LARPwright: The art ofLARP creation

July 6, 2013

LARP at Play: Creating a LARP by MortalisGames

I’ve spent some good time talking about LARP design and offering some general advice and opinions on various LARP related topics, however I felt it’s now time to give some attention to a topic that’s often asked but finding advice for can be challenging: Creating a LARP.

I think part of this is due to the varied nature of LARP and that the needs for creating and starting up a LARP is as varied as the games out there, yet there are some commonalities. It’s those commonalities I plan to address and should a request be made to go into more detail on a particular point, then I’ll write a separate article on it.

Before you even get started preparing your LARP I feel there are three points you should consider first:

1. Why you want to: I think this is very important to ask because it can ultimately affect the quality of a LARP. A LARP run for egotistical reasons by its organizers will run and behave differently, often detrimentally, than a LARP run because a person loves to run a LARP and enjoys creating fun for others.

2. The type of LARP: The type of LARP will affect the requirements to set it up. A one-shot theater style LARP for a small group of friends will have different needs than a long term, full weekend, live-combat LARP for the masses in order to set up and run the game or games. Be aware of how the type of LARP you plan to run will affect what resources you’ll need in order to put it together and run it.

3. The “audience”: What kind of LARPer is your game going to cater to? Answering this is important because it’ll help you shape your plot, determine how long game will run and when it’ll run and many other factors. A LARP run for children will have different needs than a Cthulhu or fantasy adventure type LARP run for adults. Even the genre can affect who your key audience is. How many people do you intend to run this game for?

If you still feel you’re set to run a LARP then comes the work involved to get it set up, perhaps plot written and characters made and then get it into production. What’s involved here (in no particular order)?

• System: What is the game’s rules system or will you be creating the conflict-resolution (a.k.a. combat or challenge system) mechanics for your game too. Will you be the designer as well as the organizer? What stuff needs to be in the game rules? PC creation? Special effects or abilities?

• Time: It’s going to take time to prepare your LARP for play. A one shot, pre written theater style will be easier than a full bore campaign style live combat or a from scratch theater style game. This isn’t something that happens overnight. It can take a couple of months to the better part of a year or even more to properly prepare a LARP depending on all that’s involved in its set up. Rush your LARP and it’ll show, give yourself plenty of time. At run time give yourself plan plenty of time for site set up and tear down and making sure all the people that’ll be helping you with running the game are on site before the players to go do a final check and be at their post ready to accept players when they arrive.

• Characters: Will you be writing all the characters or will others be creating them based on the game rules? If you’re writing them, then plan more prep time because you get to write the PC’s sheets as well as all the

background info for them. Yes, if you’re writing the characters you’ll need to provide some background information so people know how you’ve envisioned each character and so they understand how they should portray the character.

• Plot: What will be happening to the characters? Who or what will be sparking the plot elements? Will the game be world plot driven (controlled by the GMs), player plot driven or a mix of both? Will the plot be created by various conflicts written into character backgrounds or other information handed to the players or events that occur during the course of the game? Exactly what plot you need will depend on your game. Some people like to detail every eventuality that can occur while others do a simple outline noting what may happen and then toss things into the game as appropriate. There is no right or wrong way to write plot, but there are okay and better ways. At bare minimum you’ll want to note what triggers each plot, when different plot elements and NPCs will be needed and key potential outcomes for each plot.

• Setting: What is the in-game setting and what setting information will the players need to know to accurately portray their characters? Will the setting be one that is pre-created or will you need to sit down and define the setting and the nuances of it? If it’s a pre-created setting is it familiar or common enough that players will be able to understand it with little studying (such as a Firefly based game) or will it be so unique that players will need to do some studying to understand the setting? If they do need to do some studying will they have access to the materials needed to do that studying or will you need to gather and prepare some documentation for them?

• Location: Out-of-game, where will the game be taking place? A private home or a site you need to rent? If you can, scout the location so you know the layout and space you have to work with and what they’ll allow decoration wise as this can affect the plots you want to run. If you need to rent a location how early or late can you make your reservations? It might be helpful to know if there are other groups (particularly non-LARP groups) who’ve rented space in the area too (such as a large building with several rooms or hotel with several ballrooms/meeting rooms). If there’s a chance of another group and your group running into each other and plan and prepare accordingly by having signs designate areas where it’s okay for your players to wander, for example.

• Length: How long will your LARP will run (and I don’t just mean the number of games in a campaign)? A four hour game will have different needs to prepare for than an eight hour LARP or even a full weekend LARP. They’ll also different costs associated with them. Consider how long your game is set to last. If your game will be a campaign style of game then are you prepared to spend that much time for each game you run (give or take a bit)?

• Insurance: If you’re playing with just your group of friends you may not need to worry about this. If you end up renting a location for your game, you may need to get insurance. This is also something you should strongly consider if your group grows just beyond your circle of friends.

• Money: Running a LARP takes money. Exactly how much depends on the LARP and the needs of the LARP. Budget your expenses and do what you can to cut costs. Will you be charging for your LARP or will it be donation driven? If you do plan to charge figure out how much you can reasonably charge. Keep in mind that to many players the higher the price, the higher the expectations from the players in game quality. This topic was touched on in the The “Business” of LARP (http://www.mortalisrpg.com/2012/02/02/larp-at-play-the-business-of-larp/) article, if you’ve not read it yet.

• NPC costumes: If your game will have NPCs, who is responsible for providing the costuming for these NPCs (most commonly it’s the game organizer)? How elaborate will these costumes be and how many will you need? If you need more tips on costuming, look over the Costuming and You, Part 1 (http://www.mortalisrpg.com/2012/02/02/larp-at-play-costuming-and-you-part-1/) and Costuming and You, Part 2 (http://www.mortalisrpg.com/2012/02/02/larp-at-play-costuming-and-you-part-2/) articles.

