Kola 2014 – conference publication

KOLA

larp conference

3-5 January 2014, Gdynia

KOLA

larp conference

Gdynia 2014 Editorial

Marcin Słowikowski Dorota Kalina Trojanowska Translation

Malwina Otto Dorota Kalina Trojanowska Design, typesetting

Annika Olejarz Coordinator

Piotr Milewski Organizers

Publisher Stowarzyszenie Twórców Gier FUNREAL isbn 978-83-938581-2-5

larp

thought, word, and deed

Thought

Deed

inspiration and concept Bartek Zioło D&D Syndrome Celina Strzelecka Larp as a Ritualised Activity Agata Godun The Wiki-Challenge

preparation, running and post-larp documentation 8

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Piotr Milewski Larp Ideas for Sale Dorota Kalina Trojanowska It’s the Small Things

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Word

creative process Mikołaj Wicher What I Have Learned from Simulationist Larps Kamil Bartczak Geas: The Pilgrimage

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30

Piotr Milewski

12 Tricks

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Dominik Dembinski Introduction to Players’ Free Will Management

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Kamil Rauch Trade at Outdoor Larps

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Daniel Krzaczkowski Urban Games as a Tool in Education

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Dominik Dembinski Larp in Your Own Tongue

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Karolina Fido Free Rein

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Anna Rogala, Michał Rogala Playing Versus Acting

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Dorota Kalina Trojanowska Scenario culture schock

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Szymon Boruta, Agnieszka Hawryluk I Can’t Believe What’s Happening Here

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Krzysztof Chmielewski, Michał Mochocki, Łukasz Wrona Larp in school

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Yarslau Kot Larping out of Sight

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Ivan Žalac Croatian Larp Scene at the Beginning of 2014

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Marcin Słowikowski A Summer Night’s Nightmare

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Dominik Dembinski A Short Critique of Larp Criticism

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Foreword In the introduction to the following publication the main editor writes about the magic of the number 3. And at this very moment, when you are reading these words, the clock strikes the fifth anniversary (a very good age to celebrate jubilees) of the event when the idea of KOLA was born – almost unnoticed.

It was Saturday, 28th of March, 2009, during Pyrkon convention. At 10 p.m., in one of the halls for RPG sessions (sic!) began a session called “Larpwrights’ Unofficial Meeting”. The small room could not fit all the people who came.

There were more of us that anyone had expected. There were people involved in Fantazjada, Orkon, Flamberg, Old Town, Hardkon, Fornost, Noctem, Lans Macabre, Tornado, PBN, and many, many other larp aficionados. When our time was up and we had to leave the room, all the people moved to the hallway, debating till the break of dawn.

Recalling that day with a tingling of nostalgia, I can say that it was the end of an era. That evening put an end to the larp diaspora which saw larpwrights going about their lives, scribbling their larps, oblivious to others like them scattered from the not-so-salty Baltic Sea up to the soaring Tatra Mountains. Coming from so diversified larp cultures, we were all still able to agree on one thing – and thank God for that! We wanted an annual meeting only for us, larpers. Not just a few presentations, not even a whole-day session at a regular convention. No. It could not be

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squeezed in between the briefing and deroling of some longer larp! We needed something that was ours alone to have.

Almost three years had to pass before this wish came true and we reunited at a meeting that was ours – in January 2012, we all came to Wrocław.

Since that moment we are no longer “that guy from I don’tknow-where” to one another. We share our know-how and experience, and the dark ages of breaking out doors already open finally have a chance to end. The publication puts on weight every year, as does the conference itself, but do not be alarmed – this is the finest quality Polish larp fat off the land.

Therefore, as the coordinator of this year’s edition, on behalf of the team of organizers who worked on KOLA 2014, I welcome you and have the pleasure to say that sitting in that room at Pyrkon 5 years ago, we had a dream, and made a wish…

But none of us thought it would come true.

And yet it did.

Piotr Milewski Main coordinator of the Larp Conference KOLA 2014

Three is well-known to be a number of magic. Threefold are many deities, threefold is time – past, present, and future – and some say that a human being is made of heart, soul, and body, miraculously entwined into one entity.

Likewise, every good story consists of three elements: the beginning, the middle and the end. There is something extraordinary about this number, something that gives us the feeling of fulfillment and wholeness.

The Word comes next. What will it sound like? Here we examine the creative process that produces a larp. We present plans for the future and discuss various tools and techniques. We also look for elements that build the game and make it better, give it freshness and depth. We search for means of expression suitable for our purposes. The creative process is a winding and dangerous path – fortunately, there are those who have already spotted the pitfalls and are here to warn us.

This is the third publication from the Polish Larp Conference, a fruit of labour of many people. This joint effort produced the book that collects knowledge, experience and reflections on the passion we all share. Instead of being lost in oblivion, it was written down and preserved in the form that makes it easy for it to be exchanged. We proudly present a collection of texts written by larp authors, participants, and researchers, who not only share their work and achievements, but also pose questions that may become the beginnings of new, fascinating journeys.

At last, the time comes for the Deed. We take a look at work done by both Game Masters and players. We will consider what needs to be done, what one can let go of, and what deserves close attention. We discuss briefings and debriefings, problems, and unexpected effects of games. We also examine achievements from abroad. Finally, we come back where we set off and observe the process of how a larp and its impact may become a new creative spark that will lead us to new, unknown lands.

