Planet LARP

Where does the desire of 'la-la-land' come from in live-action role-playing?

By Rosanna van Straten

City on a Hill Press

Illustration by Bela Messex.

From top to bottom: The Many Faces of Aaron Vanek: saloon owner in a Deadwood LARP, F. Scott Fitzgerald during a Speakeasy poker game LARP and the Bloody Baron, house ghost of Slytherin at a Hogwarts LARP. Photos courtesy Aaron Vanek.

John Behnken is 47 years old. He works for IBM as a security architect, was a chef after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America and has a family of four. He lives most days as an average Joe, but other days he is John the wizard, John the combat fighter or John the game master.

“My own desire to role-play came from my early childhood experiences, from playing ‘superhero’ with my friends as a grade-schooler to playing Dungeons & Dragons in high school,” Behnken said. “From there I developed a fascination with all forms of ‘adventure’ stories, both fiction and semi-historical: Robin Hood, King Arthur and the stories of the Plantagenet kings of 12th-century England.”

Behnken now runs a LARP game in Massachusetts, called Prophecy.

LARP stands for “live-action role-play,” and is a game, or — as some argue, a form of art — that is comparable to an extremely immersive form of improvisational interactive theater. The spectrum of types varies from episodical five- to six-hour LARPing games to ones that last for years and participants return to the same background story with their same characters. Sometimes games involve a few participants, but often they have hundreds.

Around the world, there are hundreds of thousands of people involved in LARPing, yet most “regulars” don’t have a clue what the word means. Among people who do recognize the word, LARPing is often considered the ultimate geeky pastime.

Some dub the game the ultimate form of escapism. Either way, it’s role-play, and everyone has some way of finding an alternative for reality. LARPing is just a more fantastical one.

At UC Santa Cruz, the closest activity to LARPing is the internationally recognized game Belegarth. In this sport, students focuses on the battling aspect of the game.

LARP designer and creator Aaron Vanek, a UCLA graduate, said there are three main features to look for to identifying a LARP experience. First, there is a lack of audience, because the people involved participate and no one watches. Second, LARPers act out everything instead of narrating actions, like in Dungeons & Dragons. Third, there is what he calls identifying the “bubble.” The bubble is the boundary that expresses the end of the real world and the start of the world in which the player is role-playing.

“The boundaries are flexible, but they have to be decided before the game starts,” Vanek said. “We could say this room is a spaceship, and everything in it can be role-played, from the people in the room to the chairs. Outside of this room, however, the real world remains.”

So where does the appeal to be in this “room-turned-spaceship,” or in a forest reenacting a medieval combat, come from?

When the players really get involved and become part of the story, things happen, John Behnken said.

“The anachronisms disappear,” Behnken said. “The perceived ‘silliness’ of what you’re doing also falls by the wayside. You fight for your ‘life’ — or at least the life of your character.”

  

Origins of Obsession

With its extremely wide spectrum of varieties and types, the history of LARPing is complex. Vanek said that role-playing has been around since the beginning of time.

“Role-playing, or play pretend, has been around since humans crawled out of the trees,” Vanek said. “It’s an ancient art form that probably began in shamanistic tribal rituals where someone would put on the skin of an animal and pretend to be hunted by the tribe.”

Rick McCoy is the president of LARP Alliance, a southern California–based group that brings together LARPers by developing resources for players. McCoy said that in order to be identified as a LARPer, mechanics and rules must be involved.

“LARPing has always had a system of mechanics,” McCoy said. “It always has the inclusion of ‘I am still a character, this is a fictional setting, and this is not me.’”

Either way, putting the focus on role-playing aside, modern day LARPing has an intricate history.

In 1976, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, both game designers, created Dungeons & Dragons, a role-playing game that is tabletop-based like board games. Gygax was largely inspired by “Little Wars,” a simulation-type war game that incorporated miniature armor, created in the early 20th century by author H.G. Wells. Arneson and Gygax took this concept and added fantasy elements and complex story lines to it.

Participants embody characters instead of military formations, and go on adventures in a previously set fantasy world.

Each game has a game master, or dungeon master, who not only creates this imaginary world but also acts as problem solver in it. Dungeons & Dragons was the first fantasy-based game to become popular, luring in nerdy high school students all over the country.

