I've gotten lots of feedback on this still, and the common questions are "What character is [Insert TV Personality or My Favorite PC Here] To a certain extent, that defeats the point of why I posted it. I meant it to be a pro-active post, as opposed to reactive. However, I should have suspected that people would treat it like it was awesome and try to apply it, even if they were having a perfectly good time in their game with their PC as is. So, in an effort to get everyone in in the awesomeness of thinking just a little bit more like Mitchell, here's a few examples to feed the ever growing hunger and need to have a label put on things!
Let's go with some of your basic gaming scenarios.
The tried and true "everyone is in an inn drinking when a mysterious stranger implores all the noble adventurers for help against a wicked, evil force" in your Tolkien Style Dungeon XP and Gold Coins Adventure.
The Hero: starts putting on their armor and weapons, getting ready whether people are with them or not. They then rally anyone who does not wish to go with a passionate, noble speech.
The Enablers: Ask the Stranger for details on the wicked evil force.
The Narrator: Warns the party that this force is not as simple to defeat as the Stranger says.
The Foil: States that the Narrators and Heros plan is foolish and that the party should go with their approach. Or they ask the stranger what the reward is, and refuse for the party when it is too low.
The Monkeywrench: Seeing danger ahead, gets himself good and drunk to prepare.
The Nevish: has to be dragged kicking and screaming because they have an ability that will help the quest.
Or, to use a politico example in everyones favorite "Yelling Vampires: The Bad Outfits" game. The Prince of the City is finally challenged for his decadence and security lapses by the Hero, who attempts a very gauche coup in the middle of Vampiric sacred ground.
The Hero: Stands tall after his monologue, ready to face the consequences, even if they mean death.
The Enablers: Distract the Princes cronies, block his escape, and prepare their magic powers to protect their friend.
The Narrator: Has already let the Hero know that they may die in this action, but that doesn't mean it does not need to be done. They provide the Hero the Princes Dark Secret to use should the going get rough.
The Foil: Take this opportunity to take out a few of his Court rivals who support the Prince and blame it on the Hero and Enablers later.
The Monkeywrench: Tries to attack the Prince directly in support, and in turn gets captured and has their life turned into a bargaining chip.
The Nevish: Sees things get out of hand and hides in the corner hoping its all over soon.
And lets say you're playing Magical Samurai in The Land Of Epic Yet Mediocre Fanfiction. The battlefield lines have been drawn, as the Daimyos of the two rival clans make one final parley before the bloodshed begins, and the PCs watch from their regiment.
The Hero: finally comes to peace with his distant father, and draws the katana he swore he would never use for the first time.
The Enablers: Make offerings to the ancestors and Shinto spirits to bless the battle, and if possible, profess their love for one another before it is too late.
The Narrator: Rallies the peasant soldiers as the noble samurai make their own preparations, understanding that every man fears death and needs to know they are not alone.
The Foil: Convinces the Monkeywrench to fire the first shot in hopes that the Daimyo will be caught off guard...the Foil is next in line for the job of course.
The Monkeywrench: Tries to be a big hero, and fire the first arrow, throwing all the planned strategy into chaos.
The Nevish: is busy trying to figure out how to fit a second set of armour over their first one.
I'll post more of these if people like them, but I think people maybe starting to get the point.
Anyways, I is off.
-M
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Difference
I haven't forgotten my blog, I swear! I have eight million half finished posts, but the stupidity of players keeps increasing to the amount where I can't keep up!
Let's see if I can finish this one.
"That guy sucks, he just plays to "win", how lame is that?"
"Yeah seriously. Doesn't he get what roleplaying is about, let's tell a story here!"
"Yeah. That's what Mitchell would want and man does he have a sexy ass!"
I hear this conversation ALL the time. (Okay the last part not ALWAYS.) But I see lots of players throw the "munchkin" tag at people when they're guilty of the munchkins motivations, and use this as the holier then thou attitude to get away with it. Now mind you, as you know, the Munchkin is as wrong as farting on an escalator. But at least they're blatant about it. It's these "emotional munchkins" that really get in the way of us people trying to tell a story, because they want to get neck deep in all of our stories while using the munchkin tactics, and people don't notice but scratch their heads wondering why all these "great roleplayers" are having such a sucky game. They're "stealth munchkins" if you will.
"Aha, yeah, I see what Mitchell is saying, people want power in terms of status within the in character group are as bad as the.."
Okay stop. No.
Playing to win doesn't just mean playing to be respected, playing to have the most points, kill the most PCs, or even playing to be liked by the group. Playing to win means playing to succeed. And that means playing to avoid failure.
Now, this is a tough one...because nobody in real life ever tries to lose unless they have some serious issues. (Mind you, you'd be surprised how many characters are supposed to have these same issues but play to succeed.) It's counter intuitive, so I don't fault people for this as much, except at extreme levels, which are frighteningly common.
However, I'm seeing an increasing number of players who are INCREDIBLY argumentative. With STs, with other players, vehemently defending every point about their characters decisions or ideas as if they are going to be killed if their characters are wrong even once. They'll say their character is very flawed, but all of those flaws are only ever roleplayed on their own terms. It's as if they have them just to say that they are there, so they can't fail at proper character creation either. No matter what, their character may be tragic, broken and sad, but they're never ever wrong unless someone actually proves it through long arguments that they can't refute on an out of character level. What happens to these players? They don't get in trouble, no. They may even succeed a lot, in fact they often do. But they also don't get played with very often, because they're a chore to interact with and even if you do, the potential is nowhere near as interesting for good play as that guy who could flip out at any time. They're just not as fun to play with.
If we go by six character theory, all six have to fail to succeed on a dramatic level. (Fail to succeed, I like that.)
1. The Hero is defined by their struggle. No failures, no struggle. Heroes should fail the MOST. Luke misses the first shot at the death star, loses his fricking HAND when he fights his father, gets captured by Jabba and all sorts of bad things. Buffy quits and moves back to LA for a Summer and starts sleeping with Spike. Frodo continually uses the One Ring when he knows he shouldn't.
2. The Enablers have to fail at things so the Hero can do them, and make it clear when people are really screwed. Princess Leia can't stop them from blowing up Alderan, Willow goes evil when he girlfriend dies.
3. The Narrators can't always be right, otherwise they just become mouthpices for the plot with no character of their own. By being opinionated, but biased, they provide a human element to their very necessary wisdom. Giles won't advise Buffy she's outgrown him because he hasn't outgrown her. Obi-wan doesn't tell Luke about his father and Luke pays for it. Gandalf thinks he can convince Soromon the error of his ways.
4. Monkeywrenches need to fail ALOT, because it's much better drama then when their problem causing drama is done on purpose. Accidents and failures keep them endearing to the other characters as opposed to spiteful. Dawn can't help but get captured every time something bad happens. RDD2 gets captured by jawas.
5. The Foil needs to fail to explain why they are not the Hero despite being their equal in some manner. Plus, failure can motivate a foil like nothing else. (I find people who play Foils are the worst for playing to succeed.) Spike helps people he shouldn't and burns bridges left and right. Jane Cobb sells the crew to the Alliance, and begs for his life afterwards.
6. Nevish's should just fail at nearly everything out of principle, the more they want it, the harder they should fall.
The next game you play, I challenge you to go out and make a mistake with your character. A big one. See if you feel like you're about to die. (It may be realy uncomfortable at first, it was for me.) See if the world collapses around you. I bet it won't, and if it does, it will be fun. Every player I know, when asked, would prefer their character to go out in a blaze of glory rather then get bored, yet people don't go out in a blaze of glory for doing and saying the right thing at every turn. And you don't have to.
Failure sucks in real life, I know. But it's fun in LARP, I promise.
Let's see if I can finish this one.