The articles are collected into three chapters. Obviously.

We wish you a fulfilling and inspiring journey.

It all begins with the Thought. The primal spark of creation. What are larps to us? How far from reality can they take us? These first thoughts are not only questions, but challenges, studies, ideas. In the first chapter we also look for inspirations, the endless sources of which are sometimes hidden in places surprisingly easy to find.

Dorota Kalina Trojanowska Main Editor

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thought

inspiration and concept

D&D Syndrome

I

n 2013, at the speculative fiction festival Pyrkon, John Wick[1] was trying to convince his listeners that Dungeons & Dragons is not an RPG. You may be surprised by me referencing this particular author in this publication. We already know that larps and RPGs are actually two very different and separate things[2]. It does not mean, however, that we cannot find problems mentioned by the overseas wiseman also in our own hobby – especially as it is still common in Poland to perceive larps as “live RPGs”. Thus, if “D&D tendencies” can spoil a very promising RPG session, they may as well infiltrate the world of larps. Exaggeration? Let us take a look.

Imagine you are a very stereotypical D&D player. You know, like the one the media always present. A real nerd, living in a basement, wearing big glasses and even bigger, outworn jumpers. A guy terrified by the sole thought of talking to a member of the opposite sex. One who sees larps as shouting “Fireball!” and throwing tennis balls around. See where I am going with this? As you are already in character, let us start. What such a person would consider a good game?

A big fish!

So, can I play a hero? You know, like the guy who rules the empire or at least has mysterious magical powers at his command? No? The leader of a local community should be enough then. Already taken? So I can be his right hand, the person actually in charge. Not in your plan? Oh, I know, maybe some totally insignificant drudge, who’s actually a superspy-cultist. Oh, the game is actually set in Communist Poland, not a fantasy world? Should have told me earlier. No problem, I can do an American agent, who was the one who actually brought down Communism, but it was a secret mission so he didn’t make it into history books.

It takes place in a small village near Radom? So who’s in charge there? Probably some lesser official, but that’s not really enough. There has to be a shop there, and you know, the one with the goods has all the power. OK then, let’s talk about that dark cult that I’m a member of. I even came up

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with some special powers I could have...

The epic quest to save the kingdom!

We’re the crew of a space destroyer with a broken drive?

And we’re in an enemy territory, with no idea of how to go back home? All right, to the character sheet. A security officer, cool, there will be things to shoot at. What’s this crap? Atrocities of war, horrors, nightmares, blah blah blah... Oh, it even says this was supposed to be the last mission, that I’m suicidal and can’t look anyone in the eye because of the horrible things I’ve done in my life. Seriously, who wrote this thing? Let’s do it my way. Surely we have a nuke here, so if we quickly take the course for the central planet of this star system, we should be able to blow it up.

End of war, we’re the heroes and stuff. Piece of cake, other players will be delighted. And no-one should complain, if we weren’t supposed to do that, the GMs wouldn’t give us all this stuff!

It’s the mechanics, stupid!

They won’t let us into this sanctuary? All right, I’ll try to convince them. Oh, wait, I don’t have this ability. Let’s try something different. GM! I’m gonna pray here until the guards let us in. Of course it works this way, we talked about this skill before the game. It’s gonna take several hours? OK, let me know when it’s done, I’m praying here all the time. Just fastforward please, it’s stupid if we have to wait for so long, yeah? This skill defies logic? So, first of all – why did you agree on this, and besides, who needs logic in larps?

You can’t be my father, I’m a Draconian!

The fated day my character waited for his whole life has finally come! Today, he’s gonna tell his mother that she’s adopted. He will betray his superior in the worst possible way. He will win the elections, the great prize, and the heart of the cutie next door. The larp is over in 3 hours, but I’m gonna make it. As I’ve said, he waited his whole life for this very day. Why didn’t he do all this earlier? Come on, and what would I be supposed to do during the game?

Bartek Zioło He played his first game in 1989. He was 3. The game was called Pong, and he played it on a dedicated console wired to a black and white Rubin TV set. Since that moment he is notorious for calling himself a gamer. But his true great love are larps. He authored countless games and run scenarios at festivals abroad (in the Czech Republic and in Norway). He promotes free form and innovative solutions for larping. A member of the juries of Złote Maski and LNL larp contests. Loves bad movies and good beer.

OK, same thing next week!

Cool game, so much win. You know, saving the world and stuff. How do I feel after the game? What do you mean, how do I feel? I had fun, and that’s what it’s all about. I really enjoy these games, I just have to switch to a new character. I’m kinda tired of playing rogues, now I’m gonna do some nobleman who likes to steal. Great scenario, I totally saw through it, from the first moment to the very end. And this battle with the guards, when I used that skill. Awesome.

OK, one, two, three – and going out of character. Unfortunately, there is no time for a decent debriefing. However, if you felt any bleed while reading the above, I have some bad news for you. Unfortunately, you suffer from a severe case of the D&D Syndrome (or you are very unlucky to have friends who do). How does one treat that? You already made the first step – you realized that you are sick.

That is something. Now, let us start with the therapy.