• Decorations and Props: This can include music, special lighting effects, smoke machines, props and even just covering up or removing common room features (like that chair that would just get in the way) and more. Good decoration can help enhance the suspension of disbelief and enrich the atmosphere. What is needed to decorate the game site to add ambiance and atmosphere to the game? Who is responsible for providing this? Just like decoration can help enhance atmosphere, so can props. Having a prop of that really cool Box of Chance beats a 3×5 card hands down. The more you can incorporate props into your game the more immersive it’ll be. Ask yourself, what props will you need for your game? What will be easy to get and what will you need to make from scratch? Is there anything you can borrow from another person?

• Playtest: If you’re writing the mechanics as well as everything else, playtest the mechanics to make sure that they run well, run smoothly and are balanced. Plan a session or two of your game as a prelude where you test mechanics and work the bugs out, also don’t hesitate to post questions and ideas to LARP forums for feedback from your fellow LARPers or involve others in the mechanics creation and review.

• Advertise: Once it’s set you need to advertise your game and get people interested. The article on Recruitment and Retention (see below) went into depth on that and is worth the read. Networking is invaluable here for getting new players to try your game, though word of mouth can help too if you’ve helped run or have run quality games before.

If you’re starting your game all from scratch you’ll likely need to cover all those bases. If your game is going to be a part of a larger organization like the Mind’s Eye Society or The Alliance, they will likely already have answers to some of those points and they become less of a worry. They may also have resources to help you get your game up off the ground, but in return you’ll likely have to agree to certain rules or restrictions (i.e. sign a contract).

Yes, that’s a lot to think about, consider and potentially deal with and that’s where I’d like to share one more thing: Delegate responsibilities. As chief organizer you may have all your fingers in several pies to varying degrees, but have others help you. Your game may have a team for logistics/check in (perhaps with new player liaisons), site decoration, game masters/narrators, advertising and promotion, NPC camp to oversee all the NPCs that are going out as dictated by plot (this also includes all those NPCing for you), and if your game is utilizing its own rules system and will be an ongoing thing a rules team to review and fix rules problems in the system. Exactly what teams you’ll need will depend on the needs of your game and what you identify as needing a team for. Just remember: You can’t do everything, particularly if it’s a large game so you’ll need some other people to help you.

There are several good resources for those wanting to create a LARP in the last article, the LARP Link Dump (http://www.mortalisrpg.com/2012/02/02/larp-at-play-larp-link-dump/), particularly in any of the Organizer designated sections. I also feel it’s worth pointing out a fairly recent forum post related to this subject: Writing LARP (LRP) Games from LARP, starting a new group (http://www.larplist.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=1401) from the Shade’s LARP List forums. I would also strongly suggest you find or purchase a copy of The Book of LARP and read these two chapters in

particular: “Pounding the Pavement: A Guide to Runtime LARP GMing” by Gordon Olmstead-Dean and Phil Kelly, pp 35-74 and “On Writing Plots: No Story Survives Contact with the Players” by Miki Tracy, pp 167-174.

LARP at Play: Recruitment and Retention by MortalisGames

I’ve yet to find a LARP group that didn’t want to grow its numbers, even slightly. So, how does one go about attracting new people to the game (or even the hobby) and then get them to stay? Over the years I’ve seen some successful and not so successful methods used to encourage individuals to try a game out and I’d like to share that wisdom with you.

To start, make sure you know what your game is and isn’t. You don’t want to give a false impression of your game when trying to recruit and keep new members around. Understand the scope of your game and the audience you want to attract too. This will help you get a better idea of how best to advertise your game. Remember, first impressions are very important.

Recruitment Not all of the following will work for your particular situation, but I feel that providing a wide scope of options that are discussed is good due to the varied nature of LARPs out there. Understanding your audience will better allow you to pick the methods that will work best for you.

• Word of Mouth – Word of mouth I’d rate as the top and best form of advertising for a LARP, but also the form that can quickly destroy a game too. Word of mouth is very much a double edged sword. If your game is great and the player’s expectations are met and exceeded this can be a very good form of advertising. On the flip side, if your game is lacking and is unable to fulfill promises made to players it can hurt your game.

• Networking – Network with other LARPers by attending other LARPs in your area, preferably those similar in style to the game you’re wanting to run. Play well, even if it’s not your preferred style or game. The goal is to make friends, contacts and network. While out at other games, don’t bash them, rather get them excited in your idea as another option when it comes to LARPs in your area. You want to be seen as a LARP advocate and be an example of the kind of player you want to see in your own game. This can also help promote more of a LARP community in your area through doing such outreach, provided the other groups are open to such and willing to reciprocate the favor.

• Website – In today’s digital age it’s a very good idea to have a web presence and having a web presence can help you get word out about your game. People like to learn as much as they can about your game before they attend. Having a neat, clean, easy to navigate site with current and relevant information will provide that. Include your event schedule, game locations, photos of past events, contact emails for staff members, and any other information a player should know prior to showing up to the game site for a game. A note on emails, if you do include email contact information on your site (and I strongly recommend that you do) make sure you respond to email inquiries in a timely manner, particularly the closer to a game date you get. My rule of thumb is at least an acknowledgement within three business days (less if time is of the essence) of the arrival of an email message, if I can’t get a full response written in time. Make sure your communication is polite, professional and on topic. If your email reply is sloppily written with several grammatical and spelling errors and full of inconsistencies it can send the wrong message about your game.

• Incentives – Provide incentives for existing members to bring new people to game. A common one is a reduction in the registration cost to attend the game. This encourages existing members to bring potential

members to game and this is a help to the potential new member since they have a friend to help them acclimate to your game’s culture and rules system.

