Call for Talkers

Community Larp discussion
#1

I need some people just to iron out ideas with the Pirate LARP I am organising. I haven’t created a plot line, just an atmosphere really. I want to make it really character driven.

Is there anything I should look out for?

I want to make it pay at the door. Have someone pretty much standing at the door and taking money from all those dressed like Pirates. Although paying through bank deposit is fine too, I don’t like it because it’s hard to discern who has paid sometimes and it would mean I would have to figure out whether it goes into the LARP account. If that’s the case I would have to ask the treasurer to look out for who has paid - it all gets messy.

Is there anything I should watch with the character driven plot? I have never GMd before so I can’t see myself running a sucessful GMd game.

I’m on top of the venue at the moment, chasing people with sticks and what not. Even so, we are somewhat spoilt for choice so that really wont be a problem.

Financial viability won’t be a problem as there is very little costs to it and there seems to be quite a bit of enthusiasm.

#2

I assume you mean there won’t really be directed characters, or planned events that will occur during the scenario, and it will all be a matter of character interaction? That’s fine, it can work well. There are several ways to go about it, some more effective than others.

You could let everyone make their own characters, and hope something interesting happens. This is a risky strategy. It’s essentially pure interactive drama and improv, which will only get a fulfilling result if lots of the players are very active and capable and deliberately seek conflict with each other.

Or do you mean that you’ll be writing characters for everyone, that there will be a big web of information and goals and resources, and that the player’s attempts to unravel this web and achieve their characters’ set goals will drive the interaction? This will ensure that there is plenty happening, but it puts the emphasis back on you (or your team) to create character briefings that will make for an interesting freeform/theatre-style larp.

Alternatively, you could go for some sort of middle ground where you mix player-written stuff with organiser-written stuff. For example, you could ask players to submit their character ideas to you, then tie them all together. This is still just as much work for the organisers - the advantage is that you don’t have to do all the creative stuff and the players will probably be more invested in their characters (because they came up with the concepts themelves). You then become an integrater, adding elements to glue the characters together and cause conflict. The difficulty of this approach is that you have to be able to manage the players so that they’re happy with your modifications to their characters.

Running a larp usually does involve a lot of work to ensure that it’s not just characters standing around small-talking. :wink:

Personally I suggest getting a team of 3-4 larpwrights, putting together a description of the larp (e.g. as a PDF or web page) that details a few hooks that players can be inspired by (like your spanish galleon), then calling on players to submit character concepts based on those hooks & general pirate follore that you’ll modify and tie together. Alternatively you could write all the characters yourselves, if you are that way inclined. Either way, give all the characters several objectives that other characters will tend to oppose. This should ensure ongoing conflict and challenges in the scenario.

#3

I was thinking about half way in between. I do need some creative help with character writers. I was going to write characters for NPC’s and suggest conflicts like residual grudges between ships/crew of the players(who would create characters theselves). Then, I would inject the NPC’s into the mix and see what happens.

I just wasn’t intent on controlling everything and setting the players tasks, working to a goal and what not.

There is so much to be played with, is anyone willing to banter with me?

#4

Last October I played in AMERICA’s 1930s LARP which was entirely character driven and everyone had their characters written for them. It worked extremely well, but was obviously a lot of work on the organiser’s end. But having your character written for you didn’t detract from the game at all. In a lot of ways, it was quite challenging since you had no choice and were pushed to play something you might not have otherwised tried.

A simplified version of that idea could be to create six or seven pirate crews, who are all currently berthed in Tortuga (or wherever we are) and have the rivalries between the various crews. Everyone can create their own character but has to join one of the existing crews. If that makes sense.

#5

So you’re suggesting that the organisers write the crew briefings (possibly including objectives), but players write their own characters?

That would be a good way to minimise organiser effort. It would probably work best if the players were encouraged to talk to the other members of their crew and set up crews that have their own internal drama/conflict/whatever.

Also: I agree that the organiser-writes-everything approach is a great one that we don’t do enough because we’ve mostly come at larp from the other angle. Hopefully Craig’s Wee Larps might change that, as that sort of mini-larp is really well suited to the organiser writing all the characters.

Anyone got ideas for pirate crews?

How about a crew of ex-navy seamen who mutinied and turned buchaneer? They could all have traces of their uniforms in their costumes, and matching accents (English or French or Spanish or something). They might be more disciplined than the average crew, and captained by the treacherous first mate who led the mutiny. They would always be on the run from their navy, who would want to make examples of them.

#6

How about a crew that are such dirty lowlives that even the other pirates think they’re scum? They’d kill their own mothers for gold, they don’t follow the pirate codes, and they’d happily betray each other. Their captain would, naturally, have to be such a hard-arse that they’re so afraid of her they wouldn’t mutiny… unless they thought they could get away with it.

I reckon if you write up around 5 crews with strong themes and inter-linked backgrounds that provide goals and conflict, then let players create characters within the crews, that could work really well. Great idea, Anna. The crews could be named after their ships.