"That guy sucks, he just plays to "win", how lame is that?"
"Yeah seriously. Doesn't he get what roleplaying is about, let's tell a story here!"
"Yeah. That's what Mitchell would want and man does he have a sexy ass!"
I hear this conversation ALL the time. (Okay the last part not ALWAYS.) But I see lots of players throw the "munchkin" tag at people when they're guilty of the munchkins motivations, and use this as the holier then thou attitude to get away with it. Now mind you, as you know, the Munchkin is as wrong as farting on an escalator. But at least they're blatant about it. It's these "emotional munchkins" that really get in the way of us people trying to tell a story, because they want to get neck deep in all of our stories while using the munchkin tactics, and people don't notice but scratch their heads wondering why all these "great roleplayers" are having such a sucky game. They're "stealth munchkins" if you will.
"Aha, yeah, I see what Mitchell is saying, people want power in terms of status within the in character group are as bad as the.."
Okay stop. No.
Playing to win doesn't just mean playing to be respected, playing to have the most points, kill the most PCs, or even playing to be liked by the group. Playing to win means playing to succeed. And that means playing to avoid failure.
Now, this is a tough one...because nobody in real life ever tries to lose unless they have some serious issues. (Mind you, you'd be surprised how many characters are supposed to have these same issues but play to succeed.) It's counter intuitive, so I don't fault people for this as much, except at extreme levels, which are frighteningly common.
However, I'm seeing an increasing number of players who are INCREDIBLY argumentative. With STs, with other players, vehemently defending every point about their characters decisions or ideas as if they are going to be killed if their characters are wrong even once. They'll say their character is very flawed, but all of those flaws are only ever roleplayed on their own terms. It's as if they have them just to say that they are there, so they can't fail at proper character creation either. No matter what, their character may be tragic, broken and sad, but they're never ever wrong unless someone actually proves it through long arguments that they can't refute on an out of character level. What happens to these players? They don't get in trouble, no. They may even succeed a lot, in fact they often do. But they also don't get played with very often, because they're a chore to interact with and even if you do, the potential is nowhere near as interesting for good play as that guy who could flip out at any time. They're just not as fun to play with.
If we go by six character theory, all six have to fail to succeed on a dramatic level. (Fail to succeed, I like that.)
1. The Hero is defined by their struggle. No failures, no struggle. Heroes should fail the MOST. Luke misses the first shot at the death star, loses his fricking HAND when he fights his father, gets captured by Jabba and all sorts of bad things. Buffy quits and moves back to LA for a Summer and starts sleeping with Spike. Frodo continually uses the One Ring when he knows he shouldn't.
2. The Enablers have to fail at things so the Hero can do them, and make it clear when people are really screwed. Princess Leia can't stop them from blowing up Alderan, Willow goes evil when he girlfriend dies.
3. The Narrators can't always be right, otherwise they just become mouthpices for the plot with no character of their own. By being opinionated, but biased, they provide a human element to their very necessary wisdom. Giles won't advise Buffy she's outgrown him because he hasn't outgrown her. Obi-wan doesn't tell Luke about his father and Luke pays for it. Gandalf thinks he can convince Soromon the error of his ways.
4. Monkeywrenches need to fail ALOT, because it's much better drama then when their problem causing drama is done on purpose. Accidents and failures keep them endearing to the other characters as opposed to spiteful. Dawn can't help but get captured every time something bad happens. RDD2 gets captured by jawas.
5. The Foil needs to fail to explain why they are not the Hero despite being their equal in some manner. Plus, failure can motivate a foil like nothing else. (I find people who play Foils are the worst for playing to succeed.) Spike helps people he shouldn't and burns bridges left and right. Jane Cobb sells the crew to the Alliance, and begs for his life afterwards.
6. Nevish's should just fail at nearly everything out of principle, the more they want it, the harder they should fall.
The next game you play, I challenge you to go out and make a mistake with your character. A big one. See if you feel like you're about to die. (It may be realy uncomfortable at first, it was for me.) See if the world collapses around you. I bet it won't, and if it does, it will be fun. Every player I know, when asked, would prefer their character to go out in a blaze of glory rather then get bored, yet people don't go out in a blaze of glory for doing and saying the right thing at every turn. And you don't have to.
Failure sucks in real life, I know. But it's fun in LARP, I promise.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
And now for something completely...okay it's just more ranting.
Heeeeeeey everybody!
(Hi You Insufferable Prick!)
Actually insufferable is not the right word. You folks suffer me all the time. Prepare for more.
Todays topic: The Sell-job.
All you perverts can close your Firefox tabs opening up Urban Dictionary, because I just made this word up and it's not something you can do to a hooker.
Well, not quite. What many of you don't realize about your Angry Storyteller, is that his debt inducing theatre degree had one very interesting job result: I was once a referee on the professional wrestling circuit. The strange and chaotic theatre-of-the-round that it is of course has it's own century long carnival sub-culture. The term "sell" is used to mean when one person throws a punch, kick, or Spinning Ocean Cyclone Pumphandle Dragon Bomb that doesn't actually cause physical harm, the recipient acts in such a manner that convinces the audience it does indeed cause them a great deal of pain.
It has more to do with LARP then you might think.
No matter what anyone says, everyone wants their character to look cool or at the very least interesting. No matter if they are focusing on supporting other players or hiding in the corner, they want their time to shine. Maybe not today, maybe not tommorrow, and more commonly, they want it every fricking possible second.
The common problem is that no matter how cool you FEEL, it means very little if you're not treated like it as a result of your actions. You could be speaking the greatest monologue in the world, but if you're doing it in the corner and no one hears, it doesn't matter.
In the world of wrestling, both performers have to sell to make the drama mean something, to make it look like it is a competition. If one performer does NOT sell, they make the other person look like a chump. If their actions don't matter, if the cool things that wrestler does are easily ignored, there is no drama. More importantly, the person doing all this work to create drama gets PISSED OFF. If they stop selling in response, then nothing matters and there is no drama. If both sell for the other, then their actions have meaning.
Here's the key.
It's the person who sells MORE who looks cooler, not the person who sells LESS.
Not only does everyone want to interact with them (because they have a reputation for making their character look cool and interesting) not only are people more likely to sell for them (because their egos are inflated by the previous selling enough to let them be deflated a bit by selling themselves) but people will actually...what's the word...oh yeah GIVE A SHIT about the character, because they are human and they suffer.
Now in television and film characters get to look like badasses on a MUCH more regular basis then any character in a LARP will, because they get extras and flunkies to do so whose development doesn't matter, who can be made to look like peons so you can look cool. You don't have that luxury in LARP. Every character is important, and if you make them look like a loser with no effect, the only story you have the possibility to tell is for them to come back and prove you wrong. Because there are no extras. Not everyone can be the hero, but no one can be untouchable.
And btw, only selling for NPCs doesn't count. I see lots of players do this and say their character has flaws and struggles. I am not hear to put on the You Show, so I'm even less inclined to run the You Show AND make sure it's cast the way you want.
You know what wrestlers do to a guy who wont sell? They force them to with a good old REAL kick to the face. The players can't do that in LARP, but if you don't sell, they may feel like it. Or worse, they will use their Almighty Character Sheet to do so. That's a bad cycle.
For fucks sake get over yourself and your Totally Awesome Character and just sell, people.
Mitchell
(Hi You Insufferable Prick!)
Actually insufferable is not the right word. You folks suffer me all the time. Prepare for more.
Todays topic: The Sell-job.
All you perverts can close your Firefox tabs opening up Urban Dictionary, because I just made this word up and it's not something you can do to a hooker.
