I vote for NERO
In terms of successfully getting a big nationwide larp going, I believe that the ruleset is probably one of the least important elements.
The thing that’ll determine if it is more than a pipe dream is the people who decide to make it happen.
It takes a lot more than a few people dreaming on a forum.
I’d guess that the quality and flavour of the rules would account for about 5% of the chance for success.
Yes more like quality & flavour of setting & what it allows characters to do.
And maybe marketing
I was thinking more of the aspects of motivation, communication and leadership for getting the project actually moving. The ability to manage “franchises”. A calm enough personality to lead without pissing people off, control of the ego to a point where people hang around and the ability to not worry about the unimportant details when the big picture hasn’t taken shape.
Kind of needs the opposite to me really.
I think you need to have a council of writers one from each city that is runnig a game and an overrall President so to speak as well as a treasurer secretary etc. A simple structure. Council of writers take care of the Storyline and development of plot. They are the esence that heeps ignited interest flowing with the campaign at large.
Then the Secretary takes care of the Day to day running of the game (ordering materials if needed applying for places to run games liasing with police etc)
The Treasurer is in charace of finances, getting good deals on varios things applying for fundin and grants etc. To a lesser extent marketing.
The Prsident is really the face of the Game out there doing the interview promotioons looking for marketing opportunities and could also work in tandem with a vice president. Liaising with other organisations etc.
Unfortunately, with a nationwide LRP, those most likely to run it, are also those least likely to do a good job. Those with the ego to run a game are also the ones with the ego to try and twist it into a horrible abortion.
Basically anybody that wants to be put in charge of a nationwide game should under no circumstances be given any position of authority in a national game.
I know who I’d vote for as the head of a national system. I don’t always agree with him, but I respect his experience and the fact that he doesn’t want to be in charge. A perfect combination.
I really depends on what the role and responsibilities of this President or Head.
One model is to have an overall Project Manager who gets final say on major decisions. Alista’s comments indicate the risks associated with this approach.
I would have an approach where the President is not in charge of the larp, but is the Programme Manager. They ensure that the GMs meet regularly, and that all key decisions and actions are made or taken on time. They heard the cats, as it were. So, this model sees someone without any authority per se, but manages the timelines and resource tracking.
I would have a committee for rules and a committee for overall plot development. Local GMs would work in local plot into the national plot.
I would recommend having a consensus decision-making model, where the committee all have to agree on a decision, and only vote if someone really wants to block consensus (ie rarely). It is used to great effect in the Green Party and Microsoft use it in their software development projects (sans voting).
The SCA is about as close a thing as NZ has to a nationwide LARP. We dress up, take on persona’s and some of us whack each other. There isn’t any XP and there isn’t any death.
Each group is pretty much a franchise and they just print out the rulesbooks and use them.
If you don’t like a rule, you can try to change it, but for the most part that is a lot of work and takes a lot of time.
There is a governing body (an incorporated society). The governing body deals with mundane details like membership fees and insurance and not so much to do with the “game” itself. The governing body doesn’t have much in the way of assets (some computers and stuff) but as it has documents of incorporation and thusly officers can be elected it is less likely to be subjected to destructive egos.
Officers are responsible for different areas such as the exchequer ($$$) marshall (combat), lists (authorised fighters) etc.
Events are then run by the local groups without help or hindrance from the governing body. Money is also held by the local groups with a small fee going to the governing body.
Leaving the money and assets with the local groups works well.
The good thing about the way the SCA runs is new groups just start up. People who have been to events decide to start a group in their own area and this happens all the time. All the rulebooks are available free online.
yes but the SCa is about re-enactment so i guess there really is no plotline involved. YEs you may take on the PErsona of Inigo etc and be out to fight and sew and make some nice armour etc, but you are not out to rescuse the tavernkeepers kidnapped daughter from the dragon or stop the rampaging orc hordes etc…
So while in essence your structure is what i was colluding to with a council of writers , for a national game there needs to be more tie in with the campaigns at each town level. I really did not expect much in the way of fees at all. At quest Alista charges a nominal fee going towards the time as a GM, making and fixing items getting costume resources together etc.
In my model tjhe President really is just the figurehead. With al of the people in the commitee having equal input and say.
I’m not trying to sell the SCA as a LARP, but I’m saying it’s possibly the closest thing NZ has to a nationwide larp. So people could learn from it if they wanted.
There often is a plotline, but it isn’t a major part of the SCA experience and many people attend events for reasons other than role playing.
For example, at the moment, there is a split between the King and Queen. The King demanded an heir within three months and the Queen refused. So the Crown is at odds and a few weeks at Canturbury Fair, the soldiers and knights divided and fought for either the Queen or the King. So battles were fought between their armies, but alongside all this there were people with no interest in role playing chopping down willow trees and building a small mediaval style dingy…
Set a date, book a venue, publisise and you would be surprised how much motorvation that is. All of a sudden you HAVE to come up with the goods Otherwise, it’s all academic.
Been there, done that. only three people from Auckland wanted to play. Everyone else didn’t want to play an intergame campaign unless we used their rules. Politics is fun?
When was this?
When was this?[/quote]
over the years we have attempted it several times. The last attempt was about a eighten months ago. I believe that Immersion advertised it.
We did? Drawing a total mental blank. What was it called? Which issue was it in? (I’m not second guessing you, I really am having the mother of all memory blanks)