• LARP sites – Advertise your game on popular on LARP sites, forums and communities. This allows you to reach a wide, but targeted audience. I suggest posting to the following sites if you’re in the USA as this will reach not only a US audience, but in some case also an international audience: LARPaddicts on LiveJournal, LARPers on LiveJournal, Shade’s LARP List forum, LARPSpace.com, and RPG.net’s LARP forum. Also check to see if there are any regional or local web sites you can advertise your game on. If you’re not in the USA many different countries have a nationwide web site or two for their LARP groups that you may want to post to as well as some of the above. Some of these sites may also sell paid advertising and I’ve seen LARPs purchase paid advertising at one of these sites. The best advertising I’ve found though are well crafted postings. When you post your game announcement include information that answers these key questions: Who – Who can people contact for more information? Who is this game aimed at (an adult only audience or are younger LARPers welcome)? What – What is your game about? What information should a person who’s never heard of your game have at first glance? What can a new player expect upon arrival at your game’s site? Where – Where will the game take place and where can they get directions to this site? When – When will the game happen? How much time should they plan for it? Why – This can be difficult, but you need to provide a good hook to show why they should attend your game. How – How can people find more information on your game? Do you have an email contact? A website or webpage they can visit? Nat Budin wrote a short post on crafting short blurb descriptions (http://blog.aegames.org/2009/07/world-of-blurbcraft.html) for advertising your game and it’s a good read if you’re not familiar with writing a short teaser for your game.

• New member packet – Have a downloadable information packet for new members that includes information on game schedules, game locations, a general packing list, a short bit on what the player can expect upon arrival at the site, contact information, and if your game is a part of a larger organization anything specific to your campaign or chronicle such as a short note on different in-game cultures or a brief blurb on the in-game laws of the land if they are vastly different from the rest of the organization’s in-game laws. Include any new member paperwork the new member will need to fill out and bring with them too as well as provide that paperwork individually on the web site. Treat this as a one-stop welcome and information kit for the new player.

• Fliers – Put out fliers at coffee shops, book stores, game stores and other locations where gamers will likely be found. Your fliers should be eye catching and provide a way to find out more about your game, like visiting your game’s website. Make sure you get permission to post or leave fliers at the business location.

• Convention booths – If there’s a local or regional gaming convention consider having a booth. Bring items that represent your game and utilize them in your booth display. For example, if you’re a live combat game, have some latex or boffer weapons as a part of your display. Push the table away from the wall and provide space for people to walk around it and for you to easily get out from behind it and interact with the people passing by. If you decide on a booth make sure you have a few different people to help rotate out staffing

the table. You may also want to volunteer for LARP panels and discussions. Take this as a time to provide outreach and show that those involved with your game are a welcoming and interesting group of people.

• Demos – Hold a recruiting or demo game. Conventions are often a good place for this since people at a convention go to have fun gaming and potentially try new things. Doing a simple new member or introductory type module or game is a good idea (I’ll go into more depth on this in the next part)

Retention Once again, first impressions are very important, particularly for new player retention. You’ve got their attention, now you need to keep it … and keep them coming back for more. There are several things you can do to encourage new player retention.

• New player liaison – Have a staff member or two just dedicated to helping out new players and being the key new player contact. This gives new players a key contact they can reach if they have questions or need help with character creation and to help mentor and introduce these new members to the other individuals in your LARP group. You should make sure these individuals understand your game really well, have good people skills and the ability to respond to emails in a timely manner.

• Introductory module – When you end up with a new player or players, have a special new member module (a.k.a. an introductory module) that they run through prior to being allowed to enter the main part of the game. This will allow them to familiarize them self with any key skills that their character has, help them get into character, understand the basics of the game such as how magic or special skills are used, how combat is run and introduces them to a bit of plot. A good idea is to have a veteran member (perhaps one of the new member liaisons) act as an in-character guide on this module, providing a bit of nudging or dropping a hint or a bit of help when needed. It also helps the new players get to know each other and familiar with their in-character guide.

• A welcoming group – Often times when a new player arrives at a game they know maybe one or two of the other people there, and then there’s the vast number of people they don’t know. This can be daunting, perhaps very daunting for a new player. Existing members should take the upper hand here and go out of their way to welcome and introduce them self to the new member. If your game utilizes new player liaisons, they can help introduce the new player to the other members that a new player should know. A new player that perpetually feels like the never-welcome-outsider will likely not stay involved with your game and may let others know that your game isn’t welcoming to new members, no matter what your advertising says (again, word of mouth can help as well as hurt).

• New player involvement – Get new players involved in-character and out-of-character. In-character, give the new player something or put them into a situation that will encourage them to interact with others. Perhaps they have a skill or bit of knowledge that’s needed to solve a puzzle or handle a situation. Existing players should go out of their way to involve the new player in things by allowing the new player to take a stab at a plot hook or challenge. Likewise, veteran players should go easier on new players when in a challenge of some kind. Having a veteran player completely roll over a new player’s character and render that character useless or killing them is a great way to make sure that a new player doesn’t stick around. Out-of-character find out what skills and talents the new player has and provide them with opportunities to put their energy, skills and talents to use for your group. Getting a person involved in the organization as well as their character in the game is a great way to encourage someone to stick around because you show

that you value them and want to involve them in things. Need a way to figure out what a person is looking for when it comes to involvement, offer a short survey for new players where you ask them what they are looking for from their game participation as well as what things they’d be willing to help your group with.

• Post event contact – Contact new players within a day after the game and thank them for showing up. The new players have gone out of their way to check out your game, now it’s your turn to go out of your way to thank the new players for coming out to try your game and see if they have any questions or issues that need addressing, including find out why a new player won’t return to your game if that is the case. Doing this shows a genuine interest in them and a desire to address any post game issues they might have. Like any email contact, make sure your communication is polite, professional and on topic even if their response isn’t.

• Existing players – Don’t forget about your existing players. Make sure they’re still getting some attention and that they’re still enjoying the game because if they’re still enjoying the game they’ll tell others, thus helping you to advertise your game via word of mouth. It takes less time and energy to retain existing members than it does to recruit new members.