Well, not quite. What many of you don't realize about your Angry Storyteller, is that his debt inducing theatre degree had one very interesting job result: I was once a referee on the professional wrestling circuit. The strange and chaotic theatre-of-the-round that it is of course has it's own century long carnival sub-culture. The term "sell" is used to mean when one person throws a punch, kick, or Spinning Ocean Cyclone Pumphandle Dragon Bomb that doesn't actually cause physical harm, the recipient acts in such a manner that convinces the audience it does indeed cause them a great deal of pain.
It has more to do with LARP then you might think.
No matter what anyone says, everyone wants their character to look cool or at the very least interesting. No matter if they are focusing on supporting other players or hiding in the corner, they want their time to shine. Maybe not today, maybe not tommorrow, and more commonly, they want it every fricking possible second.
The common problem is that no matter how cool you FEEL, it means very little if you're not treated like it as a result of your actions. You could be speaking the greatest monologue in the world, but if you're doing it in the corner and no one hears, it doesn't matter.
In the world of wrestling, both performers have to sell to make the drama mean something, to make it look like it is a competition. If one performer does NOT sell, they make the other person look like a chump. If their actions don't matter, if the cool things that wrestler does are easily ignored, there is no drama. More importantly, the person doing all this work to create drama gets PISSED OFF. If they stop selling in response, then nothing matters and there is no drama. If both sell for the other, then their actions have meaning.
Here's the key.
It's the person who sells MORE who looks cooler, not the person who sells LESS.
Not only does everyone want to interact with them (because they have a reputation for making their character look cool and interesting) not only are people more likely to sell for them (because their egos are inflated by the previous selling enough to let them be deflated a bit by selling themselves) but people will actually...what's the word...oh yeah GIVE A SHIT about the character, because they are human and they suffer.
Now in television and film characters get to look like badasses on a MUCH more regular basis then any character in a LARP will, because they get extras and flunkies to do so whose development doesn't matter, who can be made to look like peons so you can look cool. You don't have that luxury in LARP. Every character is important, and if you make them look like a loser with no effect, the only story you have the possibility to tell is for them to come back and prove you wrong. Because there are no extras. Not everyone can be the hero, but no one can be untouchable.
And btw, only selling for NPCs doesn't count. I see lots of players do this and say their character has flaws and struggles. I am not hear to put on the You Show, so I'm even less inclined to run the You Show AND make sure it's cast the way you want.
You know what wrestlers do to a guy who wont sell? They force them to with a good old REAL kick to the face. The players can't do that in LARP, but if you don't sell, they may feel like it. Or worse, they will use their Almighty Character Sheet to do so. That's a bad cycle.
For fucks sake get over yourself and your Totally Awesome Character and just sell, people.
Mitchell
Thursday, April 17, 2008
I'm back and ornery
I have been moving, and now I will take it out on the people I love, my loyal readers. I am sure somewhere, someone is going to point out that either my anger or my sucking up to my readership is false. This is likely true. Don't think about it too much. This statement is a lie.
So after a week or so of not telling you how lame you are, it's time for me to get back into form.
STOP WHINING AT YOUR STORYTELLER. ESPECIALLY DURING GAME.
No, seriously. Yes, the storyteller is there to address all of your concerns and any side scenes you may wish to run. Yes, a good game isn't heavy handed with plot and the ST should be there to enhance your own actions. But there's a limit.
If you're just starting game for the first time, I am glad to have you there. If it takes half the session for you to finish writing it up, I am not going to go over it in the middle of game with a fine tooth comb. Get it done before curtain up or go in without stats. Any character sheet shoved in my face while I am trying to run a game will not get my Stamp of Approval. It will get my: Stamp Of Don't Give A Fuck.
If you ask whether you can use XP for something in the middle of the game, one of two things will happen. I will say "No, because you asked me in game" if I am feeling nice. Or I will say "Yeah sure, whatever" and then the next time you try and use it, I will make sure it leads to the most boring death for you possible.
"Can I have this power?
"Absolutely. Go nuts."
"I use this power. I am awesome!"
"It gives you air cancer."
"What's air cancer?"
"It's where you die if you touch air."
"That doesn't even make any sense. Cancer doesn't work that way."
"You're awfully talkative and opinionated for being dead. I should have suspected. I better give your next character extra powerful air cancer."
"I hate you."
"It's so sad when air cancer makes a person bitter. No one is going to throw a fundraising 5k marathon in your memory with THAT attitude!"
If I make an announcement at the beginning of game and you were busy yakking with your friends, that's fine. If you come up and ask me again for details on something I already told you, I will rub my ass on your cats face so that no matter which way it decides to wake you up in the morning, it will smell like ass. And trust me, my intestinal tract has worse things then Friskies in it. You will BEG for regular cat-ass.
If you ask me a question that's in the main source book, not open for interpretation, and something anyone who has read it should know, don't expect me to give you the correct answer. I don't expect you to have it memorized but any good storyteller has one handy for reference. The more obvious the question, the more angry this will make me.
"Can vampires fly?"
"Only if they eat powdered unicorn hooves."
"Really?"
"Really. It's in the book, go check it out. Or just go ask some of the other characters for some. They will be more then willing to help, and not laugh at you all."
"Awesome! I am gonna go fuck that helicopter up! Dave, do you have any powdered unicorn hooves?"
On the other hand, don't expect me to have the book memorized either.
"Alright, so the evil villain casts Death of Ages..."
"Actually, Death of ages is a necromancy spell and he just used an illusion spell earlier on me. The rules say that can't happen."
"Oh, you're right! YOU WIN! The evil wizard dies of embarrassment and you get six million dollars and a pony. Whew, good thing you read that book. WINNER! I am going to the bar now."
(Actually most games end with me saying I am going to the bar now so that was just added for authenticity.)
Or worse, correct a minor detail that nobody cares about but you.
"So, they burst the door open revealing a thousand spiders! The insects crawl towards you en masse..."
"Actually, spiders are arachnids, not insects. They have eight legs..."
*Mitchell blinks at player*
*Blinks again*
"The spiders eat your flesh alive now that you have discovered their terrible secret. If only you had kept your mouth shut. Everyone, throw his character a funeral or something, I am going to the bar now."
(See? I told you.)
The STs job is to tell a story. There's lots of tools we use to tell a story; sourcebooks, character sheets, and point systems. However, these are just that: tools. Spending more time worrying about the tools then the story gets nothing built. Using your ST as an authority is okay. Using them as an administrator is not. Getting them to help you make a character that fits in with the game world and progresses with the rest of the cast is part of their job. Doing so while they are providing the drama that it's all about is not. Every minute you take away from the Storyteller once curtain is up is a minute they could be enhancing someones story. I promise you if you've asked them twice if your character can have an obscure specialization in some Himilyan ice-cream-on-a-nunchuk martial art while he's in the middle of a scene, you're at the back of the list for story.
Great, I suppose I have to write plot now....
Mitchell
So after a week or so of not telling you how lame you are, it's time for me to get back into form.
STOP WHINING AT YOUR STORYTELLER. ESPECIALLY DURING GAME.
No, seriously. Yes, the storyteller is there to address all of your concerns and any side scenes you may wish to run. Yes, a good game isn't heavy handed with plot and the ST should be there to enhance your own actions. But there's a limit.
If you're just starting game for the first time, I am glad to have you there. If it takes half the session for you to finish writing it up, I am not going to go over it in the middle of game with a fine tooth comb. Get it done before curtain up or go in without stats. Any character sheet shoved in my face while I am trying to run a game will not get my Stamp of Approval. It will get my: Stamp Of Don't Give A Fuck.
If you ask whether you can use XP for something in the middle of the game, one of two things will happen. I will say "No, because you asked me in game" if I am feeling nice. Or I will say "Yeah sure, whatever" and then the next time you try and use it, I will make sure it leads to the most boring death for you possible.
"Can I have this power?