It should be noted that each and every of the behaviours I ridicule above may constitute an element (or even the basis) of a really good game. They become a problem if they are used inadvertently or automatically copied to every subsequent larp. Treating the D&D Syndrome is not easy as my observations indicate that every author shows some of the symptoms.

play – take a closer look. It may be just a mistake. It may be you misunderstanding or not seeing the purpose because of lack of information. However, no element should ever be illogical with no good reason. If you spot anything like this – be responsible. Draw attention to the issue. And if no consensus may be reached, do the thing that all the larpers you know probably told you not to do – say “No”.

Refuse, do not use, resign, deny. After all, it is you who will have to play following such pointless assumptions. Do not force yourself upon the motive offered by the GM. Try to convince them to let it go. Or just give it to someone else.

It also concerns the situation where your player tries to force something on you as the GM. After all, several dozens of people have much larger potential to come up with silliness that just one author. It is important to explain one thing in every case – “Why?” And it needs to be more than “Just because” or “Because I don’t like that”.

These flawed motives and propositions may be more or less significant. Whatever the case may be, do not be indifferent. Everyone around you worked hard on the game.

Thus, no-one should just let one silly thing spoil the whole effort. Also remember that the D&D Syndrome is just like any other disease – the sooner it is detected, the greater the chances for recovery. So if you notice the first symptoms – always react, even if it may make you look stupid.

Step four: communicate your needs

All the examples listed above may seem exaggerated, however, they were all based on real events from various games I saw or participated in. Although it seems terrifying, it did not all happen many years ago, with beginner GMs or players. Moreover, this kind of behaviour may be observed mainly in the case of “experienced” larpers.

Of course, an obvious conclusion is that such actions are simply signs of (1) changing the game to one’s liking (2) lack of respect for ideas of other people. However, the main idea is for everyone to get exactly what they expect from the game. Many a time saw I a larp that, despite excellent foundations, lack of serious mistakes, and generally good playing conditions, failed all the way. Why? Because the expectations of the participants (both players and GMs) were just too different.

It is very easy to spot such elements. If you can see that there is something pointless in the game you are about to

The most common mistake is the simple assumption that everyone larp just like we do. That they interpret certain

Step two and three: diagnosis and rejection

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D&D Syndrome

phenomena and behaviour just like we would want or expect. That some things are completely “obvious”. Sometimes it may concern the smallest details. We may have a perfect vision of a cinematic setting in our heads, but if we cannot present it do the participants in every detail, something is bound to go wrong somewhere along the way. And, as in every story, with time even the smallest leak may erode into a serious hole, threatening the integrity of the game. Someone will change our crime noir into a Rambo knockoff and suddenly there will be nothing left to salvage.

What to do? Talk. Prepare all the elements important for the mood of your game and clearly present them to everyone. If you are on the other side – ask. Even, if it concerns a really small detail which with time may turn out to be important not only for you, but for the whole game. Do not just wave your hand at these things and tell yourself, “It’ll be fine, somehow”. Because usually it is not.

Step five: do not be afraid of changes The above examples that I keep coming back to are not so shocking when I remember the first larps that I run. After all this time, it would be difficult for me to find anything there that was actually good. Many things changed since then, but...

I still make mistakes. I do things wrong. Sometimes, I do not pay enough attention, I miss things important for the plot, or introduce elements without thinking them through. Sometimes, I just make bad games. I would probably avoid that if I still did everything like I used to, for example, five years ago. If I mastered one replicable pattern

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to absolute perfection. If I simply let the D&D Syndrome take complete control over my larps. Would I be able to avoid the frustration over all the mistakes that just keep popping up here and there? Probably yes. But would I still make larps at all? I do not think so.

It is difficult to abandon one’s habits. Twenty-sided dice may just seem “more proper”. Already-visited worlds and the adventures that took place therein may be repeated ad infinitum, creating the same nostalgic effect over and over again. However, we should all ask ourselves one question: would it not be better to turn our backs on all of this and embark on a journey into the unknown? After all, there may be real treasures waiting for us there.

Tomorrow, I am playing a D&D session. A very ordinary one, set on the table, with my friends. There will be lots of dice-rolling and laughter, and probably all of the offenses I condemned in the beginning of this very article. And I do not see anything wrong with that. Because I am well aware of what I am doing, why and what for. I know that this is not what I want of any other kind of session. What about you?

Author’s Notes: [1] An American RPG author and theoretician. His works include The Legend of Five Rings and Seventh Sea. For some irrational (in my opinion) reason he is against using freeform techniques in larping.

[2] Milewski P., “And Quoth RPG: ‘Oh Larp, Thou Ungrateful Child of Mine!’”. KOLA 2013 publication, ed. J. Tabisz.

Trans. M. Otto, D.K. Trojanowska. Wrocław 2013

Larp as a Ritualised Activity A case study on the post-apocalyptic convention OldTown

O

ldTown is the biggest post-apocalypse fiction convention in Poland, which includes a several-day long larp. It is played on an abandoned airport in Stargard Szczeciński. The area is completely isolated from the city, and the military infrastructure (like the airstrips, underground shelters, bunkers, and run-down warehouses) is adapted for the game.

This temporary, spontaneous, and direct social structure stands in opposition to societas – the everyday, institutionalised, and hierarchical structures. “Communitas begins, where the social structure is hidden”[9][I]. These peculiar relations become particularly visible in highly-specialised societies. They result from individual desires concerning membership in universal cultural movements.

