Initially, this column was titled One LARP Convention Season Tip for GMs and a Bunch of Things LARPers Should Know To Better Play In Games When They Finally Get To Play That Cool Mysterious Character They Always Ask For, subtitled 'A Collection of Advice Written Originally For Another Source'. While that unwieldy title says it all, it seemed a bit much-- and it turns out the advice applies to RPGing in general, not just LARP. If you like it as a lede, read on. If not, read on anyway because this is short.

Let's say you're a gamer (safe bet). In fact, you're a LARPer (less safe). And you're either planning to run a LARP at a convention, or play in one. What advice would I give?

LARP-writing tips for GMs

For GMs running games at conventions, here's the one tip you need when designing and writing your Con scenario. Just one, but it has many parts... never assume a _character_ is in the game, even if that character was assigned to a player.

• Some players will not show up at all.
• Some players will arrive late.
• Be prepared for last-minute signups or walk-ons or friends-of-signups.
• Some players are there for roleplaying or socializing more so than puzzle-solving or fulfilling plots.
• Some players discard assigned stuff in favor of their own stuff.

So, be flexible in the number of characters you need to run, both minimum and maximum, and also either be able to allow characters to start the game late or make it very, very clear in the program book that start times are firm.

Make sure any character doesn't _require_ the presence of any specific other character to have fun. Sherlock Holmes should still have stuff to do even if Moriarty isn't around to interact with. The safe should be crackable even if Fingers McGee doesn't try it. Several folks should be able to hotwire the stardrive, albeit with differing odds of success.

Redundancy in plots and character (more so for Con games) is handy. That doesn't mean duplication-- just coverage. If you have a Great Detective, have them know a little engineering, and also have, say, a Notorious Thief who is also an armchair detective and an Skilled Engineer who is a petty thief.

Tips for Playing Mysterious Characters

Many LARP roles have some aspect of

• trickster
• magician
• mysterious person
• occultist
• psychic
• intuitive person

... and other variants on the "something slightly beyond the ordinary". Beyond the ordinary is what makes for a juicy character background, after all. Joe the Plumber may be a workable role for some, but Joseph the Amazing Technicolor Dreamer is much more via las Vegas when it comes to high expectations.

With that in mind, and thinking to the field of stage magic and trickery, here's a list of 'tricks any larper should learn to be a good mysterious PC':

1) The classic force . It's a way to fan cards, tickets, lots, anything so it's more likely-- but not guaranteed-- a person will grab the one you intend. The method also gives you a good look at basic misdirection and psychology.

2) The straitjacket escape. Mostly this is "flex hard and keep your arms away while being tied, so you have room to wiggle free once you relax, and just keep calm". The basic principle is that most bindings are put on people who are panicky. By being calm and setting your body appropriately, you can ensure escape (from a straightjacket, being tied up, handcuffs) before they even bind you.

3) The false shuffle . Used in magic, this lets a pre-ordered deck of cards remains in the same order but people think you shuffled. As a general principle, it teaches you how to appear to be fair and random, while really ensuring the outcome is what you planned.

4) The classic palm. With this, you appear to move a coin or other small item from one hand to another while actually retaining it. Again, a move useful as a general 'oh cool' intro to misdirection in general.

In a broader sense, all larpers should also...

1. Take 1 session of basic acting and voice projection.
2. Write one short game by themselves just to have a better idea of the underlying construction of games.
3. Play a board game or such once with the secret intent to intentionally lose without the other players guessing, to build skills for balancing 'game' with 'roleplay'.
4. Play a board game to intentionally have a very close 'photo finish', thus learning how to balance the wish to 'win' with the intent to ensure everyone enjoys the full run.

The latter two, in particular, are important techniques for building the better player. 'Roleplaying Game' as a term has two parts, and just going for the game win reduces it to a mere sport or contest. Backwards as it sounds, you can have more fun with a well-played grueling loss than with a quick and easy 'win'.

The only real win in RPGing is "did you have fun." Use that as your measure when you go out to game, and lose one for the team!

Have a good con season!
Sandy
sandy@rpg.net