Kensei: A Vignette

       This story is based on Kensei, the Boffer Larp I am trying to design. One of the things that I'm trying to focus on in this game is that while the game center's around a Martial Arts Tournament set in the not too distant future. Fighters and Martial Arts Schools vie for fame, money and influence while Merchants, Managers, Reporters and Gamblers all do deals behind the scenes.

     This is a scene of what could be. I hope you enjoy.   



              "Jesus fucking christ," Parker said, watching the carnage go on in this dirty, dingy cabin. On the table was one of her prized rookie fighters. Case was young, red hair, green eyes. Would have made Ireland proud if he was smart enough to know where the fucking island was. Parker had recruited him into her stable last month for a song. 

            And he was dying. The fucking idiot.

            Rune, The man barely struggling to keep Case alive, made a short laugh. About ten years ago, Parker would have found Rune attractive. A surfer type with sunbleached blonde hair and athletic body, but his face was covered in enough pale scars to tell you his education in Medicine was mostly from first hand experience. "Lady, I don't think He's here at the moment. So please shut the fuck up while I try to save this kid."

            Parker made a motion for him to continue. How could the kid be so fucking dumb, challenging one of Rayse's boys? The members of the Arena of Blood aren't playing for money or fame, the nicest rumors she'd heard about them was a step above cannibals and the worst made them nothing short of monsters. Did he think he'd carve a name out of that School? You don't carve them, they carve you.

            

            The cabin stank of disinfectant and horseshit. The Crucible's facilities were on the other side of the territory, and there were things between here and there that would have made sure Case didn't make it out alive. Killing was against the rules on the Kensei tournament grounds, but that didn't stop accidents from happening.

            As if sensing her dread, the door knocked three times. Her heart sank.

            "It's Jin, let me in."

            That gave Parker a moment of hope, she moved over and opened up the shed door. Jin was a stout fellow, with goat-thick black hair and thick slabs of muscles. She found most of the weapons merchants always looked like that, the best merchants always looked like they knew their trade. He moved in brusquely, as if Parker couldn't really keep him back. She probably couldn't. He stopped and looked at Case,  he and Rune sharing a look. For a second, Parker was scared these two would start their rivalry all over again. They'd been partners once, but Rune's showboating with the Crucible clashed with Jin's more honorable adherence to the Way of the Dragon King. It broke down violently, and in their twilight years, they sat in their respective corners of Arms Seller and Medic and left it at that.

            The moment passed, and they both looked at the boy. "Jesus Christ," Jin said.

            "You're the second person to try calling Him and He isn't answering," Rune said. A spurt of blood shot over his shoulder from case's stomach. "Inside, you fucking moron. Blood is supposed to remain inside!"

            Not according to the Arena of Blood. Parker's stomach churned. Rune was too busy saving the poor kid's opened stomach. Jin took out a cigarette, and lit it. Rune looked at him.

            "At this rate," Jin said. "Second hand smoke is the least of his problems." He offered the pack to Parker, who gladly took one and lit it. "I got a look at the weapon that Arena fighter was using. Pure steel."

            That made Parker take a larger drag in her cigarette. All weapons and Armor were designed to simulate hits. They produced shocks, and once you were down, you were down. Oh, you could dress  them up to make em look as real as real could be, but in the end they were shock pads . Live weapons weren't allowed in the tournament.

            "Please tell me you--"

            "The committee has already been informed," Jin said.

            Parker nodded, then at least it wasn't a complete loss. Rayse and his goons would lost the match, and probably forfeit for the entire event. If it didn't kill Case, that was. If Case died, all forms of hell would break loose. The Arena of Blood would be shunned by the Kensei Council, not to mention any reporter worth their salt who smelt the blood in the water.

            There were things that could have been said, but they held their silence. That silence lasted until, after what felt like eternity, Case gasped and sat sharp up.

            "Whoa!" Rune said, pushing him back. "You start moving too fast and you'll blow a vessel."

            "You got him back," Parker said, clearly astonished.

            "It wasn't easy." Rune muttered. He gave Case a vial of green liquid. "Drink this all, or I will make you. Don't talk, just drink." Case complied. The look on his face told Parker all she needed to know about it's taste.

            When it was over and done, Case looked up to Parker. "I guess I lost the match."

            "You made an open challenge to Rayse and his entire stable, and someone who is ranked at level 15 accepted the challenge."

            "I didn't see it as such a bad thing,"

            "Aren't you level 4, Case?" Rune said dryly.