"Absolutely. Go nuts."
"I use this power. I am awesome!"
"It gives you air cancer."
"What's air cancer?"
"It's where you die if you touch air."
"That doesn't even make any sense. Cancer doesn't work that way."
"You're awfully talkative and opinionated for being dead. I should have suspected. I better give your next character extra powerful air cancer."
"I hate you."
"It's so sad when air cancer makes a person bitter. No one is going to throw a fundraising 5k marathon in your memory with THAT attitude!"
If I make an announcement at the beginning of game and you were busy yakking with your friends, that's fine. If you come up and ask me again for details on something I already told you, I will rub my ass on your cats face so that no matter which way it decides to wake you up in the morning, it will smell like ass. And trust me, my intestinal tract has worse things then Friskies in it. You will BEG for regular cat-ass.
If you ask me a question that's in the main source book, not open for interpretation, and something anyone who has read it should know, don't expect me to give you the correct answer. I don't expect you to have it memorized but any good storyteller has one handy for reference. The more obvious the question, the more angry this will make me.
"Can vampires fly?"
"Only if they eat powdered unicorn hooves."
"Really?"
"Really. It's in the book, go check it out. Or just go ask some of the other characters for some. They will be more then willing to help, and not laugh at you all."
"Awesome! I am gonna go fuck that helicopter up! Dave, do you have any powdered unicorn hooves?"
On the other hand, don't expect me to have the book memorized either.
"Alright, so the evil villain casts Death of Ages..."
"Actually, Death of ages is a necromancy spell and he just used an illusion spell earlier on me. The rules say that can't happen."
"Oh, you're right! YOU WIN! The evil wizard dies of embarrassment and you get six million dollars and a pony. Whew, good thing you read that book. WINNER! I am going to the bar now."
(Actually most games end with me saying I am going to the bar now so that was just added for authenticity.)
Or worse, correct a minor detail that nobody cares about but you.
"So, they burst the door open revealing a thousand spiders! The insects crawl towards you en masse..."
"Actually, spiders are arachnids, not insects. They have eight legs..."
*Mitchell blinks at player*
*Blinks again*
"The spiders eat your flesh alive now that you have discovered their terrible secret. If only you had kept your mouth shut. Everyone, throw his character a funeral or something, I am going to the bar now."
(See? I told you.)
The STs job is to tell a story. There's lots of tools we use to tell a story; sourcebooks, character sheets, and point systems. However, these are just that: tools. Spending more time worrying about the tools then the story gets nothing built. Using your ST as an authority is okay. Using them as an administrator is not. Getting them to help you make a character that fits in with the game world and progresses with the rest of the cast is part of their job. Doing so while they are providing the drama that it's all about is not. Every minute you take away from the Storyteller once curtain is up is a minute they could be enhancing someones story. I promise you if you've asked them twice if your character can have an obscure specialization in some Himilyan ice-cream-on-a-nunchuk martial art while he's in the middle of a scene, you're at the back of the list for story.
Great, I suppose I have to write plot now....
Mitchell
Monday, April 14, 2008
Suck It
On the official game lists, I am gracious. To my players, I am humble. But to you guys, I am honest.
I had 32 players at my last game and I feel like King Shit of Shit Mountain.
So I guess I am doing something right.
Yeah...I'm awesome. Wooooooo!
I just had to get that out somewhere.
I had 32 players at my last game and I feel like King Shit of Shit Mountain.
So I guess I am doing something right.
Yeah...I'm awesome. Wooooooo!
I just had to get that out somewhere.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Ooops
Anonymous comments have been turned on. Feel free to tell me how much I suck for mocking your 12 Year old asian with nuclear eyeblasts and six redhaired super model hermaphrodite significant others.
Mitchell
Mitchell
Monday, April 7, 2008
Try it, You'll Like It.
Hey kids, thanks for all the great feedback I have been getting so far. I'd prefer if people would do so on the blog itself, a lot of people are raising common points that I can address by expanding my viewpoints a little, and thats what a blog can be good for. Or maybe I will just tell you to shove it without any personal consequences for my actions, that's what the internet is good for!
So before I get to my new rule, I want to briefly go over a few common comments on my previous ones.
1. You seem to be against character sheets altogether, it sounds like yo're just an advocate of complete freeform play.
I'm not against character sheets being used for your character, I'm against them BEING your character. Getting to accomplish a certain action in any game is a privledge, and treating it like a right is what hurts. Having a clear cut system of comparing who does what actually makes it easier to narrate. I'm an advocate of letting the big strong guys win fights, let the smart guys figure stuff out and letting the social guys get political benefits. Character sheets help define who's who. And most importantly, a character sheet doesn't just define what you CAN do...it defines what you CAN'T do.
2. There's nothing I hate more then playing {insert one of the Six Character Theory Roles} so I don't like your theory, because some of these roles suck to play.
I'm certainly not an advocate of forcing people into the roles. What I really would like to see is people who are playing these roles unconsciously start to play them consciously, and if they don't like the role they are in, switch to another one by design instead of fighting with why they're not having fun. No one likes to be FORCED to be the Nevish, but it's a fun alternative to failing at the Hero as long as you're trying to play the Nevish. Oh and by the way, playing a Nevish is awesome and if you haven't done it before I recommend it.
3. If I only play what I look like, I feel very restricted. I wouldn't cast myself in much.
There's lots of concepts out there for people who look like regular people, in fact in my opinion those are some of the best ones because those stories are human. Think about your characters themes and goals, and think of the appearence after. If you want to be a an aggressive, curb stomping goon, do you HAVE to be seven feet tall to boot? If you want to play carefree, innocent and immature, do you HAVE to be 12 years old? My point is your concept is likely good without the "interesting look", and if it ISN'T that character needs more depth anyway.
Actually, that last section leads into my rule this week. I've been feeling a little finger pointy and all problems, no solutions for these posts so this one is going to be a bit more helpful. Don't worry, we'll get back to your regularly schedule whining and ranting and making you feel like a lame cheeto-sucking neckbeard soon enough.
It is possible to have an excellent time playing any game, with any ST, with any set of players. There's a secret to it, passed down throughout the ages by Indonesian Monks from LARPer to LARPer.
That secret is merely this: Ask yourself, what you as a person are getting out of playing your character.
You are an actor with their choice of roles, what do you pick? I could get into the psychoanlysis of the patterns people create in their series of characters ("Hmmm...he has another character who has an gigantic sword...") but I'll keep it simple. Think about what you're going through in your life, and how LARPing is going to make that better. A little honesty and self-analysis is your BEST friend in LARP.
I realized this when I was going through a fairly rough time in my life. I felt as if I had no one to lean on, and that no one would really understand my concerns. I felt a burden on those around me. I made an incredibly morose character, with the intention of making it comedic in it's absurdity. I didn't realize the self parody I was creating. BY diving into a character with all the negative emotions I was feeling, I got alot of the emotional baggage out the door. I also realized how people reacted to my actions in a socially safe environment, and was surprised that no matter how extreme I made my in character suffering, the reactions of the characters drew very close parallels to my own non-extreme life. I realized how my actions and feelings were effecting those around me, and armed with the strength of catharsis, strived to have a more positive outlook.
LARP can heal. You just have to let it.
If you're bad at something and want to change, you have two options...make a character who is even worse then you are and train a desire into your own mind to change. Or, make someone who is good at it and actively seek out situations where you must be in that situation until you until you get better.
If you want to go and have a good time and a few laughs, don't make a dead serious killing machine. If you want attention and big dramatic monologues, don't make some one who is calm, cool, and collected. If you want to go and feel like a bad ass who everyone fears with no consequences for his actions, go home and play Grand Theft Auto, us LARPers have stories to tell. Just kidding, that's my bias and bile coming out. Hey, I lasted three paragraphs!
