#live action roleplay

Full disclosure pals: I have not actually run a game yet. Fortunately, I have picked the brains of many of my close friends, and came up with a few useful tips. This is very much NOT a full guide.

So, you have decided to run a game. You have got a venue, you got catering, got a plot, and got a crew. You have covered all the obvious pitfalls, and got all the essentials. However, there’s probably a few things people may not have mentioned or thought to advise you on. Hopefully this covers at least one or two of those gaps. As always, there are exceptions to ever rule yada yada, use your best judgement.

 Online Management

So this is probably going to be the largest section as it covers a lot. I’m going to reduce a lot of it to bullet points for ease of readability. This section will assume your game has some online presence beyond a booking form. Most games will have a Facebook page/event/group, and many will have a website.

- Make a group/page then make an event. Encourage froth on the group, not the event. This way logistics and organiser updates can be kept separate from the keen, and therefore easier to find.

- Make important game information into files, and upload them, rather than making a series of posts. It will be HELL to find otherwise, trust me. If you have a website, make sure the game information is the same version as whatever is currently on the Facebook. Delete old files, they will just cause confusion.

- Release information only when it’s complete. Updates and tweaks are fine. What’s not fine is publishing a unfinished brief, then answering further questions in comments/emails and that information only existing there. People will miss it, and be confused.

- Encourage questions to be sent to your official game email rather than personal Facebook accounts. That way the entire ref team will see it, and it will keep your stress levels down. 

- Your group/page/event should have a pinned post. This should include: Time of event and the location, the event premise, if it’s a standalone, player event or if not what event number it is, if it is fully catered, if it has sleeping space or it’s camping only, if there are still tickets available. Additionally it should have links to any important information such as your E&D policy, your rules, your setting etc. Set up an FAQ for small questions in the comments - anything more complex should go to your emails. 

Okay, now that section is over, we can go to more singular tips. 

Be Honest in Your Advertising. 
You want people to come to your game, naturally. You may find yourself plugging it a lot when people are deciding which games to play, or pushing it hard if people are on the fence about attending. A natural opener seems to be if someone asks something like “I wish there was a decent horror game right now!”

There seems to be a tendency with organisers, to push their games even if it doesn’t fully fit the brief of what someone is asking for. Avoid this, as it sets unrealistic expectations for the game, and can also come off as desperate. Nobody likes desperation. Nobody.

(This goes TRIPLY if someone is asking about accessible games. Don’t pretend yours is more accessible than it is.)

Saying No To Concepts.
You want people to have fun at your game. You also want your game to have a clear vision, and be what you want it to be. Therefore, get used to the idea of saying no to things that don’t fit what you want for the game. This can be anything from proposed rule changes to character concepts. Spell out your expectations and reasoning, and be ready to accept people not attending if it doesn’t fit what they’re looking for.

Make a Thank You List for Your Speech In Advance
A lot of organisers make speeches at a debriefing/time out. Make a list of who you want to thank in advance. Otherwise you will forget somebody and feel terrible later.

(On a similar theme at your briefing speech, make it clear at the beginning you don’t want hecklers/jokes/complex rule queries until the very end. Save everyone some time.)

You Will Time In Later Than That
Figure out what time you want to be ready for, then set time in an hour later. Stick to these limits strictly, and time in when you’ve advertised. Get crew side things done as early as possible, so you can help players who are flapping/late. If possible, dedicate a crew member to later arrivals.

If Someone is a Ref, Don’t Override Their Calls
If you have rules in place, or something that players need guidance on, you will need refs. Firstly, there should always be either a floating ref present, or a ref ALWAYS in the same location. Secondly, if a ref makes a call, don’t second guess them, and don’t retcon it unless it’s catastrophic. You have trusted these people and their judgement, let them do their job.

Delegation and Responsibility
So, you have your core team. Make sure each member knows what their responsibility is and where their jurisdiction ends. Their calls (and yours as the actual runner) in that area are final. Do not make decisions by committee, as this will fog your version, and lead to stepping on toes. You can’t do everything by yourself, don’t try, but managing the teams and individuals you have is more than doable. 

Keeping Your Emotions in Check
Running games is hard. There will be times when you are frustrated, upset or even angry. Have someone who has volunteered to be your venting buddy. When something goes wrong, talk to them rather than taking it out on players or crew. Nobody likes crewing for someone that shouts, becomes moody or treats them badly. Having an outlet who knows what they’re getting in for is invaluable

So that’s my limited experience exhausted, and I have definitely missed an awful lot out! Feel free to add more if they strike you, or disregard everything I’ve said as tosh.

