Serial Format

Community Game ideas
#1

I’m curious - how would people feel about playing a game that took place in multiple sessions? I’m thinking more or less a theatre-style game with prewritten characters and no/abstracted combat, perhaps with three 2-hour sessions staged a fortnight apart.

The vague idea I have is for the larp equivalent of a good quality drama tv series, and I was wondering if a medium length format might work, including giving people downtime actions and communications and the ability to assert narrative control about the game world in between sessions. Your guys thoughts?

Another question - if there was an opportunity to stage a game in a venue that was in some way ‘cool’, but might include extra costs of $20-30 just for the venue (like a ferry ride out to Somes Island or a special building or something), what is people’s willingness to make that extra payment in game costs?

#2

I’d definitely give it a try, assuming that the premise of the game grabbed my interest :slight_smile: But what you’re talking about sounds to me very similar to the montly LARPs, with the main differences just being the number of sessions and the fact that the characters would be pre-generated. I’m not saying that’s necessarily either a good or a bad thing, just that there is, to my mind at least, a high degree of similarity.

As for paying extra for a venue, I’d say that I personally would be willing to pay extra on occassion for a venue (although probably not all the time), assuming that I believed the venue would really add something to the game.

#3

Yes to a 3 session game scheduled fortnightly. If the game was going to be ongoing I’d be concerned about frequency causing burn out, but I don’t see any really concern, apart from scheduling.

I’d be happy to pay a premium for a great venue, but from previous discussions I think $30 is probably the top limit for a number of people.

On an aside it seems we often spend much more on costuming our characters then paying for the event, which is interesting (and not really the discussion we’re getting in to here).

I like the idea of having downtime if as a GM you are willing to administer it.

So yes, yes and yes!

#4

That’s good to know.

Jarak - I suppose when I think of monthly larps I figure it’ll be something like a Vampire game with lots of system heavy stuff going on. And I suppose, the impression I get as a non-Vampire player is that there’s a lot of politicking going on? And an indefinite timeframe, so you can go to a session or not as you choose? There are some things I’d like to consider trying system-wise, but they wouldn’t be at all related to MET type concepts - I guess what makes me interested in what I’m thinking of is an interactive drama approach, where the system stuff explicitly encourages people to generate story hooks for other people. And I’d want a definite Beginning/Middle/End structure. (Apologies if my understanding of how MET games play out is flawed.)

If the stuff I’m saying sounds kinda random, it’s because I’m currently working out ideas in my head - comments and questions are good, it helps my thoughts clarify.

[quote]I’d definitely give it a try, assuming that the premise of the game grabbed my interest[/quote] Assuming the premise works for you, yes. :slight_smile:

Thanks.

#5

I’m often left wanting at the end of a single theatreform style game, so I’m naturally the sort of person who’d find a serial-format game appealing.

Frank’s Mage game was like this and I really enjoyed it.

Hard to say about paying more for the premium venue. It depends on what it adds to the game and what perks you get (overnight accommodation, etc …). The frequency of the game would also be a factor.

Good luck with your project! :smiley:

#6

Any thoughts on what period it would be - modern or like Downton Abbey or what?
I think that if people have to costume/dress up for a game they put more into making it work, since they have more effort in the preparation. In which case having a serial would definietely help in that regard. I’ve gone off spending more time making a costume than wearing it.

#7

I think it could work, and I’d certainly be interested in trying.

#8

[quote=“Hannah”]Any thoughts on what period it would be - modern or like Downton Abbey or what?[/quote]The specific thing I’m thinking of would be modern day, probably, but if the format worked it could be tried for a historical/fantasy/SF theme I guess.

#9

I like the sound of this.

I would also pay more (and have paid more) for a premium venue, but not on a regular basis. Sometimes having an awesome venue really makes the game, but I probably couldn’t afford it for every game.

#10

A serial larp might suit me better than a one-off or a long-running campaign.

One-offs require a lot of effort for a brief payoff. They’re awesome and give the chance to try lots of new things, but they can be like an amazing firework that’s over too soon.

I don’t really have the stickability for campaigns. By the time I’ve made a character and played him a few times, some new creative project will start colonising my brain. Campaigns (especially weekend events) are fantastic for settling into a character and really coming to grips with them though.

A serial with a small number of events on a preset schedule would give the variability of one-offs combined with the settling-in of campaigns. Players would have the chance to play the first event, then reset their expectations of the series and bring new plans for their character or group to the later events.

Personally though, fortnightly would be too frequent for me. I’d be most likely to make it to a series of three games spaced over three months.

My original vision for The Black Hart of Camelot was a three-part serial called “The True History of Camelot”. The first event would have the characters as youths (around the time Arthur becomes king), the second in maturity (in the period covered by the Black Hart of Camelot when the royal marriage and Britain are both threatening to go pear shaped) and the third in decline (with Britain at war). I eventually decided to do a single event instead to make it easier on myself, and settled on the middle period because it seemed the easiest to translate to a pregen larp. Someday I might write the other two parts of the series though.

I love playing at great venues - playing in St Matthews in the City was awesome, for example. It’s always a balance with money though. It would be easier to pay a bit more if the events were a month apart.

#11

Yes please.