We are complete larping noobs 
but some of us (steampunk types) were in the Great Exhibition last Sunday and have put our names down for Chimera and maybe further larping frivolity 
. I donât know if there is a regular Noob thread, but thought iâd make one in case there isnât. Some advice please on where to start. Have read the 14 rules of Larping thread and get most of that, but what else should we need to know as noobs. 
(And any other noobs reading this thread) . Even if itâs just a matter of which threads we should not miss.
Dealing with Larpers 101
-Introduce your self at the first game you go to. Tell people your new before the game and theyâll probably try to inclued you in their crazy mad cap plans so you have a good time. Youâll meet people and have a great time.
-Get to know the community. Donât be afraid to talk to people before or after the game, even if you dont know them. A big draw of the community is the community, as well as the gaming. After larps (Parties/Coffee/Food outings after the game) are good for this. P.S Alot of people have meet partners or flatmates at these things over the yearsâŚand partners that are understanding of dressing up and hitting people with foam weapons and flat mates that are understanding why the flat is covered in foam, fabric and ADOS F2 Adhesive are godsends.
-Character failure, Character Loss and Character Death should be embraced. If your going to go down have fun doing it. Look at actors that play evil villians in movies they are destined to fail most of the time but alot of them enjoy playing those characters none the less.
-âI hate your character, not youâ. Itâs a game and people are playing characters, People may not be like they are In Character. Most of what happenâs in game is between characters. Donât let In-game stuff ruin real relationships.
-If your having trouble with anything, ask around with some of the locals (particularly the old hands). Weâve fitted out total noobs before with rides, armour, dresses, weapons, boots and even built characters for people. Alot of us will go to crazy lengths to help new peeps and alot of us have some extra gear lying around.
At the game 101
-If your having problems getting involvedâŚfind a group that seems to be doing something and try to get dragged along. Doesnât always work but give it a shot.
-Roll with it, Keep it fluid, Keep it fun. In games where youâre given a pre-written character with pre-written goals: 1) Help people with their goals and tell some people your goals, Youâll both have more to do and maybe a little help doing it. 2) Donât get bogged down on any one goal. 3) Donât be afraid to create new goals if you run out or adapt them slightly when you find out new info, Remember these are your goals AT THE START of the game
-If your uncomfortable: Step back. If you are ever uncomfortable (for safety reasons, with material that you may find offensive, Health reasons or you hurt your ankle etc.) step back from the action and take a breather out of character. Your allowed to do that, There is no obligation to stay for any particular part of the game. Also if you realy have a huge problem, Talk to a Game Organiser or an experienced player you may know.
-Listen to the breifing/s before games. At the start of games you will be given a quick run down by the Game Organisers, Listen to these. This is doubly important for weekend long games, as these often have saftey advice (âDonât go beyond those trees, There are cliffs there. No headshots. These are the first aide peopleâ) and security advice (âPeople walk through this camp, so donât walk off on your own at night if your concerned. There is a locked room for important itemsâ) and general other information (âThere is a no booze policy at this camp. And there is a roster for kitchen duty. Players sleep here and crew here.â)
Nice summary Cameron.
My advice, get involved, ask lots of questions, ask for help, ask for costume. Last Chimera we costumed an extra player as a pirate in about 5 minutes from spare bits and bobs people had with them. We larpers like newbies, theyâre like our pulse, no newbies, no future of larp!
That helps , thanks. I have a thousand more questions but canât think of any at midnight so will ask more later. Cheers
Hey Yahn, Iâve just seen the photos you posted on Facebook from The Great Exhibition (TGE) and realised who you were - you asked me for advice during the game at one point (I was Dr Watson). Were my suggestions any use?
I think my advice was mostly of a âhow to achieve your goals in an intrigue larpâ nature. Follow all the leads on your sheet, ask people to help you gather information, listen in to conversations, try to figure out people you can trust and exchange favours, etc.
Larp is a really diverse activity, with a lot of components to it. Itâs normal for it to take a while to get the hang of everything. So asking for advice is all good, but also youâll find that it all becomes clearer with experience.
Cameronâs points above are much better in terms of general advice on larping. I would also add that every larp is different. TGE was an intro for new players, so there was quite a lot of out of character talk about how to play. At some larps, everyone stays in character almost all the time. At TGE there was a lot of focus on costume and character goals. That might feel very âmurder-mysteryâ-like. But some larps (and some larpers) focus more on characterisation, on acting as your character. You might have noticed that some of the experienced larpers at TGE were focused on that. Some larps involve fighting with foam weapons (as opposed to the rock-paper-scissors used at TGE). Also, a larp where you make your own character will feel quite different to one where youâre handed one.
Coming to Chimera will give you guys exposure to a really wide range of games. Look forward to seeing you there.
Hello - I, too, am new to LARPing and frankly I had a ball at the Great Exhibition - my first attempt at such an event.
I lured people to their doom, was not very secret about being evil, flirted outrageously without being in possession of a SEDUCTION card, and kissed Oscar Wilde before declaring him to be a heartless bastard. What fun.
And I did dirty dealings with the Artful Dodger. And he gave me money!
All wearing a corset. I repeat, what fun!
Glad I discovered your world, people, and that it does not have age discrimination!
I played Sarah Jensen, the Irish woman playing both cults off against each other in order to get the best deal for herself. Sorry again to Lord Dorian Grey. 
I enjoyed our tete a tetes on the balcony, and did not know our friendliness was going to be used against you later. Real cloak and dagger stuff.
The only part I did not really get about the Great Exhibition were the rules about the succubus and the freezing with magical spells etc - the duelling with spells and how that worked - you kind of had to be in the know. I was just happy to lure people and leave the duelling to others. I plan to sign up for Chimera. I am just deciding whether to go for whole weekend or just part of it - total immersion or dip toe in water? We shall see.
I know I will have fun, as everyone I met at the GE was friendly and it was great company to be in. I look forward to renewing your acquaintances as a new character in some other game.
Tanya
Hi Tanya, lovely to see you on the forum! George Eliot here Would love to see you at Chimera, you were an absolute ball to roleplay with 
Well hell, that was my first go, I can only improve I hope!
It was good fun playing between you and the other cult leader that set the succubus on you too⌠funny!
I have to hunt through the Chimera game list and figure out which ones might be my thing.
I took some photos on the Aether & Iron day and met some of the people at Great Exhibition who were in the crowd shots I took - I wanted to see if any of them wanted the photos sent to them or if there was somewhere I could upload them. Any ideas?
I had some of the Lillian Smith succubus lady, and of Jack Dawkins aka Artful Dodger and a few other people I recognised, including William Chamberlin (real name Michael). You, I recognised from the desk, as I marched straight up and signed up for GE when I saw you guys there. So glad that I did.
Tanya
Flick us an email at chimera@nzlarps.org - weâre almost full up so itâll be easier if I send you a list of what has space, then you wonât be looking at all the full games
I have just done that very thing. Many thanks, Anna. Efficiency of the mind is a great attribute.
Tanya