            "I thought we're supposed to go for challenges in the Crucible,"

            Jin groaned. "Russian Roulette isn't a Challenge, it's suicide you fucking moron."

            Case had nothing else to say, and Parker just smoked furiously at her cigarette and smashed it out onto the floor. "So," Case said finally, "What do we do from here?"

            Jin spoke, "Well, the Investigators already have the knife Creed used on you, and the Council will probably smack Rayse around for a little bit. Actually--" He pulled out his radio and turned it on. The only station in the area was WTKN. It was nearing midnight, and that meant Cassius Rite was still on. One of the last true independent reporters out there, TKN makes it a point to hire out the neutral ones for the mi

            "--and we hope very well he finds his pants. In other news, just a few minutes ago the stable run by Arena of Blood acolyte Rayse was suspended from any and all events for the rest of this weekend on grounds that live steel was used during a match against Crucible Rookie Case. Rayse, you and your boys have done wrong, and it's time for a spanking. Rayse had this to say from his cabin in the darklands."

            There was silence at first and then a husky voice boomed, "I find the Council's decisions....disappointing. This is a time for competition, this is a time for testing. Case wished to test himself against my men, and Creed found him wanting. The rest of the 'Schools' in this Network think that you can beat your opponent and he gets up and all is well in the world. It is not...well...in the world. I will show you the truth. The weak are meat, the strong need to eat. Blood is the only thing that matters."

            Cassius' voice came back on, "Case, if you're out there, and you're not dead. Either you or your manager should come to Network Central and make your presence felt, your name is still on the Lists if you want it."

            Case looked to Parker, eyes hopeful in the way only the new up and comers get. "Fine," She said eventually. "I'll go and tell them to hold your name."

            "No," Case said suddenly. "I'll--" He was cut off when Rune touched the freshly bandaged wounds on his chest.

            "I'm sorry, did that hurt? Maybe because you were gutstabbed an hour ago. You're staying here and healing."

            "We also need to get your swords and armor repaired," Parker said. She looked to Jin, "I assume you're about to make me a deal?"

            He smiled, "How about this: I walk you to Central, and you talk me into it."

            Parker smiled back, and suddenly the options for tonight didn't look so grim. "You got another smoke?"

            The grizzled weapons merchant laughed, "I'm pretty sure I've got a few left. Come on."

           

           As he lead her out, Rune called out to her. "I'd be careful, Park, Jin's a tough bastard to talk under. But suit yourself." He slapped Case on the back, "See, kid? That's a real Challenge worthy of the Crucible. Now stop seeping into your bandage."

           

            

Licensing Be Damned (pt II)

After my last post, I got a lot of comments about possible other materials that could be added. Some of them I really liked and I wanted to talk more on, plus add a few more.

Ghost in the Shell

Whether you're a fan of the original 1996 movie, the manga, the Stand Alone Complex iteration or whatever incarnation this prolific series has become synonymous with the cyberpunk genre. Set near the end of the 21st century, Ghost in the Shell focuses on the actions of Public Security Section 9, a clandestine government military for a post World War 4 Japan. It's a world where most of the population has wired their brains to be digita, communication is a cross between telepathy and video calls and with that comes the threat of hacking. Androids, cyborgs are replete throughout the series. It's action packed and never pulls it's punches.

One of the draws in GitS is that, at it's core, it is highly philosophical. Some episodes of Stand Alone Complex (which describes a trend in behavior that cannot be traced to one individual creation) are in themselves a treatise on existentialit concepts. What is the soul, when everything is digital? What happens when we drift in the Net for so long, are we native to our bodies any more?

Ghost in the Shell is a great game for a Salon LARP, I could see scenes being done like some of the airsoft LARPs in Europe, but the special effects are too wide scope and prevalent to be done as an immersive game. Our technology would have to be improved for us to even mimic their technology.


Full Metal Alchemist

In the same vein, you have Full Metal Alchemist. Full Metal Alchemist is set in an alternate world where alchemy, not science, is the predominate means of understanding the physical nature of the world. This has lead to bionic arms and improved technology in a very steam/diesel punk fashion. Of course, where there is Alchemy, there is the hunt for more. Gold, power, and Immortality.

FMA is all about where the line is in what should be done, and what the cost is during that. The first line in the series is about the law of Equivalent Exchange. To create, something of equal or greater value must be lost. This is evoked, subverted, examined and deconstructed throughout as powers vie for truth, redemption, and salvation.

