I have questions about LARPing!

I have a group of friends (About five people total, maybe more) that would be interested in LARPing, if only for the novelty of it.
The thing is, though, none of us have any idea as to how it works or anything. Could someone explain how this works? Does is "play" like, for example, Fire Emblem? Or is it just flat-out actual combat with costumes or whatever?
I seriously have no idea.

Also, based on that one really awesome story I read (with the house of Ulrick and whatnot), it seems like you need more than a modicum of people to join in. Will it be fun with only five-ten people or will more be needed?

>>12917630
If you are interested in LARPing you will need to do some research as to what games are run in your area. Games vary wildly, but basically they are weekend-long events (usually from Friday night to Sunday afternoon) in which you remain in character almost the entire time. Combat is done using foam weapons of various constructions and conducted in real time. Again, it really depends on the game so you would need to consult their website. A good event usually requires at least 30 people.

LARP does not translate well to video, so keep in mind when watching recorded battles that the intensity and suspension of disbelief isn't present and it will look silly.

Where do you live? I'll do a quick search and see what is around you.

>>12917630

LARPs do vary (and can a LOT)- and the first thing you do is find out what's around you. In the US, the most common types are high-fantasy games, with padded "boffer" or latex weapons used for any combat. I'm going to be describing things based on how one of those runs.

Most games along those lines are campaigns- a storyline that goes from event to event, with people playing as player characters (free-willed within the rules of the LARP, a lot like you'd be in a pen-and-paper game) and NPC's (run by the folks who made the game, who keep the story moving along and act as allies or enemies to the PC's).

Generally, you'll have skills that let you do a bit more than you-the-player can, even when starting off as a PC, sometimes as part of what the character does, sometimes as part of what the character is. In the game I usually play in, a newbie elf would likely be able to shrug off the effects of an attempt to charm them (not often, but it'd take multiple attempts to get one to work). If he or she was a mage, the beginning parts of learning how to cast spells would come more easily than they would for a human.

Playing a non-human generally takes makeup or special costuming of some kind- and most LARPs require some level of costume to represent what you are. You want armor? Wear it. Does your character pack a sword? Carry it (or rather, a combat-safe representation of one). You want to be an elf? Make sure you've got prosethics for the pointy ears and a little bit of makeup for the eyes, so other players can tell when they see you.

>>12918240

As far as "what can you do?". Games like the one I'm describing will have rules for interacting with PC's and NPC's in some ways- like combat or using special skills on others - but a large portion of it is "what can YOU do?"

Do you want to convince the baron to send aid to that village you found being terrorized by orcs? Talk to him (if you can convince his guards to let you have an audience). Sneak through the woods? Do it- if you can avoid being noticed. For the game I'm in, there's about 100 or so players for a weekend- PC's and NPC's alike, so it's like a small town. NPC's often wear a lot of hats- they might get sent out as a pack of goblins one night, and be the friendly dwarven traders the next morning. On the other hand, that means they also get to do a lot of different stuff, and don't have to worry about their character coming to a bad end. After all, they'll be a new one soon enough.

Player characters grow from event to event- learning new skills, making new friends and enemies, and getting deeper in the story. Folks live, die, grow old, become famous (or infamous), and get into gawd-knows-what as things go along.

Generally, people making a PC have an idea about what they want to do with a character- but that tends to get modified by their experiences while playing. The last character I had ended up going from being a lazy-ass peasant drunkard soldier to a hard-working barkeep.

Why? Well, all the access to booze, for starters..and he found out it paid a lot better than getting hacked to bits by monsters for king and country. (Mind you, most US games are "dry", so they use what's really non-alcoholic stuff. Tasty though.).

bump-o

>>12918396

As long as it's within reason to do inside the game, you can give it a go- and succeed. Master the darkest arts and become an immortal lich? Backstab your way to the top of a guild of thieves and be the "merchants" that get a little of the take from everywhere in the barony? Serve as a knight or paladin, going into dark places to bring the light of justice? Sky's the limit. Not that you have to reach that high- maybe you just want to get rich, or you're addicted to the rush of adventure, or you'd rather learn the lore of the world inside a nice warm library while the crazy people deal with whatever horrors lurk in the dark (If you think this isn't much, knowledge of the right bit of stuff can save you a lot of suffering later- and good games make sure there's plenty of such things to be found out). The bigger your goals, the more it'll take getting there- but games like these run for years, if not decades. A PC is your way of getting into whatever world the creators of the LARP have made and playing with it as you can. Usually, the longer a character is around, the more influence (in some form or another) you'll have.