While I was doing my B.A. I analysed OT from the ethnological point of view. It turned out that it constitutes a phenomenon which in academic terminology is called liminoid[1], with the rite of passage structure[2]. Despite many identical features, unlike a ritual, OT is more of entertainment, a matter of choice and fun than a serious or terrifying event[3]. However, it does not change the fact that OT is a kind of remedy for the dissatisfaction with the state of the modern world.

Similarly, the OT community is constituted because of the need for relations based on mutually accepted values. For the duration of the larp its participants, through post-apocalyptic visions, are joined in a communitas. It is signified in the following opinions:

I hope that this approach enriches larp research with a new point of view. However, because of the character of this publication, I do not aim to explain ethnological theories in detail. I decided that the readers would be more interested in fragments of interviews with OT participants.

I gathered these during my research in 2010 and 2011. Because of that it should be noted that my reflections do not include the latest edition of the convention.

Communitas Post-industrial, post-political, post-liberal, post-modern, post-capitalistic, and soon maybe post-apocalyptic – such is the world seen through the eyes of a modern human being[4]. Zygmunt Bauman calls this era “postmodernity”[5]. The main difficulty is the fear caused by the apocalyptic visions, becoming more and more abundant in the mass media[6]. Among the omnipresent destruction theories people create alternative social structures, called communitas[7]. These are characterized by anonymity, de-emphasising differences, simplicity, jestering, fellowship, lack of hierarchy, and ignoring one’s appearance[8].

All people who come here are one big, loving community. (...)

Whoever you approach, you can talk to them. OT gives you the confidence that you won’t find any idiots here. There are people from various walks of life, but they all love one another. There are no douches here. (“Delgado”) You have quite intelligent recipients here. Despite appearances, the people who come here are well-educated or just smart. No idiots play this stuff, they wouldn’t even get the atmosphere. (...)

You go to anyone – and they will help you. On my first year, when my throat failed, everyone had throat medicine, I ate those like candy. (“Łazik”) I love this place, because there is no other with such an atmosphere.

All the people who come here become instant friends. Well, unless we run out of beer. Then the bartender is everyone’s enemy. (“Banan”)

Although the players come from different social and age groups, for the duration of the game these differences become blurred. Everyday roles and the status in the social structure become irrelevant, and the players begin to merge into a homogenous whole: There are doctors and lawyers here, coming with their wives – not yet with children, cause OT is not really suitable for kids.

They are serious people, who at one point leave everything, spend a lot of money, and come here to forget about that stuff

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Old Town

for a week and live here, in this very moment. (“Monku”) It’s a special time, just once a year. There are guys from Warsaw, from Gdańsk. All kinds of people. B.O.B.s[10] invest in everyone – from a villager to lawyers and doctors. (“Bobi”)

Despite the individual differences between the participants, during the conventions they are all united by a linguistic folklore, comprehensible exclusively for the participants of the ritual. It is mainly concerned with the convention and the groups that appear there. Examples include: “Come back, Stalin, OldTown’s dyin’”, “OldTown, OldTown”, “Sparta, Sparta, cock suckers”, or “Lazybone Bobs”. These constitute an inside linguistic code, which distinguishes its users as an unified community.

The real post-apo is practical, no feathers in asses. For building a camp the most important things are: shade, a stove, seats, and some space to set tents on. Small items to build atmosphere are also essential. For example those rusted wheels, they’re really horrible, it’s a visual misunderstanding. But they are OldTown-style, so they’re lying there in the opening of the tent. (“Broziu”)

The larp

OT participants start their preparation for experiencing communitas even before coming to the convention, for example by making costumes and props for the game. This stage is a border period that prepares the players for the several-day-long larp:

Larping intensifies of sense of communitas. This is why, for its participants, OT is a form of self-expression outside of the mainstream structure. The players, by going into their previously-prepared characters, fully immerse into the post-apocalyptic reality. Together they “suspend” the functioning of social roles and face the alienating structure:

The closer OT gets, the more we think about it. I was excited for a month (...) and no matter what happens, I don’t give a shit, I’m going and that’s that. (“Boniek”)

People can act so well that you feel like you really were in a different world. (“Lobogirl” SHAMO Fallout Community, forum post from 24th July 2008)

All the activities at this stage constitute symbolic acts of separating an individual from the society and the issues of the everyday world, as well as from their hitherto status.

The atmosphere was really thick, we all larped so fucking awesome. We didn’t just hunt the plot loot, the aim was to feel it all.

Acting is all about thinking like your character. Thanks to that, for a moment we stop being the same people. (“Duch_Klechy)”

Before the larp

Both the organizers and the participants put all their efforts into creating their shared common space, picturing the reality of a post-apocalyptic town as faithfully as possible. Thus, symbolic zones are created, including: a bar, a casino, a cafe, a library, a hospital, or town walls: There is a famed bar on the wastelands (they say many come to OldTown just because of it), where you can rest and drink something. There is a casino for gamblers, and excessive energy may be spent on night discos.

(Szperacze, OldTown online)

Having a shared territory, where the convention participants gather, creates a symbolic sense of community[11].