Actually, FMA has a lot of similarities in Mage: The Awakening. Universal Truth and the discovery of where the line is and how much of yourself you're willing to give up. It also has the added effect of their being this rule that, with enough research and experience, you can do damned near anything. Creative Thaumaturgy, it's called. If it makes rational sense, you can probably do it. I've seen people make trucks in minutes, or search for magic in the city by magically hacking the streetlights. The magic of Full Metal Alchemist is about possibilities and exceeding those possibilities.

As such, again, the special effects is too much for a boffer larp or a Nordic Style, but it would do wonders as a Salon Larp, especially with the factions and antagonists that it contains.

Harry Potter
This was mentioned to me after the last blog post, and I sat there gobsmacked as to why I had never thought of it. Setting a game in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter would be completely fun and enjoyable. We all know the story, we haven't been raised in a damn hole for the past decade. Wizards, Witches, School, the struggle between pureblood wizards and mortal/muggles.

This can go in a lot of ways. Do we do a LARP based in Hogwarts, and in that case this becomes a school LARP? that could be interesting. Would we set it in America, and the Salem School? Would we play before, during or after the events of the series? JK Rowling made a world that was only barely touched, limited by the knowledge and experiences of the main character. We could expand that out a bit.

Depending on what you wanted to do with it, this would make a for a great Salon or Boffer style. Salon styles focusing more on the action or the social aspects of it. A boffer LARP would be interesting, in that with the longer amounts of time you COULD do a school day or so at Hogwarts/whatever school. Salon style I could see as "The adventures of...".


24/La Femme Nikita
It struck me a little bit as I was going through my Netflix and reading about Panopticorp that we could do a Nordic Style game based on the series 24. The of the show is that it is in relative "real time", and that each hour of the show is an actual hour of the day and the season is one whole day. During that day Counter Terrorism Unit Agent Jack Bauer (played by the intense Kiefer Sutherlan) must save the area from a massive threat, meanwhile in CTU headquarters, while everyone is doing their jobs, someone is invariably the mole, someone is trying to take over and there is a bunch of polticking going around.

So why not have CTU as a Nordic game? Set it up for a 30 or so hour game, have players develop these specialists, agents, analysts and liaisons while also helping the invariable mission of the Jack Bauer-expy.

Likewise we could base it off of La Femme Nikita, the USA produced show starring Peta Wilson, in which she plays an black ops agent who was recruited when accused of murder. Her death faked and her records expunged, she and her entire co-workers are all men and women who can be killed at a single notice, so all of them try to do their best and sometimes one up one another. It's similar to 24 (both were produced by Joel Surnow) but LFN would be considered a much more 'morally bankrupt' version.

The trick would be the equipment. Computers, software, capital and money. I'd love to get my hands on the people from Monitor Celestra and figure out how they did it. This would be an impressive undertaking...

But I'm sure someone is willing to try.

Licensing Be Damned

In a bit of a discussion with members of a LARP facebook group, we were asked "if licensing were never an issue, what properties would you love to see turned to LARPs?"

This is something that I'd always have fun considering "Ooh! this would be fun." Playing in this world, playing in that world. I've mentioned it before, but that's what I used to do as a kid. I'd read something, watch something, play something, and then I'd pretend I was in that world. Not as one of the characters, but as my own character alongside them. I didn't want to BE the main characters, I wanted to share in their adventures and their world.

This is a list of properties I would love to see as a LARP setting, as well as my discussions on how they'd work in different settings. This is by no means complete or definitive as if to say "This is the only way this could be played" This is how I see them being played.

I. Final Fantasy VII

One of the video games that started it all for me, and quite honestly for a lot of people. Final Fantasy VII was the first of the Final Fantasy Games to take a modern approach, mixing elements of Steampunk, Cyberpunk and Biopunk into a blender and coming out with an epic story that broke a lot of rules and made new ones.

Set on Terra, Final Fantasy is a story about the Planet, really, and the Lifestream. The Lifestream is Life, all Life, creating and dying again and again in a beautiful cycle. In the time of the games, a corporation called the Shinra have found a way to extract the Lifestream into what they call Mako, and using it to fuel their Cities and technology. The main characters are members of AVALANCHE, who are trying to usurp the Mega Corporation and save the planet. During their adventures they run into a threat that threatens the fate of the Lifestream and the World beyond the means of industry.

