Grand plans

So, this is going to be a place holder note. But, I’m going to be looking at revitalizing the Chch LARP scene.
My current intention is to, under the banner of SAGA:
*Promote LARPing as a hobby.
To do this I intend to:
*Assemble a list of interested parties from Christchurch and nearby environs. (Initially from the University, but also promote via Comics Compulsion if they are amenable.)
*Run LARPs regularly (once per month, or every couple of months), with a mind to games that don’t require heavy costuming initially. To do this, I will be sourcing pre-written scenarios, as I need to keep my workload as a facilitator down.

So, that’s it for now. Anna encouraged me to post something here, so I have. I’m likely to not be the best responder for the next couple of weeks, as I’m going to be busy with Canterbury Faire, and moving, and those kinds of exciting things (And trying to catch up on my sleep in the post-Kapcon daze). :smiley:

[quote=“Confusion”]So, this is going to be a place holder note. But, I’m going to be looking at revitalizing the Chch LARP scene.
My current intention is to, under the banner of SAGA:
*Promote LARPing as a hobby.
To do this I intend to:
*Assemble a list of interested parties from Christchurch and nearby environs. (Initially from the University, but also promote via Comics Compulsion if they are amenable.)
*Run LARPs regularly (once per month, or every couple of months), with a mind to games that don’t require heavy costuming initially. To do this, I will be sourcing pre-written scenarios, as I need to keep my workload as a facilitator down.[/quote]

LARP is sold by word of mouth, so the best way to build a larp community is to run games. Pick something with a bit of flexibility (e.g. Much Ado About Something, stick up some ads, and see who bites. Set up a Google group at the same time for local notifications and get people talking. Hopefully it won’t take long before they’re talking about running stuff. And obviously, point people here and at NZRaG so they can see what else is out there.

Games with low costume requirements

  • any of the modern Shifting Forest stuff (all 8 players, unfortunately)
  • Battlestar Galactica: The Black Corridor (BSG civillian clothes are just ours, twisted a bit; can be run in a flat)
  • But Nobody Loses an Eye (I’m sure people can do kids)
  • Down and Out in Middenburg (fantasy beggars, so wear a sack or old SCA clothing)
  • Prayers on a Porcelain Altar (students)
  • A Serpent of Ash (modern people)

I’d initially aim for a game a term, rather than one a month, to prevent burnout.

Regular games and getting people talking should hopefully start a nice positive feedback cycle and help build things even more.

You might want to get momentum going before introducing Prayers on a Porcelain Altar. I loved the game, but it messes with your head a bit (apparently that isn’t everybody’s thing). Ditto for Serpent of Ash, though there are a few more traditional Larp elements in that one.

I’ve found Freeform Games to be amazing - they’re designed for people who have never larped. nzLARPS owns the scripts to A Dead Man’s Chest, Happy Birthday RJ and Curse of the Pharaoh. The latter two are less costume intensive than the first one, but who doesn’t like dressing up like a pirate? The games are for 12-16/11-15/6-9 people respectively.

SAGA Inc. Presidential Seal of Approval.

Also, I’d be keen to get the script for Calling the King off of Dale at some point. Our run-through at KapCon was pretty freeform, and I think it would be awesome to run it at a bach at Castle Hill or somewhere with six players (the original version, with all the jealousy and hatred).

I am also looking for games with low costume/prop requirements to get the Dunedin larp scene moving. I’m hoping to start with a bang running Dark Hart of Camelot, but realistically we’re not going to be able to maintain that high level of costuming etc throughout the year.

Here’s a general list of theatreform games, of a huge multitude of sizes and costuming requirements: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=5081

Seconded. They’re easy to run, fun to play, but not quite “traditional” larp.

The author is also responsible for Siege Mentality II, BTW - but I don’t know if they’ve publicly released it yet.

When I was in Dunedin* people basically ignored costume requirements. It’s nice to have people in costume, but I think the first step is to get them playing. There’s always the option of token costumes (ie a hat, a coat or something else that represents the character). Given the demographic there, limiting barriers to participation is a good idea. If you can do that without limiting genres, even better. :slight_smile:


  • About 7 years ago now. Wow. Doesn’t seem that long ago.

Yep, it’s still basically the same situation. What I’m hoping to do is borrow some really awesome props etc from NZlarps to give people an idea of how cool some of that stuff can look. Medieval is hopefully not too hard a genre to costume - I’m not expecting full chainmail or anything. Just trying to encourage people to get into it a bit. There’s a fair bit of costume-making already, for things like fancy dress parties - if I can direct that energy larpwise, it’d be great.

When I was in Dunedin* people basically ignored costume requirements. It’s nice to have people in costume, but I think the first step is to get them playing. There’s always the option of token costumes (ie a hat, a coat or something else that represents the character). Given the demographic there, limiting barriers to participation is a good idea. If you can do that without limiting genres, even better. :slight_smile:


  • About 7 years ago now. Wow. Doesn’t seem that long ago.[/quote]

All three installments of Curse of the Yellow Sign can be found on John Wick’s website;
http://www.johnwickpresents.com/yellow/
Or purchased via DriveThruRPG