Don’t it just grind your gears when people don’t have historicaly accurate roleplay?
maybe i’m a Role play nazi since i’m an actress too but gosh it grinds my gears when:
-females talk out fo turn and act brash and swear or fight, in formal situations, before the 1950s (yes yes there are exceptions but i mean in general people do this ALOT)
-elbows on table before the 1910
-ect. ect. you know wat i’m talkin’ bout
-people don’t react to socail faux pas at all
-using modern day slang (eg. saying ‘awesome’ in the medieval era)
cum on it takes 10min to google or wikipedia 'ettiqute in ‘insert era here’ ’
oh yeah sorry about the internet abriviations in this post, im too cool.
I hate it when we have flushing toilets and toilet paper at medieval games as well. I mean, using a pit and a mussel shell really helps to keep the medieval feel to the game going, when you’re going.
I like inaccuracies I think it gives us our flavour. I don’t mind when heroes in movies defy the laws of physics, either.
That said, it really depends on the game and the situation. I definitely don’t like modern jokes coldly inserted OOC, but I don’t mind when IC actions make ironic, poignant OOC jokes over a period of time - eg. Mordavia at times had a “kill all the terrorists without questions!” feel.
Whenever the GMs had to make a decision on behalf of the King of Mordavia I would ask them “what would George Bush do?”
On Zanni’s original question, I think it’s a matter of taste and player culture. Our player culture is rather jokey and modern. If organisers want something more evocative of the times, they should let the players know in advance to give them the opportunity to prepare. As a GM, it’s pretty hard to tell people to stop being silly and play the setting more closely. Being silly is usually a lot of fun so stopping it makes you a kill-joy. Better to set expectations in advance.
So to rephrase Zanni’s question, would people like to go to larps that tried to be more true to the setting (while avoiding difficult things like massive research, or uncomfortable things like pooping in the woods)?
I know what you’re getting at and I DO agree with you, but it is sometimes very hard to remember in the middle of it to behave in a way that is SO different to how we behave in real life. (yeah, I know that’s why it’s ROLEPLAY, but it’s easy to slip up, especially in the stressful, scary bits!)
You’re talking about games which, admittedly are set in a particular era, but contain either aliens and superpowers (2014, Neibelungen) or magic and demons and monsters (Ravenholme, Mordavia, etc), none of which is very historically accurate.
True, it’s great to remember to be an elegant female of 1625 (for example), BUT an elegant female of the era of Ravenholme would simply scream a lot or pass out any time there was action of any kind. Not very exciting if half the players miss all the fun, or get slaughtered because of the whole being unconscious thing.
where was i going with this?.. ummm… dunno, probably just making excuses for my lack of acting ability!
Oh please, talking about you - you are more active then many others IC! That’s what I’ve seen
My personal opinion on this matter is that trying to be historically accurate is all good, but it has to be reasonable. Troll Feeder above here has a good point We are trying to represent a particular time a location, yes, but we are not trying to be too serious about it, because too serious is boring, and we don’t want to get bored, we want to have fun.
I’ve already been expressing my opinion on this particular issue in this thread, and I think that authenticity is an evil thing in many cases. So the question here is how to find the compromise that will let you be authentic enough to make a good impression as a character, while at the same time not to get bored with trying to be perfect and not get into trouble. In St Wolfgang I’ve played a nun with a sword, and I got many IC comments about how unusual it is for a nun to carry a sword. If I tried to be authentic I would have to only do the praying and healing, and miss all the action. That would be no fun at all, you know. Still, I wasn’t careful enough to avoid perfectly authentic clothes, and while my costume was so much complimented by everyone it was at the same time the reason of trauma, and now, three months after the game, I still have a clear mark of it on my arm, and I have no idea when it disappears completely, if at all.
Ok, traumas don’t happen often (though when it happens to you - just once is more than enough), but we really don’t want to concentrate on the little authentic details and forget about the fun then.
Also, does anybody really think we can be authentic in a manner things really were happening? We haven’t been there, we only know it from books, and they are not always reliable. So if you’ve been bothered that you are doing something wrong, be assured that the real right way is hardly findable at all, and stop getting upset with it.
You mean you are a professional actress?
Ok, I’ve got one more comment on this: for the movies or theatre plays the actors play - but they do not find all the authentic information themselves, as far as I know. There are people who are paid to do that. There are people who are paid to make costumes. There are people who are paid to correct the little discrepancies. There are many repititions where you can practice your role, and in movies the scene can be videotaped many times before it’s done properly. Also, actors are paid for acting.
In larps one person does everything - makes character, finds all info including the authentic stuff, makes the costume, etc. We don’t practice, we just play. And we are not paid for it It is of course very nice to see someone in game who can demonstrate the perfect manners of 17th century lord, and it certainly makes others feel the atmosphere, but not everyone is able and willing to do it THAT PERFECT, not even mentioning we all have life outside of larping, like, work or study, so even if someone wants to spend much efforts on this - they may simply have no time.
So, once again - trying to be as authentic as is good [color=darkblue]for you personally[/color] seems to be the most productive way. Don’t make it “I don’t care” but don’t make it “I have to be perfect” neither.
Sorry for being so wordy, but I’m really rather concerned about this particular issue.
I pretty much agree with you on everything there, Aiwe.
My beef is usually the clothes - it really annoys me when people dress centuries out of fashion. I don’t mind going, say, 18thC for a 17thC larp, but 1930s?
I know people don’t always have the money or time to spend on costume, and in general it doesn’t stand out - but there is the occasional eye-opener.