In 1981, Larry Niven and Steven Barnes, both authors, wrote the fantasy novel “Dream Park,” describing a theme park setting with highly futuristic elements.

“Imagine Disneyland combined with Star Trek’s holographic technology,” McCoy said. “What you saw visually was like the real deal.”

In “Dream Park,” the International Fantasy Gaming Society (IFGS) is a worldwide organization of fantasy gamers. Niven and Barnes took the tabletop phenomenon of Dungeons & Dragons and practically predicted what could happen if players were to make the role-playing live action.

The novel’s IFGS was recognized by real-life fantasy gamers, and later that year a real-life IFGS was established into a team of adventurers — Think “Lord of the Rings” — with a common goal. This is what could be called the first official LARP society.

Many Dungeons & Dragons fans were excited by this and delved into the LARPing world.

“Tabletop role-playing was very cool, especially when it was good tabletop gaming, led by a game master who really took the time to craft adventures with realism and rich characters,” Behnken said. “The sad part was that it all needed to stay in my mind and on the table. I found LARP, which, as it turned out, became the culmination of everything I was looking for. I could create a character, live and breathe it.”

Third-year Sam Sanders participates on campus in the foam weapon combat game of Belegarth. Photo by Kyan Mahzouf.

Playing Pretend

LARPing takes on infinite realizations. From live combat games to mystical adventures, from embodying medieval villages to a LARP based on a futuristic idea, like “The Matrix.” The list is never-ending, but all have one thing in common: role-play that is active, or live action.

So where does the desire come from to develop a character that is so far outside of yourself? After all, even children play games like cops and robbers and have tea parties with stuffed animals.

UC Santa Cruz sociology professor Craig Reinarman explained the attraction of acting out of character.

“It allows you to behave in ways which you wouldn’t ordinarily allow yourself to behave,” Reinarman said. “People find a certain exhilaration and freedom in that. I suspect that one could get the same kinds of pleasure out of LARPing.”

Some LARPers see the game as not only a hobby but as a form of escapism. Rick McCoy, for example, said that as a child he read books constantly.

“You know, that was my escape,” McCoy said. “Then I found role-playing games when I was 10, and it was the ultimate escapism, the ultimate way of getting out of reality.”

Instead of escape, the game can also be seen as a form of control, of building a character up from the ground in whichever way the player desires.

“I think it’s a way of controlling your own person, controlling your own destiny despite what life has thrown at you,” Andrew “Sieglatan” Hodnet said.

Hodnet is the organizer of a Belegarth group on campus, a live combat–based game that is less intense in terms of role-playing.

“A lot of these people want to be in a setting where by the merits of their own strength and the merits of their own bravado they are the leader of their own little hill,” Hodnet said.

Although control and escape may be two reasons behind LARPing, players can also learn from role-playing.

Brandon Boucher, also known the “lightning bolt man,” made a LARPing video on YouTube that skyrocketed to popularity. Boucher is now featured on “TOSH.0,” a U.S. television series in which host Daniel Tosh provides sarcastic commentary on popular culture.

Boucher said that LARPing is an enriching experience, as it can be both physically challenging and an emotional work-out.

“I’m a very gray person — I don’t see the world in black and white,” Boucher said. “Yet I have played characters where there is black and white, there is right and wrong, there is justice and injustice. You don’t really escape problems because there’s a whole realm of problems to deal with in the LARPing realm. It’s a much more magnificent existence, I guess. Everything happens on a grander scale.”

On a grander scale, role-playing is also a learning experience. In sociology and psychology, as Craig Reinarman explained, role-playing can be a kind of exercise to understand more about what the world looks like from the point of view of another person.

“This comes from a particular tradition in sociology that is called symbolic interactions,” Reinarman said. “It’s a certain way of conceptualizing the self: learning who you are largely through watching the responses of other people.

Aaron Vanek, LARP designer of many long- and short-term events, said that role-playing has been around as long as humanity has existed, and that it is hard-wired into our brains. He makes the comparison to ancient holidays such as the Roman Saturnalia, when, for a day, masters and slaves would switch roles.

.

“There’s so much to gain by experiencing life when you’re not quite yourself,” Vanek said. “A lot you can learn about others, a lot you can learn about yourself.”