On their arrival to the convention the participants start activities parallel to the rites of separation[12]. The best

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example is the laborious process of building the camps, during which the area of the abandoned airport is transformed into a piece of a world ruined by a nuclear cataclysm. The aesthetics that the players share on this stage stays in contrast to the visual canon in the mainstream social structure:

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I can pretend to be someone else, I can let myself go, I can do whatever and whenever I want, I can go crazy. (“Delgado”) Now that we’re back, I feel like a real Stalker. Loot... Rattle rattle...

Radiation... And back home to count the cash. (“Duch_Klechy”)

Breaking the social structure In communitas, everything is temporarily allowed, taboos become suspended, fantasies may be realised, and rules may be broken. This freedom from social structures fosters authentic experiences and being oneself: Just look into the bar. These people come from all over Poland. They don’t know one another and do different stuff. They are ordinary people who study or work, but here they can be themselves. They can let their imagination run free and have

Celina Strzelecka Graduated in ethnology and cultural anthropology at the University of Wrocław, at present studies philosophy thereat. In her free time, she dabbles in photography – her means of expressing her love for dystopian aesthetics. Post-apocalypse, cyberpunk, and steampunk are, therefore, her favourite playgrounds. She also gets a kick out of urban exploration. In the future, she wants to acquaint herself with classical science fiction lit and become a watchmaker. For some unfathomable reason she is fond of verdigris.

fun. Not in a douche way. No hurting anyone, just everyone having fun. (...) You can break away from the everyday atmosphere. No more of this everyday shit, just being yourself. Not like someone or something tells you to be someone else. At OT, you can be anyone. The future is unknown, so you can make up anything. This event is healthy for your head, at last you feel that you don’t have to do anything, just be yourself. (“Broziu”)

It’s amazing that passion can be so powerful that people can create an alternative world that actually exists, in all details. It stunned me how the B.O.B. and Taksiarze camps looked like. The night show was a truly mystical experience, the treatment of the irradiated was kinda scary, and the religious rites were extremely exciting.

(“Lobogirl” SHAMO Fallout Community, forum post from 24th July 2008)

After many years of searching through different stuff I found out that my life is in post-apo. I joined the B.O.B. and it turned out that it’s all me. Life in a bunker is my life. It’s fucking awesome. (“Bob”)

At OT people are really immersed and it’s real emotions that come out. (“Siekier”)

It’s so relaxed here that I play myself more freely than in real life.

(“Wędrowca”)

Detachment from reality OT pictures the world as it is after the breakdown of social structures. Its participants, freeing themselves from the time of societas, feel freedom more intensely: You’re more free in here, even though life and survival are tougher. (“Duch_Klechy”) I dream about freedom, and all the other pleasant. It’s my perfect post-apo. At last, system hovering over my head, I don’t hide from anyone. Of course, there’s the al, but not with any fixed enemy.

options seem unI don’t have any have to fight or fight for surviv(“Bob”)

Participating in the life of a fictional OT town brings many extreme emotions: We were already happy with the stuff we found, and when we also got a bomb that could blow up the whole town – it was a real excitement overflow. (“zakonspirowany”) I was happy that I could just wander around with the team. It gives a lot of thrill, you just go somewhere, you need to find something, search for something. At any moment a mutant can appear out of nowhere and you need to solve this problem quickly. This unpredictability. You need to be flexible. (“Willy”)

Relaxation Participants describe OT as a time of relaxation, a rest from everyday worries, relief: Here you can really rest, even though you actually do stuff. We come here to slack off and gather strength for the whole year.

Normally I can’t rest, so I’m gonna come here hell knows how many times, even though I had to work my ass off for two and a half months to be able to come here. (“Xargas”) Now, in the normal world, men don’t have any way of blowing off steam. There’s no hunting, no beating one another with swords or hammers. No relief. They just need to go somewhere and show they’re alive. (“Broziu”) For me, OldTown is a rest from the real world. Throwing out all this shit that piles up when I go to work, come home, or have to deal with such fucking problems like flushing the toilet. It’s a rest from reality, even though this reality still hovers somewhere. (“Duch_Klechy”) Post-apocalypse is my life. OldTown and post-apo in general is a kind of break from reality. It’s also growing rough on the edges. Because I’m civilised at work and I’m sick of it.

(”22”) It’s really cool at OT. You can get a break from everything, from everyday life. It’s a totally different world. You can completely forget about your problems. Definitely, OT is a break from reality, not just entertainment. In entertainment, you stick to some kind of a plan. Here, you don’t have to do anything, that’s why all year round you just think about OT. (“Mania”)

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Old Town

Relief The main reason for the existence of the OldTown communitas is the need to relieve negative emotions that arise in the times of the unlimited access to the media which predict the end of civilisation. The participants to this community identify themselves with a world after a global catastrophe, and by doing so they weaken their post-apocalyptic visions or even disempower them: The best apocalypse would be the Sun crashing into Earth, because I wouldn’t want to live in an apocalypse. I wouldn’t want to be really here. I like OT as an event and I like it being not real.

It’s cool that you can see your influence, your contribution into this community, because it’s rather small. So in fact, your actions, if they are actual actions and not just being there, may be somehow reflected in what happens, you can influence others. You’re not anonymous here. After a week I knew almost everyone’s nicknames or at least faces. (“Duch_Klechy”)

Criticism of modern values Visions of a world after a global catastrophe create a dystopia originating directly from our reality. OT appears to be a distorted reflection of the real world, where “values are reversed, white becomes black, and black – white”[13].

