We currently have 58 players signed up, and everyone so far should have received their characters. If you believe that you have signed up and haven’t received anything, please contact me urgently.
If you are still wanting to play, the remaining characters are:
Characters left
Male
Daniel Webster
Dr. John Watson
Duncan Echols
Feargus O’Connor
Jonathan Boscawen
Karl Marx
Sherlock Holmes
Thomas Edison
Umslopogaas
William Chamberlin
Female
Helena Blavatsky
Xi Shi
Yang Yuhuan
[quote=“Anastriel”][quote=“Ryan Paddy”]Considering signing up, but need an excuse. How about entertaining rellies?
If I played Sherlock Holmes could I bring a gaggle of nephews and nieces along as the Baker Street Irregulars?[/quote]
I am fine with you doing that as long as you don’t want me to write character sheets for them. With the way work is at the moment, I just don’t have the time.[/quote]
Cool, thanks. Am running the idea past the rellies.
is any one heading back to mt wellington after the game? i need a lift home.
I’ll be heading back in that direction.
We have only a few characters remaining. The game is a lot better if all the characters are played, so if there is anyone considering coming along, please do sign up, or email me at greatexhibition@gmail.com
I am waiting to hear back from one female player as to whether she wants the one remaining female spot, or whether I should switch one of the males to a female role.
The characters left are:
William Gladstone: Male Prominent politician, chancellor of the exchequer. Costuming: Victorian suit
Duncan Echols: Male “Victim of a severe accident” Costuming: Trench coat, gloves and bandaged face.
Feargus O’Connor: Male Irish politician, proponent of Irish Home Rule. Costuming: Victorian suit
Jonathan Boscawen: Male/Could be converted into female if needed. A Roman Catholic priest. Costume: Priests outfit ideally, Victorian suit otherwise.
Thomas Edison: American scientist and inventor of many of the era’s greatest inventions. Male/Could be converted into female if needed. Costuming: Victorian suit
Umslopogaas: A mighty Zulu warrior friend of Allan Quartermain who wields two axes: Costuming: African Garb
William Chamberlin: Male/Could be converted into female if needed. An inventor of the voting machine. Costuming: Victorian suit
Xi Shi: Female.Could be converted into male if needed. Chinese aide/bodyguard to the Chinese diplomat. Costuming: Chinese outfit
Hi everyone, I’m Augur, new here and a n00b LARPer. The upcoming Great Exhibition will be my first LARP game. Just wanted to drop in and say “hello” here. I’m keen to get more involved with LARPing in the future also.
Hmmm … Edison still available?
Sorry, I am afraid Edison got requested this morning.
Still available are:
Duncan Echols:
Feargus O’Connor:
Jonathan Boscawen:
Umslopogaas:
William Chamberlin:
Welcome! See you at Great Ex 
Thanks Nikki. I’m looking forward to it.
[quote=“Anastriel”]Still available are:
Duncan Echols:
Feargus O’Connor:
Jonathan Boscawen:
Umslopogaas:
William Chamberlin:[/quote]
I do hope that someone will take up both Feargus O’Connor and William Chamberlain, as they are both important characters to my own character, and it will be good to have someone to interact with, as I already have some ideas for interactions with them.
By the way, is this how it works normally? Do you plan ahead some things like I’m doing? I know it is “improv” as such, and things won’t go according to plan, but are you experienced LARPers getting ready with ideas for interactions with other characters in the game?
Experienced larpers sometimes come up with plans of actions for their characters, and sometimes just fly by the seat of their pants. Plans often fail in play, so it pays to be flexible and ready to just make stuff up and be reactive. Larps are messy, unpredictable things with lots of moving parts - that’s part of the fun.
What’s usually considered crossing the line is when you share your character’s secrets with other players who shouldn’t know them, to try to get some advantage during play or make plans about how you’re going to interact. That’s pretty much cheating. But so long as you try to restrict yourself to stuff your character know, you’re all good.
Some larpers also rehearse how they’ll play their character in terms of speech/movement/mannerisms etc.
It’s interesting that you mention improv too, there are curious comparisons to be made between that and larp.
In most improv (e.g.theatresports) the context of the fiction is largely created on the fly. There might be some sort of opener like “you’re castaways from a cruise ship on a desert island, and someone has been eaten”, but the vast majority of the details of the environment and the characters will be improvised - not just what they do, but who they are. A lot of the fun of improv comes from players suddenly introducing new context that makes everyone re-interpret the whole scene.
By comparison in larp, the context of the fiction is largely created in advance. In larp, it’s what characters do that is made up on the fly, not as much who they are. A player can invent a certain amount of character backstory and details during play, but there is a danger that it may contradict established setting information that is currently hidden from that player, so you have to be more careful with it.