I have almost certainly forgotten something.

DISCLAIMER: Before I start giving advice left right and centre, obviously there is no true way to run a game, I’m sure many crew rooms that don’t do these things are excellent, etc etc. This is both subjective and personal. This is obviously geared at refs and game runners. That being said, let’s crack on.

So, I tend to crew as many games as I play. This is because of two reasons, mostly. A) I love making games work for other people, being one of the buttons that makes a story happen. It makes me feel fulfilled and satisfied. B) I’m really poor and if I can’t afford to play a cool game, I’ll crew it. 

This has given me an insight into many, many game runner’s styles and crew rooms in general. It’s allowed me to form a dangerous thing - opinions. I’ve only ever had two truly terrible crewing experiences, so kudos to pretty much everyone I’ve worked for. The following list is things I think ought to be considered or included in crew rooms for optimum experience. They are in no particular order. 

1. CREW BRIEFS. Look, this is honestly the BIGGEST thing for me. Print out your crew briefs and stats. Make two copies. Put one in a folder. This folder lives in the crew room. It does not move from the crew room. If anybody moves it, you kill them. 

The second set can be folded up and kept with the crew members who need it, especially those with long and complicated briefs. It will stop them pestering the refs to doublecheck things. It will make everyone’s lives a million times easier. 

2. CREW SCHEDULES. You know that wonderful folder you have above? You’re going to put an event schedule in it. Sure, it’ll subject to change. But if your volunteers know when about they should be getting ready for certain encounters, it will save time. An for the love of the Gods, have a visible clock somewhere.

3. THE BASICS. Your job is to look after your crew. They are, after all, volunteers, doing you a favour. You should provide, budget allowing, things to make their experiences better and their comfort higher. A basic checklist follows.

- Food, including veggie and vegan options, as well as any other dietary requirements. 
- Drinks, including tea and coffee. 
- A first aid kit including painkillers, bandages, and plasters.
- Sanitary towels.
- Blankets. 
- Somewhere to sit. 
- A pony.

4. A REF PRESENT. Ideally, if you have the numbers, a ref that lives in the crew room is invaluable. Their jobs include: hustling people along, sending crew out on encounters, advising on costume/props, checking everyone is cared for, receiving debriefs and information, answering questions, adjusting plot/timings/stats when needed. 

5. DEBRIEFING. You need a set system for what happens when an NPC returns. If you’re super fancy, like PD, you’ll have a computer system for this exact thing, but most games won’t have such luxury. Some alternatives are: a laptop to log things in, a notebook to make notes in, a ref tasked with receiving such information.

6. MISTAKE MANAGEMENTandCREW AGENCY. Related to the above, your crew are only human. Mistakes will happen, and you need to decide how to deal with them. A popular approach is retconning, of approaching the player who received false information and telling them to forget it. While this is easy, I also encourage the method of refs sticking by whatever their NPCs said when possible. This gives a level of trust to crew that stops stilted interactions and hurrying off to doublecheck with a ref.

7. MAKE UP, COSTUME, AND PROPS. There are a few bits I encourage refs to bring as stock if the budget allows; make up, tabards, some weapons, a few base layers. Other than that, you want to make crew aware ahead of time what you expect them to bring.

8. PREPARATION. Following from the above, if possible, make a facebook group for the crew, and publish information such as brief, schedules, plot and rules as ahead of time as you can to allow them to prepare and gain familiarity.

9. REPORTING SYSTEM. Make sure your crew are familiar with the procedure if they would like to make complaints during the game. Common complaints will include unpulled blows, players flouncing rules and aggression leveled at them. Make sure they know how you will treat complaints, and what possible consequences will be. Additionally, making them aware of who they need to ask if they want something, or need an accessibility adjustment. 

10. R AND R. You will provide breaks for crew, both scheduled and on demand. Let me tell you now, if you insist someone keep working when they are tired/sore/unhappy, it’s a bit of a dick move. Breaks can take several forms. Chilling in the crew room, using a R&R character to get some casual roleplay in, or making a pick up and play folders for easy, low intensity crew roles. Be sure crew are aware of what the acceptable limits of all of these things are - for instance, an r&r character probably shouldn’t have a huge amount of power.

11. Honesty about noncom roles. Look, in a ideal world, there would be plenty of noncom roles for disabled folk in all games. That’s not the situation we are in, and some games will not have a vast number or selection. Please, please be up front about this fact. There’s nothing more disappointing than being told there’s a place for non-combatants and then sitting in the crew room alone for hours. 

Because it is like, the worst.

