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Author Topic: LARP system reccomendations.  (Read 3365 times)

My Name is Immaterial

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LARP system reccomendations.
« on: September 30, 2013, 06:02:57 pm »

I'm helping to start a LARP group with some friends from school. I'm looking for some systems, and wanted to see what Bay12 likes.

So, any recommendations for a group of five to seven with the preference of a high fantasy setting?
« Last Edit: September 30, 2013, 06:26:22 pm by My Name is Immaterial »
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Scelly9

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Re: LARP systems.
« Reply #1 on: September 30, 2013, 06:05:02 pm »

Are you doing live combat, or do you wanna do the cards/rock paper scissors/coin thing?
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My Name is Immaterial

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Re: LARP systems.
« Reply #2 on: September 30, 2013, 06:08:00 pm »

I'd have to get back to you on that, but I think that the school would frown on live combat since we are planning to do this on campus. So cards/rock paper scissors/coin thing would be better.

kaian-a-coel

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Re: LARP systems.
« Reply #3 on: September 30, 2013, 06:08:32 pm »

PTW, because I have absolutely no idea of how LARP works, and it might be interesting.
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Urist McScoopbeard

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Re: LARP system reccomendations.
« Reply #4 on: September 30, 2013, 06:48:17 pm »

if it isn't live combat it isnt live ACTION is it?
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GobbieMarauder

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Re: LARP system reccomendations.
« Reply #5 on: September 30, 2013, 09:19:51 pm »

The reputation of vampire LARPers aside, Mind's Eye Theater (The LARP version of World Of Darkness) is simple enough that it's both easy to learn and easy to adapt, and it's card-based, so no need to worry about campus security freaking out.
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Grakelin

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Re: LARP system reccomendations.
« Reply #6 on: September 30, 2013, 10:07:03 pm »

Our Vampire LARP (and I think most of them in Canada now, I think) is using a dice-system based on tabletop. Roll 1d10 and add all your dots.

Not sure how effective MET would be for high fantasy, though, what with all the skills like "Computers" and "Firearms" that are effectively phased out.
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GobbieMarauder

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Re: LARP system reccomendations.
« Reply #7 on: September 30, 2013, 10:55:04 pm »

The beauty of the system is that, if you have no use for a stat, you literally just scribble the name out and write your own thing in. The only difference between a normal Vampire sheet and a Dark Ages sheet is that "Firearms" and "Computers" are replaced with "Archery" and "Hearth Wisdom" respectively.

The big problem with a LARP system designed for traditional fantasy is that they're usually made by dedicated LARP groups, which means a) It can often be hard to get your hands on the rule-set unless you already LARP with them, and b) They're designed to assume you're at one of their events, IE in the middle of the woods with a foam sword. You would need a system that's designed with an urban environment in mind.

Fake Edit: The Legend Of The Five Rings LARP might work - They do it at cons, so I assume you don't need to actually to fight, and my passing familiarity with L5R tells me that it's high fantasy (though obviously eastern fantasy, not western).
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timferius

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Re: LARP system reccomendations.
« Reply #8 on: October 01, 2013, 08:26:26 am »

I am also posting to watch, I want to get over my nerd superiorit complex and actually try larp, and have a small group that are also interested. How many people do you really need for a good larp, as I only have a small group that'd be in to it I think, and I'm to socially stunted to try it with a larger group.
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Mephisto

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Re: LARP systems.
« Reply #9 on: October 01, 2013, 10:27:20 am »

I'd have to get back to you on that, but I think that the school would frown on live combat since we are planning to do this on campus. So cards/rock paper scissors/coin thing would be better.

Assuming college since you mentioned campus. If I'm wrong, disregard.

This is just a little anecdotal experience, but there was a weekly larp at my college for years, complete with boffers and all of that stuff. I never joined them, but it seemed as if there was never an issue with it.
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Mithras

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Re: LARP system reccomendations.
« Reply #10 on: October 01, 2013, 10:42:27 am »

I have huge problems with MET's card draw system or the rock paper scissors system used by other vampire LARPs. Both systems heavily favour more  powerful characters making it difficult for new players to join up, further they are not intiutive further they require character sheets which slows the action down. Now if you want to encourage your players not to use the mechanics provided and you don't have a handy place to hold dice then those systems will do.

The only LARP without live combat I've experienced work is called Shelter in place. It is ideal for games with few players in enclosed spaces, though it helps if you can move the furniture around a bit. I don't know how well it will adapt to high fantasy (it is designed for Horror LARPs), nor how it'll stand up being run as an ongoing LARP. But it's a neat little system for a oneshot, it is easy to learn to play and simple to run (your monsters generally have one or two stats while your Players have two stats, a special power, and a special power that activates when a mini objective is completed, all unique- these can be printed on cards for reference without slowing the game down), does not require many props (aside from the above mentioned furniture and a few everyday bits and bobs, like boxes of candy) or much space.

If you aren't married to the idea of a high fantasy LARP I suggest this, you'll be able to go from buying the books to running your first session in a matter of days if you run it as written, most LARPs take months to set up. Also, it's cheap as chips.
Here's a link:http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/product.php?productid=17988

Why are you LARPing rather than playing pen and paper games? With your avaliable playing area and numbers it seems to me that SATT is the more viable option.
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ank

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Re: LARP system reccomendations.
« Reply #11 on: October 01, 2013, 12:30:28 pm »

Dude, don't use a system from somewhere, make up you own and make sure it is only a few pages long.
DON'T USE MET!
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Scelly9

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Re: LARP system reccomendations.
« Reply #12 on: October 01, 2013, 01:31:23 pm »

I find that LARP works best with a very large group. 25+, about 50 is ideal.
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My Name is Immaterial

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Re: LARP system reccomendations.
« Reply #13 on: October 01, 2013, 01:46:08 pm »

Why are you LARPing rather than playing pen and paper games? With your avaliable playing area and numbers it seems to me that SATT is the more viable option.
Its what the people in the group want to do. It's still in the starry eyed phase before the nitty-gritty details set in.

Mithras

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Re: LARP system reccomendations.
« Reply #14 on: October 01, 2013, 05:55:55 pm »

In that case I doubly recomend shelter in place. You'll get a game out of the door very quickly, it wont be high fantasy but it will be proof of concept you can get out of the door relatively simply. My experience with people trying to set up university LARPs is that they get too wedded to the concept of the LARP they want to happen, then the real world imposes limitations which conflict with this and nothing goes anywhere.

If you can run an enjoyable one off you'll have more people excited about making LARP happen, you'll have a foot to stand on with the authorities when you need more resources or need some limitations to be taken off (It'll be just like the last event we did but we're adding a few things) and most importantly people will have a taste of what LARP is like, where the pitfalls are and what they want to happen differently.
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