What sometimes can be mistaken as truly immersing oneself in a role can also be seen as taking a role too far. This is exactly why a LARP environment is a controlled one, with boundaries, McCoy said. Part 

f the art of LARPing is to be able to identify these boundaries.

“Role-playing mastery revolves around the fact that you know that this is a game,” McCoy said. “That you as a role-player work with what the story is about so that you can push it. This is important.”

LARP as Art

The amount of preparation that goes into a LARP, especially a long-running game, is immense. The best LARP designers take their craft seriously. Writing the story, the backbone for a LARP and preparing the locations, props and costumes can take months. John Behnken, who runs Prophecy, describes the complexities of setting up a serious game.

“Before every game — we run four to five games a year —
we collectively write at least a novel or two’s worth of text in support of the coming game,” Behnken said. “All of which is overseen by our IFOC [the iron fist of continuity], whose job it is to make sure that everything fits the overall continuity of the story.”

This extent of preparation can be comparable to endless rehearsing for plays or dance performances. A big difference is obviously the lack of audience, and the extreme involvement of all who are a part of the game.

“It’s interesting to think about LARPing being the ultimate aesthetic principal of acting,” Hodnet said. 

“That you’re not doing it for social redeem, you’re doing it just for the aestheticism of acting.”

The reason why LARPing may be recognized as a geek game rather than a powerful medium of expression could be the fact that it is such an internal experience. There are no spectators, there are no observers and there is no one to take an outsider’s perspective, except for maybe a journalist or two trying to do their readers a service by explaining what LARPing is all about.

Aaron Vanek explains that a big reason why LARPing may not get recognition as a serious art form is the lack of fixed form. Each improvisational “play” is performed once only, therefore creating a difficult means of analysis and critical examination. Vanek, however fully believes in LARPing as an art form, and called it “the use of skill and imagination to create an aesthetic experience.”

Some, such as Brandon “lighting bolt man” Boucher, believe that LARPing will never become mainstream, that it is so far outside normal that it will not reach that point. But LARP is making huge strides in the community at large.

Vanek predicts that LARPing is on its way to recognition and in the future will be portrayed as a viable hobby and art form, rather than a gathering of turbo geeks.

“It’s a tall order, as I could be dead wrong — LARP might just be the bastard child of performance art,” Vanek said. “Role-playing games and improvisational theater — it might never be any more popular than it is now, and LARP will quietly go the way of the hula-hoop. But I don’t think so.”

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Blood Energy Drink Review

We just got our first shipment of the NEW Blood Energy Drink in and of course we all had to try it. First thing commented on was that it comes in a nifty 3.4 oz reusable IV Bag. Pretty cool! The Taste?? It's good! The consistency is a little thick and tastes a lot like Hawaiian Punch concentrate. On the package there are directions on how to microwave for 14 seconds to heat it up to 98.6 degree body temperature. After following the directions it made it kind of a wierd warm. Similar I guess to licking a freshwound, but sweeter. Badger said it amped him up Vampire-style but unless he kicked Edward Cullen's butt he wouldn't know.

From the website: "Synthetic blood substitute. The fruit punch flavor packs 4 hours of energy along with iron, protein, and electrolytes. Not only does Blood Energy Potion have a similar nutritional makeup to real blood, but it has the same color, look, and consistency. Get real blood nutrients without that real blood taste! Re-sealable transfusion bag style pouch. Contains no real blood, just synthetic!"

We have single, double, four and twelve packs available and they start at $4.49 a pack. We also ship APO, FPO, and worldwide. Buy some now but don't forget to get enough to share !

You Forgot the What?

(A guide for packing and camping)
by Yehudah of Nuremberg (Barony of SunDragon, Atenveldt)

Greetings!

After many years of camping, you develop a memorized routine of packing everything you need for an event or war. However, after this same number of years, I have also come to the realization that I will still forget something ranging from semi-important to very important.

Usually these oversights can be reduced by creating a packing list. Check off each item as it is gathered in a ‘staging area’ for packing. Then you know you are finished packing the car, truck, AND trailer when this staging area is empty.

Unfortunately, there is one flaw in this method. The packing is done by us SCAdians. I’ve found that planning and organization seem to be out of period and therefore not in general practice in these Current Middle Ages.