Below are some forum posts and essays that contain very good points on this subject matter and I think are worthwhile reads for anyone involved with this column’s topic: The Three Rs of Running a Group (http://www.larplist.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=793) LARP Recruiting (http://www.larplist.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=630) Advertising your LARP (http://www.larplist.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=327) Larp Recruiting Part Deux (Some of the later comments in particular) (http://larp-shop-talk.livejournal.com/43164.html) Keep ‘Em Coming Back for More… (http://www.crownandflame.com/Articles/keepem.htm) Things You Need to Know When Starting a Group (focus on the Newbies, Publicity and Online Presence sections) (http://www.crownandflame.com/Articles/starting1.htm) A few final words: In the end you want to build a good reputation amongst your local (and perhaps beyond) LARP community. Having a good reputation will attract players to your game and the cycle continues on. Also, you can’t please everyone, so don’t expect every new player to stick around, but done well you should be able to get renewed or increased interest in your game and several new people to stick around. What other tips do you have for recruitment and retention of new members? Do you have any other good essays or links you feel others should read over? What do you feel is most important when trying to recruit or retain new members?

Plotting For A One-Shot – LARP By Johanna Mead, from http://www.skaro.com/larp_conplot.html This article has been written with the game-master of a one-shot game in mind. This can be an event at your local gaming convention, or perhaps it's a special event that you're running for members of the local gaming community. Either way, this is a game that begins and ends within a few hours - usually six to eight - not an ongoing campaign. Do not make the mistake of thinking that running a one-shot event is easier than the alternative. There are some specific pitfalls awaiting the overconfident GM who approaches the challenge of a one-shot event like it's some sort of picnic.

In addition to this article, I suggest you read LARP Pitfalls and Clawing Your Way Out of Them and Running a LARP At A Convention - Logistics and Sanity as they both get into the nitty-gritty of running live-action games.

Questions to Ask Yourself As You're Kicking Around Ideas For An Event

• Is the plot appealing? Will the plot appeal to a bunch of strangers who haven't gamed with you before? This might sound like a no-brainer, but you must be sure that you're creating something that other people will want to play in. Appealing factors include a compelling game-setting, an intriguing plot to solve, or an opportunity to do something new - like those Cthulhu Live maniacs on the east coast who play Delta Green with paint-guns...

• Similarly, are you secure with the notion of presenting your baby (the game, that is) to a bunch of strangers? One-shot LARPs often go off in unexpected directions and, allowing for that little bit of control-freak that exists inside every GM, you must be prepared to cope with this.

• Can all plots be resolved in the time allotted? Fours hours might seem like a lot of time, but sometimes it isn't...

• Can your plot be resolved with the minimum number of characters? Sometimes you'll be inundated with players, sometimes, you won't... Work out an 'absolute minimum' threshold, below which you will cancel the event.

Appeal Determining a game's appeal is quite simple. Gaming endures trends just like any other subculture. Some games wane in popularity, and others endure. Things like Star Wars and Vampire: The Masquerade always have appeal to LARPers. But some trends come and go, so time your plans accordingly. If you want to run a 7th Sea live-action event, then running it the during a summer of swashbuckling movies is a good idea. Similarly, the idea of everyone playing a Harry Potter LARP is probably far more appealing right now (summer of 2003) than it will be five years from now. Feel free to capitalize on trends, as long as you do it in a timely manner. If you're ever in doubt, plot for a general setting, rather than a specific game's mythos. Run a fantasy LARP rather than a Dungeons and Dragons event, or a horror game, instead of Call of Cthulhu. Whilst specific systems appeal to many players, if you cast your net wider than that, you might acquire more players - as well as being free of that game-setting's limitations. Sure, in Cthulhu, everyone goes insane when they see a monster, but in your diceless modern-horror setting... Plotting The following criteria determine a LARP plot:

• Conflict • Character • Conflict • Resolution • Did I mention conflict?

For the ease of examples, I'm going to create an example LARP "Tyrian Purple and Royal Blood" - a murder mystery set in mythic ancient Rome (historical fantasy, in other words), featuring an Emperor murdered in the midst of a banquet. The action begins shortly after the Emperor falls over with a blackened face during dessert. It's clear that he has been poisoned, and away we go!

Here are some elements that should be present in every LARP plot:

• A definite deadline that effects all of the characters. "If we don't present a culprit to the Emperor's fanatically loyal German bodyguard by midnight, they're going to kill all of us, just to be sure. By the way, they've locked us all inside the banquet hall."

• A clear, easy-to-understand central plot. This should be blindingly obvious to all concerned. Go with the classics: a mystery to be solved, a prize to be won, a looming threat to be defeated - Who killed the Emperor. Who will be the next ruler of Rome? How are we going to convince those lunatic Germans we've caught the genuine culprit? Think of all of your favorite stories. Despite any twists and turns, there was always a simple, central goal. Indiana Jones had to find the holy grail, the Rebels had to stop the Death Star, Hamlet had to avenge his father, etc. Leave the intricate examinations of the human psyche to the novelists - you don't have enough time or control over your setting to get that deep.

• A clearly defined 'in-game' location. I get into that in Setting Matters below... In the case of "Tyrian Purple and Royal Blood", the characters are in a 'locked room' setting, namely the Emperor's banquet hall.

• Conflict between the characters. That makes things very exciting for the players as they try to juggle dealing with the main plot and their own character-driven motives. "You're a swine, Senator Domitius. I've believed that ever since you swindled my father out of his fortune, and never mind your story that my father willingly spent it on wine and women!"

• At least one sub-plot that fits the theme of the game. This can - and should - spin right off the main plot. "The Emperor's dead, a terrible tragedy. I wonder who did it? For that matter, who will replace him? We have all the kingmakers present - the leaders of the Senate, General Galba and the head priest of Jove's temple." Again, this helps ensure that your characters have a sufficient reason for remaining on scene.