The vision of ubiquitous isolation in times of barbarism, anarchy, or tyranny reflects our inner dissatisfaction with our present state. It constitutes a negative utopia, which “may be (...) the call to change the present relations, as it is their diagnosis”[14]. OT is a time and place which emphasizes the detachment from the official forms of social activity. It is a time that can be used to analyse the main cultural values and axioms. The larp participants, with their need to express their objections to the reality around them, openly criticise the society in the time of societas: We live in the world of a total illusion. Total lies. All of this is just bullshit. (“Spartan”)

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Here, you can rest from this damn society, which is indifferent.

Here everyone helps one another. It’s not like this in the society.

It’s not like someone comes up to you in a city and they’re just friendly.

(“Delgado”) The whole civilisation is supported by electronics. We’re completely dependent on electricity. City folks cannot hunt, and even if they can, there is not enough game in the woods to feed humanity.

(“47”)

(“Wędrowca”)

Moreover, the players feel that in this small community they are significant. During the larp, they are able to visibly shape the plot. The number of the convention attendees does not exceed 300 people, so the participants are not anonymous to one another. This allows them to discover their abilities to influence the reality around them:

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Humans are the plague of the planet, they just use the resources as they please. Pain and suffering are all we bring to ourselves. (“Bob”)

A lot depends on the society. The one we live in now, unlike OT, demands some things from you, like for example neat clothes, washing up, proper speech. These are two completely different worlds. (“Boniek”) We fall into this treadmill, the claws of what’s made up, imposed on us. Everyone copulate and get bank loans. And when they get these, daaamn it aaall... It’s all about having a really cool TV... But most of the people who come here don’t care about this rat race and claws of reality.

(“Spartan”) The human race has this problem – it deserves to become extinct.

Yeah, we may kill the Moloch first, but then we’re back at one another’s throats.

(“Bob”) OldTown is a kind of a strange utopia which cannot be achieved in a normal society, because every person just looks after themselves.

(“Delgado”) This place helps to realize what’s our reality really like. And it’s sleeping, dwelling, working and again from the top – four day, four afternoon, four night shifts.

(“Wędrowca”)

Additionally, the convention participants appear proud to stress the contrast between the conditions at OT and those connected to the societas everyday life: Instead of going for an awesome trip to the sea, no, better come to OT, sleep in dirty tents and stick electrodes to your balls. (“Mały”)

The players openly criticise the normative system, characterised for example by caring about one’s appearance: At OT I didn’t really care about washing, but when I’m back I’m gonna wash my hands all the time, because our society demands

Celina Strzelecka

such hygiene. Here I even slept in the same clothes. Just covered myself with my sleeping bag. In normal reality there’s this social pressure, and at OT no-one will point fingers at you smelling or something.

(“Willy”)

On the other hand, as a conscious or non-conscious manifestation of the need for a better world, post-apocalypse offers hope for changes. During the larp, OT participants act out the birth of a new culture, raising from the ashes of the old world. They present the consequences of an apocalypse which give us hope to use the chance given to humanity. Events presented in this genre take place directly after a global cataclysm or after a considerable time lapse, although not long enough for the world to be rebuilt. Also the Armageddon, which reset the human history counter to zero, becomes a blurred beginning of a new world, created among the ruins of the old one.

After larp The final activities of the OT participants are parallel to reincorporation rituals[15] which reintroduce them back into the time of societas. This stage includes activities such as giving awards for the best costume or camp, or excellent acting. Communitas is invaded by the structure, and the players start thinking about their everyday activities. At the same time they clean the area from any remnants of the larp, pack their things, and say their goodbyes to other participants. Their activities are connected to symbolic acts of the reaggregation of an individual to the society.

The final confirmation of an individual’s affiliation to their former state is marked by their departure from the abandoned airport. The players think about coming back to the former structures with sadness: When I’m back to civilisation it’ll be really difficult for me. Everything will be different, I’ll be able to sit on a comfortable toilet, it’ll be so luxurious and I’m gonna miss all that OldTown stuff a bit. (“Duch Klechy”) Going from one world to the other will be difficult. You’ll start caring about all those things you didn’t give a fuck about at OldTown. In the normal world, you cannot not give a fuck, because the social pressure is too strong, and there’s no pressure at OT. (“Willy”)

Conclusions Discovering the experience called communitas is closely connected to the belief in the upcoming end of the world.

Celina Strzelecka, OldTown 2011

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Old Town

In consequence, it is included in various works connected to the mass culture. These imagined dramas provide rituals which are used to remodel all known structural positions[16]. When facing cataclysms, even imagined ones, “one of the ego’s most successful defense mechanisms protecting it from such subconscious fear is identification with the dreaded object. It creates a feeling of disempowering the said object”[17].

OldTown constitutes an example of a place that helps fighting the crisis resulting from apocalyptic fears. This separate world creates a new order which excludes binding individuals with imposed roles. In exchange it offers fulfillment and a possibility to break away from everyday conventions. It is a medium that makes it possible to express diversity and helps to forget the cultural standards.

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The OT participants, crossing the borders of social class and age, create a temporary empathic community. Within this community an alternative lifestyle is practised, allowing for a temporary escape from the vagueness of everyday reality[18]. This community is created as a result of shared interests, ideas for spending free time, values, and views.