In spite of this and other traditions, I’ve cobbled together years of hard-won, and lost, experiences of my own and a number of others for the benefit of anyone who cares. Some items are deliberately noted on more than one list.

Feast Baskets:

The simplest of events to prepare for is a one day event and feast. Simply said but making sure you take all the items you want is not as easy. I suggest having a basket always stocked, ready to grab-and-go.

We use a large wicker basket with a good lid. I have also lined the inside to keep out dirt and insects (scorpions, Black Widows, etc.), with out-door feasting in mind. Eventually, all this junk will weigh about the same as a medium sized javelina so be sure the handles or straps are pretty heavy duty and well attached to the frame. Also keep in mind, the feast environment and clean-up facilities when selecting your dinnerware. Metal doesn’t insulate at all but doesn’t break. Wood is a fair insulator and far more durable than ceramics, glass or china. I have seen plastic ware (ie. Melmac) that has a period appearance and avoids embarrassment when sitting across from Their Graces and their exquisite place settings.

We have the large feast basket with all the regular gear and a smaller one with nice plates, glasses and napkins for civilized in-door feasts. So! What to keep in a feast basket? Some items are obvious, some not. You may think of more.

Feast Gear Basket Checklist

Besides a dinner set for each member of your family, I also keep a couple of extra set for guests or to use.

Plates / Platters Bowls Cups / Mugs / Tankards Dinner knives Soup spoons Forks Serving spoons Napkins Tablecloth(s) Paper towels

Salt & Pepper Sugar (water tight) Instant coffee Tea bags Candle holders Candles Lighter / Matches Good can opener Bottle Opener Good cork screw

Steak knives Serving tongs Dish towel Handy / Baby wipes Small flashlight 'Mundanity' covers Pain relievers Pepto Bismol

• Alcohol based ‘waterless’ cleaner. (Kills bacteria on contact. Bacterial soaps need much more time for effect.)
• Kitchen garbage bags. (For trash, dirty dishes. Great liner in a basket for a make-shift wash tub or water bucket.)
• ZipLock storage bags. (Several quart and gallon sized for left-overs, etc.)
  

Put your SCA name on the bottom of your drinking stuff. They get lost more than any other item.

Cooler Tips: Keep a couple of 2 liter bottles in the freezer ready to grab. Fill to about 1-2 inches from the top and squeeze the bottle a bit before capping. This give room for the expanding ice. They hold up better than loose ice, your cooler stays dry, and they provide additional cold drinking water as they melt.

First Aid Kit Checklist

This is for FIRST and minor aid. Always seek the advice of a Chiurgeion on any injury.

Finger bandages (Assorted sizes) Calamine lotion Antiseptic wipes Eye wash and cup Tweezers Ace bandages Bandage tape Small knife

Large bandage pads Aloe Vera gel / lotion for minor burns Pain reliever Scissors Cotton swabs Gauze wrap Sterile gauze pad packs Allergy kits

Now you are ready to really camp and setup up your very own kitchen. As with the feast basket, I suggest keeping a stocked camp kitchen ready to go. Mine is in a large plastic tub. Most of the gear is from 2nd hand stores and “Wally World”. (The following items fit into a 24"x18"x18" Rubbermaid tub with a high lid. ‘Tetris’ experience is a plus.

Camp Kitchen Check List

Griddle / Lg fry pan 10" Handled pot 3qt Coffee pot Wok-style ladles with & w/o holes Long metal tongs BBQ fork BBQ skewers Pot holders 2-3 Chef's knife Paring knives Lg plastic mixing bowl Lg strainer or colander Lg plastic funnel Plastic measuring cup 16oz Plastic rap roll Tin foil roll Lg ziplocks gallon size Scrubber brush Paper towels Bottle opener

Sm bottle bleach Cafeteria style tray (food prep surface) Deep pan 5qt Teapot Lg metal spoons Wood mixing spoons Wisk BBQ spatula Regular spatula Dish towels / Rags Long blade knife Cutting board 'Mundanity' covers Lighter / matches in waterproof container Lg plastic pitcher Dish washing liquid Steel wool pads Can opener Two stackable storage boxes (wash tubs)

What does not fit in the Kitchen tub:

• Lg 2' diameter wash & rinse tubs (optional)
• Collapsible soft-sided trash barrel (garden section of Home Depot, et al)
• 6-8 clothes pins to hold trash bag in place

Kitchen tip:Pack a 3lb coffee can. The gallon sized sealable bags fills the can and folds back nicely over the top. This holds the bag wide open for filling. Make sure there are no burrs on the lip of the can. Try to keep all your food stuff in sealable tubs. This can be a life saver after a major storm.

