sorcerer: larping

[kwill]

well, sorcerer larping seems to be as potentially diverse as normal sorcerer play - at the moment I'm thinking of developing a LARP ruleset particular to a setting definition & situation(*), and seeing where it can be taken from there

Perry, we are so doing this after I lend you the books!

(*) bugger, this is de-protagonising the players again isn't it? once I/we've got an Illusionist beta to discuss we can take it apart

[Peregrine Dace]

composed before judd & ron's replies, so part 1 is more on SA LARPing:

I'd describe SA LARPing as successful Illusionist play, that is, the GMs have an investment in particular events and work towards them - these events may be outcomes (increasingly rare) or choices (my preference), but generally in the adventure module mindset of "and once they've done that they're sure to do this"

I do see potential for Narrativist play, but can't see immediately how to bring it about (see my description of Consequences below for some ideas)

Perry wrote:
Perhaps 10 to 15 people. 1 or 2 GMs and as little GM character or GM player interaction as possible.

in the game GMs mainly handle PCs interaction with the setting, eg special props (eg computer systems, telephone calls to NPCs) or describing scenes when PCs wander away from the play area (eg explore the house/spaceship/etc(*))

(*) much creativity has gone into setting up scenarios where PCs don't or can't do this

GMs are typically the LARP writers, ie they wrote the character sheets and background, and brief the players before play (ie, players confirm they have understood the character sheet) thus they really have a huge influence, although as Perry says during play there's a hands-off just-facilitating approach

hmmm... like winding the machine up and seeing how it goes (I speak here as a writer, GM of my own and others' LARPs, and player)

finally, on this note, LARPs are controlled by their writers; in instances where non-writers run the LARP, they have always (in my experience) previously played the LARP; personally, I've usually played, co-GM'd (with writers) and then independently(**) GM'd others' LARPs

(**) ie, independently of writers, not on my own!

Perry wrote:
Players simply get a character with backstory and a reson for being there, usually with one or two loose goals involving other characters and get to it.

I'd say this is atypical of play, or the "mature" approach to play - lists of goals for characters and intricate subplots tying character to character were my initial exposure to play and writing - my attempts at a more freeform attitude (ie, you decide for yourself what your character wants to do) have fizzled

this may be a difference between Cape Town play and Joburg play - Perry?

the LARP I still rate as my most enjoyable to play was Consequences, written by a Cape Town team - this did the "mature" approach to the hilt, pulled off the freeform attitude successfully and had only one prop gimmick (reactions to art on display were described in an at-the-game handout), GMs provided two or three Bangs (phone calls and an NPC visit) - I spent most of my evening in Actor Stance not just "being my character" but generating a meaningful story with my character - this was partly the player mix, but mostly good writing (ie, defining what drove the character)

aside: there have been what I assume where player-creates-character MET
Vampire LARPs run - Cape Town By Night, Joburg By Night, I don't recall if Durban By Night ever happened - but I was never motivated/able to join - these fizzled mainly due to GM frazzling as I recall

so that's SA LARPing from my pov, subject to wild objections by Perry

--

given that Sorcerer doesn't lend itself to pre-written modules I don't know that pre-written LARPs are a suitable medium, but in the SA context it's hard to get enough people into a small pre-written game, let alone getting them to generate characters

a big question for Sorcerer LARPing is how to present demons, PCs or NPCs? obviously this depends also on the demon/Humanity/etc definition

if, going strictly by tabletop play, the only PCs are Sorcerers, you must end up with a higher than usual GM:player ration as Jesse describes (gawd, what if someone brings in another demon?) - this is unusual but quite interesting, the dynamic becomes more of a performance put on for the players

more comments on Jesse's ideas once I've read his other thread (wow, Judd, good ideas - in a similar direction you could make the interpretation of sorcerery more abstract with the different locations and all)

Given that we've pretty much played the same LARPS (sometimes together) this is a reasonably interesting deponstration of the matter of interpeting someones text.

I'd say that many of the idiosyncracies of the SA LARP scene are a function of its size.  The writers/GMs know the players pretty well and can make certain predictions about outcomes and goal choices that players will make when combined with careful casting.

"intricate subplots tying character to character were my initial exposure to play and writing"

OK that was part of what I was calling backstory.

PD