Just remember: Every character begins and ends with what YOU want out of the game. The more thought you put into that, the easier it will be for you to get it. So, here's Mitchell's rules in their entirety, just so I can continue to drill these things into people's heads. These have been edited a bit lately for clarity.
1. Every time you whip your character sheet out to get your way, you become a douchebag with the mentality of a seven year old.
2. Not everyone can be the Hero, and not being the Hero is usually more fun anyway.
3. Don't cast yourself in a role you couldn't cast yourself in, in an objective fashion. Don't make people have to use their imaginations to interact with you instead of your own creativity.
4. If you want your character to grow and learn, it will be best if you grow and learn with them.
And with that I am off, dreaming of playing a character that can move into an apartment in under an hour....
Mitchell
So before I get to my new rule, I want to briefly go over a few common comments on my previous ones.
1. You seem to be against character sheets altogether, it sounds like yo're just an advocate of complete freeform play.
I'm not against character sheets being used for your character, I'm against them BEING your character. Getting to accomplish a certain action in any game is a privledge, and treating it like a right is what hurts. Having a clear cut system of comparing who does what actually makes it easier to narrate. I'm an advocate of letting the big strong guys win fights, let the smart guys figure stuff out and letting the social guys get political benefits. Character sheets help define who's who. And most importantly, a character sheet doesn't just define what you CAN do...it defines what you CAN'T do.
2. There's nothing I hate more then playing {insert one of the Six Character Theory Roles} so I don't like your theory, because some of these roles suck to play.
I'm certainly not an advocate of forcing people into the roles. What I really would like to see is people who are playing these roles unconsciously start to play them consciously, and if they don't like the role they are in, switch to another one by design instead of fighting with why they're not having fun. No one likes to be FORCED to be the Nevish, but it's a fun alternative to failing at the Hero as long as you're trying to play the Nevish. Oh and by the way, playing a Nevish is awesome and if you haven't done it before I recommend it.
3. If I only play what I look like, I feel very restricted. I wouldn't cast myself in much.
There's lots of concepts out there for people who look like regular people, in fact in my opinion those are some of the best ones because those stories are human. Think about your characters themes and goals, and think of the appearence after. If you want to be a an aggressive, curb stomping goon, do you HAVE to be seven feet tall to boot? If you want to play carefree, innocent and immature, do you HAVE to be 12 years old? My point is your concept is likely good without the "interesting look", and if it ISN'T that character needs more depth anyway.
Actually, that last section leads into my rule this week. I've been feeling a little finger pointy and all problems, no solutions for these posts so this one is going to be a bit more helpful. Don't worry, we'll get back to your regularly schedule whining and ranting and making you feel like a lame cheeto-sucking neckbeard soon enough.
It is possible to have an excellent time playing any game, with any ST, with any set of players. There's a secret to it, passed down throughout the ages by Indonesian Monks from LARPer to LARPer.
That secret is merely this: Ask yourself, what you as a person are getting out of playing your character.
You are an actor with their choice of roles, what do you pick? I could get into the psychoanlysis of the patterns people create in their series of characters ("Hmmm...he has another character who has an gigantic sword...") but I'll keep it simple. Think about what you're going through in your life, and how LARPing is going to make that better. A little honesty and self-analysis is your BEST friend in LARP.
I realized this when I was going through a fairly rough time in my life. I felt as if I had no one to lean on, and that no one would really understand my concerns. I felt a burden on those around me. I made an incredibly morose character, with the intention of making it comedic in it's absurdity. I didn't realize the self parody I was creating. BY diving into a character with all the negative emotions I was feeling, I got alot of the emotional baggage out the door. I also realized how people reacted to my actions in a socially safe environment, and was surprised that no matter how extreme I made my in character suffering, the reactions of the characters drew very close parallels to my own non-extreme life. I realized how my actions and feelings were effecting those around me, and armed with the strength of catharsis, strived to have a more positive outlook.
LARP can heal. You just have to let it.
If you're bad at something and want to change, you have two options...make a character who is even worse then you are and train a desire into your own mind to change. Or, make someone who is good at it and actively seek out situations where you must be in that situation until you until you get better.
If you want to go and have a good time and a few laughs, don't make a dead serious killing machine. If you want attention and big dramatic monologues, don't make some one who is calm, cool, and collected. If you want to go and feel like a bad ass who everyone fears with no consequences for his actions, go home and play Grand Theft Auto, us LARPers have stories to tell. Just kidding, that's my bias and bile coming out. Hey, I lasted three paragraphs!
Just remember: Every character begins and ends with what YOU want out of the game. The more thought you put into that, the easier it will be for you to get it. So, here's Mitchell's rules in their entirety, just so I can continue to drill these things into people's heads. These have been edited a bit lately for clarity.
1. Every time you whip your character sheet out to get your way, you become a douchebag with the mentality of a seven year old.
2. Not everyone can be the Hero, and not being the Hero is usually more fun anyway.
3. Don't cast yourself in a role you couldn't cast yourself in, in an objective fashion. Don't make people have to use their imaginations to interact with you instead of your own creativity.
4. If you want your character to grow and learn, it will be best if you grow and learn with them.
And with that I am off, dreaming of playing a character that can move into an apartment in under an hour....
Mitchell
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Cast Yourself
This is the first one that's gonna really hurt, because this is a lesson we have all either learned or will someday learn. I may be violating some sort of "old cranky gamer code" here, or maybe I'm just putting things into more rambly words.
You're just not that pretty, snowflake.
This goes back to what has now been dubbed Mitchell's Law #1 (by me, right now, but who's keeping track?) of "Whenever You Bring Out Your Character Sheet, You Become a Douchebag." Putting on a little sticky note that tells me how pretty you are doesn't change that rule. Neither does telling me how scary you are, or that you're a 12 year old girl. I once knew a 6 foot tall player who had a pin saying "I am a 4 foot Asian man."
I know these are all holdovers from tabletop gaming, and half the fun of gaming is being something else. I have no problem with escapism. But once you decide "Yes, I want to LARP, because there are girls/some what attractive boys there and my Gamemaster became addicted to WoW and has put on sixty pounds and has made the whole gaming thing kind of sad but hey this is different" then there has to be an acceptance of the level of theatre involved. I'm not saying go out there and play yourself. That defeats the point and there's people who do it that are equally annoying.
What I am saying is try not to write yourself a role that an objective director wouldn't cast you in. So if you think you'd like to play a 12 year old child and you have grey hair and a beer belly, think for a minute. When someone sees your little pin with your brilliant idea, and sees you with your stubble and sideburns, and they have to treat you differently then what they see, is their gaming experience going to be enhanced, or strained? People should be using their imagination on their own characters, not for having the most basic interactions with yours.
We all have to suspend a lot of disbelief in order to LARP. We're not Vampires, mighty woodland warriors or who knows what else we want to pretend to be. We're also not the Esoteric Concept of the Colour Orange, The Flying Spaghetti Monster or Three Thousand Candy Wrappers With Feet. The less you make the other players stretch their belief, the more they can focus on being more authentic in their role, and thus, here's the kicker...make the game better for YOU.
This gets into the touchy issue of "Looks." Many games have written in stats to tell you how beautiful our character is. And for many people, the very thought of telling someone that they are indeed, not a supermodel, is tantamount to calling them Quasimodo With B.O and Severe Facial Herpes. That's why this continues to happen, people either won't say anything or if they do it's taken personally. There are alot of very attractive people in LARP. There are very few awe inspiring ones on looks alone. I don't mind people using these traits or abilities or stats. What I mind is people broadcasting to the world how I as a player should treat their character and thus denying me the roleplay opportunity of finding out myself in character.
