LARP System Mechanics - Origami

Community Larp discussion
#21

The ever-swaying tight-rope we walk in larp between “yay, it’s really real!” and “woohoo, I can do things I can’t in real life!” is a tricky one indeed.

A potential way this could be balanced, is to have spells represented by categories, rather than one specific origami-fold. For example, “magic shield (1 magical AP) is cast with a bird folded from red paper”, or “crippling lifeleech (drain 2HP/minute for 10 minutes) is cast with a turtle/tortoise folded from black paper”.

This gives the caster a lot of freedom to express their character through the style and choice of their folds, and also encourages mages to talk with each other, and share ideas, learning easier/faster/more beautiful origami folds.

For combat situations, you may wish to fold that bird as fast as possible, using a big piece of paper & a really simple fold to make it easy to get your shield up in time. But if you were going to give a gift of protection to a loved one, you may labour for an hour over a small piece of ornate red paper, creating a unique & intricate bird that truly expresses the intent & thought behind the gift.

To provide arbitration (i.e. so I can’t just hold up a triangle of paper and say, “It’s a dragon!”), a “master mage” GM/NPC could be present, to whom lesser mages could present new or non-standard folds for inspection. The master could then either congratulate the caster (“Ah, you have taken another step towards the 12th-folded enlightenment!”), or points out a “problem” with the fold (“Oh no, these vertices have tainted your invocation - destroy it quickly for it imperils you!”), to indicate whether it will be considered legal in the game rules or not.

The “master mage” could also teach/train casters when they gain new spells, helping them with the basic fold for the category. This, to me, feels way cooler than just reading in your character sheet “Oh, and you can now cast summon greater sandwich”.

Just throwing some more thoughts on the idea-fire :slight_smile:

[size=85]*edited for further clarity[/size]

#22

[quote=“Ignifluous”]The ever-swaying tight-rope we walk in larp between “yay, it’s really real!” and “woohoo, I can do things I can’t in real life!” is a tricky one indeed.

A potential way this could be balanced, is to have spells represented by categories, rather than one specific origami-fold. For example, “magic shield (1 magical AP) is cast with a bird folded from red paper”, or “crippling lifeleech (drain 2HP/minute for 10 minutes) is cast with a turtle/tortoise folded from black paper”.

This gives the caster a lot of freedom to express their character through the style and choice of their folds, and also encourages mages to talk with each other, and share ideas, learning easier/faster/more beautiful origami folds.

For combat situations, you may wish to fold that bird as fast as possible, using a big piece of paper to make it easy to get your shield up in time. But if you were going to give a gift of protection to a loved one, you may labour for an hour over a small piece of ornate red paper, creating a unique & intricate bird that truly expresses the intent & thought behind the gift.

To provide arbitration (i.e. so I can’t just hold up a triangle of paper and say, “It’s a dragon!”), a “master mage” GM/NPC could be present, to whom lesser mages could present new or non-standard folds for inspection. The master could then either congratulate the caster (“Ah, you have taken another step towards the 12th-folded enlightenment!”), or points out a “problem” with the fold (“Oh no, these vertices have tainted your invocation - destroy it quickly for it imperils you!”), to indicate whether it will be considered legal in the game rules or not.

The “master mage” could also teach/train casters when they gain new spells, helping them with the basic fold for the category. This, to me, feels way cooler than just reading in your character sheet “Oh, and you can now cast summon greater sandwich”.

Just throwing some more thoughts on the idea-fire :slight_smile:[/quote]

^ I like this :smiley:

#23

Awesome idea! I love it.

#24

Being creative in what players do when using special abilities including magic is something I think we all agree should happen.

Paper folding is just one example of a way to do this although it is definitely a Japanese themed way of magic. The reason I say that Paper Folding is Japanese themed is because the majority of it we do is based on animals which is something that japanese culture focuses on. If you were to build a culture or world were a similar idea was used then paper folding animals would be excellent.

I think what is important is to define what types of things can be used for creative magic in LARPS, Origami is good as it:
[ul][li]is easy to learn[/li]
[li]relatively inexpensive[/li]
[li]has an excellent visual aspect[/li]
[li]the more work put into it the better the outcome[/li]
[li]variability of results[/li][/ul]
What are creative things fall under some or all of these definitions?

#25

Thanks for all the positive feedback everyone!

Another idea I had for similar such mechanics was song with instrumental accompaniment, specifically for timed effects. The song could be dedicated to specific characters, with the type of skill, or effect intended (from a limited list as specified by the game system), before the song had begun. Once the song starts, the characters that the song is dedicated to gain the bonus effect, so long as they can still hear the song and make out the words coherently.

The instrumental accompaniment is required so that the song has an easily perceived rhythm, can be sought out again from a distance by those who wander too far away to hear the singing, and to make it easy to distinguish between someone talking in a lyrical manner, and someone(s) casting a spell.

This musical ability casting has the added bonus that you don’t need to see it to know it’s happening.

The detriment, of course, is that it’s limited to those who know how to sing and can project their voice, and those who can play instruments. The idea is that a person casting the buffs can do both, but doesn’t have to (i.e. one person can sing, while another person plays an instrument, and together they are casting the same buff).

Let me know what you think.

@Igniflous; I like your ideas! That sounds like an excellent way to bring variations in folded models into a game.

@Robza; you’re right, I should definitely compare notes.

#26

Sorry, musical instument not quite so appealing for me - and not just because I can’t play and am shy of singing.
Many musicians would be wary of bringing their instuments into games where rough and tumble of larp combat (and outdoor weather effects) couldn’t guaruntee the instrument safety, because instruments are usually expensive and/or have sentimental value. If its more of a political style talking game it might fit in, especially if court situation.
I guess if it were one way in which to cast magic, but not the only way, it could bring some interesting effects into the game.

#27

I agree. Its a good idea, but not for everyone. It does limit who can do it, but it could create a ‘bard’ class/character in a game which could be something interesting. Another thing is that some instruments are impossible to play while singing (like anything that involves blowing into)

#28

Base it around playing a recorder? The sound carries well, you can get plastic ones for cheap, and they’re easy to teach someone to play a basic tune on. (Like, you can work out sheet music without ‘officially’ knowing how by means of a fingering chart.) And have some really distinctive tunes that mean very specific spells, so there’s little ability for confusion.

#29

A well-played recorder can be lovely. A poorly played one can be torture!! :wink:

(Maybe poorly played recorders can be utilised to drive the big bad guy away!)

#30

Oh, the idea of musical spellcasting, instrument or singing, fills me with joy!

However, I strongly advise against it, for the reasons other people have given above. Still, worse than alienating people without good voices, is that you’ll have people who think they can sing or play trying to.

This. Which, IMO, firmly negates the idea as something that could work, at least as a player mechanic. I could see it being done properly by the right GM and crew though.