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Shade's Live Action Role Playing (LARP) List: Forums
Shade's LARP List :: View topic - Living in the LARP Worlds - Utopia vs. Cruel Reality
Joined: Jul 07, 2003 Posts: 606 Location: Mikkeli, Finland
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 5:45 am Post subject: Living in the LARP Worlds - Utopia vs. Cruel Reality
From the finnish LARP-list :
Your generic LARP-world seem to have some utopistic qualities. Death is trivial thing, it can be conquered. You never see hunger, true poverty (not including the occasional beggar), thieves are merry men, evil is easily identified, prostitution is only a social stigma (no diseases, no abuse, no mental disorders). War is just a passtime for men (historically it was, but not all the time and the relation towards war was different) and drugs are almost safe... General punishment includes imprisoment (no, no, they really didn't have that many prisons in medieval age and they were reserved for nobles), fines and maybe death penalties if the world "is cruel".
So what say you? IS this true? Is the sky colored pink? Should it be?
I'll take mine "Painted Black", please. I want to have harsh punishments, including cutting of fingers, hands and other things... Blinding, whipping, torturing. Drugs make people addicts, addiction kills. Needles give you diseases, so does poor food & hygienics. Nobles/corporates don't care a shit about you, you are just workforce, there WILL be another you eventually. People are racist, xenophobic and egocentric... Prostitutes are cheap whores and their pimps have the control... World is a shitty place to live... Well, not always, but I have seen quite enough of fluffy things. Is there room for cruel reality in LARP? _________________ Very few rules, very good games and ... Awesome food.
My personal point of view: if the LARP world were identical to the real world, what's the point of LARPing anymore?
It's just good that in a LARP your character doesn't need to care about job, earning his everyday meal, avoiding diseases, and even death in a certain measure: this way you can concentrate on more "epic" or "heroic" things! We all play LARP to be able to do those things we can't do in real world, such as fight the evil, or BE the evil, fight until death, or feel like heroes, and so on... if we were to care about how clean is the place we go peeing and how much grain shall we need to sell to get a meal per day, wel... reality would be just as funny as the game. So, why bother playing if it is the same thing? _________________ Lo Zeno
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OuT Of mY MiNd. BaCk iN FiVe mInUtEs,
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 9:55 am Post subject: Reality vs Fantasy
Well, I think you need a certain amount of reality with your fantasy. The trick is balancing just right. Too much fantasy and the player could get bored because things are a bit too goody-goody, however too much reality and the player feels as if they should have gone to work to feel oppressed rather than being at LARP.
If the right balance can be struck and the player feels that with a certain amount of struggle, they can control their own destiny and are more satisfied with the outcome.
Real life can be so oppressive, you need to have some kind of control, even if its not real.
At Equinox, in game there is a certain amount of racism, laws that are enforced by a Lord and his magistrate and egocentricity runs rampant, no doubt, and sometimes your deadliest enemy is right under your nose having dinner with you and your family. But it works out so great when put together with everything else that I can really put away my real life for a weekend and immerse myself completely.
Joined: Jul 07, 2003 Posts: 606 Location: Mikkeli, Finland
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 1:10 pm Post subject:
My best larp experiences have been ones with most grief and shit... You can have great experiences without goodigoodie world and all that pink. I consider event to be real good if I have cried during it. _________________ Very few rules, very good games and ... Awesome food.
Good topic.
Thou I believe that LoZeno has a point about "My personal point of view: if the LARP world were identical to the real world, what's the point of LARPing anymore? "
My larp has a few "cruel" items in it, but is not largely done due to we are fairly small. We have enviromental encounters (plot does this) that includes such as: Windstorms, No food in the tavern or within 50 miles, no water, snowstorms, famines and plagues (done a few sessions with this idea, its fun) and so forth.
Punishment happens, often players or NPC's are thrown in a well (that is, a fake one no real depth), in a jail cell if a place has one, or corperal punishment.
I feel that if the larp has some background as to what OUR earth's time was then we should include cruel actions also also.
My stories for my larp and some sessions have people talkin about how bad it was when the world of Packtin was first rid of the Giant Ants and how the Giant Ants treated the slaves.
There was large racism in my world between the staple races (humans, elves, dwarves , orcs, etc) as shown in some wars.
Currently the races have subsided into their own areas and little racism goes on. two Sessions ago, we had a Noble Drow Elf staying at the Princess's Jug. He was robbed over a period of 3 days, and enlisted the help of a Half-Water Neried Witch and a Guard of New Town.
The thief, who was not known at the time, was talking to the Half-Water Neried and she was givin very little respect due to what she was. And that was not even planned in the plot!
I believe some cruel stuff should be in all larps, it's a good plot starter and can get players to do stuff. Still we should emphazise on heroics, that is we could have a "Slave Camp" where a Warrior heroicly saves the day. It can work.
Anyone that played a MUD in fantasy times knows not to piss off the Town Guards, you will die
ha
-Vic _________________ Letting players live shows the GM has s sense of humor..
Joined: Jun 14, 2003 Posts: 152 Location: Southwest Florida
Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2004 11:05 am Post subject: Some random thoughts.
The first thing I get out of Fantasy LARPs is good ole fashioned bopper fighting. Field battles, capture the flag, just general sparring - but that's just me and the folks I grew up with. A dying breed.
The second thing I get out of all LARPs is the chance to put myself in situations that I won't ever experience in real life: I'll never die to save my liege Lord, I'll never drink someone's blood, I'll never cast a spell, I won't be a hero or a villain. Or answer questions I don't get to in real life.
That being said - I favor LARPs that have that "darker" side. I don't want to win every time. I don't want roses. I WANT consequences to my actions. I WANT to make tough decisions. I love last stands and dying deliveries.
