How do you get IN character?

Community Larp discussion
#1

I thought it would be interesting to know about people’s experience on what exactly helped them to get IN character during the games. Maybe experienced players do not have this problem, but I know at least some people (including me) do. If we know what can help players get IC then we can help them when they need it (ok, saying “we” I may not mean me particularly right now, but I will also be a great player one day :wink: )

For me so far there were two main helpful tips:

  1. Combat. On my very first game Mordavia Reckonings I only felt I’m “in” when we had to fight in the forest, and the tentacled creatures were coming from everywhere, and I got hit several times, and I had to fall and either wait for a White Mage or be dragged away by other elves. That was so IC. Maybe because it’s something you usually don’t have in everyday life :laughing:
  2. People talking to me. When I was coming into somewhere it was difficult to orient first, but if someone was coming up to me and started talk I felt I’m a part of what’s going on, whatever it is;-)
#2

This is a topic I find really interesting. Getting into character with a new character is so much harder than with an old character.

Before a game, I try to set up character cues. I’ve used music (a song or piece of music I associate strongly with the character) or scent (I have a perfume I only ever use for my Nightmare Circle character).

I only every wear my costumes to larp games so that I mentally associate the wearing of the costume with being in character.

During the game, if I find myself slipping out of character, I tend to have two strategies. I either go and have a conversation with someone whom my character has strong feelings towards - whether they are good or bad feelings - to jolt me back into character. My second approach is to modify my body language forcibly. If I walk different, if I hold my head differently, have different nervous habits…it somehow makes it easier to believe I’m someone else.

#3

Impersonation cues…I shall explain…

Pick a particular character in a movie your character assossiates with (its easier if you’ve seen as many movies as I have) and just go over a scene in your mind…even mutter it quietly if you think you can get away with it. Run it over and over before a game…I find I fall into the character pretty quickly after that.

#4

For long term characters, I tend to think about them a lot before I play them. Writing “fan fiction” can hep me develop the character, even if I don’t give it to other people to read.

I try to predict several things that could happen during the game, and then try to imagine how I should react in character (rather than how I would react as myself).

I like to write up a list of traits for the character, something like:

  • likes working with his hands
  • ethical but not brave
  • a follower, if the leader is a good person
  • shy around women
  • vegetarian
  • not swayed by money
  • loyal to friends
  • values law and order
  • values life
  • considerate and polite
  • middle class

For quick-and-dirty roles, like when I’m playing an NPC, I find that I need to flip quickly from in character to out of character and back again with any of the other NPCs who are there. Essentially, trying the character on for size and making any little changes we need to make to the background to make us consistent. Starting a dialog with the other NPCs makes me feel more real.

Even when I play a NPC for a single encounter I like to have motivation. Am I a bandit because I have been evicted from my farm by the King? Or, am I just bad to the bone? Will I kill someone for food or will I just try to snatch a bag and run? Am I close to the other bandits, will I try to save them if they are in danger…

#5

I make an effort to think like the character would. For example, if I’m a ghoul my thought process is “shuffle, swing, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, swing, shuffle, oh shit that holy water is cold, fall.”

#6

BAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. :laughing:

#7

this is a really helpful post for a person who has never done any acting and is just starting out with LARP-ing.
Any other hints and suggestions to help us (well me!) Newbies embrace their character??

#8

not just you majandra. i’m creating my first character at the moment too. :slight_smile:

Kara

#9

its nice to know i’m not the only one.
but i guess everyone had to be new sometime :slight_smile:

#10

So it was you that ghoul on Mordavia Reckonings to whom I said “sorry” after I splashed holy water and heard that yell? :laughing:
This thinking idea makes me think a lot. It sounds… suitable. I’ll try that.
Writing fanfiction is a thing I know some other people do too. Me too tried, but didn’t really have time for it as my character was killed :unamused: And traits list too. I’ve dome it all for my first character. Derek, you make me feel proud of myself! :wink:
Movie… I’ll go watch “Pirates of the Carribean” again, I think. But wondering what would be suitable for Ravenholme…
And special costume - yes! So yes!!!

#11

I’ve also found that fanfiction is a fun way to keep track of character’s development between games. Great to read over later and look at how your character has changed.

#12

With Carlyn it was the costume, once i strapped on the armour placed the triskele medallion around my neck, and put on the red cloak, I was there.

I had already fleshed him out as a character between games had a clear idea of what I wanted him to be, so all I needed to do was get in the outfit and that was it.

after the third game as Carlyn, he got real easy.

[size=75]plus a year of drama school helped[/size]

#13

Usually when getting into character I go through a “no character” zone which is quite an interesting thing to experience. So I go:

:Craig: (where I’m still me)
:Nobody: (where I am not being anyone)
:Character: (where I percieve life as and respond as someone else)

Usually coming out of character I go from :character: straight back to :Craig: but I find it easier when getting into character go through an empty zone.

I also like to change my environment or something else when I get into character. So I might put a costume on in front of a mirror, then face away from the mirror and close my eyes to become nobody. Then I’ll turn around, open my eyes and adjust my costume as the character. Other ways to do it are to change rooms, go outside, look at your watch, sit down, stand up etc.

Give these a go if you’re confident in being no-one for a few moments. It can be quite odd. It’s this kind of transition, I think, that helps you learn about your every-day character more.

#14

man… :open_mouth:

no offense craig… but Stanislavsky would look at you and say “Dude you are intense… chill out” but in russian of course…and probably less like a surfer

#15

[quote=“Carl”]man… :open_mouth:

no offense craig… but Stanislavsky would look at you and say “Dude you are intense… chill out” but in russian of course…and probably less like a surfer[/quote]

That would be poperyod bat’ki v peklo ne lez

#16

Intense? It becomes second-nature. I usually go to a game with the intention of playing multiple compelling, believable characters that people are drawn to interacting with. They’re often pretty complex, sensative people with a wide range of motives and emotions. I put a lot into larping… this was just my honest response.

And I don’t name my characters after myself :wink:

May Day and Nibelungen both involve over-the-phone larping and NPCs need to pick up their characters as soon as they’re told (by the players) who they are. The NPC is usually out of costume but they’re connected immediately to the in-game environment. Pretty freaky challenging stuff.

#17

In Norway where most of the games have prewritten characters, you recive your character weeks or months in advance so the you can prepare you character mentally. It can sometimes be pretty intence.

Hansi