In this game, you have warriors with swords the size of car doors, men with gatling guns for arms, martial artisits, beasts who talk, ninjas, shapeshifing gunmen, airship captains and dolls able to be piloted through magic. While each has their strengths and weaknesses, neither of them are technically a specific class. Everyone can do magic thanks to manufactured pieces of the Mako called Materia, which they insert into their weapons and armor to use their affect.

In all honest, I see this game going one way really, as a boffer Larp. It makes a sense, because there are small towns and villages in the games that experience parts of the story, part of the details while the main characters move through each town. The player town has the same problems most of the towns have, the monster attacks, Shinra muscling their way in, and eventually the ultimate battle coming in.

By it being a boffer LARP though, we've basically cut off access to most of the main places. No trips to Midgar, the cyberpunk inspired capital of the world. Cosmo Canyon, where the World is explored, is a distant memory, and Nibelheim's ashes are a rumor in the wind. Could those places be visited? Yes, as a table top game, I could see it. But to me, building a contained world based on Final Fantasy may make things easier to control and maintain rather than a spanning the world event.

I could see in a boffer larp, you picking archetypal stats. What do you excel in? Combat? Defense? Magic? Magical Defense? Speed? Etc. You chose the strengths and drawbacks, you pick the materia to affect your weapons. You pick what you have and can do and you grow from there.

Ultimately it's a game whose themes of environmental harmony, inevitability, memory and sacrifice are themes worth playing with.

Final Fantasy VIII

I'm biased to VII and VIII as these were the games that reared me, and VIII was the one wear I stopped and became truly and utterly emotionally invested into the character arc of a game.

Set on a different world than VII, Final Fantasy VIII is focused around SeeD, a group that trains orphans and children as mercenaries in a bid to prevent a future war with Sorceresses. Trained in large communities called Gardens, these mercenaries are hired out to highest bidder.

The world of Final Fantasy VIII is one of the closest to the modern world we live in, with train systems, cable relays and cars being prevalent throughout. Magic only exists through two means: Sorcery, which is rare, and junctioning one's self to a Guardian Force, a creature of immense power who can be summoned or improve a fighter's stats, but at the eventual cost of ones memory. Magic, in it's most common form, is a form of science that mimics the sorceresses magic, but instead Draws those spells out of natural areas and from other creatures.

Again, I see FF VIII being a great boffer Larp, surrounding a training academy attached to one of the Gardens. One of the reasons I want to do this is because I want there to be a sense of interpersonal interactions, which is a theme of the game as the Main Character is a sheltered young man who has to struggle out of himself into a mature adult. So, as a SeeD in training, you learn, train, practice, and use the grounds to challenge yourself and each other. Support teams such as Instructors and Medical exist to help and aid.

The problem is this is the Mercenary part, being sent out to places to do jobs that require a lot of heavy lifting. Boffer Larps don't normally deal in Downtimes, actions between games, and so how would that work for games? Or would it be just a method of "I need a bunch of Licensed SeeDs to come with me on this event" and then maybe have the yearly event become a Licensing for trainees to become full SeeDs, it's a thought. That's the trade off with Boffer Larps and Table Tops, ultimately you give up scope for immersion. And Again, it becomes less of a "Rock Paper Scissors" game and more of a "You choose what you can do".

One thing it would require is the use of Draw like Dystopia Rising has Scrap and Herb cards. Periodically, the STs and Coordinators for DR go through the camp and disperse these cards into the wild, and those with the ability to scrounge or farm can find them and collect them. Draw can work like that, except with more interspersing, and it's easier than both as you can do it from NPCs if you want.

As an experience, I would want to focus on the themes of preparing for combat and war and how people cope with that, maturity, fate, and memory.


III. Dune

Dune is one of those stories that has everything, action, business, politics, mythology, prescience. It has an appeal to me as it was the first Sci Fi/Fantasy series I ever tackled and read in my teens. The Dune series takes place over thousands of years in a Galaxy deominated by it's need for Spice. Spice is a drug that enhances the senses, further expanding into the ability to see through time and space.

Dune is about the agendas of rival groups and those that get caught in it's snares. It's about plans within plans within plans and how those plans conflict with others. In the world you have the Major Houses, families and dynasties whose interests govern various worlds, space travel is given by the Spacing Guild, whose Navigators have been mutated by the Spice and are the only means of folding Space/Time. All of those Houses answer to the Padishah Emperor, and the Padishah Emperor Deals with the Directors of CHOAM who govern the Markets and the Spacing Guild, and in the Shadows you have the schools of the Bene Gesserit, an all female Sisterhood whose plans to produce and train the ultimate being, the Mentat Order training humans to perform like machines, and the Tleilaxu whose bio-engineering can create damn near anything.