A newbie swordsman might be up for cleaning up a farm full of goblins. A year later, he might be squire to some knight, or mastering how to slay something in a single blow. Another bit down the line, he's a veteran warrior or Sir Chopsalot, or perhaps he's decided that he'll mix magic with his weapon and become a spellblade.

http://www.nerohq.com/newsletters.php

That's 17 -years- worth of a campaign. Most of the people mentioned in there are PC's or NPC's, though the REALLY large-scale stuff is simply part of the story around the game- but the rest is stuff that's happened as part of events.

Mind you, the longest continually played PC I've seen has been doing the same guy for over 20 years. I've had characters lasting 8 and 6 years, respectively (in a game that's been playing since 1991).

And LARPs like that live, move along, change whether you're attending or not. Players will still be playing. The world's storylines will move on. The world is never static, and how much you become a part of it will depend solely on your own actions and how they work out with others.

First character I had blundered into an assasination attempt on a noble that got him apprenticed to a powerful sorceress, picked the wrong side when the guild of mages split up and found his new master was a clumsy diviner who couldn't predict diddly, rose to be a guildmaster himself, married, had four kids (after one try at making them), was imprisoned in hell for being a goody-two-shoes, explored elemental planes of magic, got turned into a ghoul-loving horror, went mad, divorced his equally mad wife, and ended up burning his brains out when he accidentally backlashed a spell on himself while trying to save a cowardly paladin.

And that's the short form. 8 years of play gets you a lot done. :P

Scandinavian LARPS are very hardcore. we're talking living in a hut made of dirt and branches for three days, staying character the whole time. combat rules tend to be very simple, in my experience. example: you have 1 hp. padded armour gives you +1 hp. chain gives +2 and plate +3.
no classes, skills, abillities or magic.

reposting from yesternight
show off yer kit

>>12918765
>show off your kilt

ballista...ready!

>>12918783
you again?
XD
naw man, cant be bothered to dig it up right now. but yeah, s'posed to be a kilt there

hey guys, you know that story everyone talks about when bringing up LARPing? i'm adapting it into a movie. i have found a place to do some shots, like the big meeting at the end, and the tavern, and a few other places. i have to find a field for the final battle, a bit of woods with a path for the night scenes, and a cabin for the cabin scenes.

anyone have any tips or suggestions? i have until next summer, hopefully this will be a great movie.

fun fact: mummies friggin love to gamble

In those huge-ass LARPs with like 500 people, how do you tell when someone has been "killed?" Do you just beat each other until someone bows out, or is it an honor system?

>>12918895

actually, the place i've found is where the Renaissance fair happens in my state. in the off season all the wooden structures, like the stage, the tavern, and other buildings to look fluffed out.

>>12918961

Yep. Although the games I play in, PC's and NPC's are given cards with their stats on them- so if you think something's off, you can check them afterwards or have a rules marshal do so.

>>12918955

Hmm, where's the rest of that photo set? I mean, I knew death liked to gamble, but mummies? :)

>>12919022
>given two choices
>answers "yep"

So which is it?

>>12919022

I should say "Yes, it's honor system for calling your shots and taking your effects (damage included)." -but you have a card with what you can do on it to allow people to verify that if it seems like you're cheating.

>>12919028
Both.

>>12919022
http://www.zeit-der-legenden.info/index.php?id=37
http://www.zeit-der-legenden.info/index.php?id=32
for some reason the galleries for 2006 and up is missing

Could you use "paint swords" where the weapons have a spongy end soaked in paint so that you know when and where you've been hit?

That would be so fun.

>>12919083

Awesome, another site to image-mine for the collection. :)

http://www.zeit-der-legenden.info/fileadmin/documents/bildergalerie/images/large/zdl2_it/238.jpg

http://www.zeit-der-legenden.info/fileadmin/documents/bildergalerie/images/large/zdl2_it/258.jpg

>>12919105

You could, but it'd get messy as hell after a while. Especially having to get it out of your clothing.