• Every character has at least one goal that involves them with another group or faction of characters - but doesn't necessarily tie in with the main plot. This goal should be specifically spelled out in the player's information packet. No character is an island, nor should you write them as such. A LARP in which no-one is collaborating or cooperating is going to be a dull game. For example: Senator Gallo, you want to jump on this chance to be Emperor. The throne would give you the means to pay off the startlingly large gambling debt you've accumulated. Most of your debts are to Senator Domitius, and he wants payment by the end of the week. If you can't seize the throne tonight, then you had better take steps to ensure that Domitius can't collect on that debt. Hmm, you heard that Asinus has a bone to pick with Gallo - maybe you can turn that to your advantage.

• Every character has at least one reason to be present at the event in the first place. Before the Emperor fell down dead, that is. The characters don't have to share the same reason. Barbillus the Astrologer wanted to see if the horoscope he cast for the Emperor came true - unfortunately, it did and now he needs a new patron... or High Priest Maurus is hoping to talk Senator Asinus into giving a sizable donation to the temple, particularly after that favor the priests did for his son... These secondary goals don't have to be essential to the success of the game, in fact, they shouldn't be, but they should be very important to the character and able to keep the player entertained as the plot progresses. I like to call these "Crunchy bits" and, like croutons in a salad, they're a tasty garnish and provide a nice contrast to the rest of the meal.

• Every character is interesting, in their own way. No-one is going to want to be the penniless, unpopular swordfighter at the Emperor's palace - unless he's actually a secret agent for the Emperor, and his illegitimate son, to boot. This is a one-shot event, and whilst some things should be subtle, don't stint the "cool factor" for the individual characters. Everyone wants to be cool, darnit! (Suggestion courtesy of Lori P.)

• A set of "Victory and/or Defeat Conditions". These are known only to you, of course. Have these conditions clearly defined in your mind early in the plot-creation process, as they will help you stay focused as you go along. In the case of "Tyrian Purple...", it's pretty clear what the conditions are. In this case, the characters must identify the Emperor's assassin.

There are other elements that are optional:

• A McGuffin (term courtesy of the Dreams of Deirdre crew). This is an item - often represented by an actual prop - that has plot significance. There is a prophecy that states whoever holds the Fabulous Ruby of Siam (set in the Emperor's Ring of Office) when Venus aligns with Jupiter will be imbued with godlike powers. or This locket is widely known to be effective against all poisons, because it contains a lock of hair from the Goddess Livia. This something could be a minor 'flavor' prop, or a plot device unto itself.

• More than three goals per character. I consider three goals per character - one tying in with the major plot, and two others that are born of the character - to be the standard number. Anything more than that is gravy. Contrariwise, be careful of overwhelming your players, as they can only absorb so much information during the pre-game period. If you want to bestow half a dozen goals on a player-character, you had better make those last three absolutely non-essential to your overall plot and don't be surprised if the player chooses not to pursue them.

Setting Matters There are several ways to use setting in a convention/one-shot LARP.

• Locked Room. This fits for "Tyrian Purple and Royal Blood". There are advantages to a locked-room setting. First of all, your players can't wander away, and you can more easily track what's going on. Secondly, there's nothing like a 'we can't get out' situation to help heighten tension and create a sense of urgency. Thirdly, a single-room is often all a convention will offer you for your LARP space, so you might as well create a plot that fits your locale.

• Multi Room. This is handy if you're running a larger-scale LARP with more than one Big Deal plot. Separating characters creates a different type of energy. When they can no longer see the entire group in a single glance, the players can't be sure that something Important is going on without their knowledge - such as Senator Domitius scheming with the General of the Armies, or what have you. However, this does mean that you're going to have to work that much harder at keeping in touch with your co-GMs to know what's going on.

• All Over The Darn Place. The only time I would recommend this is if you're running a large-scale LARP (more than 50 players) and you've discovered that you're expected to use a 15' x 15' room for eight hours. Even then, strictly define your playing area and limit it as much as possible. There is nothing more frustrating than realizing that your players have vaporized and are now scattered across the hotel. Players that are spread out across a gaming convention are far more vulnerable to distraction ("Look! The flea market just opened!" or "Joe! I haven't seen you in years! Let's go get a drink...") and you'll have no idea what they are up to, or if they're even in the game anymore. If possible, lay claim to one large, open area (a courtyard, a lobby, or even a low-traffic hallway) and declare that the game area. Failing that, stick to something easily understood such as "Only the ground floor of the hotel, except the bathrooms and the bar" and then prepare to rack up some serious mileage as you run around, keeping an eye on things. Furthermore, you can create devices to keep your players in check:

o During the event World on The Brink at KublaCon '03, the GMs had three in-game locations spread out across a hotel but they came up with a handy way to contain the players. Each of the locations was deemed to be many hours apart, on foot, and PCs could only go from one area to another on a landspeeder. All landspeeders (there were only two of them) were played by a GM, holding a card that said landspeeder and characters in transit had to be with a landspeeder. That way, players could not wander off or, if we saw someone arriving to a location without a GM, we could send them back to their starting point.

• Read Running a Convention LARP - Logistics and Sanity to learn more about space considerations. Generally, if in doubt, go for the locked-room setting.

Using NPCs (This section is largely courtesy of Lori P. at Dreams of Deirdre) Non-player characters exist for a variety of reasons: to spread information amongst the PCs, to control a specific plot device and, occasionally, wield a Deus-Ex-GM should things get derailed. Controlling Resources: Dreams of Deirdre calls this the "It's my bar" problem. If the location (like a ship or a bar) belongs to a PC, there's no reason the PC can't clear the place by making people walk the plank, be ejected into space, or force them out into the cold without a drink. In these cases, the PCs haven't got the authority to stop the captain/bar owner, etc, and your game can stall. If you must have the bar owner, captain, what have you present, make them an NPC who is neutral. Don't give the NPC reason to side with any one faction, and make them reasonable enough that the players feel that they have a fair shot at swaying him one way or another. Better yet, try to avoid such a location in the first place - this is why "Mass captivity" settings tend to be so popular - if there is someone in charge of the space, he's certainly not talking to the PCs just now...

