Lets Talk About Zeppelins

Community Larp discussion
#1

So, anyway, down in Wellington there is some very very preliminary planning for a steampunk campaign. One of the things that the people doing the planning are keen on is zeppelins, because they’re an intrinsic part of the genre, and they are monumentally Cool.

The issue that I have right now is how to translate that Coolness into ingame terms, when there are technical difficulties in actually getting one afloat to transport people, have aerial battles, or make heroic expeditions into dark barbarian lands. So I thought I’d open it up to the floor on how to set up game mechanics for zeppelins.

#2

You could decorate one or more rooms as the interior of a steampunk zeppelin. Give it small windows, make them computer screens, and run a computer simulation like the one used for Flight of the Hindenburg in Auckland to display the flight. Or with no windows, and some other sort of interface so the players know where they are (like a magic navigation voice).

That would take care of the flying part. Tying that to outdoor scenarios would be less tidy, and probably involve an OOC trip from the zeppelin venue to the outdoor venue. And once you get there, no zeppelin in the sky. Perhaps write into the setting that the zeppelins have some sort of invisibility cloak?

IC, the PCs climb down a rope from their zeppelin (assuming no teleportation) and they’re in play. They can escape if they get back to the rope location. You could make a prop that appears to be a rope that ascends from a coil on the ground and then stops 10ft up where it “disappears” into the cloaked zeppelin. The prop would actually be sitting on the ground, perhaps staked into it, with rigid support for the vertical rope. So… at least a semblence of believability.

Alternatively, you could say that zeppelins can only dock at special buildings, then you could have the “zeppelin interior” space be part of a larger “zeppelin docking building” space that is only accessable when the zeppelin is docked. The surrounding buildnig could possibly be transformed to represent multiple docks like the one you start from and the one you arrive at. If that space was at a larger venue, you could walk out of the building and straight into an outdoors venue without an IC/OOC gap. From the outside, it could be assumed that the zeppelin is small and has landed “inside” the dock building.

The “docking building” could also be transformable into the interior of another zeppelin, so that zeppelins can dock in mid-air and board each other.

None of that gives you a cool-looking prop of a zeppelin that can be viewed from the outside. But you could do some nice stuff with interior decor.

#3

A docking hangar is th easiest way to integrate an airship into a larp. Though I am curious, how big an airship are we talking about here?

#4

[quote=“Wulfen (David)”]A docking hangar is th easiest way to integrate an airship into a larp. Though I am curious, how big an airship are we talking about here?[/quote]I was thinking that there should be a range, like from little 2 person jobs, to floating ‘castles.’ I’d like these to be things that players and player groups can own, lust after, and feel pride over, and want the game mechanics to support this.

#5

Zeppelins eh?

Option 1) make a scale model attach to a fake coiled rope and ‘explain’ that it’s much further away then it looks…

Option 2) Stick with interior sets, could be great having a game set in flight, some background noise playing on loop, steam engines and wind. Then make make some portholes to hang on the wall with pictures of clouds inside (however a synchronised series of computer screens would be amazing).

Perhaps a steam powered transmatter disintegrator and reconstruction device (teleporter) to get you from one site to another, it could take as long in character to send as it takes you to get there with your hand in the air.

Re mechanics, I would suggest a simple system, the more money you spend the better the ship, you would buy ships in a similar way to creating a character then…

You could have an abstract OOC system to represent combat where each vessel picks a member on board to act as the ship taking on it’s stats, say 4 hits for a light ship versus 8 for a heavy ship, each ‘ship’ is then given a single weapon representative of what they are armed with, a dagger for an unarmed ship, a great sword for a mighty war vessel, each fight is then fought in a set area, with the outcome represents what happens to each ship, the beauty of this is you could have multiple ship combats without the game slowing down to a wargame with a complex set of rules.

Just some ideas.

Bryn.

Bryn.

#6

Wireless telegraphy being in its infancy, bitrates are really crap. And it does have an unfortunate habit of dumping you in the nearest quarry…

#7

[quote=“bryn-jones”]You could have an abstract OOC system to represent combat where each vessel picks a member on board to act as the ship taking on it’s stats, say 4 hits for a light ship versus 8 for a heavy ship, each ‘ship’ is then given a single weapon representative of what they are armed with, a dagger for an unarmed ship, a great sword for a mighty war vessel, each fight is then fought in a set area, with the outcome represents what happens to each ship, the beauty of this is you could have multiple ship combats without the game slowing down to a wargame with a complex set of rules.[/quote]That’s a really cool idea. (Am paying attention to the other stuff people are saying, but this one in particular strikes me as very elegant.)