I did play in one game that coated missiles with corn starch, so you'd have an obvious *PUFF* when someone was hit with thrown stuff. Much easier to get out of your clothing than paint.

>>12919109
Like i said, its a shame their previous galleries are lost.
I raided them and filled my reference pic folder with lotsa goodies ^^

Yo thanks to wall of text anon, great read.

Any links to places where you can find such groups?

>>12919083
That's probably because the first ZdL was in '09 and the second in '10

Unless you are confusing it with the Drachenfest of which you can find the galleries here:
http://www.drachenfest.info/index.php?id=38
(and there I will give you that '07 and earlier are missing)

>>12919222

Even Google's your friend there, though you can check around sites like Shade's LARP list for postings.

I always enjoy a good low-fantasy game with naught to rely upon but the sword in your hand and your comrades. Though I usually go off on my own with a crossbow, a long dagger, and a dark green cloak. At least once Iv'e successfully pulled off a sneak attack with that dagger, and I always get at least one sniper kill per game.

Is anyone in this thread a New England larper? Does anyone play LARPs that use Rob Cirrciloni's Accelerant system?

i started a "softcore" LARP-ing club at my college a couple years ago. We are going strong with like 50 some people who are active. The average battle/meetup has roughly 30-ish people in attendence. We don't use an armor system, so we construct our own foam weapons (with some sort of solid core) to use in battle.

>>12919276

Know of it, though I don't play in one. It's got the right idea to me in terms of simplifying systems down- I think stuff like NERO has gone into relative rules hell by comparison.

Of course, the first time I played, they were using 3rd edition. It's bloated a LOT as it's gone along to 8th and now 9th (coming Soon (TM) ).

My friends play fast and loose with rules. Characters are very fragile, unless they wear armor, which makes them slightly less fragile. A single hit to the torso kills immediately, 2 hits with armor. You have a 30 second period in which you can be healed, but there aren't many of those to go around. This forces players to be quick and sneaky, relying more on their wits and skill with swordplay than their stats.

oy, larpers. what shall i draw?

>>12919361

That's one of the nice things about LARPing.

It's a lot easier to see what you see, as it were.

>>12919276
Not technically New England, but I LARP in NJ and would be willing to travel around if it was worthwhile. Have you heard of Steam & Cinders? It's a steampunk LARP that looks pretty interesting, but I've never talked to anyone who has been to an event so I'm unsure of how it is.

I was tracking the enemy team, sticking close to the treeline and keeping my head down. I saw them stop suddenly and look to the north. I saw that my team was emerging from the woods and advancing toward the enemy.

I got situated to provide fire support with my crossbow, and the battle lines collided. Three men fell immediately, I couldn't tell who they belonged to from where I was. After a minute it wasn't looking good for my mates, so I made my move.

I skulked out of the forest, coming from behind the enemy formation. They were so busy that nobody noticed me. I sent bolts into two of their backs, killing one and wounding another (he had a breastplate). Before he could turn around I was on him with my knife, right into the kidney. some people on the enemy team turned around to see what was going on, and that was all we needed.

Their formation broke in two, and they were quickly cut down. I scampered off, dodging the vengeful darts of the remaining foes. The day was ours, as well as all of the loot.

>>12919361
I'll even scan it for you!

>>12919470
help a brother out. I'm bored outta my geeky skull

>>12919616
draw a game of ss13

>>12919470


Cleric
>mjanny marks,

>>12919444
Its a good Larp system. It's pretty simple and flexible. The flagship game is this one: http://www.larp.com/madrigal/ but theres plenty of other games run in the area you can find.

>>12919649
what's that?

>>12919678
http://forum.blockland.us/index.php?topic=108102.375;wap2

http://www.byond.com/games/hub/Exadv1/SpaceStation13

Complex 2d top down view game suffering from shity admins

>>12919678
Paranoia, mixed with fatguys, and clowns running around doing all kinds of crazy shit.

Clowns with telepathy... krazy krazy.

never played it. I need moar details if i am to draw it. like a story or description or whatever

>>12919655
SO! cleric you say!?

>>12919361

Draw this man, as if someone's added the infernal template and turned him into a demonic warlock with one foot in the Abyss and the other on the Material Plane.