Information and Experts: NPCs can be the most handy - and most subtle - way of presenting information to the players, in a manner and time of your choosing. That's the nice things about NPCs, whoever is playing them is expecting you to come sidling up to them during the course of the game and say "Your conscience has gotten the best of you, It's time for the priest of Jove to spill the beans about the Captain of the Guard." You can also use such sidling moments to help nudge a plot that is suffering from doldrums. Also, technical expertise can be shared with the group via PCs. It can be a little dull to be the mousy librarian at the Emperor's banquet but he knows all sorts of useful things about the Imperial household that the PCs might want to know - so don your NPC Hat as appropriate and allow the player characters to ask him questions as needed. They get the information they're looking for - if they think to ask for it - and you save a player from being handed a potentially dusty and dull role. Cautions and Caveats For the really long list of cautions and caveats, please read LARP Pitfalls and Clawing Your Way Out Of Them - there's about 10,000 words of hard-learned advice waiting for you, there. Don't overwhelm your players. Some players can absorb reams of material and half a dozen goals - and bring it all to bear in the game, but many can't. Take at look at Running a LARP At A Convention - Logistics and Sanity for more detailed warnings about the likely attention span of a player at a convention. However, if your event is a standalone one-shot event and you have been working with the players to develop their characters during pre-game production, then pour it on. Pre-production time with your playership can really pay off and allow you to add depth to your plot. But, when in doubt, err on the side of caution. Keep the plot simple, keep the goals easy to understand, keep the consequences obvious.

Don't write romantic goals between your PCs (courtesy of Lori P. of Dreams of Deirdre). Let's be honest, there aren't many female gamers out there, and those that show up to your game might not be very keen on playing out a romantic relationship with a stranger - and the menfolk might not be very keen on it, either. If you absolutely have to have some sort of romantic entanglement between your characters, try to cast real-world couples into those character roles. If your game is short on such couples, ask the players before you cast the characters. If they say 'no', don't pout, just accept it and re-write on the fly. Make sure the plot can be solved by the players. I get into this a lot more in LARP Pitfalls... Just because the clues seem blindingly obvious to you, that doesn't mean your players will see their way to the heart of the plot as quickly. You have a gestalt view of the game, your players don't. When creating a plot-line or character-goal, ask yourself "How can this be solved by the characters?". If possible, have two possible solutions for your Major Plot, just to cover your GMing butt - after all, you can't be sure that you'll have a full turnout, or particularly bright players - although LARPers are a fairly sharp bunch, I'll admit. Don't Put Your Eggs in One Basket. If the skill 'medicine' is essential for the PCs to find out who killed the Emperor, for heaven's sake, make sure that at least two characters have it otherwise you'll be up a creek when the Greek physician offends the former swordfighter and gets a dagger in his vitals. Also, you need to spread out skills broadly enough so that even if your minimum number of players are present, the puzzles can still be solved. If need be, quickly write-in the needed skills on character sheets when you realize that you're running a game with the minimum number of players and you want to make sure that the matter is covered. Players never complain about getting extra goodies on their character sheet. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. Prioritize your character list in advance of the game and determine which ones must be played for the plot to occur as it should. Make that number your 'minimum attendance' number, and assign those PCs first. Furthermore, it doesn't hurt to assume that at least three players will sign up for your game, but fail to show up when it's time to get started (particularly if you're running the event at a game convention - sleep deprivation catches up with everyone eventually). Give everyone ten minutes to arrive at the game location and, if a player hasn't arrived or sent warning that they're running late by then, hand out their slot to someone else. My opinion is that if a player can make the effort to attend a convention, then they can be on time for my event.

It's really hard to quantify how to plot for a live-action RPG - one shot or otherwise. So often, they begin with a nifty idea "Hey, wouldn't it be fun to play in a game set in ancient Rome?" and are developed slowly and haphazardly over the course of time. Characters are suggested by the core idea of the plot and the characters, in turn suggest subplots and interesting interactions. I'm sure there's a keen metaphor here about creating a live-action RPG is rather like trying to build an entire house, all at once - choosing the curtains before you've even put the subflooring down - but I'm lousy with metaphors and a good one escapes me.

Running a LARP is a challenge, but one that's worth the effort. A well-run LARP enter the annals of local legend and stands a good chance of netting you a group of 'camp followers' - players who make a point of seeking out your events and joining them. Not only does such devotion give a GM the warm fuzzies, but it also ensures your chances of successful games in future, as positive word-of-mouth is spread about your games. That's really all I have to say on the subject. If you've got a question, you're welcome to drop me a line. Good luck!

Running a LARP At A Convention - Logistics and Sanity: http://www.skaro.com/larpcon.html

LARP Pitfalls and Clawing Your Way Out of Them: http://www.skaro.com/larp_pitfalls.html

WRITING A LARP SCRIPTBy Lizzie Stark, Elin Nilsen and Trine Lise Lindahl

How to Describe a GameThere are lots of good ways to describe games, but most have a few things in common:

● Write for a general reader. This means being as explicit as possible, rather than assuming the

person you’re writing for already knows how to run the style of game you’re describing. Your

primary audience will be people who want to organize your game. In the case of short games

like this, they will most probably have the role of both organizer (running the whole project) and

game master (GM - running the game itself).

● In general, it’s better to describe too much than too little.

● Describe the tools of the game, as well as how to use them.

Most people don’t like to plunge into the middle of the river first thing, they want to get a good sense of

what kind of river it is, whether it has rocks, how deep it looks, etc. So it’s good to give readers a very

brief big picture that frames all the description that will follow.

