Streetwise LARP - Musings on Conflict mechanics

[phasmaphobic]

Hey folks, I'm looking for some place to bounce around some ideas with others on some concepts I've been forming regarding revamping the rules of a LARP that I wrote and managed a few years back.  Before I go any further on this topic, I just want to probe and make sure this is the appropriate forum in which to do this (I'm new here!).

Let me know, and I'll open the discussion with some ideas.  Thanks!

[Majidah]

Hey folks, I'm looking for some place to bounce around some ideas with others on some concepts I've been forming regarding revamping the rules of a LARP that I wrote and managed a few years back.  Before I go any further on this topic, I just want to probe and make sure this is the appropriate forum in which to do this (I'm new here!).

Right forum...check!
Clever pun...check!

Bring the ideas I say!

[phasmaphobic]

Well, a quick bit of History first.  Streetwise debuted in 2001 at Dragoncon.  It was essentially a Live Action Game of Pimps and Hos.  It was created primarily to mess with the vampire larps that had taken over the convention, and also to appeal to both non-gamers and to gamers who were burnt-out on the same-old same-old.  We wore custom shirts that said "Friends don't let friends play Vampire".  Loads of fun.

For four straight years, our game featured no character numbers, stats, or other such descriptors.  You had an archetype, some Vices, one or more unique abilities, and a Pencil.  Social interactions were handled entirely through some rather awesome roleplaying, and combat was a game of pencilbreak.

Those ideas were fun, but eventually we figured they didn't really work for too long.

Now, We've revamped the sytem, starting from the ground up.  The foundations remain the same: Streetwise is a comical, tongue-in-cheek LARP about Comically-Rendered Urban Crime.  I could try to turn that into an acronym, now that I look at it, possibly some variant of "crunk."

Anyway, in this new incarnation, these are my current main goals:

• The Characters will have no numerical stats
• All systems will be based upon a social negotiation

Here's what I've got so far.  All in-game conflicts are handled in one of two ways.  The first method we call the Gentleman's Agreement.  In this revolutionary mechanic, both sides discuss the conflict and come to a resolution on their own.  We encourage this for all situations, including combat.  The second mechanic, for those moments when no compromise can be reached, is The Bid Battle.  Separate into opposing parties, and each side states what they want.  Party A makes a bid stating why they should win, Party B makes a counter-bid, and then a third-party Moderator (preferrably a complete stranger or passerby) picks the winner.  End of Conflict.

That's it, in a very tiny nutshell.  There's more, but most of it is all theoretical, pending our upcoming first-run playtests.

Thoughts?  Criticisms?  Need any clarifications?  Thanks in advance =)

[Andrew Morris]

Hey there, "phasmaphobic." Would you mind putting a real name in your signature? I think that makes thing more personal and friendly. I love to see LARP stuff, because there's not much of it here. I can certainly understand your turning away from the angsty vampire LARPs, and thus creating your own.

In general, specific questions will generate far more useful comments than broad questions, so I'm interested in what you're specifically looking for here. But I will jump in with some very general advice, based on what you've mentioned so far. I'll start off by questioning a few of your statements and apparent assumptions. Please, take this as the good-natured, constructive criticism it's meant to be.

You state two goals that simply don't seem anything like goals to me. Those sound like important design considerations or techniques that assist in reaching your goals, but not goals in and of themselves. For example, why no numerical stats? Is it to separate it from other games that use them? As a method to minimize the time it takes to use the rules? Because you don't think stats help promote the feel of the game you're looking for? Something else entirely?

So help me out a bit...why do those two points feel important to you? If it's because you think they'll speed up the resolution system, it won't really help you if I offer suggestions on neat, thematic mechanics that don't involve numerical stats, but require more time for the resolution system. See where I'm coming from there?

On the "Gentleman's Agreement" rule, I think this is a wonderful thing to make explicit in a game, but it's not revolutionary. It's not even rare, but it's often unstated. Even in something as non-indie as D&D, players will often do exactly what you describe. It's nowhere in the rules, of course, but it happens all the time. Some games make this explicit – the "say yes, or roll dice" rule in Vincent Baker's Dogs in the Vineyard and the "Rule of Consensus" in my own game, Unistat, spring immediately to mind.

The "Bid Battle," is basically what's been termed Drama resolution here and elsewhere. This is a perfectly fine way to handle resolution. Coupled with your Gentleman's Agreement mechanic, It seems to me you actually have a very minimalist but playable system already. Are you looking to develop it more, or do you just want feedback on whether these types of systems are workable?

[phasmaphobic]

Thanks for the response!

You call them design considerations, I call them goals, but I get your point.  My purpose for the lack of numerical stats is that I find they detract from the immersion which is supposed to be part of a LARPing experience - at least, they have in my own experiences, and I've received numerous agreements from others who have played the game as well.  We (my associates and I) want more emphasis on the scene, the characters, and the actions, and none at all on the mechanics of those actions.  I'm fond of the Bid Battle idea because I think it would not only keep the mood but also encourage the players to assert what they feel to be the qualities inherent to their characters.  Or so I hope.

As for the gentleman's agreement, I'm pretty well aware the concept isn't revolutionary.  That was a joke =).  However, we have had that in our rules since day one, and I'm glad it's there.  I've been surprised by the players numerous times when they resolve combat by actually agreeing that it would be awesome of several of them died or got wounded, without even breaking out the mechanics.

To answer your last question, I seek mostly feedback and observations.  I have few specific questions, and am more looking for some consultation as to whether or not these ideas seem workable.  So if you were to, as you say, "offer suggestions on neat, thematic mechanics that don't involve numerical stats, but require more time for the resolution system", I am definitely open.  This "Second Edition" of the rules is currently in a proto-stage, and I welcome all outside constructive comments and criticisms.

So far, this new incarnation is as of yet unplaytested.

PS: My name is Nathanael Phillip Cole.  I've gone by NPC (weird family) since before I knew it was a gamer term.  So that is my name in my signature, or at least one that I frequently use (and prefer in most online discussions).

[Andrew Morris]

"NPC," huh? Okay, I can roll with that.

Anyway, NPC, here's the sense that I'm getting. Your priority here is immersion, which is fairly understandable, though different people each seem to have their own take on it. To facilitate this, it seems like you're looking for either a) a fast resolution system, so that in-character breaks are kept as short as possible, or b) a resolution system that works within the context of the in-game world, so that players don't ever have to step out of character. Does that seem right to you? 

[phasmaphobic]

Really, I'm looking for both.  Well, now that you put it that way, what I am ultimately seeking to define is a core mechanic that is simple and interactive, and that also fits in perfectly with the core theme of the game: "biddness," backstabbing, and negotiations.  Ideally, I'd like to see that theme permeate every aspect of the game, right down to acts of violence and such.

Plus, as an added bonus, I think that in a convention setting, encouraging the players to seek random passers-by as temporary mediators could be great for advertising.  Might work especially well as such, considering many casual gamers who enter the LARP areas tend to lump all such players into the "Vamps and Canines" realm of gamers.  Again, at least I hope.