Does anyone have experience with making boffers using fiberglass, carbon, or graphite cores? Do you use tubing, or a solid piece? Does it require a different type of pipe insulation? Any insight would be appreciated.

>>12920626
rules for boffers vary from place to place, some won't allow certain cores whilst others will let you use them. They can also have rules on how much padding there should be on certain parts of the weapon (and for different weapons there is different rules).

it would be best to find out the rules for your local LARPing event before you attempt to make anything.

>>12920626
I have used PVC, fiberglass and graphite.

PVC is cheap beginner material

fiberglass is a tad heavy but stiff and great for making 2 handed swords or battle axes. Prolly the only good material for longer pole arms as well.

carbon is stiff and light but carbon cores snap occasionally. Great material for arming swords.

>>12920730
I have made plenty of PVC core boffers. I just don't have any experience with fiberglass cores, but I am interested since I have seen some great "ultralight" weapons that look almost as good as latex weapons. I'd probably be making a bastard or two-handed sword. Does it require any special tools?

>>12920776
I made my current longsword out of a fiberglass golf pole. I cut into 2 parts, 1 goes the whole way up the weapon, the other goes about 2/3 up. I cut it with a hacksaw and used the standard bluefoam.

It is heavy, which is a downside but it also is very stiff and longer then most of the longswords people use in my game.

I've done both a classic LARP as an NPC (was fun) and what was essentially a medieval combat simulator with light acting.

The EMP fights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C46AHAhjyI (This is SCA vs EMP fights, EMP is the fighting I did which is full contact with full armor, 3 good hits or a single death stroke (determined by the one hit usually, honor system, though people can contest a killing stroke!) Once a year they do Ragnarok, where they fight in a ring of fire.

The LARPing was soft weapons. I liked it, but the combat was very different. It was actually less fun, people swing the weapons MUCH faster (lighter and they care less about taking hits) where as EMP a single hit can be your end, and a bad swing or thrust will be your demise.

I do want to LARP again, but I would prefer non combat character roles. How well do they work for most people? I played several NPC roles, my favorite was a Winter spirit disguised as a Beggar that was never pleased with anything we were given. My friend and I took the role and played it up. The people running the event were extremely impressed by our roleplaying, it was the most fun I had.

"Please sir, may I have some water?"
"This water is much too cold/This water is much too hot./My water needs salt/Mine too!"
"Salt? Really?"
"Will you not give us salt? Oh how cruel you are to us poor beggars."
"Fine, have some damn salt!"
"Oh this water is much too salty."

Later

"May we use your beds sir?" (we woke people up at 3:00AM, it was actually cold so we didn't need to roleplay that much)
"Oh this bed is much too lumpy/My bed is too comfortable/And mine is much too salty!"

The people who were mean to us all faced angry winter spirits the next day, who ran around throwing instant death spells and were all but invincible. It was awesome.

>>12921028
"Please sir, may I have some water?"
"This water is much too cold/This water is much too hot./My water needs salt/Mine too!"
"Salt? Really?"
"Will you not give us salt? Oh how cruel you are to us poor beggars."
"Fine, have some damn salt!"
"Oh this water is much too salty."

(Stab)

>>12921167
Yeah, people were tempted. We were all but immortal, and to cause us harm would summon wolves and very scary winter spirits.

>>12921190
wow, everyone in my game would kill you wipe out the wolves and blow the forest to hell, but we are all just dicks like that to pesky npcs

>>12921028
middle of the night? dude, you were lucky someone didn't beat you to death with a boffer.

>>12921212
It came down to that the next day when they had to face Father Winter, who they actually managed to kill. Which to my understanding caused all sorts of bad things to happen for the next several months.

Most the really troublesome players were asleep. Like the Orcs.

To be fair the way we played the NPCs was annoying but funny.

yeah, whatever that event was supposed to be about it would get thrown off the rails and turned into a murder the spirits possibly followed by a murder the event organizers.

>>12921217
Yeah, beggars banging at your door at 3AM can be pretty annoying when you've spent the entire day fighting wolves, goblins, trolls and what not. The more powerful players have wards on their cabins, so it was only the weaker players that really got annoyed with us.

>>12921257
>wards on their cabins
remembering to do this next time I LARP.

