The final, key premise, is that the LARP is not about accomplishing your characters' goals, but about playing your character well.
This, I think is a very important and key element in an LARP. Convention LARPs don't have the advantage of an omnipresent narrator/gamemaster/dungeonmaster to keep everyone in line ... and to provide NPC opponents. Every character is a player, and they generally have goals at odds with each other, or else it'd be a pretty dull game. But if the emphasis is put solely on winning, then a lot is going to be missed.
There are far better ways to play a game, and play it fairly, than to let a bunch of people loose with a pretend role, some rules, and little to no supervision. It's usually just so easy to cheat in a LARP, and if there is the pressure to "win" or the lure of some sort of material prize, it makes it that much more likely that someone isn't going to play fair.
At least, that's the concern I usually have: fairness. That is what I would have been focused on, had my dream self been true to character. But you bring up the OTHER point that I wouldn't have given due consideration on my own: If you're so focused on the game, on winning, then you can miss the experience of the role. And the role is what really counts; that's what makes this special, as opposed to running across a grassy field with a leather ball, or moving plastic pieces of white and black across a checkered board turn-by-turn. ;)
I find the idea of LARPs fascinating, really. Unfortunately, LARPs have a bad history at Necronomicon, particularly the "vampire" ones.
They've had some trouble at the con with unsanctioned games being run by convention-goers. This wouldn't be bad, except that the runners of these unsanctioned games are generally rank amateurs who can't handle such basic ideas as:
1) Don't freak the mundanes. They aren't players in your game, so don't involve them in it.
2) Don't go running down the halls, making a big ruckus and play-acting in loud voices getting clobbered in the wee hours of the night. Someone might think it's REAL and respond in kind!
3) Don't push people down stairwells. =P That's what happened last year. Some "vampire" LARPer pushed some kid down the stairs. I still don't know what came of that. I just happened to be up and about in the wee hours, when I ran into a police officer in the hotel.
That's the main reason why I'd be very careful about what sort of LARP and who I'd let play. In my "SwordTag" days, even though it expressly involved a certain amount of simulated violence by whacking each other with padded weapons, we knew each other. (We didn't invite anybody too many steps left of reality. And, believe me, you'll find people like that at a convention. =P )
Hmm. I can see it now. "In order to play this LARP, you must give your name, address, contact number, show proof of identity, and certify on the following form that you have not been convicted of any..."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2003-02-03 10:09 am (UTC)This, I think is a very important and key element in an LARP. Convention LARPs don't have the advantage of an omnipresent narrator/gamemaster/dungeonmaster to keep everyone in line ... and to provide NPC opponents. Every character is a player, and they generally have goals at odds with each other, or else it'd be a pretty dull game. But if the emphasis is put solely on winning, then a lot is going to be missed.
There are far better ways to play a game, and play it fairly, than to let a bunch of people loose with a pretend role, some rules, and little to no supervision. It's usually just so easy to cheat in a LARP, and if there is the pressure to "win" or the lure of some sort of material prize, it makes it that much more likely that someone isn't going to play fair.
At least, that's the concern I usually have: fairness. That is what I would have been focused on, had my dream self been true to character. But you bring up the OTHER point that I wouldn't have given due consideration on my own: If you're so focused on the game, on winning, then you can miss the experience of the role. And the role is what really counts; that's what makes this special, as opposed to running across a grassy field with a leather ball, or moving plastic pieces of white and black across a checkered board turn-by-turn. ;)
I find the idea of LARPs fascinating, really. Unfortunately, LARPs have a bad history at Necronomicon, particularly the "vampire" ones.
They've had some trouble at the con with unsanctioned games being run by convention-goers. This wouldn't be bad, except that the runners of these unsanctioned games are generally rank amateurs who can't handle such basic ideas as:
1) Don't freak the mundanes. They aren't players in your game, so don't involve them in it.
2) Don't go running down the halls, making a big ruckus and play-acting in loud voices getting clobbered in the wee hours of the night. Someone might think it's REAL and respond in kind!
3) Don't push people down stairwells. =P That's what happened last year. Some "vampire" LARPer pushed some kid down the stairs. I still don't know what came of that. I just happened to be up and about in the wee hours, when I ran into a police officer in the hotel.
That's the main reason why I'd be very careful about what sort of LARP and who I'd let play. In my "SwordTag" days, even though it expressly involved a certain amount of simulated violence by whacking each other with padded weapons, we knew each other. (We didn't invite anybody too many steps left of reality. And, believe me, you'll find people like that at a convention. =P )
Hmm. I can see it now. "In order to play this LARP, you must give your name, address, contact number, show proof of identity, and certify on the following form that you have not been convicted of any..."