Big Question

Community Larp discussion
#1

We have a little problem and I’d like to ask you guys what you think about it.

In Germany, Larp countries are mostly European based and everybody can make their own Larp country or just join another. Martin and I wanted to do our own thing and invented a NZ based country. We called it Aotearoa, as most people in Germany don’t know NZ is called this in Maori. We took some symbols like the fern and the southern cross, wrote a similar history and invented a religious system consisting of various animal deities.

It all worked well in Germany, as nobody assoiciated our country too much with NZ. But now we’re moving to NZ and are wondering how our concept would work out and if it wouldn’t be a bit ridiculous. I mean, if somebody would come to Germany and and use the German eagle as his crest or the black-red-gold of our flag, we wouldn’t take him seriously and propably laugh our heads off.

It would be a bit sad though to abandon “our” Aotearoa as we spent a lot of money and love on our things (like a shield with the fern and the southern cross on it) and ideas. So what do you think?

#2

I don’t think anyone will mind if you use our own countries symbology in a LARP.

#3

It’s not as common for fantasy larps in NZ to let players invent countries that their characters come from. Some have “closed” worlds where the map is defined in advance, and players are asked to keep their inventions in tune with the fantasy setting (i.e. not importing inappropriate things from the real world). At a larp like that, you might be able to use your gear but would probably have to invent a new explanation for it.

At a more open-world setting like Quest or Skirmish, you might be able to get away with more. I think Quest is based in a fantasy version of NZ, so your designs might fit in as a kind of royal crest.

I dunno if you’ve been following discussions here, but there isn’t really a big fantasy larp in NZ at the moment. So who knows what might appear on the horizon.

#4

Yeah & what Ryan said too. I wouldn’t worry about it anyways, it will all be ok once you get here, so relax, we’re not too uptight down here in NZ.

#5

Oh, okay, we weren’t too sure how things with character creation on different larps work, but I thought something along these lines, and said to Martin, that’s probably why characters are not intended to live that long, because one couldn’t go with his character to every larp because of the different backgrounds. In Germany you’ve got different types of larp as in New Zealand (like the 20s, shadowrun, whatever) but in the medieval/fantasy - genre you can take your character to every game you like (as Martin already wrote, we have only two or three major rule systems, and every gamemaster might change the rules to his likings, so you might have to adapt your character a little).

The problem with Quest would be that we made up our own history and story up, which propably won’t accord with the Quest’s fictional NZ history, so we would play different characters anyway.

I see that the different settings and backgrounds might avert the use of our stuff, but if we were to organise our own game campaign, would you mind if it is somehow based in a fantastic NZ?

Don’t get me wrong, it is not only about our gear but also about our country history and concept as well.

#6

You may be right, what you have developed may not work in our LARPs but don’t let it stop you seeing whether it will work or not! When you are here, come see our GM’s & have a chat with them, show them what you have done. You never know what will be suitable & what won’t & maybe you will find a happy medium for that which you have obviously worked hard on.

#7

Hi Viktoria,

I guess the length you character survives depends on the game. In Quest we have characters that have been around for 6-7 years some more some less.

Jared & Viktoria: As the Quest world of Hamiltonia is only one kingdom, I am sure Immigrants could come from anywhere wioth any possibility if the GM allowed, then Heraldic crests then are absolutely no problem.

Most games should be able to accomodate this sort of stuff. Unless it needs to be Historically accurate like St Wolfgangs then of course there would be a bit of difficulty.

Fern like plants exist in other countries. However the southern cross only exists in our Hemisphere. Vikings did get to South America and some say New Zealand although that is debated in Archaeological circles. You could have your heraldry from a small Viking tribe that managed to make it back to Europe, Existing character history however, would be a different story.

If you were going to St Wolfgangs you could use that in your character concept. Other games you could ask GM’s how you can integrate your character - Most are accomodating for new players or should be with such a small character base.

#8

I think shes not so much worried about the heraldry as the culture that the charcter is from if her beloved characters background is closly intertwined with the background and history of a kingdom shes worried about that kingdom addapting to the game more than just the heraldry.

If im reading right.

#9

However Heraldry is linked to that history, So for games with no real defined world but a defined area of that game world. IE: Quest there should be no problem with the character history is what I guess i was colluding to.

For games that are Historically accurate I just gave a Historic probablity so They can use their weapons/armour for Heraldic Purposes.
Of course in this case a new background would need to be made

#10

The Quest world view is the world is flat, the Mages guild have proved this by sailing off the edge. We play on the land mass of this side which is called Hamiltonia, where the great river that replenishes the worlds ocean springs forth. However this is not the only land mass on this side of the world, just the largest. Travellers ofter come from other lands and rumour has it, even from the other side of the flat earth.

We can explain a character such as yours by saying that you are a travellers from a far realm. No problems at all. we just have to ensure that we adapt the character to the rule system, but otherwise, no problems.

