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Shade's Live Action Role Playing (LARP) List: Forums
Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 12:11 pm Post subject: K.I.S.S.
Having run LARPs for 20+ years, I'd like to put in my two cents that you should start with the absolute bare minimum rules set.
I've played in games with 300 pages of rules. Some people enjoy this, because it's a lot like playing a tabletop game in costume. But that's not the reason that I enjoy live role-playing.
The system we designed in 1990 had about 20 pages of rules.
The system we designed in 2005 (and are still using today) fits on 1 page:
If you want differences between characters in your game (such as between 'Elves' and 'Dwarves'), first ask yourself if you can make that happen with costuming or role-playing or a 'code of conduct' or a specific NPC that helps create a strong ethnic or geographical thread that binds players together.
Most people, especially new players, don't like sitting in a meeting for 1-2 hours at the beginning of each game going over the various rules and combat calls they need to memorize. As people running LARPs and wanting to provide a detailed and complex world for our players, we sometimes overlook this fact.
Joined: Oct 01, 2009 Posts: 5 Location: Atlanta/West Georgia
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 7:12 am Post subject: totally new and totally lost
I am interested in getting into LARPs and possibly founding one in the West Georgia area where I own a 39 acre farm with forests and streams and barns.
Where is the best place to start learning about them?
Joined: May 21, 2004 Posts: 221 Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 10:26 am Post subject:
Really, Hexbreaker, before you run your own LARP, you need experience playing LARPs. This is vitally important for running your game because playing other LARPs, you will learn what should and should not be done. You will form your own opinion of how a LARP should be run, only then can you write and run your own.
Not to sound mean, this is a pure statement of fact, but if you have no idea what you're doing, it will show in your LARP and your game will fail.
Many of us here on Shade's have many, many years experience in running and playing LARPs. And you will get ALOT of advice happily and freely (so don't be afraid to ask!), but I think the best advice to you is find and play as many LARPs as possible so you can experience what's out there. _________________ Club Crimson: a Vampire Nerf game - http://www.biomechine.net/clubcrimson/
Frontiers: a Western Steampunk game - http://www.biomechine.net/frontiers/
Joined: Jul 12, 2002 Posts: 1060 Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 3:17 pm Post subject: Re: K.I.S.S.
Hexbreaker - if you could please change your icon that'd be nice, the lizard is one I put together and use on several larp forums so it's kinda "me".
We should really put together a "so you want to run a larp" post. Have you read Amber's larp articles? Try starting with the second article and working your way through the articles. Several of them may help with your questions, or link you to pages that can help.
Anstarra -
Quote:
The system we designed in 2005 (and are still using today) fits on 1 page:
The limb and torso wound system is larp combat at its most simple. It's unfortunate in my opinion that few larps are happy to have that degree of ease of play. That's the system that I've come to appreciate most in terms of simple live combat, too.
Your armour system seems genuinely original, where did it come from? Armour having no immediate effect but healing wounds after 5 minutes - never heard that one before. Do many people choose to wear armour under that system? If I get hit in the armoured torso, and am knocked unconscious, can someone finish me off while I'm down? If so, torso armour seems a little low-powered, because I may not live 5 minutes for the healing to kick in. Whereas for arm wounds, I can run away and wait to recover then return and continue fighting.
An alternative simple armour system is that if a blow actually lands on the armour, then it doesn't count. This only works in settings where complete armour coverage is impossible, or where some blows penetrate armour. It also fails to differentiate leather, chain, plate, etc. But then, it sounds like your approach doesn't differentiate those either.
Do you find that combat is over very quickly, compared to games with hit points and armour points? Do players approach combat differently - perhaps more cautiously - knowing that one hit to the torso and they're down? Do you have a different system for handling damage to very large or tough creatures?
The only thing I noticed that didn't read as simple is the Weapon Points. This reads like combat accountancy. Personally I prefer system with no limits on using weapons and armour, except for having to acquire them. So in your system, I would have the characters spend Character Points directly to buy specific weapons that they start a game with. Then during the game, they can use anything they come across. That system works well at a game I play at called St Wolfgang's Vampire Hunters - rulebook can be found here.
Joined: Oct 01, 2009 Posts: 5 Location: Atlanta/West Georgia
Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 1:17 pm Post subject: Re: K.I.S.S.
[quote="RyanPaddy"]Hexbreaker - if you could please change your icon that'd be nice, the lizard is one I put together and use on several larp forums so it's kinda "me".
[/quote]
I assure you my 5 posts will not threaten to undermine your substantial cred that you have nurtured, but thanks for asking so nicely.
Joined: Jul 12, 2002 Posts: 1060 Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 2:45 pm Post subject:
It's just that whenever I see that icon (which I put together in Photoshop and had added to this site because there is no custom avatar option) I think, "hey, it's me". A bit confusing.
Joined: Oct 01, 2009 Posts: 5 Location: Atlanta/West Georgia
Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 3:12 pm Post subject:
[quote="RyanPaddy"]It's just that whenever I see that icon (which I put together in Photoshop and had added to this site because there is no custom avatar option) I think, "hey, it's me". A bit confusing.[/quote]
Not to worry, I have seen to the problem...and revealed my true nature ..muahahaha
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