An Epic Greek LARP

Community Game ideas
#1

Okay, there is enough interest in this to at least start a thread in the one-off games section. I’m going to post some ideas I had for rules.

Since player controlled character generation requires a reasonably tight rule set, I’d suggest that GM/God created characters would be good. So if someone said “Hey, I want to be a minataur!” a god could turn around and say “Okay, you’re strong, you can damage people through armour but you’re confined to the ‘maze’ area of the game” and you need to make yourself a bulls head to wear and an axe.

Rules and character Suggestions please!

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#2

The head and groin are not targets. People who make a habit of striking these areas will not be allowed to fight.

Blows should be firm, but not excessive. Wanky little wrist flicks don’t count, blows should look like they would have a chance of chopping off a limb, breaking bones or running somebody through.

Any ‘good’ blow that lands on an armoured location renders the person struck unable to fight. They must fall prone and act out the wound. The wound type (sharp/blunt) and location (limb/torso) will determine what actions may be taken.

1.1 Armour

Armour should be in the greek style, or as appropriate for that period.

If armour is bronze, it is impervious to all normal blows. Very strong characters can wound through armour (i.e. Heracules, the minataur)

The following areas may be armoured in bronze:
Armour (protects)
Greaves (ankle to knee)
Vambraces (wrist to elbow)
Corslet (torso - hips to shoulders)
Helm (head and neck)

1.2 Shields

Shields should be in the greek style, or as appropriate for that period.
NO heater shields.

1.3 Weapons

Weapons should be in the greek style, or as appropriate for that period. NO cutlasses & rapiers.

type (damage type)
dagger - sharp (cut/thrust)
short sword - sharp (cut/thrust)
long sword - sharp (cut/thrust)
spear - sharp (thrust only)
javlin - sharp (thrust only)
club - blunt
staff - blunt
sling - blunt
rock - blunt

Staffs must be used two handed - javlins can be thrust or thrown

1.4 Wounds and Healing

There are two types of wounds, sharp and blunt. Blunt wounds heal quicker than sharp. Many sharp weapons can be used to do blunt damage (i.e the haft of a spear can be used as a staff). Sacrifices at temples may result in healing. Some priests/priestesses can heal.

1.5 Death

An incapacitated person can be killed by one sharp or five blunt blows to the torso, delivered with the intent of finishing the incapacitated person off. Armour does not protect you from finishing blows. Dead people go to Hades.

#3

Gods - have a sphere of influance. Start with magic items they may hand out. Compete against each other. Gods are

non-combatant. They can kill mortals if they wish to but are bound by agreements and rules not to do this (much).

Gods can bless and curse people

Half-gods - have an advantage based on their god parent (i.e. strength, wisdom) and a disadvantage (i.e. hated by a

different god, blindness etc. Half-gods are mortal.

Humans - Mortals without advantages or disadvantages.

Creatures - Medusa, minotaur etc (these are probably half-gods and can be treated as such). These will get the most extreme advantages (like turning people to stone) and the most extreme disadvantages (like not being allowed to leave their maze)

#4

All characters except humans must have an advantage and an equally terrible disadvantage. Examples:

Example Advantages
Physical - Strong (lift heavy things/injure through armour)
Physical - can fly, carrying another person
Magical - can throw a lightning bolt (granted powers by Zeus)
Magical - can restore a life (granted powers by Hades)
Magical - glimpses of the future
Magical - people will all stop and listen when you sing

Example Disadvantages
Physical - Blind
Physical - Deaf
Physical - cannot leave hades
Ethical - cannot harm women
Ethical - cannot eat meat
Political - hated by Hera

#5

Most of the game area will be considered “Greece”. There will probably be a “city” area and a “forest” area that some characters cannot leave because of their disadvantages.

Olympus - home of the gods - only gods can go here (or people accompanying them). Neutral ground for the gods where they typically meet and talk. When they leave, they go in disguise.

Hades - where dead people go to hang out. If they get sick of hanging out they can start a new character. Living people can ventur there at extreme risk (like they may get stuck there).

Other special places will be wells, trees with magic fruit etcetra ectetera…

#6

Okay, the gods are always trying to get one over on each other. They’ve generally agreed that they shouldn’t kill each others followers, but they’re not above trying to trip them up.

Any group that starts getting too powerful is going to be trimmed down to size (i.e. the leader will be blinded, followers will catch the plague etc)

The gods will start with special items that will be distributed around Olympus (magic trees etc) and amoungst their children/followers (magic flying sandles, magic shields etc)

Gods will set tasks through their followers. The followers will come and ask for favours (my foot was cut off - may I have another?) and the gods will ask some favour (bring me two magic apples that can heal anything and I will fix your foot)…

#7

I don’t have too many thoughts on magic except that I’d like it to be dangerous and fickle…

RuneQuest II had a cool magic system suited to LARP combat which might work okay.