In improv, there is no information hiding. All the players know everything about the fiction, they’ll all together creating it. In larp, players often only know what their characters know, with different players having access to different sets of information. The flow of that information, it’s spread and discovery and mis-understanding, is a very important part of what makes larp fun. Improv is more like everybody being an author writing on a blank sheet at the same time. Larp is more like everybody embodying an established character within an established scene.
Usually in big pre-written larps like this there will be a list of characters that your character knows something about. I’ve always assumed that this a good starting point about who you are expected to interact with, at least at the start, so that you don’t have be overwhelmed with so many people.
Every larp is different, and I’m not sure what the set up here is, but usually there is a period of time before the game starts, when everyone is in costume and with their name badges on, and people mill about (out of character still) finding out which person is who, and what they look like in costume. I think its good to find out who is those listed characters beforehand, so that when the game starts you know how you should greet them (e.g. as a best friend, or enemy), or if you want to hide from them etc.
Hi Augur! Welcome to Diatribe
Thanks for the explanations Ryan and Hannah. This is really useful information.
[quote=“Anna K”]Hi Augur! Welcome to Diatribe [/quote] Hi Anna, thanks for the welcome!
[quote=“Ryan Paddy”]What’s usually considered crossing the line is when you share your character’s secrets with other players who shouldn’t know them…[/quote]I think I have strongly gotten the message already about sharing secrets beforehand. That was something that was drilled into us at the LARP workshop during “Aether & Iron” at MOTAT, so I have been careful to observe that rule.
[quote=“Ryan Paddy”]Some larpers also rehearse how they’ll play their character in terms of speech/movement/mannerisms etc.[/quote]Sounds good, I have been doing some of this, but mostly I’ve been researching the background of relevant historical facts that I wasn’t previously familiar with, such as cholera, the East India Company, the Opium Wars, and, of course, the Great Exhibition itself and the Crystal Palace. I’ve also been researching Victorian etiquette.
[quote=“Ryan Paddy”]A player can invent a certain amount of character backstory and details during play, but there is a danger that it may contradict established setting information that is currently hidden from that player, so you have to be more careful with it.[/quote]Thank for the warning. I am very keen on developing character back-stories (see, for instance, my collaborative writing project for the steampunk character of Augur).
[quote=“Ryan Paddy”]Improv is more like everybody being an author writing on a blank sheet at the same time. Larp is more like everybody embodying an established character within an established scene.[/quote]Ah, that makes a lot of sense, thanks for that.
[quote=“Hannah”]Usually in big pre-written larps like this there will be a list of characters that your character knows something about. I’ve always assumed that this a good starting point about who you are expected to interact with, at least at the start, so that you don’t have be overwhelmed with so many people.[/quote]I understand that you are allowed to write yourself notes, prompt cards. I have made myself a list of the names of the people my character knows. This is okay, right, as long as I don’t show the list to anyone else?
You’re sounding really prepared Augur. Yes having prompt cards are generally allowed. Most people do not expect everyone to remember everything on their charactersheet. One can usually find a spare minute or two to read over their charactersheet/notes during the game to remind yourself of stuff. If you see someone else doing this, one would usually give them their privacy and move on to someone else to talk to, or wait quietly until they have finished reading and are ready to get back into it. Reading one’s charactersheet is an out of character action, that one shouldn’t respond to - don’t go asking “What’s that you’re reading?” Assuming of course, that you can tell the difference between their charactersheet and a given prop of a letter/document that they are reading in character. 
You will be given a copy of your character sheet at the game as well, so you don’t need to print it out. We mostly email them in advance so people have time to familiarise themselves with their character etc.
[quote=“Hannah”]You’re sounding really prepared Augur.[/quote]Haha, it is called “Asperger’s Syndrome”. 
[quote=“Hannah”]Reading one’s charactersheet is an out of character action, that one shouldn’t respond to - don’t go asking “What’s that you’re reading?”[/quote]Thanks, I’ll bear that in mind.
[quote=“Hannah”]Assuming of course, that you can tell the difference between their charactersheet and a given prop of a letter/document that they are reading in character.[/quote]Righty then. If I have to read something in-character, I will be sure to labour the point, so that others do not mistake it for OOC reading. Thanks.
[quote=“Anastriel”]You will be given a copy of your character sheet at the game as well, so you don’t need to print it out.[/quote]Awesome, saves me the indignity of having to kill a tree myself. Thank you!
Had an absolute blast!! Thanks to everyone who made the game for me which were a lot of you.
Thanks Rowena, Dave and Hamish for writing, running and GMing the game! It was great fun!
Thanks to all the newbies for giving it a go - I look forward to seeing you at future games.
And thanks to everyone else for your awesome RP, great costumes and participation 
Long live Ayesha - puddle of goo!