Camping Gear Check List

Sleeping tent w/ poles Kitchen pavilion w/ poles '(Make sure you have ALL the poles!)' Stakes (metal, forget plastic!) Canopy for tent (keeps tent much cooler) Water proofing spray Ground cover tarp(s) Portable holes Lantern(s) and fuel Extra lantern mantles, bulbs Candle lantern & candles Sledge hammer (5-10lb mini sledge) Lighter / matches Lantern hooks Fire pit / brazier Sleeping bag(s) Pillows Folding tables, kitchen & general Disposable table coverings Flashlights Spare bulbs Duct tape (2-3 rolls) Shepards hooks or other lantern hangers

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS Tent heater (avoid leaving lg BTU heaters on while sleeping!) Camp fuel Supply tent w/ poles Guy ropes Tent rugs Tarps Grommet repair kit Tie down rope (100' nylon) Banners & poles Hurricane lamps Lamp oil Camp knife, lg survival type Camp stove(s) Fire wood Hot water bottle Blankets / bedding Foam / air mattress Folding chairs Water cooler(s) Portable radio for weather/emergencies Batteries Sleeping futons, cots, pads, beds

(Plan on at least a gallon of fuel for every 3 days. 1 10oz. propane bottle per day for each lantern and heater.)

Suggestion: The propane ‘trees’ that mount on the large tanks are about $20 but are much cheaper in the long run for propane lanterns. I set the 5 gallon (20lb.) tank on a table or stand so the top of the tree sits above head height to provide good lighting.

‘SECOND CHANCE’ is the name of a brass adapter that I have that screws onto the tree with the large propane tank threads on the other end for connecting large grills and other stuff.

I keep my stakes, tie down ropes, repair kits, etc. in a 5 gallon detergent bucket with lid.

NOTE: Leave the lid off for a couple of days when you get home from a rainy trip so it can dry out EVEN IF YOU THINK IT’S DRY! It won’t be a pretty sight when you open it a few month later. (Last year’s lesson.)

Vehicle Check List

Spare tire, INFLATED! Radiator water (3gal min) Spare oil 12v air compressor (damn near essential) Flashlight TOOLS! (hammer, adj wrench, vise grips, screwdrivers, pliers, hose clamps, etc.)

Jumper cables Power sterring fluid Radiator tape / duct tape Transmission fluid Road flares / triangles

MAKE SURE ALL OF THESE ARE ACCESSABLE! It sucks to unpack everything to just get at that tire iron.

Personal Gear Check ListI like to pack as much as I can into stacking ‘Rubbermaid’ type tubs or something similar with a good seal. They keep your stuff clean, dry and pretty bug free even in the worst weather. Put your shoes on top of something at night.

Address book / EMERGENCY NUMBERS Event directions (stick in sun visor) Map Notepad Watch SCA card and fighting cards Cell phone AND the bloody charger Toilet paper Hair brush / comb Tooth paste and brush Bar / liquid soap MEDICATIONS!!!! Shaving cream Hair ties Bath towels Safety pins Handy/ baby wipes Feminine hygiene supplies Contact lens case & solution Sewing repair kit Stapler (great easy fixer) Carrying basket

Lg metal camp mirror (no glass) Glass repair kit (mini-driver & screws) Heavy duty portable power jack for dead batteries Wallet & ID & credit cards Money (sounds dumb but I've forgotten) Pen / pencil / calligraphy set Alarm clock Camera Film & batteries Tissues Shampoo / Conditioner Deordorant Sun screen Razor(s) Wash cloths Insect repellant Spare eye glasses Alcohol based "waterless" handcleaner Sun glasses Walking cane / staff Make-up Umbrella

Clothing:

Spare MUNDANES (2 set) Socks (hvy & lt) Work boots SCA boots Slip on footwear (for privy dash) GARB (court, field, warm & light styles) Favors / medallions Hats Laundry bags

Under garments VERY comfortable footwear Cloak(s) Head coverings Sweat pants / leggings Scarves Rain ponchos Shower tunic / robe Belts

It Takes Two to Tango

(or)
Player and Game Master Responsibilities
by Johanna Mead

For Everyone The first rule is: Always have fun.