#11

I’d be totally willing to cut you some slack on this one - you’re a traveller from a foreign country and you’ve explained how the whole thing came about… your “Aotearoa” sounds delightful and the irony of the foreigner playing the local is not lost on me.

#12

If you want to start up a new campaign, then I think people would be only too happy to have a new game to play in. Talk to the NZLARPS group, and you could get funding and access to the gear library, plus free publicity.

Having an NZ-based world would probably only appeal to the local sense of national pride, and as has been previously mentioned, Quest have a world based very loosely on NZ as well. The only potential pitfall might be if you’ve incorporated any Maori culture in a negative light (eg: made them the Bad Guys in league with evil, etc) or inadvertently caused some other offence but fortunately we have Mike on hand (the NZLARPS gear librarian) to point out if there is anything which would be deemed offensive to Maori. If you want to be absolutely squeaky-clean you could pass the stuff past him just to be sure there’s nothing which is not immediately obvious to us Pakeha. He could even help you fill in stuff with Maori words and symbology I would imagine.

Since our big fantasy LARP in Auckland (Mordavia) finished a short while ago we could do with having a new large-scale fantasy game run here.

#13

What gets me is there is no system used everywhere. Everyone has a different game system. Perhaps a collaboration of games in 2 or 3 places could liven things up and players could freely travel to more than one game playing with the same character. In the forum about BIG Games i posted my comment on this .

Of course Quest is a great system and I have talked to Alista about games in different towns. I am susre if you wanted to make up a Quest Kingdom based on your Aotearoa Alista could Accomodate you. Then you could also keep your character of you came to Hamiltonia?

LOLZ "Heres me campaigning for a worldwide domination of Quest

#14

[quote=“ninja123”]What gets me is there is no system used everywhere. Everyone has a different game system. Perhaps a collaboration of games in 2 or 3 places could liven things up and players could freely travel to more than one game playing with the same character. In the forum about BIG Games i posted my comment on this .

Of course Quest is a great system and I have talked to Alista about games in different towns. I am susre if you wanted to make up a Quest Kingdom based on your Aotearoa Alista could Accomodate you. Then you could also keep your character of you came to Hamiltonia?

LOLZ "Heres me campaigning for a worldwide domination of Quest[/quote]

A while ago i got into a chat with gentleman in wellington who was one of the organisers of a large scale fantasy larp named OMEGA, the ancestor of maelstrom.

having read over the system myself I can say it has all the standards in combat and magic many of us have come to expect from our various systems around the country.

Further this person has all the necessary materials, rules, lore information etc to make such a game a going concerned.

If we want to run a nation wide fantasy game perhaps we might want to consider OMEGA, and contact mr Matt Gritt?

#15

Thanx for all your answers. I am happy that you are not repulsed by the thought of using NZ symbols and a NZ based history in a Larp, and your ideas of integrating the symbols or both symbols and history sound cool - maybe we can chat a bit about it when we’re over.

Well, we already laughed about what you may think about the role we gave the Maori in Aotearoa - we made them to a sort of dwarfish hobgoblins. We knew none of us would be able to play them on a larp as we just don’t look Maori, so they just existed in our legends and stories we told about our “home country Aotearoa”. :wink: Don’t care to drop that part of our story though if you find it forbidding.

By the way, we have an Ork group in Germany who perform the Haka in orkish. There was a video of it somewhere in the internet, I’ll see if I can find it.

#16

Actually, I really love the idea of you guys running a game set in your land of Aotearoa. I’d go play!

#17

youtube.com/watch?v=qz_6gpRzqwk

Here you go!

#18

I believe mosy people have had enought experience to understand what is needed and there are a lot of systems out there with great ideas that would be a waste not to use. I havn’y seen Mordavias Rules for example. What I see from St Wolfgang I like - Especially lores and other Herois skills like double damage etc. Quest has a lot of information, the Magic/religion System is great.

I still think there is a need for Archery using Larp safe weapons like the gathering Boffer Arrows like what Arrowkaster makes and up to 30 pound pull bows (Lorien Trust accept up to this weight)

Diatribe is the perfect forum for everyone to give their ideas and formulate a country wide game system integrating all of your experience. Ill start a new thread now.

#19

We had some problems with our provider. But now we can show you pictures of the emblems.

#20

Damn that Drachenfest fight seemed almost like complete mutual anhililation. Not many standing at the end!

I don’t like 30 pound bows for one reason, cost of bows & arrows.

Although less authentic the system in use in Quest, as will be the case in Sundereth will be using tailed spell balls which are ritually drawn & fired from a bow. This means that even poor buggers can afford to use them because the IRL components are cheap. A shaped PVC pipe bow, can be made to look very cool with some foam over laid. The arrows will never snap & never pose any more risk than being hit with a hackey sack.

Any thoughts?