The group experience, actions, notions, and emotions bond the group and create relations based on mutual help.

A distinct category of “us” arises, where each and every person can feel at ease, and the awareness of the shared secret places it on a margin of the social structure. The existence of the group is based on a strong sense of belonging which was formed from the need to relieve social fears and understand the meaning of the present times.

Celina Strzelecka

Author’s Notes

Editor’s and Translator’s Notes

[1] According to the British anthropologist Victor Turner, liminoid feature is connected to entertainment and free time and often signifies conscious social marginalisation as part of a game undertaken by an individual. It originates in the category of liminality created by Arnold van Gennep to describe rites of passage.

[I] Due to the lack of access to the original texts and official translations, all quotes in English by the translator.

[2] Buchowski M., Magia i Rytuał (Magic and Ritual), Warsaw 1993, p. 133

Buchowski M., Magia i Rytuał (Magic and Ritual), Warsaw 1993

[3] Turner V., From Ritual to Theatre, Performing Arts Journal Publications, 1982 [4] Giddens A., The Consequences of Modernity. Stanford University Press, 1990 [5] Bauman Z., Postmodernity and Its Discontents. New York: New York University Press, 1997 [6] Krasnodębski Z., Postmodernistyczne rozterki kultury (The Postmodern Dilemmas of Culture), Warsaw 1996, p. 117 [7] Turner V., The Ritual Process. Aldine Transaction, 1995 [8] Ibidem, p. 29 [9] Ibidem, p. 139 [10] B.O.B. – “Brotherhood of Beer”. It is the name of one of the OldTown factions.

[11] Maffesoli M., The Time of the Tribes. Sage Publications, 1996.

Sources Bauman Z., Postmodernity and Its Discontents. New York: New York University Press, 1997 Giddens A., The Consequences of Modernity. Stanford Univeristy Press, 1990 Krasnodębski Z., Postmodernistyczne rozterki kultury (The Postmodern Dilemmas of Culture), Warsaw 1996 Maffesoli M., The Time of the Tribes. Sage Publications, 1996 Szacki J., Spotkania z Utopią (Encounters with Utopia). Warsaw, 1980 Turner V., From Ritual to Theatre. Performing Arts Journal Publications, 1982 Turner V., The Ritual Process. Aldine Transaction, 1995 SHAMO Fallout Community [Online]. Access protocol: http://shamo.gry-online.pl/agora/index.php?showtopic=9147&st=20. 2013, December 1 Szperacze, OldTown, [Online]. Access protocol: http:// shperacze.radzu.info /index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14. 2013, December 1

[12] Such rituals signify detachment of an individual from the group they hitherto belonged, and strip them of their hitherto status. They may include, for example, leaving the community or putting on ritualistic clothing.

[13] Szacki J., Spotkania z Utopią (Encounters with Utopia).

Warsaw, 1980, p. 192 [14] Ibidem, p. 208 [15] In the case of traditional rites of passage these rituals were to bestow a new status to the individual. However, in the case of OT reincorporation rituals allow the participants to return to the earlier stage in the social structure.

[16] Turner V., op. cit., p. 174 [17] Ibidem, p. 1 [18] Maffesoli M., op. cit., p. 47

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Wiki-challenge

E

very person who at least once tried themselves in a creative field knows that sometimes the magical spring of ideas and inspiration may run dry.

It happens that the stories one creates start becoming alike, dangerously close to being repetitive. If the author notices the problem in time to leave the vicious circle – great. However, I consider prevention to be better than cure.

When I took up writing larp scenarios, I already had some good habits acquired at literary workshops that I participated in. Those were several simple exercises to stimulate creative thinking, which helped develop the skill of connecting apparently-unrelated sub-plots in a logical way.

The idea to use Wikipedia in this exercises was a random one, but I liked it in an instant. The randomness and variety of articles on the website seemed like quite a challenge which I was happy to accept. And what is a challenge without other competitors? Thus, first my Facebook profile and then the LARP Poland group on the same website presented “The Wiki-Challenge”: 1.

2.

3.

Go into Wikipedia.

Choose the “Random article” option.

Basing on the article you get, write a larp.

I did not have to wait long before numerous people started sharing the articles they got. Apart from seemingly easy topics, such as: “Musée du Montparnasse”, “Jerzy Skowronek” (a historian) or “Kraina Qa” (an installment of the Thorgal comic book series), other, more surprising possibilities came up, starting with “Raport Generator”

and “Amastridae” (a family of slugs from Hawaii), through “List of minor planets: 199001–200000” and all the way to “Organelle” (a structure present in a cell, specialised for a specific function) or “Hedgehog space”.

Such an article is where a creative process begins. Each and every topic gives the possibility to unravel a whole chain of various associations. What I got was “Cmentarz w Pyrach” – a cemetery in Warsaw, founded in 1945. My first association was The Graveyard Book, a Neil Gaiman’s novel whose events take place on a cemetery and whose characters are of course the ghosts of people buried there. At the same time the circumstances in which the cemetery from the article was founded are connected to the topic of World War II. Such a preliminary specification of the topic helps to develop certain interpretations to build a larp upon.

