Indiana will be hosting a 2-day event this weekend starting on Friday, July 6th and ending on Sunday, July 8th. The game will be held at the Nameless Creek Youth Camp. It's $50 to PC, but you can save $10 by pre-paying and $10 by tent camping. It 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!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Sharing Your Site
This weekend we used a new camp for Exiles. We were drawn to it by its promises of bunks (with mattresses!), fully functioning kitchens, running water, and air conditioning. Yes, the site we had before was not so fancy - for some of you used to deluxe locations, you're probably cringing right now :) Unfortunately as a small game, we have a small budget, so we're only now getting to the point of being able to afford a nicer site.
Problem is, we can't buy out the whole camp. As a Girl Scout camp, that means we're sharing with, well, girl scouts. We've got the main lodges in the center of camp, but they're still there at some of the tents. And I'm sure we're not the only LARP group in a similar situation.
So, what to do if you are sharing your site?
First, set some ground rules with the site and any rangers. Ask the ranger/camp coordinator to tell any other groups not to wander through. If nothing else, there's the safety issue. This helps to protect both groups from the actions of the other, since outside groups won't have signed your waivers.
Be clear with your site about what you're doing, and how it might affect other campers. Most LARPs are up late yelling about strange things (and maybe swearing), and that you might have props and set ups in certain places. Let them know that you like your privacy (if you do) and see what suggestions they have to help.
If you're getting people coming through your reserved area, nip it in the bud early on. Take the issue to Staff. If Staff can't get a hold of the ranger, or already have, someone should talk to the other group's leader and work something out. Choose someone who's not scary :)
Try to have someone take a look at the location ahead of time to see if you can use some other, out of the way areas for your mods. A lot of sites are okay with groups using unreserved camping areas, so you can avoid interruption by taking the action there.
You can also plan more mods inside, if your buildings allow for it, and keep out of the way of oglers.
Make sure and mention to your people that the camp is shared, and ask everyone to be on good behavior. Know the camp rules and follow them, since you don't want a violation getting you reported and possibly deported. :)
In the end, you'll probably still know the other group is there, and the immersion is going to be broken a bit. So I guess it's up to each group as to whether or not it's worth it. For us, it seemed like everyone was okay trading some minimal interruption for air conditioning and showers. But it may not always be the case.
What do you think? Are nicer facilities worth sharing? How do you compromise with sharing a camp?
Problem is, we can't buy out the whole camp. As a Girl Scout camp, that means we're sharing with, well, girl scouts. We've got the main lodges in the center of camp, but they're still there at some of the tents. And I'm sure we're not the only LARP group in a similar situation.
So, what to do if you are sharing your site?
First, set some ground rules with the site and any rangers. Ask the ranger/camp coordinator to tell any other groups not to wander through. If nothing else, there's the safety issue. This helps to protect both groups from the actions of the other, since outside groups won't have signed your waivers.
Be clear with your site about what you're doing, and how it might affect other campers. Most LARPs are up late yelling about strange things (and maybe swearing), and that you might have props and set ups in certain places. Let them know that you like your privacy (if you do) and see what suggestions they have to help.
If you're getting people coming through your reserved area, nip it in the bud early on. Take the issue to Staff. If Staff can't get a hold of the ranger, or already have, someone should talk to the other group's leader and work something out. Choose someone who's not scary :)
Try to have someone take a look at the location ahead of time to see if you can use some other, out of the way areas for your mods. A lot of sites are okay with groups using unreserved camping areas, so you can avoid interruption by taking the action there.
You can also plan more mods inside, if your buildings allow for it, and keep out of the way of oglers.
Make sure and mention to your people that the camp is shared, and ask everyone to be on good behavior. Know the camp rules and follow them, since you don't want a violation getting you reported and possibly deported. :)
In the end, you'll probably still know the other group is there, and the immersion is going to be broken a bit. So I guess it's up to each group as to whether or not it's worth it. For us, it seemed like everyone was okay trading some minimal interruption for air conditioning and showers. But it may not always be the case.
What do you think? Are nicer facilities worth sharing? How do you compromise with sharing a camp?
Monday, June 25, 2012
The Week In LARP - June 25th
This Week In LARP
It's hot outside! Prepare for the heat and drink lots of water.
NERO
WAR will be hosting a 2-day campaign event this weekend starting on Friday, June 29th and ending on Sunday, July 1st. The game will be held at Camp McKinley at the IG location of the Trun Woods. It's $50 to PC ($30 with good NPC ratio) and is free to NPC.