A good set of game materials, like a good speech, will tell me what I need to know three times. Tell me

what you’re about to tell me (Intro), then tell me (techniques and walkthrough), then tell me what you

just told me (summary or game master (GM) cheat sheet).

I. Introduction -- Communicates the Vision of the GameTell us what the game is about -- not merely the plot of the game, but the universal themes (teen

awkwardness, alcoholism, facing mortality) that we will be playing on. This is your chance to

communicate your vision for the game.

May include information on:

● the setting (are we vampires on spaceships in the post-apocalypse?)

● the playing style (should I be playing to lose?)

● the gamemastering style (Should I sit back and not interfere with play? Should I be playing?

Should I directly control the game by sending in instructed players?)

● (background on the game and why you made it, but only if this helps GMs broadly know how to

push the game and situate the players.)

II. How to Run the GameA. Preparations: What do organizers need to think about before the game, both logistically

and in terms of communicating with players. For some larps, this will require two sections:

○ the preparations you need to do well in advance, including physical logistics (location,

food, etc) and communicating with players (questionnaires, casting, communicating

about the theme)

○ The preparations you do right before the game, including taking money at the site,

setting up space, and any workshop sessions.

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B. Game Structure. Short description of the larp structure. Are there acts? Scenes? What

marks the beginning and end of the game?

C. Game Walk-Through. Detailed description of the game. Let us know not just what to do

but why we should do it. This walk through should include:

● What the GM needs to do to get the players ready (workshop, casting, casting advice,

character creation, etc.)

● A more detailed summary of what is supposed to happen during the game, in the form

of a narrative description or a set of scenes/acts.

● A description of how you know the game ends, and what to do afterwards during the

debrief.

● The role of the GM during the game

D. Methods and Rules

○ Explain what the tool is and how to use it, giving actual play examples if possible. Might

also include tips on how the GM should describe the tool to the player.

(E. Tips, Tricks and Hacks. Tell us about what can go wrong and how to dix it, how to

scale the game up/down, adapt it to different settings, etc.)

F. Closing. A little bio for the game writers, plus contact info with an email where people who

have run your game can ask lingering questions and tell you how it went!)

III. Game MaterialsThese will vary depending on the game you’ve designed. They may include:

● Character sheets - list of priorities

● Scene/act/story description

● GM cheat sheet that re-states stuff from the walk-through but very briefly, like on one page, so I

don’t have to go fumbling through the manuscript to know what’s what.

● Other material depending on the game

IV. You may want to check that this is covered:Logistics

● Location

● Food and/or drinks

● Scenography

● Costumes

● Print-outs

Communication

● Do you need any special info from the players in addition to normal sign-up procedures?

● Do your players need any special info from you? (Is it necessary with a special communication

platform?)

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SOME STYLE THINGS● Use active language, not passive. (Hint: if you can add the phrase “by zombies” to your verb and

still have the sentence make sense, then you are writing in the passive voice.)

● Don’t use five words when three will do. The best writing cuts to the chase.

● If you are writing in English, avoid participles - verbs that end in “-ing.” Often “-ing” verbs can be

replaced by simple past tense.* Participles often come with additional helping verbs like “have”

and “be.” So, “The players went into the woods” rather than “The players had been going into

the woods.” If you’re writing in another language, parallels to this rule probably exist.

● Formatting Matters. Use headings and bullet points to keep the text organized for the reader

● Read three times. Read it once for structure, once for content, and once for grammar, and to cut

out unnecessary words.

● Editors rock ! Have someone who doesn’t know the project read it over and see if it makes

sense.

* Notice that this sentence makes grammatical sense w ith “by zombies” added. “Often “-ing” verbs can be

replaced by zombies.” You can edit it to, “Often simple past tense can replace “-ing” verbs.” That’s shorter and

more clear.

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Idea SubmissionWorksheet

Basic information:

Game Title:

Author(s) /Game Master(s) :

Email address:

Originating system (if applicable) and what books are used if it is a published system:

Genre:

Number of staff/GMs needed to run:

(If you are not sure, a good rule of thumb is one GM for every 5-10 players depending on the nature of the game.)

PremiseInclude a small introductory note indicating the flavor and general plot of the event in 30-50 words.

(Ex: Your ship docks at a small station orbiting Triumph, a quaint, little moon on the outer rim. What could possibly gowrong? Just a dangerous game of who has a deadly virus, space station sabotage and more hijinks than you can count causedby the crews of several ships at the space station.)

Game TypeThis may be one or more or none of the following: Theater style or Live Combat, PvP based or PvE based, along with a

short description of the overall flow.

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NPCs NeededWrite the number and description of ‘plot’ or ‘NPC’ characters needed. If not needed, please write N/A.

Intended PlayersHow many players is this game for and are these players broken up into particular groups/teams

PlotsAn outline of the game's key plot(s) , and if you have an idea any possible game ending conditions known at this time.

SettingDescribe the relevant in-game location(s) of the event and what you will need to help decorate the play space appropriately.

Items and PropsDescribe significant prop (non-decorating) related items relevant to the game.

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CostumingDescribe the suggested costume/appearance for players, etc.

Runtime

When would you ideally like to run your game?

Please provide general dates and times:

(ex. From mid-July 2013 to mid-August 2013) . Earliest date is to be no sooner than six months from the review date thatyou plan to submit this proposal to for a non-convention LARP and nine months for a convention LARP.

How long is your game planned to last? (ex. About 5 hours long)

Is this a pre-written game or will you be creating/writing it from scratch?

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Considerations and things to keep in mindAs you fill out the form above please keep these points in mind:

1 . No blanks on the form; be as detailed as possible. Never assume that anything is "standard" because your ideas and ourideas may be different, and you don’t want to misrepresent yourself and we don't want to make a wrong assumption.