If you are not having fun, find out what is stopping you and change it. Even if that means changing your character, or quitting the game entirely, do what makes you happy. Just do it tactfully and with the minimum of melodrama - your fellow-gamers will appreciate that.

Have respect for one another Have some manners. Even if you're in a rush, remember the little things like 'please', 'thank you' and a pleasant demeanor. The bad karma that can be generated from one snappish comment can ripple throughout a group and poison it very quickly.

Listen to each other That means the GM needs to focus when a player asks for a moment of their time - be it at the game, on the phone or via e-mail. It means the players need to pay attention when the GM speaks, and heed their words when given. Neither side is speaking because they like the sound of their own voice.

Communication is a two-way event - Communication requires an exchange of information and opinions. If that's not happening, then somebody is just giving a monologue. Once you get the hang of listening to each other, try the possibly novel concept of giving considered feedback.

This matter is particularly true when it comes to player-unhappiness. Every ongoing larp that I have been a part of - and I mean every single one - has suffered communications problems when it comes time for the players to bring up an issue they have with the game-master. What happens, instead, is that the players vent their spleen with each other. This is a useless activity and by the time it gets back to the game-master - and it will, I assure you - the truth will be distorted beyond all recognition, and the GM will want to bang his head on wall with frustration, wondering why the players can't just talk to him.

I'll let the cat out of the bag, here. GMs do not eat players for breakfast. Even if the player has something critical to say. As long as it is said politely, and in a timely manner, the GM will most likely be glad to hear an honest opinion, and will give it the consideration it deserves.

No-one can read anyone's mind - which means you must speak up! As I have often lamented myself, game-masters are not telepathic. GMs cannot read players' minds and vice versa. For a game to evolve and grow, information and opinions must be exchanged. Hoping that "someone else" will share your opinion with the other side never, ever work.

• Players, if you're having a good time, or enjoyed a particular plot event, tell the GM.
• Game-masters, if you want to learn what the players are enjoying, or if those grumbled-rumors are really true, talk to the players. I know this sounds like common-sense stuff, but you might be surprised at how often even simple communications fail to happen.

No-One Likes A Martyr
I have heard the following phrases uttered by Game Masters, to their players:

• "I hate running this game, but I'm doing it *for you*"
• "I can only cope with running this game when I'm drunk."
• "I hate the players. But I can pretend I care, and they won't know any differently."
• "I'm not having any fun, but I feel obligated to keep doing this. I wish I could stop."

Yes, Game Masters will actually say things like that to their players. In fact, I've said some of those terrible things. I know now that they were fucked up, manipulative and indicative of the fact that I had broken the First Rule (which is: Always have fun). It's a damn shame I couldn't have noticed that before I started laying guilt-trips on my players. No one likes a hypocrite I've seen both players and GMs guilty of this one, but mostly players...

• Some players will say, "This game sucked!" to each other, and then smile sweetly to the GM and tell the GM they had a great time.
• Some players will say, "I'll recommend you to other troupes." and then talk trash about that game to anyone who will listen.
• I have seen players cheat, lie and steal - yes, steal - from a game they claim to have respect for.

Being a hypocrite is a stupid, petty, mean-spirited thing, and makes the other side feel horrible. Wait, I think that needs special emphasis.

Being a hypocrite or a martyr makes the other side feel like shit, it makes you look like shit, and you're not fooling anyone!

