Main /
LARP Writers' Workshop 2011 Point-Form MinutesMain.LARPWritersWorkshop2011Point-FormMinutes HistoryShow minor edits - Show changes to output September 26, 2018, at 12:10 PM
by
- Changed line 1 from:
!LARP Writing Workshop to:
September 26, 2018, at 12:10 PM
by
- Added lines 1-207:
!LARP Writing Workshop !!Atttendees * Bee, Berndt, Andrea, Jo, Lara, Philip, Rudy, Rolf, Jeremy, Desilu, Simon, Adrianna, Camilla, Justin, Roxy !!Types of LARPs * Boffer LARPs * Theatre-style LARPs * Gamist (plot driven) * Immersionist (understanding what it's like to be a particular character) * Dramatist (player objectives different to character objectives) * Murder mystery dinners * Campaign LARPs !!Overview of a LARP-writing process * Idea phase (often long; variable in length) * Lara: * Black Coffee Blues started with an idea for one character. * Consequences came from the idea for a setting. * Historical research can be a rich source of ideas. * Simon: * Revenge of the Yak had a giant spider diagram. * Jo: * Using Fiasco to generate characters. * Co-writers are very useful for shooting down ideas. * If you're writing alone let ideas simmer for a week -- if it still looks good it's probably a good idea. * Selecting number of characters. * Gender flexible characters are very useful. * Subtextual relationships. * Allies are very powerful effects in LARPs. !!Planning * Small LARPs become implausibly connected. * Small LARPs can be more emotionally intense. * Selecting setting: * Historical settings. * Established fantasy settings. * Homebrew setting: * Money, travel. * Situation and containment: * Storms. * Official events. * Exploding collars. * Phones? !!Comparing LARPs to other forms of storytelling * LARP writing can be beneficial for other writing forms because it emphasises character construction. * Writer has less control -- tight plotting is more difficult. * Only medium where player embodies a single character. * Collaborative -- you write characters and then give to other people to see what they will do with it. * Comparisons with Improv: * Could possibly workshop characters. * In LARPs the players are the audience. * LARP has simulationist aspects !!LARP gimmicks * NPCs who die early. * NPCs who are pseudo DMs. * Cards: * Silly LARPs can get great use out of cards. * Power limit LARPs. * A bit like designing a small card game. * Telepathy: * Need to define what telepathy is. * Lots of DM work. * Unconciousness or anything that take people out of the LARP is tricky. * Limited resources are good. * Envelopes: * Can write numbers on people's name tags or on objects and let people open their correponding numbers when they see the numbers. * Useful for conveying information that is trigger by events. * Items: * Identical items. * When writing mechanics think about whether they require a DM. * Players shouldn't be asking you over to talk ask about their characters -- that should already be in there character sheets. DMs should only be called over to handle unusual situations. * Insane characters: * Different world view. * Insane asylum LARP: * Red objects behave differently for players and for non-insane NPC DMs. * Food can be used as a gimmick: * Race specific food. * Characters bring food into the LARP with them. * Setting specific food. * Poison. * Tricky because food is both in and out of character. * Underlying world rules: * Important to make these things clear. * E.g. does a small mask constitute a disguise. * Being able to call in outside help. * Size of venue can make a big difference: * Lighting. * Sound. !!LARP combat * Rock, paper, scissors works nicely. * Nice idea: rolls can't kill you -- players have to explicitly decide to kill another player. * Having non-combatants be able to influence combat, or be emotionally invested. * Freezes: * Keep them short. * Enforce them properly. * Use distance moved as time ticks rather than fixed amounts of time (in order to discourage running / sprinting). * ??? * Character sheets completely in-character. !!Tropes * Keeping two groups separate and then mixing them. * Ships, Islands, Space stations, Submarine. * Masters, servants, merchants (layers). !!Anti-tropes * Can be soft barriers to interaction, hard barriers are not good. * Character changing: * Suddenly losing all your goals / progress for the last hour is not fun. * Romantic subplots. * No real guns or knives. * Characters who have amnesia. !!Controlling pacing * Finding people takes time. * Formal negotiations take time. * Collecing M out of N requirements. * Resource contention. * Players being able to delegate to other players. * Having to interact via intermediaries. !!Sanity-checking characters * Broad-opened goals: * causes, kleptomania, dependents * Dramatist LARPs can be tricky for new characters. * Check each characters motivation in each of their plots. * Check difficulty of each goal. * Mentally cast the worst person in each role. * What would happen if you ran the LARP without each character. * Check allies and enemies: * Evil == minority position + self interest. * Allies being blackmailed won't help you when you're down. * One real ally is a good idea. * Minions are allies. !!Writing character sheets * Memorable, pronouncable names. * Titles are really helpful! * Short forms of names are realistic and useful. * Some people like double-spacing others don't. * Some people like two-column. * Name, single line archetype plus age, life history, recent events, summary of people you know, equipment and special abilities. * Good production -- images, nice format, booklets. * Which information is widely known, which is secret. * Get proof-readers. * Preferrably not one of the writers. * They can help DM the playtest. * Stick blurb at front of general background if you want people to read it. * People's first encounter with your LARP. * Have it spell-checked. Show of your LARP. * Mention style of LARP, seriousness. * Writing style infuses character with personality. !!Running a LARP * Keep debriefing short. Writing solo vs with co-writers. Many characters vs few characters. Naming characters. Costuming. Casting. Gender switching. * Book: Nordic LARPs. * Roxy is writing a LARP about historical figures from the medical school. |