Something New???

[Oleandar_Lawless]

I have been in a larp for about a month now and i think we have grasped a new concept for the larp scene. It seems that most LARPs that i have seen and heard of are just sticking to a certain story line that has a neame and such. What we're doing is allowing for more individuallity and more imagination. That first thing we did was let everyone who was interested make a character and story of there own. We gave them directions to a "gathering place". The thing that is different is we let them do whatever. It is as realistic as it can be. i mean, we penalize for getting out of character in the middle of a gathering but the people basically lead a new life. One of the players has even went as far as to make up a new language. It is a language only spoken by the druids in our group, as well as a selet few that can learn it. Is this a new idea or are people already doing it. I would really like some feed back. Later.
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Always speak softly, you never know what eves may be being dropped....

[Wysterya]

Oleandar Lawless - Many LARPs don't have a set storyline (mine included). There may be a number of loose Major plots and multiple subplots, some of them directly generated by the players/characters. Most LARPs allow players to create their own characters based on rules set up for the game. I know NERO New England used to have separate languages for all the races, but most people didn't stick to that and I don't think its a part of NERO National rules. My game has its own script, though the language is in English. The players do have to learn how to read when the enter the game, however.
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Determination is a two-edged sword

[LoZeno]

It's not very usual, but it's not that new either. It's uncommon, let's say. Those LARP who give complete freedom to players are the best ones, IMHO. In a LARP I play here in Italy there's complete freedom too, and players create even wars and feuds among them (there's something like 300 players each time).
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Lo Zeno
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OuT Of mY MiNd. BaCk iN FiVe mInUtEs,

[Anthraxus]

Also I think that the approach you can take is very dependant on your player base. A game with 100+ players can leave alot more of the story up to the players themselves as it is easier for them to find something to do amonst themselves, and you can just occasionally throw out major events. My game currently has less than 15 regular players so if I don't provide things for my players to do, they just sit around bored.
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Administrator, Raging Gargoyle Games, LLC

[Malor]

I agree: it depends on the type of players and how many they are. My main larp is Shadow Rifts, with 200+ players, and we do a lot of major and minor subplots to advance the story. With the specials and smaller events in that universe however (all our larps are one universe linked together, so playes from Word A can go to World B and such, as long as they don't mind conquering the language barrier ) we leave a lot up to the players.

Some players make all their own plot and draw others into it (I myself fall into that catagory), others just need that bit of coaxing from a subplot to bloom into full potential. It all comes back to the old performer's axiom "know your audience".

Greetz,
Sander
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Whoever said "Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder" never played D&D