Created 106 days ago
by
Fetch
Greetings,
I'm Fetch an avid fan of gaming living and working in New Hampshire while I take classes in Creative writing at a local college.
I've been gaming for 17 years and have played a little of everything (both off and online) from D&D and Everquest to the World of Darkness and Eve Online. My favorite game right now is White Wolf's Changeling: The Lost and its one of the few games I have every book for. I look forward to writing for you all and I hope to hear your comments on my work so that I can continue to grow, and improve. Both as a gamer and a writer.
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LARPing
Tips
World of Darkness
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World of Darkness Blog
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Tips For Creating Immersion in Larps
Part One: Making your Venue Work
Larping can be a great time and one of the most rewarding experiences a gamer can have. Sometimes though it can be a challenge to get into a game and with a large group of people things can slip and you'll find groups of players turning your well intentioned game into just another social gathering.
Below I will discuss some topics here that I've found can help get players more immersed into your game and the setting and plots you have undoubtedly spent hours piecing together bit by bit. This is by no means a complete list and I look forward to hearing about other methods that work for you. It should go without saying that as I write this I have Minds Eye Theatre in mind.
Make the game work for the venue.
Whenever possible it is always best to try and match the setting to the venue as closely as possible. I know this isn't always doable but I find that a dramatic departure between venue location and setting can negatively impact a game. At best it can draw people out of character and at worst it can be downright confusing.For example the most successful larp I've ever run used the library as a small college town as the venue. In game it well, was the library in a small college town. It took very little effort for players to realize the setting and I think helped them to get and stay in character.
Define the play area
This is especially important in games where the setting does not match the venue. If you need to mark areas of a building as different parts of town make sure the signs are obvious. It might also help to add travel times to areas that are very far away. If you do that I don't suggest making them longer than 5 or 10 minutes as you don't want your players to get bored with waiting out of character all the time.
No matter how you set up your venue, it may be helpful to designate an area as being out of character. This give players somewhere they can get the “real world” out of their system and when they do come it to game be more focused on playing. Make sure to be consistent! If location A was the tavern last game, then is should be the tavern in the next game as well. Moving locations will just confuse the players.
Don't be afraid to Decorate
If your venue and budget allows for it try to dress up the play area a bit. Some colored sheets draped over stuff that is out of game or some hanging tapestries might add some flair to the Prince's meeting hall. Some cheap paintings or some ceramic sculptures might give the Toreador's haven an artistic look.
Really anything that makes the play area seem different will subtly remind players that they are not in their world but instead in a world created by the storyteller.
Music and Lighting
Like the ideas about decorating, adding music and lighting to your larp will depend on budget and control over the venue. Both lighting and music can add more ambiance to the game. Try to light areas to suit the environment the area is to represent. Have a room dedicated to being a rave or night club, try using black lights and dance music to make the scene come to life. Just be careful to keep the music low enough so people can still talk to each other.
Music can also be used to accent an npc or other storyteller character. For example if the prince is a few hundred years old, then perhaps he always is listening to the classical music of his era and comments on his favorite pieces to the players.
Music and sound effects can also be used to create feelings of dread in players. My roommate recently ran a Cthulhu inspired larp (at our usual venue). We were trapped in a haunted house and ever now and then we'd hear horrible chanting coming from seemingly out of nowhere. This combined with the near darkness we were working with (a lack of light can be effective as well) creating a pretty creepy atmosphere.
Always remember to use music carefully, too much or the wrong kind can take away from the game more than it adds.
This ends Part One of this series, please come back next week when I move on to Gameplay, and tips on creating immersion during the game.
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