Substance
In spite of the back cover blurb that implies this book is also for players, this book is really for people who wish to run or write a LARP.
Chapter 1 is very short, just two pages, which introduces the idea of what a LARP is.
Chapter 2 attempts in six pages to cover the spectrum of different types of LARPs. I was a bit uncomfortable with this analysis, as my personal experience with LARPs breaks things up quite a bit differently. The author tries to show that LARPS fall on various places on a Mechanics axis (Live Combat i.e. "Nero" vs Simulated Combat i.e. "rock-paper-scissors"). I can basically agree with this axis. However, the second axis divides LARPs into two categories of gameplay: Adventure-Style (like a table-top game but live action) and Theatre-Style (groups vs groups). Though there is some truth to this axis, I'm uncomfortable with it as being orthagonal to the Mechanics axis as my experience is that Live Combat style LARPs tend to be Adventure-Style. I also feel that there are a lot of other ways to analyze LARPs that are not discussed, such as plot style (event-driven, chorded, free-form, etc.), and conflict style (players vs. world, players vs NPCs, players vs players). I hope that a second edition of this book can cover more territory.
Chapter 3 is four-page overview about what is involved in running a LARP. This chapter is fairly basic, but later the "Chapter 6 - Pounding the Pavement" makes up for what this chapter lacks.
Chapter 4 is a brief six-page overview of the "Rules to Live By" system that the publishers of this book use for the sample LARPs in this book, as well as the other LARPs that they sell on the internet. I read through the rules twice, and didn't find that I'd ever use them for a LARP -- a little too complex for the LARP players I play with. It is a dice-based system with skills levels that are rolled against a challenge, i.e. like a simplified tabletop combat system. However, the chapter is short and gives you enough information so that you can interpret the characters in the 5 example LARPs that the book offers and substitute your own system.
Chapter 5 is the first example LARP called "Trapped". In spite of a very simple plot it intrigued me because basically it is a LARP for four players (plus one GM) stuck in an elevator. I'd never really thought of doing a four-person LARP before, but this shows that it is possible. The LARP itself I think has some problems unless you have four really great roleplayers, as it really depends on solid roleplaying as it only gives the initial situation -- how it is resolved is up to the players.
Chapter 6 is called "Pounding the Pavement", by Gordon Olmstead-Dean and Phil Kelly, and I believe that this is the best part of the book. Up to this point I was somewhat discouraged as everything so far was either too brief or too simplified. Instead, this 36-page section is deep and rich and full of useful information. It covers everything from what a lead GM does, to what an Assistant GM does, to short term and long term team issues, to how to resolve GM and Assistant GM conflicts, to how to deal with players (both good and bad), to how to use computers, etc. It discusses very broad topics (GM to player ratios, pacing the game, etc.), but is also full of small tips and tricks (GMs should play "upper" level servants, like hotel manager, rather then butlers who might be asked by the players to do something). This section really doesn't discuss much about writing LARPs, though I think if studied carefully can advise the LARP writer.
Chapter 7 is the next LARP "All the President's Zombies". This is a LARP for eight players who play the US President's cabinet (President, VP, Secretary of State, etc.). It takes place in the White House while each cabinet member is getting phone calls with more information from their respective staffs. Like "Trapped" this LARP is primarily a pure role-playing LARP -- an initial situation is set and is interesting, but there really isn't any plot other then new information phoned in by various staff members (provided by the GM).
Chapter 8 is called "The Art of Illusion" and is 18 pages of advice about LARP settings and to a lesser extent, props. Not quite as useful as the "Pounding the Pavement" chapter, but still has quite a bit of useful information in it.
Chapter 9 is "Michael Clambino's Fundraiser", the third LARP in the book, and probably the best. It is set up for six players and a GM. The scenario is simple, six crime family members are asked to meet with the top boss. Like the previous two LARPs, most of the effort is in the initial situation, however, there are more props and more things for the players to do to drive to a conclusion, and I think the possible conclusions are more satisfying.
Chapter 10 is the first of three chapter about how to write LARPs. This one is about how to write up a fictional setting, whether it be fantasy or sci-fi or something else entirely different. This 16-page chapter is acceptable, but overall I felt is was lacking specifics regarding fictional settings for LARPs. There are far better books and articles on creating fictional settings, but what this book should be talking about is what kind of fictional settings lend themselves to LARPs. For instance, I personal find the issue of "containment" to be a very LARP specific setting problem -- why can't the players leave? Every LARP has to solve these types of problem, but there was no discussion of them.