Game Masters

• Rule One: You must have a good time. If you're not, your players won't, either. If you are starting to perceive your game as an unwelcome chore, or burdensome obligation, then burnout is on your horizon.
• Rule Two: If you're not having a good time, do whatever it takes to change that.
• The players aren't as oblivious as you think they are. If you are not having a good time, they will sense the disturbance in the Gamer Force, and it will make them feel vaguely guilty and resentful. Players who feel guilty and resentful will leave your game.
• You're overall obligation is simple, yet complex: You will present a game, with coherent goals nd plot lines, with some kind of regularity. Anything beyond or above that is gravy. Learn to tell the difference between essentials and the rest. Strive to achieve the essentials, gloat like hell when you get gravy.
• You must listen to the players' needs, and balance them with your chronicle concept.
• However, you will not put the desires of an individual player above your troupe's vision or goals. Accept that you cannot make every player happy, all of the time lest you become known as the "Pushover GM" - I've been there, and it stinks.
• Never, ever let a player make an ultimatum to you, particularly of the "If I don't get what I want, I'm going to take my ball and go home" variety. No game should hinge on one player, nor should you let yourself be pushed around by one player. Remind an ultimatum-giving player that there are games for everyone, but maybe your game isn't one of them - that usually takes the wind out of their sails.
• You must keep in touch with your players, by whatever appropriate means. If you set up an e-mail account for the game, check it regularly. If you allow players to call you at home, return their calls
• You have to be the grown up. Be prepared to make, and enforce, decisions that your players may not like. See "Doormat GM", above.
• Never get into a heated argument with a player. If that starts, insist on a time-out - for days if necessary - and suggest that the matter be dealt with later. When angry, you will make decisions for the wrong reasons.
• You have to be the grown up. Even when you're tired and cranky, and just don't wanna, you have to be the grown up, because you are an example to the players, whether you like it or not. Of course, if that makes you unhappy, perhaps it's time for you take a break.
• You have to stay on top of what's going on. You have to chase down your assistant storytellers who are running the side plots, the players who promised to call, the newsletter editor who punted the deadline. You can delegate some work, sure, but when all is said and done, you are the one that the game depends on. If you drop the ball, then your game will
  collapse.
• The game might take up a large chunk of your free time, but it should not take up all of it. If that is the case, start looking for assistants. You need some things other than your LARP to do with your time, otherwise your obligation to the LARP will quickly become too much to bear.

Players

• The first rule is: Always have fun. Not every LARP out there is going to be perfect foryou.There is no "unwritten law of gaming" saying that you must commit to a game that doesn't suit your tastes, or that you can't shop around until you find a troupe that's right for you. If you decide to leave a game, do the GM a favor of letting them know why you are going, and then make your leave with the minimum of fuss and melodrama.
• Leave the schoolyard-dynamic at the door. The game is not about any one character, and particularly not your character. There is no such thing as "winning" in an RPG, and anyone who thinks otherwise has ego-issues too severe to be bringing to a role-playing game.
• That said, accept that sometimes, bad things might happen to your character. Your character might even - gasp! - be killed out. Learn how to deal with adversity gracefully. A minor fit of sulking is forgivable - particularly if you have been playing the character for a long time. A temper tantrum and frantic e-mails to the GMs looking for loopholes out of the situation are not mature ways to deal with the situation.
• Respect the GM. Address them with some manners and pay attention when they speak.
• Never get into a heated argument with your GM or a fellow player. You will almost certainly say something that you will regret later. If your temper starts flaring, step back, take a time out and do not discuss the matter until you can be calm about it.
• Respect the game. Bring a character that fits your GM's needs and the needs of their game. If the game asks for lawful-good concepts, don't be the pain-in-the-ass player who is convinced that they can talk the GM into allowing a chaotic-evil concept. GMs encounter this type of player every day and, believe me, that type of player is not popular.
• Respect the rules. If you don't like them, then you have the freedom to tell the GM that, at a reasonable time, in a reasonable tone.
• Don't forget that your Game Master needs feedback - positive as well as negative. Don't assume that just because you keep coming to the game, that the Game Master must know that you're having a good time. An honest compliment will brighten their day and make both of you feel good.
• Keep the other players' fun in mind. Sure, you want to have a good time, but remember that everyone else does, too. Always consider the affect of your character's actions on other players as well as other characters. This can be considered a postscript to the "Role-playing is not about winning" rule.
• Learn to roleplay. Define your character beyond simple numbers and a half-dozen sentences. Hint: the more interesting history your character has, the more likely the GM will think of ways to write you into the plot.
• Remember that the GM may have a life outside the game, and that they may want to enjoy it every now and then. There is a time and a place to discuss game, and there is a time and place to bitch about how the Raiders are playing like sick nuns. Learn to tell the difference, respect it and enjoy it.
  