>>12921244
I was just a beggar NPC! The players were notorious for doing things like ruining the plans of the event organizers, it was actually designed just so people like you would attack the beggars. We did get attacked later in the night, and the next day they were 'punished' by the Winter spirits for their cruelty.

The whole point was to get trigger happy players to start swinging. Over all the players were rather surprising in their ability to hold their tempers. A few of them were even stopping other players from attacking us.

Also they all thought we were simple beggars, no one suspected we were in fact winter spirits actually.

>>12921270
Also get a powerful wizard to design a ward that says "Those who cannot read this, may not enter." It is pretty freaking hilarious when the barbarians need to wait to be let in.

>it was actually designed just so people like you
>people like you
People who don't want to be woken up in the dead of the night after a day in the woods?

>>12921350
By that I of course mean people who stab NPCs rather than think of non aggressive solutions.

>>12921028
>>12921212
>>12921217

I usually drive 5 hours to event and back. Stuff like this is why I have to sleep out-of-game, cause nothing says fun like total sleep deprivation.

>>12921371

Mind you, shit like this is why many players are remarkably forbearing about irritating NPC's. You can almost sense the hand of Plot above them, waiting to bitchslap you.

It's the LARP equivalent of being trolled.

My friends want me to go LARPing with them.

I'm sort of apprehensive about the whole thing.

While I play table-top games, D&D, etc. I don't know what to think of LARPing and the people I'll run into , and it has me slightly worried. :(

>>12921028

That's the difference between an HP-based system in which characters are closer to what you'd see in D&D- hits will knock off points, but you generally have to get rid of all of their HP (body, whatever) before it does any real harm to the target.

Operative word: Generally. The fighter I had took a bunch of skills that would turn a normal hit into something far more crippling- breaking limbs/stunning torsos, shattering weapons or shields, or outright killing in a single stroke. Even the swings that wouldn't deplete someone's health were good enough to take them out of a fight.

People would wade in expecting an exchange of blows and recoil when the first swing disarmed them, the second one took a leg out and the rest was just hacking the downed and unarmed opponent to death almost lazily (and gently, no need to really whack someone when a modest tap will do).

Makes me sorta wish I'd lived longer and had a chance to better pass that philsophy down to a few students in-game.

>>12924361

That's a common stereotype, but I've met far more creepy basement-dwelling crazies at the tabletop than at LARP. LARP requires way more self-confidence to play, it's more social, etc., so the people who go are usually fairly well-adjusted and friendly. I beseech you not to worry about creepers and give it a try.

>>12924361

Truth is, most LARPers are tabletop gamers too- they're just playing another RPG you haven't done yet.

Heck, I'm the wall-of-text LARPfag up at the top of this topic, and I've got a wall of pen-and-paper stuff and spend good chunks of time talking Battletech with the metalheads here on /tg/.

What's the game they're trying to get you in on? Having a bunch of friends who know the ropes is actually rather helpful, long as you remember it's akin to being the lowbie in an experienced party. You won't be able to brute-force your way through some stuff they can on account of them being there a bit longer, but you've still got wits that'll match up with anything else there.

>>12924455

There is that. LARPs generally do hone your social skills as a gamer. Likewise, being able to be social can give you a rather nice tool as a LARP player.

Most of the time. Sometimes, you do run into things that aren't going to respond to clever, like a pack of NPCs playing hungry trolls. But your fellow PC's? Absolutely. A good gossipmonger can go a looooong way, and a sympathetic ear ended up making me a rather popular barkeep with plenty of allies in odd places. Don't throw yourself into any obvious meatgrinders and you'll be fine- take the first event (or two) to get used to your surroundings and talk to people, learn the lay of the land and don't be afraid to use your friends as shields if need be. Have them work out a character history that ties your new character in with theirs, if possible.

>>12924455

Most LARPs don't just throw you to the wolves, either. The one I'm in does a "newbie mod" every event at the beginning of the weekend, which is a dedicated low-level quest that lets new players learn the ropes and/or new characters gain some easy treasure without too much danger. If you're lucky, your group will do something like that, too, and your friends will be able to help you with it.

If you have no idea what kind of character you want to be or that you'll really like it, you can look into going just to watch or to play as an NPC/monster all weekend. The latter is great practice, since there's no penalty for failure and you can try stuff until you get a feel for the fighting system.

I watched this.