In terms of work needing to be done, this would mean writing a paragraph describing what everyone knows about each crew (players can use this to choose a crew) and making these short descriptions public. You’d also need to write a page about each crew detailing their secret information and goals, that only members of the crew would get to read. These pages should mention how each crew feels about the other crews, linking them all together.

The captains’ names should really be included in the long briefings. Perhaps you could make the short crew descriptions public, then ask for people to volunteer to captain each crew and submit their captain character, then write the detailed crew briefings partly based on the player-written captain characters and including their names. Or you could write all the captains yourself so that you can write everything in advance.

#7

cool, will get onto it and brain storm a little tonight.

#8

Here are some basic crew outlines with two names that I think fit the ship description (thanks to Ryan for the first two suggestions):

THE BELLA DONNA (means pretty lady but is also the name of a very poisonous plant)
THE SHAME OF ATLANTIS

This crew is the scum of the Pirate realm. The Captain is notorious for being absolutely ruthless and never taking any prisoners. The crew are all low lives who are only kept in line for fear of what would happen should the captain find out. They would sell their own mothers if it meant they could make a buck. They are freelooters and will attack any ship they come across be it pirate or merchant vessel.

MAKE WAVES
THE HANGMANS DUBLOON

This is a group of ex-sailors working under the queen who munity’d. They killed who ever defended the old captain but feel righteous under their new captain, the old first mate. Should they ever get caught, they will be made an example of so they are constantly on the run and very careful to keep on the good sides of Pirates so they don’t get turned in.

THE WINGS OF MERCURY
THE SCURVY SERPENT

(I was thinking about making this an NPC crew but here’s the suggestion anyway)
This ship hit a reef just off the island and it snapped the small messenger boat in half. The crew are all now searching for other crew mates, trying to get on another ship (which would require hiding that they were in the boat that split - Pirates are superstituos) or just plain petrified of the sea.

THE SCREAMING WHORE
CATS AWAY

This crew is just plain mad by Pirate standards. They pretty much accept anyone who will join, ex-slaves, women, “cursed” sailors. They are known for their general good will to captives, often offering ransom and very rarely selling as slaves. They are fiercely loyal to their captain who, in turn, treats them well.

THE TIMOROUS WENCH
HOWLING SIREN

Woman crew? I got this idea from reading a biography about Anne Bolyn. "It is known that she did thrash a young man for trying to sexually assault her, and injured him badly enough that he had to take to his bed for several weeks. Anne was around fourteen years old at the time."
Perhaps a crew that is largely made of women? They have slowly managed to collect an all-female crew. They are renouned for their intensely fierce fighting and blood thirst.

Any other ideas?

#9

I like The Bella Donna name for the scurvy ship.

For the ex-navy ship, how about a navy name? Like the “HMS (something)”.

I really like the idea that one of the crews has lost its ship. They should definitely be PCs. That’s motivation right there, that is. The other crews are craving hooks as good as this. For example, what specific mad thing has the mad crew done just before the event that will give them momentum for action at the event? It should tie into the other crews. Maybe it’s rumoured that they’ve tipped off the navy about the mutinied ship? Instant conflict. whether the rumour is true or not.

The most hook-free crew is the women’s crew. No problem with the idea (it will make the other crews more male-heavy, which is good from a traditonal pirate background perspective), but it needs more personality. What kind of women are they? What have they done recently? Hooks.

#10

Well the game is set under the kidnap of the Governers Daughter and considering that the main income of the Mad crew is they mostly use ransom to get their money, it seems really plausible that there would be a rumour that would be going around that it was their ship that kidnapped her.

I like the Bella Donna too. I think that crew is set. I plan to start campaigning the night on the 19th, too early? A month for them to get ready?

#11

I reckon we need a crew that’s a take-off of the Dread Pirate Roberts, not exactly like it, but the premise of a mysterious masked captain whom strange legends abound about.

#12

There has to be a NEVERSINK II

#13

How’s it going? Now would be a good time to have those crew briefings ready so that people can create characters and get costume & gear ready.

19th September is three weeks from today.

#14

goood… ish. I have a couple of key characters for crew and a couple of minor-just-for-fun characters. I have the four key ships ready with a little bit of background and how they relate to each other.
Tbh, I just don’t know what else to do. Apart from advertise I guess. I will sort out some fliers to put around Uni. And I’m trying to get ahold of America.

#15

Get people to choose their crews (and volunteer to be captains of the crews) and then give them more information on their group, ship, captain, relationship with other crews, recent activity, any other details that will give them momentum in the scenario.

Once people firm up their groups and characters then they’ll get into making costumes and forming plans and so on.

Putting up a page on the NZLARPS site with the details would be cool too.

#16

Okay. Will get onto it. Hey can I give you a call just to talk about this? I’m really stressed that I’m missing something crucial. As I said, this is the first time that I have done something like this AND I’m doing it myself. Needless to say it’s a little nerve wracking.(racking?)

Lucy

#17

Wracking, I think. I’ll give you a call, might have time tomorrow night around 5:30.

#18

Hmm… I hope you have my flat number… and/or my mobile

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