Here's my frame of mind: I know some models. There is a certain way that beautiful people carry themselves especially if they have been beautiful their whole life. And it has nothing to do with how they ACTUALLY LOOK. I know this because they have friends who even they will acknowledge are more physically attractive then other people in their field, but do not get treated that way. If you are going to PLAY hot, then all you really need to do is ACT hot. You don't need to broadcast it. And if you're not acting it, no one is going to treat you that way anyway, at least not in the way you were hoping when you spent those precious XP. Ask yourself if this is really how your character thinks and acts, or is this just something you'd like people to treat you like for once?
So Mitchell's Law #2: Don't cast yourself in a role you couldn't cast yourself in as an outside observer. No one should have to use their own creativity to interact with you instead of your own.
But don't worry. I think you're all beautiful. But if you come up to tell me to treat you like you're beautiful, I will. However, I'll react the same way I do around all beautiful people.
I'll run away in fear and hang out with my ugly friends.
M
You're just not that pretty, snowflake.
This goes back to what has now been dubbed Mitchell's Law #1 (by me, right now, but who's keeping track?) of "Whenever You Bring Out Your Character Sheet, You Become a Douchebag." Putting on a little sticky note that tells me how pretty you are doesn't change that rule. Neither does telling me how scary you are, or that you're a 12 year old girl. I once knew a 6 foot tall player who had a pin saying "I am a 4 foot Asian man."
I know these are all holdovers from tabletop gaming, and half the fun of gaming is being something else. I have no problem with escapism. But once you decide "Yes, I want to LARP, because there are girls/some what attractive boys there and my Gamemaster became addicted to WoW and has put on sixty pounds and has made the whole gaming thing kind of sad but hey this is different" then there has to be an acceptance of the level of theatre involved. I'm not saying go out there and play yourself. That defeats the point and there's people who do it that are equally annoying.
What I am saying is try not to write yourself a role that an objective director wouldn't cast you in. So if you think you'd like to play a 12 year old child and you have grey hair and a beer belly, think for a minute. When someone sees your little pin with your brilliant idea, and sees you with your stubble and sideburns, and they have to treat you differently then what they see, is their gaming experience going to be enhanced, or strained? People should be using their imagination on their own characters, not for having the most basic interactions with yours.
We all have to suspend a lot of disbelief in order to LARP. We're not Vampires, mighty woodland warriors or who knows what else we want to pretend to be. We're also not the Esoteric Concept of the Colour Orange, The Flying Spaghetti Monster or Three Thousand Candy Wrappers With Feet. The less you make the other players stretch their belief, the more they can focus on being more authentic in their role, and thus, here's the kicker...make the game better for YOU.
This gets into the touchy issue of "Looks." Many games have written in stats to tell you how beautiful our character is. And for many people, the very thought of telling someone that they are indeed, not a supermodel, is tantamount to calling them Quasimodo With B.O and Severe Facial Herpes. That's why this continues to happen, people either won't say anything or if they do it's taken personally. There are alot of very attractive people in LARP. There are very few awe inspiring ones on looks alone. I don't mind people using these traits or abilities or stats. What I mind is people broadcasting to the world how I as a player should treat their character and thus denying me the roleplay opportunity of finding out myself in character.
Here's my frame of mind: I know some models. There is a certain way that beautiful people carry themselves especially if they have been beautiful their whole life. And it has nothing to do with how they ACTUALLY LOOK. I know this because they have friends who even they will acknowledge are more physically attractive then other people in their field, but do not get treated that way. If you are going to PLAY hot, then all you really need to do is ACT hot. You don't need to broadcast it. And if you're not acting it, no one is going to treat you that way anyway, at least not in the way you were hoping when you spent those precious XP. Ask yourself if this is really how your character thinks and acts, or is this just something you'd like people to treat you like for once?
So Mitchell's Law #2: Don't cast yourself in a role you couldn't cast yourself in as an outside observer. No one should have to use their own creativity to interact with you instead of your own.
But don't worry. I think you're all beautiful. But if you come up to tell me to treat you like you're beautiful, I will. However, I'll react the same way I do around all beautiful people.
I'll run away in fear and hang out with my ugly friends.
M
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Six Character Theory
Okay folks, this one has been sitting in my head for a good few years now. Most people who know me know it, hell, I've even tried to homebrew systems based purely around this one concept.
There's only six characters in every LARP. If you don't know which one you are, you're probably just playing one poorly.
I'm going to go over the six characters in detail and what a good player playing one does and what a bad player playing one does. If you feel singled out, don't, I've met lots in every category and you're just plain not that special, snowflake.
The Hero:
Yes, this is a character. Like or not, every ST you have ever had has chosen a hero or heroes for their story, and it's not the whole cast. It's impossible to tell an interesting story with twenty heroes. It just doesn't work. So what makes the character that the ST treats with the "hero" moniker? Well, flaws for one. Yes, the heroes are picked on their flaws. Not how cool they are, not their super awesome powers, and not how nice their outfit looks. Heroic moments are when they overcome obstacles, and personal ones add to the struggles everyone is facing in game. Luke Skywalker was a hero. A whiny, self-doubting, conflicted hero. Good hero players have flaws, flaws that draw other players into that characters world of their own volition, and are people the rest of the cast wants to see succeed. As much as the "Lone Wolf" archetype in fiction happens, in LARP a lone wolf is just a self indulgent player who wants more ST attention. Go ahead, write your "lone wolf hero who doesn't speak much but kicks alot of ass when evil is around." Unless it's the STs girlfriend, dollars to donuts they wont be a Hero character in a good game. So yeah, either learn to give good head and write the Lone Wolf or write someone who's flaws still allow them to interact and thus get the support of the cast.
The Heroes role is to STRUGGLE.
The Enabler:
The most neglected character. Usually its the submissive types that make a PC group with their friends and realize that they aren't the strongest player (or in a good game, roleplayer) in the group. Fiction is littered with hundreds of enablers, but LARP seems to be devoid of them, because the idea of not being as cool as someone else is sickening to many players. Enablers are not just sidekicks, though a good sidekick is a good enabler. They fill in plot points so the heroes can focus on their STRUGGLE and move the story along. Imagine if Luke had to hack in and steal the death star plans himself instead of R2D2. Imagine if Buffy had to spend just as much time reading as many books as Willow did. How unrealistic would that be?The Heroes successes become more realistic, more human, when they have enablers filling in the gaps. Also, enabler to enabler conflict and drama is the staple side plot of fiction. Who cares what the hell happened to Lukes hand, Leia just told Han she loved him right before he was frozen in carbonite!
Enablers roles are to ASSIST the Hero and HUMANIZE the story. They are easy to play well, but require a great amount of co-operation with other players.
The Foil:
This one is the most abused and misunderstood, but is often played. The Foil is on the same side as the Hero, but actively works against them. It may be fueled by jealousy, they may have different ideals, or they may think they are doing it for a heroes own good. They make the struggle more worthwhile by making the Hero make choices. Now, most of the times in LARP, people become foils when they realize they aren't the hero, and decide to hold them back. It's the players motivations before it becomes the characters. The problem is, they think the story will be better if they succeed and then become the new hero. Sorry guys, that's not true. If your ST is encouraging you to mess with someone, it's very unlikely that they're doing so in the hopes everyone falls in love with your character instead. They're enjoying the drama of the conflict. If you're going to play a foil, then accept failure, but force heroes into making decisions. That's how to play a good foil.
The Foils role is to HEIGHTEN the Heroes CONFLICTS. It is an easy role to play, and relatively easy to play as well, but requires an acceptance of failure on the players part for it to move a story along.