I'm seriously considering selling off all of my rpg related material and lying I've ever had anything to do with the hobby in general, let alone with LARPS.

>>12927294

don't worry, there is a better movie which show that the larpers are IRL killing each other

Well, may as well toss my hat into the ring.

I've been a bard in various LARPs over the years. Lived in Sweden for three years, then moved on over to the US around 2007 and have been here ever since. Spent a lot of free time LARPing, which has been a great distraction from everything in life.

Now, for all you aspiring bards out there, here are a few simple tips to get you going:

1) If you are not entirely sure how to tune your instrument or sing, please do not bring it. If you play for comedy, that's fine, but people can get fed up really quickly, and a shitty bard will die faster than you can say "titty-fuck".

2) Learn to disguise the modern aspects of your instrument. If you're a guitar player, Martin makes a wonderful backpack guitar that is sturdy as fuck, cheap as fuck, and easily modifiable to look like a 'fantasy' instrument.

3) Learn how to sing. Even if it's poor. Simple instrumentals bore people quickly unless you are very, very good.

4) Learn how to make up songs. If you're playing a guitar/mandolin/lute, have several good-sounding chord progressions you can sing over. Relate songs to people. If you're playing a melody-line instrument, then know how to improvise something catchy and folksy

5) Do not bring your best instrument with you. It will get ruined somehow. Watching a guy cry over his 700$ is hilarious only when you're not the one holding it.

>>12918765

lol aluminium mail

>>12927598
6) Keep your social skills up. You are meant to entertain and keep people motivated. If you are sitting around playing an instrument all the time, that will not happen. Schmooze, hit the bar, or even go adventuring. Here is where your singing will come into play; if you are good at making up songs, you can do cool things

7) Have a good repertoire BEFORE you show up. Constantly repeating yourself gets old fast, and you'll piss people off if you keep playing the same thing. Make sure to have variety; a good mix of folk from a variety of cultures is good. People love Irish songs

8) Learn a few simple marching songs. "Regin Smiður" is my personal favorite; teach your party the chorus, and then march for hours as you go through the 130 verses in Faroese.

9) Have some showmanship. Whether it's flashy entrances, a cool hat, or being able to dance along to your own music, people will like it more if you're engaging. On that note, know a few Irish drinking songs. People love them, and they're easy to stomp along with

10) Sitting around noodling might be fun, but it doesn't really draw an audience, and trying to play overly-technical stuff can turn people off, especially if you keep making mistakes. Good fiddle players are exempt; nobody loves anything more than a retarded good fiddler going to town

11) For the love of Christ, STOP PLAYING 'FOLKSY' COVERS OF METAL! I know you love Blind Guardian, but if I hear "The Bard's Song" one more time from an inexpertly-played, poorly sung pawn shop acoustic, I will fucking knife someone. You can throw it in occasionally, but making it all you play is incredibly annoying and throws people out of the experience

12) Toss a hat down for some in-game currency. Adds to the experience, and maybe you'll get lucky and gain patronage. It also gives thieves something to do.

>>12927598

that reminds me when one guy smashed to bits his own guitar beacuse of my character which is in game trolled people

>>12927622
13) If you're getting tired or can't keep playing up to your normal level, stash the instrument and go questing. If you're not at your best, you're not helping yourself by forcing yourself to continue. You're here for fun, after all.

14) If you can, bring a few instruments with you. My usual 'weekend kit' consisted of a bodhran, a well-disguised Martin backpacker, a couple willow flutes, and my nyckelharpa (which violates rule 5, but I help build the fucking things, so I get a pass). If someone knows how to play, loan stuff out. Teach people some basics if you feel like it. Charge a bit, and enrich the world.

15) If you have to do some metal, stick to less well-known stuff. Everyone knows Blind Guardian. No one expects to hear you jam through Pixie's Dance into Juokse Sina Humma into Ett Norrskensdad. Bonus points if you know some good theory

16) Gain patronage by writing songs for nobles. This will improve your survivability.

17) Learn how to drop your instrument and pick up a weapon in one smooth motion. Some instruments make this easy; other instruments don't. Learn exactly how long it takes you to be able to defend yourself. This relates to rule 5, as a shitty, replacable instrument is easier to just drop

18) Seriously, stop playing "The Bard's Song". I swear I will slash your goddamn tires

19) Teach people songs. Nothing makes friends like teaching someone a quick drinking song.