This advice is gonna be aimed at field LARP rather than indoor games, but the advice is transferable, mostly.  A lot of it is also going to seem really obvious, but all the best advice is. So, let us begin. 

EXPECTED BLEEDING:

First thing is first - it is okay to cancel on games if you want to. For some people their period is more trouble than it’s worth, and not being in the comfort of their own is going to be hellish. That is a choice you have, and one you can make. You will not be letting anyone down, you will not miss all the plot ever. With that said, here is a checklist for packing if you do want to go play!

Checklist:

• Pads/tampons/cup/whatever filling recepticle takes your fancy. Pack more than you think you need, like socks.
  
• Painkillers and any additional meds you may need.
  
• A hot water bottle
  
• Something that comforts you, be it chocolate or teddies or a punchbag. 
  
• More changes of underwear than usual. 
  

UNEXPECTED BLEEDING:

You didn’t plan for this and now everything is annoying and awful forever. I’ve been there pal. I feel the need to stress a matching piece of advice to mirror the one above - it is okay to bug out and go home if you want to. This is a hobby, this is meant to be fun, do not force this on yourself etc.
 
That said, if you decide to stay, you need supplies. If you have a car, you could potentially go do that thing via the traditional means. However, if that is unviable for whatever reason, your first port of call should absolutely be the crew and first aid. In bigger games, there will usually be painkillers and tampons/pad about for crew. In emergencies, refs are usually more than happy to help you out. It may be embarrassing to ask due to SOCIETAL BULLSHIT, but I promise, nobody will judge you for your body being a shit. 

GENERAL ADVICE:

Locate the bathrooms. Know where they are. Ladies and unisex loos generally have bins, gentleman’s don’t usually because of SOCIETAL BULLSHIT.

Eat more than you usually would, if you can. Your body is under more stress and you’re doing a physical thing. Beware of feeling faint - if you do, please go chill with a first aider.

Sleep more than you usually would. If you can, find a place on the IC field where you can powernap if you’re afraid of missing out.

If you have an IC bag, try and keep your supplies in it. You will be thankful when you don’t have to trudge back to the OC field over and over.

Cold water gets out blood quicker. Raspberry leaf tea helps with cramps. 

It is perfectly within your right to complain constantly, and lie on cushions demanding people bring you wine and/or grapes.

This is me being the 27-year-old that 17-year-old me dreamed of.

January feels like 5 years ago

Here is a little project I’ve been wanting to do for a long time: a small, painted belt shield (from Mytholon). I wanted to do this as a test to see how I would go painting on steel, and to add an accessory to my kit with IC symbolism.

I tried to take a picture at pretty much every stage. First I made sure the steel was clean of any dirt or oil, then I primed it using a matte grey etch primer. I drew the design on using grey lead pencil and painted it using regular acrylic paint. To finish it off I spray coated it a few times with a clear, satin sealer (I might spray it a few more times to be safe), and this is how it turned out!

I have to say, I even surprised myself a little bit with how well the hand turned out, and I’m really happy with it!

Okay but hear me out…

H E L M E T S

Tanky (IC) siblings

I miss LARP. I always get all nostalgic for it in the spring/early summer. I’d love to do it again, but my old group has scattered to the four winds.

spark-of-jenius:

More views of the fae druid costume in progress:

And the headpiece, as promised:

(with Donnie in the background)

So, if you weren’t aware, @spark-of-jenius is still the most creative person in the world.
More updates will come when I’m not too lazy to do my makeup or wear my elf ears.
This is for a LARP based out of Maryland, Catalyst: The Lucid Dream

spark-of-jenius:

One of the more unusual requests, not cosplay this time, but for LARP. The character is a fae-touched Druid who changes with the seasons. This is for spring - the intent is to look like it was cobbled together from the forest floor, and continues to grow because magic. This is only a part of the full costume, because LARP and burlesque rarely mix. But I’m pleased with how it came out.

This is the front - I made all the roots and mushrooms from Model Magic to save weight, and then the rest is moss and lichen and silk flowers. The ‘shrooms on the right boob are also ‘bioluminescent’ (they’ll glow in the dark).

The back - a little less exhaustive, detail-wise - mostly just needed to cover the strap.

Tagging@aicosu in this only because I admire Sheila’s work and just wanted to show her this for fun.

spark-of-jenius:

Yeah, I don’t usually post twice on the same project, but I am really happy about this and so I took some shots of some of the details that maybe got obscured in the larger photo. So below you can see the mushrooms and the roots armature that I made to begin the whole process.

There is also a matching headpiece, but unfortunately I have really bad pictures of that. I’ll try to get better ones.