The Narrator:
This is actually the most common role I've seen in LARPs, yet the least common one in fiction. Every good story needs one, but rarely three. The narrator is the character that rarely actually takes action themselves, but in their wisdom have the ability to highlight the parts of the story that need to be made clear. It's a very useful role in fiction, but in LARP it's a little different. Bad narrators usually happen the way bad foils do: they write up a hero character and realize they're not going to be treated like one. But instead of messing with the hero, they sit on the sidelines and comment. For some people, this is a particularly fun way to spend an evening. Some people enjoy being a peanut gallery in real life. The problem becomes instead of becoming a descriptive commentary, its easy to end up a wallflower. A good narrator interacts with the Hero and Enablers on a regular basis. Further more, they have to say the things that no one else can say, otherwise they server no purpose in moving the story along. Only Obi-Wan can tell Luke to use the force from beyond, and he can't say it himself. And without him saying so, Lukes amazing shot loses all of its emotional impact from his Struggle with learning the Force through the whole film.
The Narrators job is to HIGHLIGHT the Heroes THEMES and STRUGGLE. It is the easiest to default to playing and the hardest to play well.
The Monkeywrench:
The Monkeywrench is that character who is on the same side as the Hero(es) but for some reason always ends up making their life more difficult. They server similar story functions to the Foil, but don't do so of their own will. Either their attempts to help do more harm then good, or they have personal goals which take precedence over the Hero(es). The Monkeywrench will rarely happen in fiction unless you have an ensemble cast, but it's very useful in LARP. You can have a good game without one, you can have a great game with a good one. Often bad monkeywrenches show up when a player decides they just want to see how much trouble they can get in, usually out of boredom. The most important part of their role is that they create interesting story for everyone, not just the Monkeywrench player.
The Monkeywrench's role is to make the Hero's STRUGGLES more DIFFICULT. They are equally difficult to play well and poorly.
And finally, The Nevish.
The Nevish is the Omega, the bottom rung of the story's ladder, the poor guy who just can't catch a break. There are not enough games that have one, because once again, everyone wants to look cool. It is actually difficult to play long term unless you have some sort of martyr complex, so small goals are important when playing one. Unlike all the other roles that get played poorly when a player defaults to them, the Nevish is really only played poorly when someone ends up trying to be a different role. They have noble intentions and say "oh I want to play this shmuck" but when it comes down to the actual suffering part, they will monologue like a Narrator, or antagonize a Hero (because yes, even the Hero treats them badly at times) like a Foil. The key to being a good nevish is sticking to it.
The Nevish's role is to ESTABLISH STATUS within the group by demonstrating the bottom level of the status chain.
So there you have it. Demoralizing, I know. The common theme among them is they are played poorly when they are not played by design but rather when people get bored of failing to be a Hero. I hope there's some sort of perspective to help people start thinking of the story first and where their character fits in it.
I haven't even tried to play a Hero in years.
There's only six characters in every LARP. If you don't know which one you are, you're probably just playing one poorly.
I'm going to go over the six characters in detail and what a good player playing one does and what a bad player playing one does. If you feel singled out, don't, I've met lots in every category and you're just plain not that special, snowflake.
The Hero:
Yes, this is a character. Like or not, every ST you have ever had has chosen a hero or heroes for their story, and it's not the whole cast. It's impossible to tell an interesting story with twenty heroes. It just doesn't work. So what makes the character that the ST treats with the "hero" moniker? Well, flaws for one. Yes, the heroes are picked on their flaws. Not how cool they are, not their super awesome powers, and not how nice their outfit looks. Heroic moments are when they overcome obstacles, and personal ones add to the struggles everyone is facing in game. Luke Skywalker was a hero. A whiny, self-doubting, conflicted hero. Good hero players have flaws, flaws that draw other players into that characters world of their own volition, and are people the rest of the cast wants to see succeed. As much as the "Lone Wolf" archetype in fiction happens, in LARP a lone wolf is just a self indulgent player who wants more ST attention. Go ahead, write your "lone wolf hero who doesn't speak much but kicks alot of ass when evil is around." Unless it's the STs girlfriend, dollars to donuts they wont be a Hero character in a good game. So yeah, either learn to give good head and write the Lone Wolf or write someone who's flaws still allow them to interact and thus get the support of the cast.
The Heroes role is to STRUGGLE.
The Enabler:
The most neglected character. Usually its the submissive types that make a PC group with their friends and realize that they aren't the strongest player (or in a good game, roleplayer) in the group. Fiction is littered with hundreds of enablers, but LARP seems to be devoid of them, because the idea of not being as cool as someone else is sickening to many players. Enablers are not just sidekicks, though a good sidekick is a good enabler. They fill in plot points so the heroes can focus on their STRUGGLE and move the story along. Imagine if Luke had to hack in and steal the death star plans himself instead of R2D2. Imagine if Buffy had to spend just as much time reading as many books as Willow did. How unrealistic would that be?The Heroes successes become more realistic, more human, when they have enablers filling in the gaps. Also, enabler to enabler conflict and drama is the staple side plot of fiction. Who cares what the hell happened to Lukes hand, Leia just told Han she loved him right before he was frozen in carbonite!
Enablers roles are to ASSIST the Hero and HUMANIZE the story. They are easy to play well, but require a great amount of co-operation with other players.
The Foil:
This one is the most abused and misunderstood, but is often played. The Foil is on the same side as the Hero, but actively works against them. It may be fueled by jealousy, they may have different ideals, or they may think they are doing it for a heroes own good. They make the struggle more worthwhile by making the Hero make choices. Now, most of the times in LARP, people become foils when they realize they aren't the hero, and decide to hold them back. It's the players motivations before it becomes the characters. The problem is, they think the story will be better if they succeed and then become the new hero. Sorry guys, that's not true. If your ST is encouraging you to mess with someone, it's very unlikely that they're doing so in the hopes everyone falls in love with your character instead. They're enjoying the drama of the conflict. If you're going to play a foil, then accept failure, but force heroes into making decisions. That's how to play a good foil.
The Foils role is to HEIGHTEN the Heroes CONFLICTS. It is an easy role to play, and relatively easy to play as well, but requires an acceptance of failure on the players part for it to move a story along.
The Narrator:
This is actually the most common role I've seen in LARPs, yet the least common one in fiction. Every good story needs one, but rarely three. The narrator is the character that rarely actually takes action themselves, but in their wisdom have the ability to highlight the parts of the story that need to be made clear. It's a very useful role in fiction, but in LARP it's a little different. Bad narrators usually happen the way bad foils do: they write up a hero character and realize they're not going to be treated like one. But instead of messing with the hero, they sit on the sidelines and comment. For some people, this is a particularly fun way to spend an evening. Some people enjoy being a peanut gallery in real life. The problem becomes instead of becoming a descriptive commentary, its easy to end up a wallflower. A good narrator interacts with the Hero and Enablers on a regular basis. Further more, they have to say the things that no one else can say, otherwise they server no purpose in moving the story along. Only Obi-Wan can tell Luke to use the force from beyond, and he can't say it himself. And without him saying so, Lukes amazing shot loses all of its emotional impact from his Struggle with learning the Force through the whole film.
The Narrators job is to HIGHLIGHT the Heroes THEMES and STRUGGLE. It is the easiest to default to playing and the hardest to play well.
The Monkeywrench:
The Monkeywrench is that character who is on the same side as the Hero(es) but for some reason always ends up making their life more difficult. They server similar story functions to the Foil, but don't do so of their own will. Either their attempts to help do more harm then good, or they have personal goals which take precedence over the Hero(es). The Monkeywrench will rarely happen in fiction unless you have an ensemble cast, but it's very useful in LARP. You can have a good game without one, you can have a great game with a good one. Often bad monkeywrenches show up when a player decides they just want to see how much trouble they can get in, usually out of boredom. The most important part of their role is that they create interesting story for everyone, not just the Monkeywrench player.