Chapter 11 is six pages on writing plots for LARPs. A bit more satisfying then the previous chapter as it doesn't attempt to teach you how to write plots in general, but instead focuses a bit more on LARP specific plot issues. However, I think a lot more could be written on this topic. There are so many things that can be discussed about how to write plots for LARPs then what is covered here.
Chapter 12 is the fourth example LARP "Humans vs Monsters: Diplomacy". For six players, this LARP suffers exactly the same problems that the other LARPs in this book do -- good initial character writeups and situation, but very little ongoing plot to drive the action to a satisfying conclusion.
Chapter 13 is the "Art of the Character Sheet" -- a useful overview, but in six pages it is a bit shallow. Character sheets can be the bane of a LARP writer -- how do you be consistent, but also not go crazy with the amount of information you have to organize? None of the common solutions to address character sheet issues is brought up, such as "blue sheets" with common information on it, and other uses of colored paper for different things.
Chapter 14 is the fifth example LARPS "Lost in the Stacks". It is a 12 person LARP, but requires at least three-different GMs as it is a actually three separate LARPs that are run simultaneously in three different rooms. An interesting initial situation, but like the other LARPs in this book it suffers from little ongoing plot. It is mostly roleplay once the situation is started.
Chapter 15 is the third chapter on writing for LARPs, but is specific to the Murder Mystery style of LARP. A bit brief in four pages, but useful.
Chapter 16 is the sixth and last example LARP "I Shall Not Want" and sort of an example of a Murder Myster plot for five to seven players, however, it isn't a true mystery as it more an opportunity for "the characters deal with their feelings towards the death of Mr. Rosenthal". Like the others LARPs in this book, there are few props or opportunities to drive plot forward with the LARP -- it is primarily a roleplay event. Yet it is a bit more satisfying then the others except for the "Fundraiser" LARP.
Last, there is a glossary in the book of various LARP related terms.
Substance Summary: I consider this book seriously flawed, and yet I highly recommend it.
The best part of the book was "Chapter 6 - Pounding the Pavement". It is extremely useful and almost worth the price of the book itself. Most of the other chapters need significant filling out, but all contain useful stuff. Finally, as a relatively complete collection of topics on the subject of LARPs, when there are so few books on this subject, make this book mandatory for the LARP GM's bookshelf.
My biggest problem with the book was that the example LARPs are too similar in style -- more what I call "pure roleplay" LARPs. If I was the editor I'd consider dropping all but two of them and substituting drastically different style LARPs, maybe one NERO-style LARP, one SIF style LARP, and one White Wolf style LARP. I'd also discuss with each example LARP more about the writing of it -- where did the idea come from, what ideas were discarded, what worked when it was playtested, what didn't.
Given the serious flaws, but also my recommendation to purchase, my final rating for substance for this book is 4.
Style
The book is a 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" perfect bound "trade paperback" book consisting of 252 B&W pages, and a color cover.
My biggest problem with the book is the font and layout. The book is laid out using a relatively hard-to-read and quite small serif'ed font, formatted in two columns per page. I'm not a typography expert, but the font they are using is just too fine to be reduced that small, and the final effect is that the book is hard to read.
The cover also is a problem -- at first glance I thought it was a B&W grayscale "cloud" with the title over it. But looking closer, it appears that the cover is supposed to be color and that there is suppost to be photographs of LARPers in various poses all over the cover, but these photographs are almost invisible. My guess is that this book is a Lightning Print "print on demand" book and something was not set up correctly, as I can't imagine that this cover would pass quality control of a normal printer.
The text of the book is interspersed with some artwork. The artwork is of mixed quality and style, but largely acceptable -- a few cartoon-like graphics in appropriate places, a few illustrations for the chapter heads, and character graphics for the included example LARPS. My favorite cartoon is that of a knight in full armor facing a goblin, both doing rock-paper-scissors.
The editing of the book seems to be acceptable -- I didn't notice any obvious typos or grammar problems, however, I'm not the best person to judge as I don't spot these type of problems as well as other people do.
Style Summary: Overall the production values of the book do not match that of the substance of the book, so I can only give it a style rating of 3.
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