And at the center of all of this is Spice, mined only on the desert planet of Arrakis, also known as Dune. Arrakis is the native world of the Fremen, desert nomads who live a simple life based on pragmatism and mysticism. The Spice is the center of commerce, and is addicting to all who take it.

If made into a LARP, it could be used in multiple forms. It ticks on the combat and action levels of a boffer Larp, the immersive nature of a Nordic Style, and the social settings of a Salon style.

If a Salon Style, I could see it being set on Arrakis, with the players taking part in a House War while the Spacing Guild, Bene Gesserit and Fremen all fulfill their own plans (with the players being associated with all of them). This way people can go and 'explore' Arrakis, and possibly get threatened by a Sandworm or two. This is the only way I can see Arrakis being a setting in my area, as Nordic or Boffer LARPs do rely on an immersive setting (Well...unless I set it during a certain point of the book series). Unfortunately, the Bronx is a bit short on the desert area. So if you've got some property in Death Valley, call me, I have a plan.

If a Boffer Style, I can see it set on a planet the Houses need, like Rossak or Chusuk or some kind of smuggler's moon. The House struggles play out around them and with them, while the Fremen Crusade drives through. The Spice would be used like Oil is today, always stockpiling and used as a bartering chip sparingly. People make names for themselves as swordmasters, trubadours, smugglers, mystics, politicians, doctors and madmen.

I think Dune would be a terrific setting for an Immersive Nordic Larp. Imagine a lavish scene where players play various Houses in the presence of The Emperor, taking a Mock United Nations approach on various subjects. Imagine being villagers of Geidi Prime, or slaves in their pits waiting to be abducted to pleasure warrens or the fighting arena. Or, quite possibly, a Reverend Mother visiting a Fremen Sietch, performing a mystic rite with her people and praying for the coming of the Mahdi.

Dune is one of those realms where you can do anything, so long as you keep to the realm of Power and Prophecy.


IV. Star Wars
Oh, come on, like you didn't see me saying this. George Lucas made too large of a Universe with too broad a set of ideas and archetypes for it to ever just be a movie. Of course, I'm biased, I've played and still play a Jedi for the stage for the past five years. Imagine the species, races, and professions one can play. Smugglers, Warriors, Dipomats, Droids, Guards, etc.

It can go the same amount of routes as Dune, It could be an 'okay' salon LARP. I say that because in the end there are two groups: Light and Dark. Republic and Empire. If you want to through in the Hutts, that could make things interesting, but I don't think it would get as interesting as it should be. Star Wars is about exploration and adventure.

So it could be a boffer larp, most likely. Republic and Empire forces on a planet like Myrkr, Alderaan, or any of the various worlds (depending on location of site) and dealing with one another in various ways. There is an argument of political and philosophical disagreements, especially when you take into account that Jedi Knights serve the Republic and the Sith control the Empire. Again, the Criminal enterprises of the Hutts could give people a gray area to work with.

If done in this area, I would honestly work with what the online Old Republic Game has done. Two or Three sides, and classes like Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Smuggler, Commando, Bounty Hunters, Agents, Sith Warriors and Sith Inquisitors. Except I would do it differently. The Old Republic has it as a 'one or another' deal. If you pick the first four, you have to be Republic. If you're the last four, you half to be Sith. But Smugglers and Bounty Hunters are inherently grey while Agents and Commandos are just doing their jobs. I'd open the game up to be about Choice. You choose what side you're on ultimately. Smugglers and Bounty Hunters can flop back and forth, Commandos and Agents have political hoops to jump through. The Jedi and Sith however, that is a major act in and of itself. You aren't just compromising your politics, but your core philosophy on the Force.

Having it as a Nordic Style Larp would be interesting, with a Jedi or a Sith coming to a village to help/corrupt it's members in a sort of Good vs. Evil/Light vs Dark fight.

V. Mistborn

Brandon Sanderson created a world covered in mist. A thousand years after the Lord Ruler, immortal and a sliver of God,  defeated "The Deepness", the world became divided into two groups of humans. The Nobles, who were scene as the descendants of those who aided the Lord Ruler at the beginning of the Final Empire, and the Skaa, a slave race. The Skaa worked in plantations or in the cities doing menial labor, either being ignored or exploited by the Nobles. It was common practice for the Nobles to bed with the Skaa, but they were required by law to kill them afterwards to prevent a child being produced. This was for one simple reason:

they did not wish their powers to be passed on.