#8

There are lots of very cool Greek heroes, creatures, gods etc you can play there are examples from Abaris to Zibelthiurdos listed here:

pantheon.org/areas/mythology … icles.html

#9

I was going to say: “Can we have the Underworld as a separate game area?” but then I read further and realised that you’d already thought of that. There are heaps of stories about people going in an out of the Underworld on quests - Orpheus, Hercules, Psyche et al. Can we do that, too? I really like the idea of death not being the end, even if it’s just that if you’ve died other players can try to talk to your shade or bring you back from the dead or something.

I’m against the magic system including throwing spell packets at each other - it turns into a game of tag.

Steph

#10

There’s a “keyword” approach to magic which is very freeform. Basically you say a reserved word, then describe the effect of the magic in character. For example in a medieval-ish game the magic keyword might be “forsooth”, so you could say “forsooth, you think you are a chicken” and the target would have to act like a chicken.

It’s up to the organisers to let the players know what kind of effects they can call. It relies on players trusting each other and going with the flow.

Perhaps in a Greek game you could say something like “By the Gods” as a keyword.

#11

If you want to nick some ideas for a greek larp, there’s a UK one called Odyssey here: boogiemangames.co.uk - their rules are more complex than I’d like and I don’t think they cover the gods.

I would, inevitably, like to play a Satyr. There’s just something about those little goat-legged guys. Advantage - using music to charm humans so they have to dance along with me. Disadvantage - terribly cheap sloppy drunks or somesuch. Maybe every time charm is used I have to have a big drink afterwards and be blotto for a while. Or mayeb I have to do the drinking first, for inspiration. :wink:

I like the idea of advantage/disadvantages that balance, every time you get your advantage you’re also hit by your disadvantage.

#12

Also, latex weapons that would suit:

Dagger for $27.97, shortsword for $55.97 and long axe for $132.97 respectively to LARPS members.

What sort of venue would you use for this? A one day events or a multi-day event with accomodation? Food?

I like the armour rules. I don’t see the need for the blunt/sharp.

#13

[quote=“Ryan Paddy”]Disadvantage - terribly cheap sloppy drunks or somesuch. Maybe every time charm is used I have to have a big drink afterwards and be blotto for a while. Or mayeb I have to do the drinking first, for inspiration. :wink: [/quote]Hey, if you make the drinks real alcohol, you won’t have any trouble talking backwards. Other people understanding you, well, that might be another matter. :wink:

#14

I like the magic system whereby nothing is fixed,. but you have to pray to the gods for an effect. The GM present will make a judgement call balancing what was asked for, and how good the prayer/ritual/sacrifice was, and then decide what the effect is. Maybe the god will grant abiliy to throw three thunderbolts, or something. This way, the better role-players get better effects…

This could be very hard to control, though, and is vulnerable to powergamers. Not to mention that GMs must always be present…

#15

Maybe you have to pray at the temple/sacred place, and there’s always a referee there to make calls? Or maybe the gods themselves can hear all the prayers (somehow), and they decide what happens? Usually you’d be praying to a specific god…

I really like how EVERYTHING is a player. Gods, minotaurs, medusa, humans, demi-gods, the lot. No NPCs.

I wanna be Hades and rule over the land of the dead characters! Ebony throne, sceptre. Who wants to be Charon? What about the three-headed dog? Where the hell could we play this?

#16

Works for me.

[color=red]“By Zeus - you have been struck by lightening!”[/color]

#17

Venue - somewhere with a river, that you have to cross by boat to get to the underworld. Gotta pay the ferryman.

This game is sounding like serious high-powered hijinks.

#18

It sounds like FUN. a good high-powered game can be fun sometimes. especially when everyone is, because then funny stuff happens. From the way people are talking, I doubt this will play very seriously. We will all be having too much fun stuffing around with ancient greece to have a serious game. It should be much fun

#19

So… Zeus and Ares for smiting, Aphrodite and Eros for lust, Dionysus for drinking and and nature and stuff… I dunno, it would be neat and tidy if each god could grant one type of power to mortals.

pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/greek/

#20

Zeus for thunderbolt smiting
Hera for smiting as well? She’s most well known for motherhood, getting back at Zeus for infidelity and having it in for Hercules
Poseidon for the sea
Hades for death and the underworld
Ares for chaotic/tactical warfare
Athene for wise/strategic warfare
Demeter for fertility
Persephone for young maiden-type stuff, as well as secondary control of the Underworld
Dionysis/Bacchus for drunkeness and having a good time
Aphrodite and Eros for love and lust
Hephaestus for mechanical stuff
Artemis for the moon, the hunt and virginity
Apollo for the sun, music and medicine

There are lots and lots of Greek gods. I guess it depends on how detailed you want to get.