How to Make your costume

By Michael Bielaczyc

There are many ways to add a more realistic touch to your costumes. When people see costumes on TV or in the movies the thing that is often forgotten is that costumers on shows or films have the advantage of lighting, camera angle, and often more money.

So what can you do on a normal budget?

Decide on costumes early. If you have some time to put it together you can watch fabric stores for sales or wait for coupon books. When you are not in a rush you can look for items in Thrift Stores or on Ebay. This can take a large chunk out of the original base cost.

Material – The material you use for your costumes is very important. In fact if you have ever seen a costume that blows you away, it is often because it is not only put together well, but it is also made from good materials. And it doesn’t have to always be expensive, my ranger cloak which I made over 5 years ago is from $1 a yard fabric and it is still in great shape.

Aging – Another problem with costumes is that often they look new. When was the last time an orc had a new outfit? For those who are planning on LARPing in their costume this won’t be such a problem as your costume will probably get worn in pretty quick. For those of us who are a little less active, a little fake wear and tear never hurts. I will leave my costume out in the weather for a week or so to get some sun fading, or tea stain the clothes to give them a bit of uneven color.

The more the better – What is the difference between a costume and garb? A costume is an outfit that people wear out to Halloween or a Con and then put it away. Garb looks like the person walked through a time/space portal into reality. Good garb relies on creativity and accessories! If you are making a pirate costume, people will be able to tell if you bought a fake sword and medallion at the costume shop.

My suggestion is to start out with the basics and start adding. And add anything that sort of fits! My pirate friend Nigel and I were once out having a drink and someone walked up and gave him a wooden spoon. With a “Thanks mate!” he turned and tied it to one of the many hanging pieces of leather from his belt. Two years later, it still hangs there. Well except when he is eating.

For a fairy costume, the more thin fabric you have the better the dress is. My friends at Faerystone Creations will buy tons of scrim (a colored type of gauze) and make many layers to create a dress. Sometimes they don’t even sew it in any fashion, they just tuck it into a bodice or wrap it around themselves.

What is LARP anyhow?

by Jay Shaffstall

LARP stands for live action role playing.

You may have heard the term mentioned before, or maybe not. It took me going to a major gaming convention before I heard about LARP. At that time, the term brought up images of people dressed up as vampires, because that was, then, the most popular LARP at conventions.

At its most basic, a LARP is a role playing game. But instead of sitting around a table using your imagination to picture the movements of your characters, you actually move around as your characters are moving.

Want your character to open a door and walk into a room? You open the door and walk into the room.

Some LARPs carry this to extremes, requiring that you must be able to do whatever your character can do. If your character is an expert swordsman, you must be an expert swordsman. Want to run a thief? Better be able to pick pockets.

Most LARPs don't carry things quite that far. There's usually a resolution system in place for skills, so you'll have a way to know if you hit someone with a sword, or talked them into revealing their computer password, or picked their pocket.

Some LARPs focus on the interaction between players, with very little of the game being spent on any GM-led plot. These are called "theater style" games in the United States, or "freeforms" in the United Kingdom. Other LARPs focus on a group of characters who cooperate to go through a GM-led plotline. These are typically called "adventure style" games, and are more of a straight translation of a table top adventure to live action role playing.

Boffer style LARPs use actual weapons, typically made of soft foam, that you swing to try and hit something. I've played in a Wild West LARP that used rubber band guns to represent pistols, and that was a blast! Other LARPs use pellet guns for pistols.

Theater style LARPs typically use simulated combat, where you'll use the game's resolution system to figure out if you hit someone.

At a gaming convention that runs LARPs, you'll typically play one in an hour. These will usually be theater style games, where your character is provided with goals to accomplish. The main requirement of a theater style LARP is usually to be able to socialize in a party setting while pretending to be someone else.

I've heard live action role playing games compared to improvisational acting, and there's some truth in that. But the term "acting" brings up all sorts of triggers for most people, and LARPing just isn't that frightening. You aren't up on a stage in front of other people, you're at a party socializing.

Which isn't nearly as hard as it might sound!

So if you're going to a gaming convention and see a theater style LARP on the schedule, go ahead and sign up for it. You never know, you might find a new dimension to your favorite hobby.