Mistborn is a high fantasy series that, while filled with high action, is a very character driven approach. I see this as being a great Salon Larp as a lot of the focus is on the interactions and social dealing as opposed to going out and hitting something. The action is meant to be covert, and hidden at night while dealing with each other in the light. THe themes of being a hero, of faith, and class relations are a fascinating subject.


VI. Codex Alera

So I'm a Jim Butcher fan, and while I would add The Dresden Files as a LARP, a friend of mine is already on that job. So, I'll talk about Jim's second series: The Codex Alera.

Alera is a country on a distant world that mimics a more advanced version of Rome if it caught up to the Medieval Ages, using terminology but definitely keeping the Roman Aesthetic. Alerans are surrounded by species such as the Yeti-like Icemen to the North, the Wolf-men Cainim to the West and the Marat, tribesmen who derive skills through symbiotic link with animals, in the East. To combat these hostile and dangerous forces, the Alerans can use Furies, energy in the are corresponding to the Elements of Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Metal and Wood. Internally, however, they are a fractured lot, all vying for power as the First Lord, their emperor, has become frail.

Like Dune and Mistborn, this can be a great setting for Salon, Boffer or Nordic LARP. Salon LARPs can be the various dealings with the Houses as they try to shore up their resources against more attacks as they bandy barbs with one another both overtly and covertly, employing their furies and the furies of their mancipals. Or so forth.

You could have it as a boffer game as you're members of a steadhold (farmland owned privately) or an outpost on one of the borders and you have to deal with the invasions of one of the species, or by the harassment of slavers, officials, bandits and the governments Cursors (messenger/Spies).

The themes of the series revolve around innovation versus stasis, and about power being earned, and not granted.

VII. Newsflesh 

I am a major fan of Mira Grant (The pen name of author Seanan McGuire) and her Newsflesh series. Set in the near future, it depicts a world where the Zombie Apocalypse did in fact happen and the world is coping. The News is now split into traditional Media and the New Media: Blogging, which told the truth during the outbreak instead of going dark about it. Blood Tests are rampant as everyone in the world is infected, waiting for the day that the virus inside them amplifies and they become the walking dead. People live in fear and in xenophobia as interactions could lead to amplification, and they rely more deeply on those who go outside to give their lives meaning.

This level of fear is key to the series, as well as the means of finding and covering up the truth by various parties throughout. The story focuses on the Masons, Georgia and her brother Shawn, two bloggers as they and their team are tasked with following an upcoming Presidential Hopefuls campaign trail. Political Thriller in the midst of Zombie Horror.

This is something I would say could only be done right as a Nordic Style LARP, in the same vein as Celestra and Panopticorp. To have people interacting as reporters, politicians, security and so forth at a meeting as a zombie outbreak happens. The use of media, of trying to learn the truth, hide the truth, and convey the truth all becomes a struggle as the end is surely near. It's all about the immersion, as fighting Zombies is usually a one and done. You can kill them all, but you could still be infected by them and risk amplification, if they touch you, you're almost assuredly considered infected and everyone is in their right to kill it. Salon styles larps would make simple interactions too complicated with mechanics and the themes of the books aren't focused on the fighting of the monsters.


There are many worlds in which to live in, and many ways to live in them. I know for some of these it'll be nearly impossible. But some of them, some day, may be worlds we can hop in to.

Later.

The Role of Leader

I had two conversations this week with a few friends that made me think. The first conversation was with my friend Kevin, who plays the head of the Cell for The local Accord game. He had said that In Character Leadership is partially NPC. This implies that there is a level of responsibility that you are working with the ST and therefore the setting of the game. Because the world they control isn't just what the players are doing, it's the entire world in regards to the stuff that can't be seen.

That made me think about the role of leader in the games I've played. It's interesting and it's fascinating, it's one part "my character wants this" and two parts "I as a player want to do this". It's a social function, as you are the face and the will of the local group of players to anything that gets thrown out by visitors or the ST. You're the figurehead, the diplomat,  the warleader, and the commander in chief and some times all at the same time.

The most prominent of these roles in the Mind's Eye Society is the Vampiric Prince. The Vampire games focus around Predation, both physical and social predator. To be Prince is to both signify your status as the Alpha Predator as well as the Man everyone must beat. I've seen games for runs for Prince be, both ICly and OOCly, the ugliest things ever. It's the kind of position you don't take if you don't want your PC in the line of fire.