Another thing I've noticed about the games here in Michigan lately is the number of folks playing "bad guys" - vampres and necromancers and murderers and thieves. Getting power by taking others life essence. And skulking in the nighttime to accomplish your PCs goals.
This I don't get and I do not like.
I like team "good" opposing team "evil."
I like banners and sunlight and face to face fights as opposed to cloaks and shadows and assasinations.
Is just local?
Is it a cycle?
Does it relate to this topic?
Bill _________________ "Friends are people who know the words to the song in your heart, and sing them back to you when you have forgotten them." -Anonymous
Joined: Jul 07, 2003 Posts: 606 Location: Mikkeli, Finland
Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2004 12:39 pm Post subject:
I have been a hero IRL... Heroes get beaten up. They really do. It still feels good. You don't have to win to be a hero. It works as well in LARP's as in real life. You can give your life to save someone, for just a while. You can be beaten up by three nazis to give a little chinese girl enough time to run. Eventually you will lose, even if you are a hero. It's just a question how you will lose and for what...
I usually avoid good vs. evil in my gameworlds. I have written both, but they don't give me any kicks.
And whee, I like a good battle once in a while. But I don't have to go larping for one... _________________ Very few rules, very good games and ... Awesome food.
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2004 11:28 pm Post subject: Yeah and another thing!
Cruel reality.
If your 7 ft tall you don't play a very good dwarf.
Elves are skinny. (I cannot play an elf).
Some should not wear chainmail bikinis EVER!
Most LARP spells/magic look kinda silly. WHy not create spells that need no SPX or forced imagination. A "realistic" magic system.
Instead of a fireball why not a spell of heat. Same effect but no need to force imagine a fire ball. Shock instead of lighting bolt. Coldness instead of icebolt. _________________ I know the pieces fit! I watched them fall away!
Joined: Jul 07, 2003 Posts: 606 Location: Mikkeli, Finland
Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 2:38 am Post subject:
WHAAAAT? I have been in a dwarf team where average height was 6'2" and average weight 100+ kilograms... (sorry, can't do lbs)... And there were only two taller players in the game... _________________ Very few rules, very good games and ... Awesome food.
Joined: Jan 24, 2004 Posts: 2 Location: Jyväskylä, Finland
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 7:41 am Post subject:
I definetly like the more cruel reality compared to the pink fluffy world (in LARPs that is). Maybe that's because my real life often seems to be more a pink fluffy one LARPs are a good, safe environment to experience the bad stuff and a different kind of life with all its joys and sorrows. As with Jupe, I also consider a LARP a very good one, if I've managed to cry and also if I've managed to laugh for completely in-game reasons (now that is sometimes pretty tough!). One of the things I look forward to in LARPs is powerful emotions (for example getting very angry at some one: yelling and all). Naturally, we all get those in normal life as well but still riding the emotional rollercoaster when watching a movie or while in a LARP game "gets me high".
Also, working in LARPs is something I'd like to experience more. Especially farm work like cutting hay, making thread with a spinning wheel etc. There just aren't too many opportunities for things like that :/
P.S. Jupe, I'm still waiting to get to play that badly treated slave... _________________ Tutta of Many Laughters
Joined: Feb 09, 2004 Posts: 34 Location: Enfield, NH
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 9:29 am Post subject:
Hmm.... Tough Call. I think I would go either way on this one.
The theme, tone, and nature of the game being played would determine if I wanted pink or dark skies in the game.
As a preference I think I prefer the grey sky.
Example:
If I am playing Cyberpunk, I want some gritty darkness. If I have a drug addict character I want there to be penalties and benefits to my character if they do or do not get their fix.
If i am playing a Care Bears game of Save the Puppy, I probably don't want to worry about getting rabies or catching a cold from using my snuggle power.
Now if I were playing Care Bears in the Pits of Hell, then maybe!
As a whole, my preference is grey. There should be some positive and negative possibilities for any action and there should be a prudent response and outcome to actions.
-np- _________________ --
Dr.Nik, cultured poseur
originalShade, play hard
Joined: Jul 07, 2003 Posts: 606 Location: Mikkeli, Finland
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 10:00 am Post subject:
Yeah, grey is good. Of course you can play any shade of pink or whatever you want, but I'm not one for protected environments.
Tutta : Just say how badly you want to be treated and you'll have it. Druid 3 is coming next year and you'll have your character. And I'll find a player who wont be setting you free or being nice to you... _________________ Very few rules, very good games and ... Awesome food.
Joined: Jan 15, 2002 Posts: 337 Location: Virginia, USA
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 10:26 am Post subject:
It depends on the LARP for me. In Brassy's Men (running first episode in May), there is poverty, starvation, war, and permanent final death. In PRAWN (running at origins), not only is there character death, but it is quick, random, and the players can see the dead character being eaten by characters outside of the game space and are powerless to stop it.
In Nightmare Before St. Patrick's Day (running at Intercon E), there will be no death, no real war to speak of, and while challenges will be present, it will be much more of a utopian universe than normal.
The real question is, if you have poverty, disease, starvation, and the like in your LARP how much of those elements do you force on the players? No matter what, around here, we feed and allow our players to sleep (this is for safety reasons; many have to drive home after the game and driving and sleep dep don't mix).
Has anyone ever deliberately starved a player because their character was starving? Is that cruel?
Joined: Jul 07, 2003 Posts: 606 Location: Mikkeli, Finland
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 11:28 am Post subject:
I have had a player who starved himself before the game because his character was starving and sick. I really admired that guy and he was a newbie. I do it myself too, but it was his second or third event or something like that. _________________ Very few rules, very good games and ... Awesome food.
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