#8

The Maelstrom system here in the UK has a downtime system that uses ships, in that your character can own a ship or several there of, each with certain amounts of cargo space etc that you can utilise for ferrying stuff around the world, between event locations (or even non-event locations) as a result of IC wheeling and dealing. It kinda removes them from the game in a way though, because it’s all purely an out-of-game thing, even down to the combat - in saying that it does add a very cool element to “downtime”. The snap in trying to emulate this is that about 50% of the MS system is actually “hidden” in that certain greater/heroic/epic advantages aren’t listed, and only become available to a player with a certain combination of other advantages - including those that pertain to ships, ship combat, and transferring cargo. This possibly draws some similarities with the Serenity system, which you could prod David H about.

A while back though I did have an idea for a LARP that would actually be run at two locations simultaneously, with some mode of transport passing to and fro. For my game it was likely going to be a panelvan with all the players locked in the back as if in the cargo hold of a train or similar, but you could probably modify it to replicate some form of travel via airship, the players catching the “ferry” from one destination to the other. As for not having one “on sight”, if you had a “zepplin station” with appropriate looking signage, the players should be able to fill in the blanks.

RE Bryn’s OOC system, it does sound very elegant but what about things like comparitive speed and manouverability? A lightly armed vessel might only have a short sword by comparison, but that warships’s cannons can’t fire in every direction and I bet it turns like a bitch. I bet you could actually generate a very simple (i can’t believe I’m suggesting this) turn based system that could be played out on a board in an OOC room, moderated by GMs if need be, that would be quick enough to avoid detracting from the game. Certain player skills could even have an impact, like if someone was an expert gunner, maybe the range of a ships weapons, damage they do, or even rate of fire are somehow augmented…

Umm, I have a couple of layouts in mind if you want me to pull them together and fling them your way. Something akin to Bookface’s “Battle Stations” meeting oldschool “Master of Orion 2”…

#9

Sure, send them along. Like I said, this is very preliminary, so seeing a lot of varied points of view helps like anything.

#10

TequilaDave, I’m an old Maelstrom system player, moved from the UK to here, and I’m senior ref for this system.
Its based on a combination of Maelstrom and Grand Design, as well as elements from NWO.

I was basically going to use a combination of the GD Maelstrom Ships and have equipment generated and created by the PC’s
this is to allow some Zeppelins to have Aetheric Fulguration Cannons, clockwork gunnery turrets, and moonlight powered electrical engines, etc…

#11

[quote=“bryn-jones”]Perhaps a steam powered transmatter disintegrator and reconstruction device (teleporter) to get you from one site to another, it could take as long in character to send as it takes you to get there with your hand in the air.
[/quote]

he he - something like this is already in the game, initial experiments by the student Nikolai Tesla in 1860
first stable aethric wyrm hole generated 1881

#12

Why not play on the observation deck of the sky tower? If you pick a quiet night, like a Monday, you may be able to get a group discount for entry to the bar area and get a reserved area.

http://www.skycityauckland.co.nz/Attractions/Skytower/Explore-The-Sky-Tower/Views-From-The-Tower.html

#13

[quote=“Derek”]Why not play on the observation deck of the sky tower? If you pick a quiet night, like a Monday, you may be able to get a group discount for entry to the bar area and get a reserved area.[/quote]That’s quite a good idea - except we’re based in Wellington. :slight_smile: Will keep an eye out for similar places though, I wonder if the State Insurance Tower or the Majestic Centre have viewing platforms?

#14

But we’re not… And face it, it’s an exceptional idea. You’ll never find a better zeppelin venue, unless it’s THIS :smiley:

This is the view you want for your game!


This is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want… this is the view you want…
:smiley:

#15

Oohh it goes round… and… roun…

This is the view I want…
This is the view I want…

#16

One possibility for Zeppelin combat is to assume that the ships themselves aren’t armed (canons are heavy, and you don’t really want to be playing with explosives when you’re dangling beneath a balloon full of hydrogen gas). Instead the standard method of attacking a zeppelin could be to board and fight the crew.

#17

I used to work at the sky tower and one of the places that aren’t public access are 2 levels called the ‘refuge levels’.
Basically where you go if theres a fire in the tower as its all fireproofed. Its just bare concrete, but intead of windows around the outside its just aluminium framing and panels. So it’d be an easy physrep of up in the envelope of a zepplin.
You may be able to arrange access to those levels.