Another for the What-If pile: A Larp Convention

LarpernomiCon

[quote=“ninja123”]
I was thinking that sometime in August when it is not too hot not too cold would be gooc for a large larp national linked game conclave or at least between uni terms when there is a stat weekend and no other big event on. (List keeps growing) and Battlecry would be a good time to organise a multiple larp game convention so we can use it to attract more players to the games? i think both could work

And for Anna K she wouldn’t be the only organiser for a national game conclave as there would be heaps of writers/organisers from the other centres to help.[/quote]

I reiterate: I like the idea of a national larp. I would support a national larp. The national larp is not the point of the larp convention idea. We can have both a larp convention and a national fantasy larp. Indeed, I would like to have both. Can we please move all discussions of the national larp over to the national larp thread?

I think the confusion was partly my fault when i accidently posted here instead of the national larp forum.

Also many players with overseas experiences tend to think of national larps AS larp conventions.

[quote=“Wulfen (David)”]I think the confusion was partly my fault when i accidently posted here instead of the national larp forum.

Also many players with overseas experiences tend to think of national larps AS larp conventions.[/quote]

It’s all good, I just think ninja123 has misunderstood what I’m trying to accomplish with a LarpCon, and I’m trying to clear that up :slight_smile:

So what can I do personally to help make this a reality? I think it sounds like fun.

Dylan

  • PersonaCon

Has a nice flow. But I guess something with more of a sense of fun would be good.

Who would like to run a larp at a con like this? I reckon it’d probably be 2-3 hours long with 20-60 people. It could be a one-off, or part of a campaign, with organiser-written or player-written characters.

I’ve got a few larps I’ve been meaning to run, so if there was space in the schedule I’d look at running one as well as helping with Flight of the Hindenburg if it ran.

Probably not as many as sixty - there are going to be several larps running each stream. Probably only the big evening event is going to hit sixty…

I’m currently anticpating running three larps in each of two streams, though how many actually end up running depends entirely on numbers (if we get loads of people, we can put on more games, if we get too few people, we may have to can a game)

I was thinking the best way to get numbers for this, apart from canvassing our already busy and tired community, is to hit up the AMERICA channels, like their mailing list and their magazine Pseudodragon to get their convention larpers along. I saw a lot of strange faces at Friday’s Battlecry larp (all of whom I plied with Immersions and misc. fliers) and it would be good to get them along to a larpcon to give them a taste of our larping.

How many were there?

If Auckland had more cons (of any description), then those strange faces would become more familiar, and you’d probably be able to find more people for games. They’re out there - you just have to reach them…

Someone might want to write a big evening event instead of using a Kapcon one. Also, if people only volunteer to run four smaller larps then the con could have two 60-person larps.

I reckon a one day con with six smaller larps (in two streams) and then one bigger, longer larp in the evening would work well. Whatever the timetable is there’d probably need to be decent breaks between the larps for resting and setting up the next ones.

I’m pretty excited by this idea actually, I’d find it so handy to play four larps in one day. Having all the kit with me for them all could be an interesting challenge - there would probably need to be lockable places for players to store their kit between events. Maybe in some of the bunk rooms.

It’d be convenient for kit if a couple of the larps suited modernish clothes. That’d reduce the multi-costume requirements. Things like a zombie larp or Tryst could suit modern clothes.

Or from genres where we have popular games already, like 1920s or (to a much lesser extent) Victorian. I figure game organisers can specify how stringent their costuming demands are.

We totally need to increase our profile at schools and Armageddon. I met a girl at orchestra camp this weekend who went to Armageddon the past 2 years and does things akin to mini-LARPs with her friends, has piles of various period clothes a lot of which she made, etc.

I have one last Immersion left, do you have contact details for this girl? I can ply her with Immersions and fliers.

On the topic of the larp convention, I think I’m going to go ahead and organise one. Stay tuned, more details later this week. :smiley:

Forgot to get contact details, but I see her on Tuesdays at orchestra practice.

Woo, yay, go Anna!

[quote=“IdiotSavant”][quote]START

  • 10am to 12pm: larps A and B
    LUNCH
  • 1pm to 3pm: larps C and D
    AFTERNOON TEA
  • 5pm to 7pm: larps E and F
    FINISH. Dinner and socialising? Or a big evening larp with everyone?[/quote]

Firstly, I think you need three hour sessions. If a game runs short, that’s fine - more time to costume for the next one. But if it runs long, people are screwed.

Secondly, the evening slot is the perfect place to run one large game rather than several smaller ones, which would also provide a unifying experience for the event.[/quote]

I think that 30-person larps can be done more quickly than 60-person ones. With fewer people they can go faster. 2 hours could be enough time, and if there are 1 hour gaps between then it gives time for overrun.

If they were all three hour then you’d be looking at:

START

  • 9am to 12pm: larps A and B
    LUNCH
  • 1pm to 4pm: larps C and D
    AFTERNOON TEA
  • 4:30pm to 7:30pm: larps E and F
    DINNER
  • 8:30-11:30: larp G (with everyone)

That seems pretty tight. I think a later start might be good, give more prep and meet-and-greet time in the morning. And that’s a late ending, it would put some people off.

Maybe 2.5 hour slots starting at 9:30 could work?

An additional overnight game at the end might be possible at Motu Moana (because bookings are for the day + night), for those crazy enough. Personally I’d be exhausted by then.

[quote=“Ryan Paddy”]
I think that 30-person larps can be done more quickly than 60-person ones. With fewer people they can go faster. 2 hours could be enough time, and if there are 1 hour gaps between then it gives time for overrun.[/quote]

I don’t know whether the number of people involved in a larp really has much effect on how long the larp will be. Giving people less stuff to do, or less time consuming stuff, would probably have more of an effect. The mini larps that were held at Kapcon this year had c. 10 people each and both ran comfortably in the three hour slots.

[quote=“Ryan Paddy”]If they were all three hour then you’d be looking at:

START

  • 9am to 12pm: larps A and B
    LUNCH
  • 1pm to 4pm: larps C and D
    AFTERNOON TEA
  • 4:30pm to 7:30pm: larps E and F
    DINNER
  • 8:30-11:30: larp G (with everyone)[/quote]

I was thinking 2 day streams and one evening one. So 10 - 13, 14 - 17, and 19 - 22 for the big game. Plenty of time for slippage.

I agree, trying to squeeze 4 three hour games into a day is difficult. It’s a perennial problem at kapCon, and one we have not yet found a solution for (well, cloning, but then we’d have to take over the world…)

I totally agree and both locations are part of my advertising strategy.
I think getting Immersion into school libraries will help and I’ve been working on that for the last 4 months. And I’ve been saying for years we have to hit the Armageddons, so I’m just going to organise it myself and do it this year.

So Motu Moana doesn’t hire out for a single day :imp:

So either we hold a weekend event or finding a venue. I’m trying the latter option first.

[quote=“Anna K”]So Motu Moana doesn’t hire out for a single day :imp:

So either we hold a weekend event or finding a venue. I’m trying the latter option first.[/quote]

You could hire it for the weekend and run short larps on the Saturday and something like an all-day larp on the Sunday, as some people seem to keen for that. Then people could opt for just the first day, just the second day, or the crazy combination. Friday evening could be used for getting the venue set up and all the gear moved.