2. Contact information: make sure we have an easy way to contact you, and if you get messages, please be responsive. If wecan't contact you or you don't respond, you are not allowing us the opportunity to approve your game.

3. Credit your sources: if it is based on a world or system that is someone else's intellectual property, we'd like to give themcredit for providing the inspiration. Also, if you are using a system that is in print, it will help your players to be familiarwith it when they show up to your game.

4. The premise or synopsis of the game will often be where we draw from to advertise the game, so it is important thatwhatever flavor text you use here best represents your game and will draw people into wanting to play. Make it sound likesomething that would tempt you into playing your own game.

5. Game type & Plot: this information would be kept private between you and LARP Lab staff. We need to see what toexpect out of the game, and have an understanding of your games complexity, as it could impact your game’s needs. Somevenues will not allow for things like live combat, and we seek to be "good neighbors" at any location we may use (so thatwe may use that location for future events and different games) . For example, a location for a quiet political intrigue eventwould not necessarily be a good place for a game that required loud announcements at regular intervals of the game.Please also note whether the game is "closed door" or an "open game."

A. "Closed door" means that once all the players have arrived the "doors are closed" to prevent others from wandering inor watching the game, and signifies that "the world" of the game is contained within the boundaries of the space rentedfor your game. This has the advantage of privacy, but the disadvantage of becoming limited by the space.

B. An "open game" allows players to roam around a bit more freely, these games are often outdoors, or utilizes multiplerooms or buildings to run. Open games are more likely to have non-attendees observing the game, so you sacrifice theprivacy of the game in favor of one that may have need of allowing players to have scenes all over a designated area.

6. Game needs (location requirements, Items/Props/Costumes, Number of players, or number of NPC's) .

A. This requires looking at the needs as a whole; while individually the needs may not seem that far out of the ordinary,when looked at together they may turn out to be more than we would be able to realistically be able to deliver.

B. In the case of player and NPC numbers we need to have a reasonably decided idea of what number of players and NPCare needed. We don’t want to book for a game and then find out that we needed more room because we wereanticipating X number of people and it turns out to be overcrowded because we have 20 more show up for valid slots,nor do we want to book too big a room and then need to find a way to absorb the extra cost associated with the rentalfor the room. Having a cushion of plus or minus 5 players and 3 NPCs when you submit your form is reasonable. Forexample, if a writer states that there will be 5 NPCs and 20 PCs on their form, we'll be planning space for somewherebetween 15-25 PCs and 2-8 NPCs by the time the game is fully written.

ADVENTURE TITLE(Author, Originating system, Adventure type, Genre, Intended #players)

PREMISEA small introductory note indication the flavor and general plot of the event in 30­50 words.

ADVENTURE TYPEThis may be one or more or none of: Trail Adventure, Instance Adventure, Wargame, or Scripted PlotAdventure, along with a short description of the overall flow.

NPCS NEEDEDA number and description of the number of ‘plot’ or ‘NPC’ characters needed.

INTENDED PLAYERSA number and description of the players intended to play the game, along with what characters (levels,motivations, etc) they’re expected to bring.

QUESTSAn outline of what the players will be expected to do during the day. Should take a page or two. This can beoptionally broken into McGuffin Quests, Social Quests, and Slaying Quests.

LOCATIONSDescribe the relevant locations of the event.

ITEMSDescribe significant adventure­related items relevant to the plot.

PROPSDescribe the essential props involved in the event, suggested costumes, etc.

Originally created by Harris Hoffman

Important Benchmarks

The following is a rough timeline that will help you pace yourself as you create your game, as well as give an idea of wherewe expect development to be at various dates of the development cycle.

Three months or more until game:• What is the main plot and what information can be given out to attract people to come play so we can put together flyersand start serious promotion on the website site, at game stores, and other venues. This should also include any generalinformation on costuming if you want players to costume accordingly (ex. Fantasy-medieval, steampunk, Victorian era,etc.).

• A write up of the game ready enough for advertising and a solid idea of exactly how many characters and NPCs there willbe.

• General plot should be written up and character development should be starting.

Two months or more until game:• Main plot should be completed and side plots should be started.• At least half of the characters should be written in terms of plot and background. Stats and skills don’t necessarily need tobe done at this time.

• Should have a substantial knowledge of what resources and items we need to have.• Be prepared for a check-in meeting with LARP Lab staff to discuss props needed, NPC needs, location needs, what exactcostume requirements should players and NPCs prepare for (ex.: all players need to have a pair of steampunk goggles,you’ll want a cloak or other genre appropriate outerwear as it will be cold out, etc.).

One month or more until game:• All character backgrounds should be complete with work going to completing their skills and stats.• All plotlines should be completed, minus some minor tweaking here and there as character stats and skills are finalized.• Cut and paste, the preparation of character packets, should be the primary activity left.• Last ditch opportunity to ask for help finding and securing props. Last minute prop requests should be tiny things,assumed that anything big or very specialized should have been asked for by now.

• Last meeting to check up on things: This is the final time to ask for timely last minute help from LARP Lab staff. Be sureto ask staff for help earlier if you’re behind or really need some help.

Two weeks or so until game:• Do cut and paste/create character packets.• Sit down with staff to go over discussion of game and its needs during run time and a time for staff to ask any lastquestions.

Game day:• Be at site early to help set up the site for your game and welcome players and then to help tear down after.• Game on!

Other considerations• When we check in with you, you need to reply with your status. This communication is vital so all parties know what isgoing on and can make appropriate plans and decisions based on that info.

• When we send you an email or otherwise contact you we expect an answer within a reasonable amount of time. The ruleof thumb we use is within three business days of when we were contacted.

• If you need help, please ask sooner rather than later. The longer it takes you to ask for help after you realize it, the harderit may be to provide you all the assistance you need, particularly if there’s a significant deadline not too far away.