The Monkeywrench's role is to make the Hero's STRUGGLES more DIFFICULT. They are equally difficult to play well and poorly.
And finally, The Nevish.
The Nevish is the Omega, the bottom rung of the story's ladder, the poor guy who just can't catch a break. There are not enough games that have one, because once again, everyone wants to look cool. It is actually difficult to play long term unless you have some sort of martyr complex, so small goals are important when playing one. Unlike all the other roles that get played poorly when a player defaults to them, the Nevish is really only played poorly when someone ends up trying to be a different role. They have noble intentions and say "oh I want to play this shmuck" but when it comes down to the actual suffering part, they will monologue like a Narrator, or antagonize a Hero (because yes, even the Hero treats them badly at times) like a Foil. The key to being a good nevish is sticking to it.
The Nevish's role is to ESTABLISH STATUS within the group by demonstrating the bottom level of the status chain.
So there you have it. Demoralizing, I know. The common theme among them is they are played poorly when they are not played by design but rather when people get bored of failing to be a Hero. I hope there's some sort of perspective to help people start thinking of the story first and where their character fits in it.
I haven't even tried to play a Hero in years.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Obligatory First Post Describing the Blog
Hey Kids.
I'm not the best ST in the world. I tend to favor M. Night Shamalyain style plots twists you can see a mile away, I always start late, I barely tell my assistants anything unless it's to brag about the latest plot twist I am going to forget about later, and every NPC I play somehow ends up with a Jamaican accent if I try to make them Irish.
Also, there's very little that makes me genuinely angry in the LARP scene. Unless someone is running an Office Space LARP (I would so play that) then we're all pretending to be something weird. This is a very helpful distraction from the fact that almost all of us are weird already, and the ones of us who aren't are so dry...well, it's weird.
So I guess I have no right to judge anyone, and even less motivation to do so. I hope people go back and read this post to understand my perspective, that this isn't a judgment, this is my attempt to make this hobby better for everyone I'm in contact with. My opinions are starting to get repeated by LARPers much more experienced than I so this seems prudent.
So that being said:
The Schoolyard Douchebag Rule:
No matter how much you try and deny it, LARP is Cops and Robbers. We're enacting drama and playing together to do so. Lots of people still play those Murder Mystery box night things, but that is still just Cops and Robbers. When we played as children, some of us were robbers, we liked the idea of getting away with things and being free from our normal moral constraints in play. Some of us were cops, empowered for justice in a way we normally felt powerless in.
Then there was that kid.
We all knew him. The kid who made our moral escapism and justice fantasis into a debate club. "Bang bang, you're dead!" we would cry, finally cornering him in the tree fort after a long run through the woods. "NO I'M NOT, I HAVE ON A BULLETPROOF VEST!"
Sound familiar? Every time you try and prevent another characters action by whipping out your mighty character sheet, especially if that action makes you look "bad" or "uncool" or even removes you from the game for awhile, you become that kid.
He was a douchebag then, he is is a douchebag now.
The sooner people realize this, the sooner all of our games will get a lot better.
Narrate. Discuss. the best result with the other player. Think about the story potential of if your character fails just as much as you do if your character succeeds. I've seen games where a single player does nearly whatever they want, all their schemes work and they never have any challenges. Those players get bored very quickly. You will too.
I've also seen games where a powerful player is only challenged by NPCs and is untouchable by the rest of the cast. If you're not playing the game of give and take, of letting other people be just as cool as you, then you're going to find you have few people who want to interact with you. You can try and whip out your mighty character sheet to force them to, or start antagonizing people just to vindicate your characters existence, which is usually what many people do. And then they wonder why no one likes their characters, or worse, try and convince people this is what they like to play. If you truly, genuinely, come to a game with the express purpose of pissing characters off for your own amusement as a player, and with no regard to the plot or even entertainment value to anyone else, you need to take a long look at why you're playing at all.
A brand new player, when confronted about the concept of cheating in LARP, showed genuine confusion. "How can you cheat at a game you can't win?"
Refreshing.
So yeah, remember this rule. Play with other people who know this rule. Don't be afraid to point this rule out to people who are breaking this rule.
WHEN YOU WHIP OUT YOUR CHARACTER SHEET YOU BECOME A DOUCHEBAG WITH THE SAME MENTALITY AS A 7 YEAR OLD.
In fact, I would go so far as to mock them. Yes. That's what LARP needs. More insensitivity! I'm a genius!
Off to sleep, dreaming of erasing lots of little dots on sheets.....
Mitchell
I'm not the best ST in the world. I tend to favor M. Night Shamalyain style plots twists you can see a mile away, I always start late, I barely tell my assistants anything unless it's to brag about the latest plot twist I am going to forget about later, and every NPC I play somehow ends up with a Jamaican accent if I try to make them Irish.
Also, there's very little that makes me genuinely angry in the LARP scene. Unless someone is running an Office Space LARP (I would so play that) then we're all pretending to be something weird. This is a very helpful distraction from the fact that almost all of us are weird already, and the ones of us who aren't are so dry...well, it's weird.
So I guess I have no right to judge anyone, and even less motivation to do so. I hope people go back and read this post to understand my perspective, that this isn't a judgment, this is my attempt to make this hobby better for everyone I'm in contact with. My opinions are starting to get repeated by LARPers much more experienced than I so this seems prudent.
So that being said:
The Schoolyard Douchebag Rule:
No matter how much you try and deny it, LARP is Cops and Robbers. We're enacting drama and playing together to do so. Lots of people still play those Murder Mystery box night things, but that is still just Cops and Robbers. When we played as children, some of us were robbers, we liked the idea of getting away with things and being free from our normal moral constraints in play. Some of us were cops, empowered for justice in a way we normally felt powerless in.
Then there was that kid.
We all knew him. The kid who made our moral escapism and justice fantasis into a debate club. "Bang bang, you're dead!" we would cry, finally cornering him in the tree fort after a long run through the woods. "NO I'M NOT, I HAVE ON A BULLETPROOF VEST!"
Sound familiar? Every time you try and prevent another characters action by whipping out your mighty character sheet, especially if that action makes you look "bad" or "uncool" or even removes you from the game for awhile, you become that kid.
He was a douchebag then, he is is a douchebag now.
The sooner people realize this, the sooner all of our games will get a lot better.
Narrate. Discuss. the best result with the other player. Think about the story potential of if your character fails just as much as you do if your character succeeds. I've seen games where a single player does nearly whatever they want, all their schemes work and they never have any challenges. Those players get bored very quickly. You will too.
I've also seen games where a powerful player is only challenged by NPCs and is untouchable by the rest of the cast. If you're not playing the game of give and take, of letting other people be just as cool as you, then you're going to find you have few people who want to interact with you. You can try and whip out your mighty character sheet to force them to, or start antagonizing people just to vindicate your characters existence, which is usually what many people do. And then they wonder why no one likes their characters, or worse, try and convince people this is what they like to play. If you truly, genuinely, come to a game with the express purpose of pissing characters off for your own amusement as a player, and with no regard to the plot or even entertainment value to anyone else, you need to take a long look at why you're playing at all.
A brand new player, when confronted about the concept of cheating in LARP, showed genuine confusion. "How can you cheat at a game you can't win?"
Refreshing.
So yeah, remember this rule. Play with other people who know this rule. Don't be afraid to point this rule out to people who are breaking this rule.
WHEN YOU WHIP OUT YOUR CHARACTER SHEET YOU BECOME A DOUCHEBAG WITH THE SAME MENTALITY AS A 7 YEAR OLD.
In fact, I would go so far as to mock them. Yes. That's what LARP needs. More insensitivity! I'm a genius!
Off to sleep, dreaming of erasing lots of little dots on sheets.....
Mitchell
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