Minds Eye Theatre: Mortal game

Auckland
#1

Would you be interested in a Mortal game?

  • Yes
  • No
  • Pft! Hell no! Not M.E.T! I’m a REAL larper!

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The AMERICA club’s regular vampire MET game (1st sat. of each month) looks as though it may be wrapping up. And I was brandishing around the idea of running a regular mortal game set LOOSELY in the world of darkness (possibly set during the 1920’s/1930’s as there is little info about that time and i can make stuff up :smiley:) in that time slot. Just checking what the interest for a mortal game would be like from the NZlarpz people.

#2

What’s mortal?

#3

Oh right I’m sorry…let me explain.

Mortal refers to the fact that you dont play the usual suspects of a MET game (ie werewolves, fea, vampires, hunters etc) you play…well mortals.

Its sometimes jokingly refered to as:

Mortal: The Victim
Mortal: The Lunch

and other such titles

But its set in the world of darkness (not totaly to the books)…so expect things not to be all white picket fences and picnics and land of sunshine. Cause lets face it the darkest and most frightning creature that stalks the night is man its self :stuck_out_tongue: we have such a capacity for evil.

But I’m not wanting to give to much of the setting away at first.

#4

I’ve seen some of the supplements released for mortal games, they looked nice. Spooky stuff.

What style of event do you think you’d run? WoD is famed for “gathering” style of larp events where lots of characters get together over and over again, often in the same place. Will that work for a mortals series? I picture something more like IT: group of friends investigate something weird in their town.

Will you be running a low-requirements game, say in a room at uni with minimal costume, or something more immersive and “on location”?

#5

Well like the one before it will be held in a university room…so a little imagination may be needed on location

Costuming though shouldn’t be too high-requirments for mortals…but your expected to make a little effort to dress in character…but its likely not going to be hard to dress as a “normal” person :smiley:

Yes it will…as I have a certain “splat”/“pitch” in mind for that…the first couple of games may require pre-gen’d characters though just so players get the feel but as i said more on the plot and setting once i get it all shaved into shape.

#6

Righto.

This is not meant as a criticism because everyone has different tastes and I think I’m just not the target audeince, but personally I’m not so into a campaign involving gathering in one room and lots of suspension of disbelief.

I can see how that style of event is the easiest to organise, and it probably emphasises the roleplay and character development perfectly well, but I’m just really attached to immersion as a goal. If I was playing in a spooky haunted setting I’d want to go places that seemed spooky.

I guess I’m a pretty high maintenance. I dunno, maybe the full pitch would appeal more, when I hear why you’re all in a room together. Me, I’d like a horror game for example that was set around something like an overnight camp by a lake… and then you find out the lake has some supernatural X about it… and then you walk around the lake in the dark with torches and scare the bejeezus out of yourselves before you even uncover anything. Hard to get that kind of atmosphere in a random room. But then, the game I’m describing is more expensive, harder to get the venue, harder to get everyone there, etc. And fundamentally, not everyone cares about that atmopshere stuff as much as just making the events happen.

I just thought it might be illuminative to explain why this might not be my thing, personally, but I totally respect that lots of people love this style of event.

#7

I’ve grown up under Ryan’s wing and picked up a lot of the same “immersion is where it’s at” stuff. Fundamentally though, my number 1 measurement for measuring larp success/ appeal is gameplay. I think about it like video games - I want great graphics but gameplay is more important. As with video games, graphics are a part of that, but fundamentally I want a system that encourages believable, fun gameplay. To me, this usually means as few rules as possible and a playing culture where you “make others look good”. Obviously the game should encourage that…

More pitch!

#8

[quote=“Exquire”]To me, this usually means as few rules as possible and a playing culture where you “make others look good”. Obviously the game should encourage that…

More pitch![/quote]

Well the use of the MET system is because alot of people are fimilar with it, and it can reslove things fairly quickly, and has a resonably good system for contacts and influences. Ok, I’m not saying it has no downsides (in fact there are some things I dont like but a discussion for another thread) but if you look at alot of MET games the rules dont come up that often…and when they do they’re mainly to resolve the use of “magic” or “gifts” or “vampiric diciplines” and are resloved resonably quickly.

To me the roleplaying and story is the key, weither you throw rock paper sissors or spell packets, its just a system to facilitate the story telling.

The 1930’s game at america is an example of “all about the characters” and worked with no rules…but if your gonna be having things that are not “normal” abilities a system of resolving is needed. And I find that MET is a resonable generic system across the board.

The thing about venue is: I would like a venue that is more “in character” but saddly I also want to keep the game free/donation cost and are centeraly located…and as there are very few venues willing to hire out free on the first sat night of every month within the CBD area (if ya know any giz a bell)…I gotta roll wit’ what I got (which is rooms at the Uni)…although I will look into more appropriate buildings within the university.

As for the pitch at the moment… “its all about what goes on behind closed doors in a community” anymore than that I cant say.