NCN will be hosting a 2-day event this weekend starting on Friday, June 29th and ending on Sunday, July 1st. The game will be held at Camp Trinity at the IG location of Syrinx. It's $50 to PC and is free to NPC.
ARGO will be hosting a 2-day event this weekend starting on Friday, June 29th and ending on Sunday, July 1st. The game will be held at Camp Yough (PA). It's $40 to PC and is $15 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!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Randoms & You
I've heard it said that the easiest way to make an event decent is to run randoms every 20 minutes. For me, that doesn't make my event, and I don't really like randoms at all as a PC. Usually they are not presented in any interesting way, they can break game momentum, they can roll PCs who just want a break, and as Staff they can drain resources that PCs would prefer to use on mods. And worst for me, they don't make sense. Why did a squad of orcs decide to attack superior numbers of armed adventurers in what is supposed to be a well-established and guarded settlement? I don't know :)
That being said, I think they might be necessary in a lot of games, and can add a lot. So how can randoms work for you?
That being said, randoms can work to your advantage. When you have a larger PC group, they're not going to be going on all your mods, and giving them something to fight can help entertain them. Newer players or players who just like the thrill of killing things can enjoy random monster slaying. And you also don't want your PC areas to feel too safe - the thrill of danger is part of the draw for a lot of players.
So, how to do it right?
First, timing is everything. If you send randoms out at the wrong time, you could derail mods - which most people enjoy much more than any random! Be aware of what the rest of your team is doing and what mods need to get done. Don't take resources away from them if you can help it (you can be a one-man random!). And try to keep an eye on what the PCs are doing. Ask your NPCs who were just in town, or PCs who are at the shack, how things are going. Also, if your PCs have set up some major event, like a ceremony or festival, try not to ruin it (unless it's good plot, of course! :) ).
Second, scaling is still important. If you're sending out goblins into a town that's all above level 20, it's probably not going to be as fun (unless there's plot or you do something interesting). And if you send down a horde of death knights and there are only 2 people awake, that can make for grumpy PCs. Again, ask people what the town atmosphere is like and scout it out. If you're not sure if people are around, try starting out with something small and work your way up to the big guns if needed. Also, make sure that your NPCs aren't out to kill people. Always make sure they know the limits you want on the encounter and how tough they should be. No one likes to resurrect from random spiders :)
Make it worth their while. PCs hate it when they get through a fight and the NPC doesn't have treasure. Don't over-reward, but make sure and put appropriate treasure on the monsters. You can then use this to even out treasure distribution for your event as well. If you have the space, put a couple random minor magic items on the occasional kobold, and people will be more interested in engaging them!
Spread the love - alternate where the randoms come from and what they're doing. If you do the same thing every time, you can get those types of folks who just sit and splatter the NPC as it spawns before anyone else can get to it. Especially if you start giving out good items here and there. Changing it up can help keep more people entertained.
And finally, my favorite point. Try to make the randoms make sense. A pack of wolves isn't going to attack a town under normal circumstances, so think about things that might. You can really use this to your advantage to reinforce plot lines. If there's an evil druid plot, maybe they are sending their new twisted tree creations in to test their strength. Maybe the goblin army has suicide bombers trying to destroy morale. Or the mad alchemist is sending minions to plant poison distributors. Or the ancient elder dragon's presence is driving the forest creatures mad. Not only are you entertaining people, you're fleshing out your plot lines!
If you run out of those ideas, try "hook randoms." These are mini encounters that take place within eye/ear shot of town. They're not just monster x attacking the PCs, but they can still be of any level, and the entire town can engage. Example - a traveling merchant runs in saying orcs attacked his wagon on his way to the tavern. Something that requires basically no prep, and you can run it in town. You're adding a little bit of extra depth to the random to have it make sense and be a little more exciting to the PCs, but you can use the exact same resources and monsters. All you need is a little creativity and a few minutes of planning to figure out an idea that will work. This is basically putting hook mods in Staff's hands from time to time.
Don't forget that role-play NPCs entertain people too. Not every random has to be for fighters! Your role-players and puzzle-solvers are also waiting around town for their next mod, so send in a strange merchant, an old story-teller, or some other engaging NPC. These tend to entertain smaller amounts of people, but can be very welcome to those PCs who don't like killing poor, defenseless bugbears all day :) You can use random time to put in an informative NPC for your plot line, or to engage a character's back story. Or just for fun. To get a little wider appeal, have them do things like host impromptu contests (riddles? singing? stories from the PCs?). You can even use these types of characters to help recharge a drained PC group by selling or giving out supplies or recharges - for the right price.
Purposeful randoms can be a great chance for Staff & NPCs who had some wacky ideas that don't quite work for plots or mods to use them!