But why not have a Jane Austen larp, where it’s all about manners?
but they do not find all the authentic information themselves, as far as I know. There are people who are paid to do that. [/quote]
Sure if you are Tom Cruise, you will have an Army of PA to do all of the real work for you, but most actors who work for a living do all of thier own research for thier characterisation. For a short film where i had to play a Psychopath i talked to a criminal psychologist about serial killers.
And Zanni I think you are being a little too picky here, answer me this, if you are so all about authenticity are all of your costumes made from handspun wool, and hand woven and dyed linens, that have all been hand sewn. do you brush your teeth in the morning and use make up at games, do you bathe during games?
Yeah this is an extreme but that is the problem with authenticity, where do you draw the line. In re-enactment circles it goes so far that some people wont fight because they state if i cant kill my opponent then my fighting style will not be authentic.
my opinion is, do whatever floats your own personal boat and leave everyone else alone.
Just a reminder the question of the post was about roleplaying/behaviour not about costumes.
I think Zanni has a point, yet if the GM wants to do a game set historically accurately then some pointers (eg web pages) on etiquette would be good for the players to read beforehand, so everyone ahs similiar expectations. Like the pirate talk, and the Serenity chinese swearing etc
Personally once IC I tend to stay IC and I really really really hate other people’s OOC comments, especially when it braks the mood. I tend to walk away from them and find someone else to chat to.
Yup, makes sense. But needs to be reasonable too, and the level of reasonability will be a very individual thing. I like Pirates larp, but if I was told I can only talk in that very piratish way and not in any other way - I would drop off, simply because it’s too difficult for me.
Finding that reasonable level should not be only GMs business, that’s why it’s so good when larps are discussed on forum beforehand.
Oh Ok so the next time we have a larp set in the 13th century you wont have a problem with me treating you like a servant, disregarding you, and generally treating like livestock. Oh and BTW dont even think of being anything but a christian or you will end up getting lynched.
pretty much my point about female characters in Ravenholme. if we were being accurate, we’d be sitting around cross-stitching and changing clothes every time we wanted to take a walk, or have dinner, or anything. fighting monsters, solving puzzles, talking to men as equals, doing magic, having an opinion… nope, nope, nope, nope and nope!
i like it when people have a good go at authentic sounding language and manners tho.
I do remember enjoying one particular Ravenholme game where I was taking the sensible thought pattern of saying that women’s brains overheat if they think too much. Of course I was met with considerable opposition but that was half the fun, stirring up the people behind the characters.
Likewise I wanted to cut up the oriental at the table because I was sure his insides were dark too. Good fun
Carl’s right, for much of history women were treated like cattle. But I think that we can still have “historical” games where women can interact as equals to the men. Simply make the women of higher rank, to offset the “disadvantage” of their gentle sex. After all, it’s one thing for a captain of the watch to treat a poor nun like she’s an animal, but it’s quite another to treat someone like Eleanor of Aquitaine (who became a nun) like anything other than God in a dress.
The movie Elizabeth: The Golden Age is either out or coming out soon. It’s about a woman who succeeds in an environment that was hostile to women. She refused to be typecast and despite pressure from almost everyone around her, she didn’t take the easy way out - getting married and having babies.
[quote=“Queen Elizabeth I”]I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king.*[/quote]
Or if you believe the Black Adder version, “I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman. But I have the heart and stomach of a concrete elephant!”
“Carl’s right, for much of history women were treated like cattle.”
not quite accurate since we slaughter cattle on mass for food, clothing and a variety of other things and think nothing of it. but i get the analogy.
yeah so a few people were sounding uppity, and i want it to be known i wasn’t getting at anyone or anything.
maybe i should have put it in a positive light:
-should GMs state a level of historical authenticity, for ROLEPLAYING, before the game? esp. concerning chicks eg. it’s very accurate only the women’s reppression is not there as much as it was in ‘1920’ or ‘1600’ or w/e
ill make a poll type thing shall i? most people have huge opinions about this which is kinda cool. i’m a little lost since i love nightmare circle even if there is OOC moments, yet at the same time historical reenactment groups is just about the activities of the past and not the socal enviroment.
I wouldn’t agree 8) I enjoy being called “milady” and being treated as such Though it’s not so much about reenactment as about people and their attitude. At St Wolfgang Derek let all the women go first to get food at lunch and all men agreed with it - but we were not all noble ladies, not at all… Or did they treat every woman like that in 13th century? Oh wow.
It’s actually quite an interesting subject, treatment of women has varied a lot throughout history.
I would hate to roleplay a 50s housewife - it’s bad enough having to cook and clean anyway, who wants to spend all weekend doing it?
[quote=“Zannii”]“Carl’s right, for much of history women were treated like cattle.”
not quite accurate since we slaughter cattle on mass[/quote]
Ohh Boy you really need to read an accurate history of the Crusades.
I think that what we are after is a portrayal of the Age of Chivalry where the romantic ideal of the corteous knight was prominent.
in the 13th cent you did not call everyone “My Lord” or “Milady”, you did not shout “Huzzah” in celebration, and you could always spot the King, as he was the only one not covered from head to toe in shit.
If you try your best, that is enough.
Remember LARP is LARP, not historical re-inactment (most of the time)
The question in this case might be, why is there an orc, rather than why is he wearing white sneakers.
We are trying to represent a particular time a location, yes, but we are not trying to be too serious about it, because too serious is boring, and we don’t want to get bored, we want to have fun.
Though it’s not so much about reenactment as about people and their attitude. At St Wolfgang Derek let all the women go first to get food at lunch and all men agreed with it - but we were not all noble ladies, not at all… Or did they treat every woman like that in 13th century? Oh wow.