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
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6 comments:
hmm. . . interesting point about the use of larp as therapeutic role-play. . . but is see that as potentially dangerous too, cause one of MY biggest issues with larpers, and gamers and people in general, is getting their IC life mixed up with their OOC ego. . . just cause your character got smack talked, doesn't mean you should get hurt inside. . . and if you rush into using your character as a therapeutic tool, it could lead to a lot of artificial pain when bad shit happens to them. . . which in any good story will only be a matter of time, cause what is plot without drama.
You know, if you can't handle getting hurt in game, you probably can't handle it in real life. I have little sympathy for them. Drama is only drama if you connect to it, painful or not. People cannot to pain. If even YOU don't empathize with your characters ups AND downs, how can one expect someone else to?
Sometimes people have good reasons why they can't handle getting hurt, but they don't really have a right to bring that kind of thing into game where it causes problems for other people.
I definitely use LARP for therapeutic purposes sometimes. Maya has a lot of characteristics that are either attributes of me taken further (e.g. rebellion vs. a conservative Christian background), or attributes I wish I had (overachieving while still having a life), or blends of the two (both interested in and very capable at helping people with psychological issues). Rosalie is intended to be someone who doesn't fade into the background (not that fading into the background would be possible with her appearance/costuming :P), but also doesn't necessarily say exactly the right thing at the right time, yet isn't unlikable. I'm still refining how to play high Presence, low Manipulation, but I like the idea of playing a character who people notice and like but not having to be as careful of what I say as when I'm playing a character with flawless social skills. (Not wanting to have to watch what I say like a hawk is part of why I made her an Woodblood Elemental rather than Flowering Fairest.)
It only took four hours. Yay many hands and smart people make for faster work.
Leave it to Cock Punch to comment on something completely unrelated. :)
I indeed use LARP to explore some of my own psychology.
One of the main ways is exploring moral resolve. I have noticed that my characters tend to be angry young men and take significant (perhaps self rightous) stands on issues. I tend to be concilliatory and comprimising in real life sometimes not for the better. I would definately say that my empathy and my confidence have improved as a result of my LARPing.
I also find interesting that in the last few years my characters have taken a distinctly paternal role. My desire to play teachers, parents (real or symbolic) and to explore the complexities of caring for others has come to the fore. My own sub-conscious desire for fatherhood I think.
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