In smaller games where PCs can go on more mods, randoms may not be as necessary. In these cases, if the PCs aren't modding, they're probably resting or refreshing and randoms can actually hurt more than they help by draining resources on both sides of the table. But then again, you can use a few of these ideas to bring danger into the town - instead of hooking a mod, have it happen there!
What ideas do you have for making random monsters fun and useful?
That being said, I think they might be necessary in a lot of games, and can add a lot. So how can randoms work for you?
That being said, randoms can work to your advantage. When you have a larger PC group, they're not going to be going on all your mods, and giving them something to fight can help entertain them. Newer players or players who just like the thrill of killing things can enjoy random monster slaying. And you also don't want your PC areas to feel too safe - the thrill of danger is part of the draw for a lot of players.
So, how to do it right?
First, timing is everything. If you send randoms out at the wrong time, you could derail mods - which most people enjoy much more than any random! Be aware of what the rest of your team is doing and what mods need to get done. Don't take resources away from them if you can help it (you can be a one-man random!). And try to keep an eye on what the PCs are doing. Ask your NPCs who were just in town, or PCs who are at the shack, how things are going. Also, if your PCs have set up some major event, like a ceremony or festival, try not to ruin it (unless it's good plot, of course! :) ).
Second, scaling is still important. If you're sending out goblins into a town that's all above level 20, it's probably not going to be as fun (unless there's plot or you do something interesting). And if you send down a horde of death knights and there are only 2 people awake, that can make for grumpy PCs. Again, ask people what the town atmosphere is like and scout it out. If you're not sure if people are around, try starting out with something small and work your way up to the big guns if needed. Also, make sure that your NPCs aren't out to kill people. Always make sure they know the limits you want on the encounter and how tough they should be. No one likes to resurrect from random spiders :)
Make it worth their while. PCs hate it when they get through a fight and the NPC doesn't have treasure. Don't over-reward, but make sure and put appropriate treasure on the monsters. You can then use this to even out treasure distribution for your event as well. If you have the space, put a couple random minor magic items on the occasional kobold, and people will be more interested in engaging them!
Spread the love - alternate where the randoms come from and what they're doing. If you do the same thing every time, you can get those types of folks who just sit and splatter the NPC as it spawns before anyone else can get to it. Especially if you start giving out good items here and there. Changing it up can help keep more people entertained.
And finally, my favorite point. Try to make the randoms make sense. A pack of wolves isn't going to attack a town under normal circumstances, so think about things that might. You can really use this to your advantage to reinforce plot lines. If there's an evil druid plot, maybe they are sending their new twisted tree creations in to test their strength. Maybe the goblin army has suicide bombers trying to destroy morale. Or the mad alchemist is sending minions to plant poison distributors. Or the ancient elder dragon's presence is driving the forest creatures mad. Not only are you entertaining people, you're fleshing out your plot lines!
If you run out of those ideas, try "hook randoms." These are mini encounters that take place within eye/ear shot of town. They're not just monster x attacking the PCs, but they can still be of any level, and the entire town can engage. Example - a traveling merchant runs in saying orcs attacked his wagon on his way to the tavern. Something that requires basically no prep, and you can run it in town. You're adding a little bit of extra depth to the random to have it make sense and be a little more exciting to the PCs, but you can use the exact same resources and monsters. All you need is a little creativity and a few minutes of planning to figure out an idea that will work. This is basically putting hook mods in Staff's hands from time to time.
Don't forget that role-play NPCs entertain people too. Not every random has to be for fighters! Your role-players and puzzle-solvers are also waiting around town for their next mod, so send in a strange merchant, an old story-teller, or some other engaging NPC. These tend to entertain smaller amounts of people, but can be very welcome to those PCs who don't like killing poor, defenseless bugbears all day :) You can use random time to put in an informative NPC for your plot line, or to engage a character's back story. Or just for fun. To get a little wider appeal, have them do things like host impromptu contests (riddles? singing? stories from the PCs?). You can even use these types of characters to help recharge a drained PC group by selling or giving out supplies or recharges - for the right price.
Purposeful randoms can be a great chance for Staff & NPCs who had some wacky ideas that don't quite work for plots or mods to use them!
In smaller games where PCs can go on more mods, randoms may not be as necessary. In these cases, if the PCs aren't modding, they're probably resting or refreshing and randoms can actually hurt more than they help by draining resources on both sides of the table. But then again, you can use a few of these ideas to bring danger into the town - instead of hooking a mod, have it happen there!
What ideas do you have for making random monsters fun and useful?
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