20) Have fun. It's what you paid for. Be flamboyant, be a bard, and be awesome.

>>12927648
>>12927622
>>12927598
That sounds like solid advice. Any good stories?

I wonder if there is a place for larping advices like this on 1d4chan

>uncommon broses

yes capctha, it is uncommon

>>12927728

I'll add in something.

Learn what "filking" is. Y'know how traditionally, a bard can make or break people with a good song?

Find a good catchy tune, twist the lyrics around, and you can tell a tale that'll have people whistling the tune for a week and the victim either blushing with shame or praise. Bards with more talent for performance than songwriting have been doing it for centuries. Drinking songs are rather good for it, in fact.

>>12928355

Also, some games actually have outright character classes, as opposed to say "this is a guy who hits things and sings".

There's bard-the-profession, out of which there's since been a few that are Bards with a capital B, aka spell-singers.

When you can literally swing the course of a small war with your voice, it's rather awesome. Limited numbers, because they don't want people who can't actually sing playing one.

>>12928650

All this makes me jealous of the fact that though I sing really well, but don't really play any instruments, so it's tough to be much of a bard. I own a cheap guitar, though, I really should figure out how to play it. Or maybe get some kind of portable hand drum, that might be enough to accompany myself with.

where can i watch monstercamp?

>>12928735

http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/monster_camp/

>>12928723

And don't worry. Contrary to this picture good singers (much less bards) are not swarming the average LARP.

I can count the ones at the game I play in on two hands with fingers left over, and actual spellsingers on one.

Off for a bit, turkey is calling.

>>12928723
If you're a good singer, you don't really need accompaniment. Honestly, I use my various instruments because my singing voice isn't particularly great and I really know that people like having a bit of accompaniment. But if you've got a strong voice and can carry some good tunes, go for it. Plus, if you can write a bit of decent poetry (or turn out doggerel at a fast, pleasing rate) it can help draw people in.

Contrary to my previous hate, some filk/playing "The Bard's Song" is allowed. It's just really, really annoying when it's all people do, because it really shows a lack of knowing how to place things.

For an average day, I suggest having a good mix of songs. What you'll really need, however, is some variety. Here are the general categories you'll want to include:
1) Drinking songs. Good for cooling off after adventures and getting people drawn in. If they've got an easy chorus, then teach it to people. Get them to help by stomping out rhythms. Irish songs are great for this; there are a number of really good song books for this sort of thing
2) Marching songs: these are best for when you're on a long walk somewhere and don't care if they hear you coming. Medium to slow rhythm is best. If you can make up verses on the fly, then do it. I cannot stress how good Regin Smiður is for this; here's a link to the lyrics in English and Faroese:http://forums.skadi.net/showthread.php?t=98455 and Tyr can give you a good idea of the vocal melody.
3) Mournful stuff, for fallen comrades. Sing after battles for good memories; Ireland is great for these, as well.
4) General stuff. A bunch of things that don't really fit in the other categories.

I'd post links to some of my arrangements, but I doubt anyone here is a nyckelharpa player, so most of them won't be too useful. Pictured is what the hell I'm talking about; it's a great folk instrument, and while not super versatile like a guitar or violin, it's sturdy as fuck.

Basically, it's a keyed fiddle, tuned C-G-C-A (lowest to highest), with the low C being a drone string. It also has 12 resonance strings, tuned chromatically. I've also used some variant tunings for weirder songs, and it's pretty damn difficult to get transpose all fiddle music without doing so or hovering near the top of the range.

And I've been lucky; some LARPs will actually add a Spellsinger class if you're good enough. I've had that happen, and managed to get some great stories/effects out of it.

http://www.avegost.com

>>12931173

Good grief, man. You want to talk on a LARP discussion, do it.

As it is, spamming that LARP's link is rude. Talk about your LARP. Don't blind link it.

>>12932938

And as an aside- you really SHOULD talk about your game. It seems like you're trying hard to bring the level up a notch for US games. I've seen groups try to do that elsewhere- I'd point at Mystic Realms in NJ or Xanodria in PA as prime examples - and I'm glad to see it happen and maybe being old enough that the game styles I play in are considered "stone age". :)