It's the exact reverse for the Sovereigns in Changeling. Each Court has their own Sovereign, with the system behind it denoting who exactly is the presiding Sovereign at the time. The rulers of the Seasonal Courts reign the freehold throughout their respective season, transitioning at the equinox. The Diurnal Sovereigns exchange roles at the rising and setting of the son. The Directionals are always in power, and therefore must work at central purpose to attain anything. There are currently 7 PCs in the local changeling game wearing the Crown of a Court, I hold the Western Crown. It becomes a game of foreign dignataries, in a sense, where even if you're a part of the same freehold, doesn't mean you're on the same page.

In Mage, the Hierarch represents the Authority of Magic in a Consilium (council of Mages and Cabals). It's position is usually as moderator and chair than supreme overlord, but I've witnessed more laid back planners than I am the Alpha Mage style of thinking. Right now, New York has no Consilium, so the role of Hierarch is unfulfilled. This has lead to drama, and it's one of the points that needs to be hashed out as time goes by in a war ravaged game.

In Accord, the players are part of a multi-species (Mage, Hunters, Werewolves, and mostly ever template) Cell that is dedicated to eliminating the truth. Every Cell has a Cell Leader, and that's currently held by Kevin, who plays the century old son of the Devil. He's in a position to know everyone and to have seen everything, which is useful for someone who has to deal with Telepathic Hunters, Computer/Human Changelings from the Hedge, Asshole Demons and Immortals of one stripe or the next.

Then you have the various factions bread into most games that are pre-disposed to lead. I'll use White Wolf for the sake of arguement:

Vampire The Requiem has the Invictus, the Vampric Nobility that rules and deals through Oaths. They want to be in power, they need to be in power and god damned the high most.

Mages have the Silver Ladder, they are the philosopher priests of the old culture of Atlantis. They have the double whammy of being the religious group as well as the political group. The rule through cults and politics and not everyone can do nearly as much.

We don't get many people these days wishing to play those roles. Playing someone with a Crown though and being responsible for others has made me think more about it. Personally, I don't want to play in the Invictus as too many A-Type Personality Players have soured that Covenant for me. The Silver Ladder however is an interesting thing, and possibly beneficial one to the local Mage game. The Silver Ladder is non-existent and no players have taken them. As the storyteller who founded the setting, this allows me to play a more passive role, upholding the themes of the game in a position built to do that while not using too much of the world I helped build. It's sad though, at some point, I fear this would lead my PC to be hierarch.

And then there is Requiem. The other conversation that precipitated this article was a comment a friend made about Owen, my Mekhet PC. He said that Owen would make a great Prince. There is something interesting in that. Owen would want the throne, he has the ambition. Craig isn't too sure. Keep in mind that I'm what I'd like to refer to as a Shy Megalomaniac. I like being in control, but get very anxious and self conscious when I do. That being said, Owen would, if he could or wanted to, make a play for the throne. And god save anyone who got in his way.

In short, the role of Leader is an important position in the game and it takes a player and a character who is capable to lead the group. There is risk, there is drama, and there is a threefold responsibility to the players, the PCs and the Setting.

Later.

In Remembrance

I realized a few days ago that as of December 5th, I will have been larping for 3 years. I know that's nothing major to some of the people around me, but it means a lot to me. I've been a geek my entire life, but up until 5 years ago, I never had an outlet to express my geekiness. Then I found friends in the Dresden Files online sites, from there I found friends and became a member of New York Jedi, from them I joined the Camarilla (now Mind's Eye Society). It was a radical notion to me back then. I had been writing and acting out my own characters my whole life, conducting battles and scenes with only the images in my head. I fought monsters, I died and was buried. I loved, and lost and was betrayed. I played the Arrogant, the Fool, The fighter, the Mage, the Guile Hero.

So imagine my surprise and amazement when I found out that people not only did this as well, but with each other.

I was dimly aware of Vampire the Masquerade in High School, with my friend Dave playing Giovanni and talking about the play space. I thought it was cool, but it didn't register much (High School was weird for me, okay?). College I played The Matrix Online with a bunch of people who, even eight years later I'm still friends with. We roleplayed a lot of our parts and I'm responsible for a lot of their backstory stuff for the group. Then I joined New York Jedi, a swirling vaccum of "don't dream it, be it." and building our own characters that got to write and then act out our scenes and conflicts on stage. Then I came back to it, with several of the older members telling me they played Vampire.

Initially, I thought they meant Masquerade. While they explained that they played Requiem, I decided to still go for it. I studied, and made up my mind and went to the November Downtimes session. That's where I met my friends Chris and Brendan, who showed me the ropes and helped me nail down the depressed lush that was Vincenzo Taglia. Brendan invited me to the Ordo Dracul meeting the next week, where I met Abby, Greg, Margaret. Three years later and I'm *still* playing with these lunatics.

I remember the first game, being nervous as hell.  I grabbed dinner early at the nearby diner and waited, almost debating whether I should have gone or not. What if I fucked up, did I really understand what I was getting myself into? What was I getting myself into.

Eventually I went in, helped Matt and Dan arrange the space, and then prepped for game. It went well, really. I had a bit of plot, being a Mekhet gave me Psychic Dreams for Everyone, which then got pried out of my head by Matty who was a Ventrue. At some point I realized someone brought wine and I, playing (and being) the good Italian availed myself of some of it. The Ordo Dracul, being the largest covenant in the City, gathered and learned that one of our own had been abducted, beaten and left for dead in Queens. We underwent a rescue mission, where we extracted the Covenant Mate and arrived back before the night ended. My character's defining moment was when I found out the wine was gone and deciding "Taglia should be pissed by this." He preceded to berate the abductee for making him miss his wine. This lead to Brendan giving me a shout out and pretty much affirming a very nervous geek that he was doing alright.

The next year was all Requiem, all the time. 2011 was me figuring things out and juggling grad school with geek world. That first year was me running around and enjoying it, and enjoying the people I was with. Eventually I met and befriended Ilan, dragged my oft time writing partner Brandon into the club, and was witness and party to a lot of fun and dramatic things. Taglia at this point had become a Priscus, and the social game was pretty dynamic. I've stated before that Craig as a Human does not have high social Stats, so it became a sense of lack of direction for him as a character and me as a person. In some ways going to Requiem began to be a job. 

Eventually I joined Mage the Awakening, and I fell in love all over again. I could write an essay all of it's own as to why I love the venue and hug it with my brain. Rhys was a fun character, and was an overall joy to play, until I decided to do something that was, in hindsight, inevitable.

I decided to be a Storyteller.

Becoming Storyteller has been frustrating and exhilirating at the same time. I was responsible for running and writing worlds. This was writing in action. I realized early on at the beginning that I knew nothing about Storytelling from a larping perspective. It was rough, and some of my players didn't believe in taking it easy. Which brought about this blog as a means of me dealing with my thoughts instead of garroting some of the people I had to deal with.

During that time, I also began playing Dystopia Rising, that bunch of lunatics that went into the woods and dealt with shambling hordes of zombies, raiders, and whatever the fuck the Storytellers could chuck at them. They inspired me, but Time, Money, Energy, and other factors have prevented me from sinking into what is a highly evolved game.

As time went on, and the several year Chronicle ended with a sickening clank instead of a bang, I felt tired and drawn. I built a world for the New Mage and populated it with characters. I should have instead taken a break. Didn't happen. By August, I found myself just not feeling the same joy and wonder as I felt three years ago. I was familiar with the program, and the people in the room. Since I couldn't change them, I decided I needed to change myself. I've gotten more into the Nordic Scene and I want to develop one, with a possible basis in Mira Grant's Newsflesh Series. I have an idea for a Boffer Larp , but that will take time.

But playing, and interacting. I grown tired. The best moment I've had in almost a year came recently from a moment where I just said fuck it and went into the scene. You see, that same fear and nervousness that I had when I was just starting out, the one that said "what if I fuck up?" never went away. To this day I still have that both in game and in life. And when I stopped that, I touched something different, and something I want to hold on to more. I spent the first year going "yay geeks!" the second year going "yay game!" the third year going "Yay storytelling!" and now I'm searching for the next high.

Now I'm trying to find out why I'm still here. I've been dancing around it for a while. I want to create something, I want more than just the 'my character shows up and does a thing'. I want to do something that will have players talking ICly and OOCly about for a while. I want to make an impact through my characters and my deeds. Now I think I want to play for the challenge of it. To challenge myself and the players around me. I want to build an environment, either as an ST or a player, where we can tell stories three years from now.

Maybe I'm just looking for the next high, or maybe I just need to get higher. I'll find out, but I'm still in love with this crazy little group of ours.

Later.