Another example of developing a random topic may be a larp written by one of the members of Żywia, our larping club from Białystok. After getting the article dedicated to Joseph Glidden (the inventor of barbed wire) he decided to create a grotesque plot set in the Wild West.

There may be many ways to use this exercise. If one random topic does not seem to be challenging enough, you can try to create your story by basing it on two random articles. Connecting the topics of Naspers, a multinational mass media company, and Shinigami, a Japanese personification of death – how does it sound?

I encourage you to take up the challenge as well. I am sure it will bring you a plethora of ideas, which in turn will become the bases for many new, amazing larps.

Agata Godun – Born in 1990. President of Żywia, a larping club from Białystok. Graduated in Polish, now a student of culture studies on University of Białystok. Addicted to organizing cultural events. Her need for creativity is realized through writing larp scenarios and literature. She debuted in LiteRacje artistic periodical with the short story “Hrabia de Varnetot”. The winner of Wrzenie 2012 literary contest.

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Larp Ideas for Sale cheap!

A

pparently, there are some larp authors who suffer from the so-called “writer’s block”. I can only try to imagine how they feel, staring into an empty sheet of paper or a white screen of a text editor. You need to write a larp, but there is nothing there. No idea comes to mind, and staring into a wall does not help at all. Basically, there are two possible solutions to this affliction. One: forget about writing larps and find a new hobby. Two: look for new, less obvious sources of inspiration. Basing on my experience, I may suggest and recommend three places I visit in search for good ideas.

Adaptation For some unknown reasons, larpers are not really keen on adaptations of books, films or theatre plays. Yes, there are some games which draw inspiration from literature or cinema, but they are very rare. It is a shame. The stories that for centuries shaped human culture may be very inspiring – this statement seems painfully obvious, however, it looks like larpwrights are just stubborn on not seeing it. The reason for this is hard to pinpoint. Is it the fear of being accused of being a copycat, or maybe a terrifying vision of challenging the high quality and reputation of the original? The larp adaptations that I had the pleasure to see or play may be divided into two groups.

First come the classics. Here, the winner is undoubtedly Shakespeare. Of course, there are no reasons to be afraid here. The works of the most famous English playwright saw countless adaptations by everyone. Actually, I think that there is no art form, even among the craziest ones, that did not use at least one of his plays. From Romeo and Juliet, through Hamlet and Macbeth, to The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Taming of the Shrew – each and every one of them was retold at some point. This may be the reason why this creative battlefield, filled with ruins of the original concepts, is slowly being discovered by larpers – usually with decent effects too. Although it comes as a surprise for both players and authors, such classic and

respected plots basically stand up for themselves and it is actually difficult to spoil such a larp.

However, this leads to an important question. If not Shakespeare, then what? The second option is pop-culture. It may be a well-known blockbuster (like The Hunger Games) or some comic book multiverse (like Batman and his friends of both sexes). This is a good field for exploration, because it is relatively flexible. One does not have to explain the logic and details of the setting, because they are widely known – so the game may as well be focused on other elements.

A great opportunity, and a great threat at the same time, of a larp adaptation is posed by the requirements of the plot, which may demand a lot of work from the author. A comic book or a novel has a limited number of protagonists, while a good larp should be based on equal opportunities and perspectives for all the characters. This is a difficult task, sometimes to the point of being impossible. Is is hard to write a larp where each and every character is a witcher – unless the game is supposed to be a grim grotesque. Why such an obvious setback may be perceived as an opportunity then?

Because “pulling out” the background characters into the centre may bring surprising results, and the game itself, although derived from a well-known work, may present a totally different story.

Alternative My favourite method of writing larps is creating alternative worlds. It is there that I look for ideas for stories and plots most often. This method is simple: imagine our universe as a finished project, from the Big Bang up to the last breath of an endless void filled with silent quarks. Yes, to do that, you need to find yourself a spot next to the gods or the Matrix Architect. Only from up there will you be able to see the whole thing; only then will you, dear author, know everything about this world. As you can see, everything has already happened. All words were uttered, all deeds done, all suns ignited and burnt out. Now, pick one

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Larp Ideas for Sale

moment in the history of the world, any moment. Examine it carefully. Choose one detail and try to change it.

It does not have to be anything very significant. A child may trip a messenger who will not deliver his message on time. Give a hunch to a husband who is being cheated on – let him come back home early and catch his wife red-handed in the arms of his own business partner. Let the husband kill the man with his spade, let their trade company crumble down, and the journey they were about to fund be cancelled. You may also try something more powerful – sending a whim. Whims are really something, especially if you send them to someone who is in position of power. Let them decide to go to war, or to make peace – whichever you want. It is just important for the decision to be different from the one you know and whose effects you see in the finished universe you are working on. If you do not want to influence people, so be it. Stop the wind, let the ship come to an unexpected but safe port, instead of being sunk by a storm along with all that gold on board. I wonder what can be bought with it... Don’t you?

After making your change, take a step back. Look at the universe. How different is it now? Not enough? Get back to work then, make some more alterations...

There is another way to use alternative as a creative tool.

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Instead of extrapolating an alternative reality by yourself (as it may prove to be difficult), have your players do it.

Set your larp in a well-known historical moment. Let the changes come during the game. Maybe the Battle of Waterloo? A certain morning in Sarajevo of 1914? This way it is the players and the game that will present the alternative history of the world. The right moment is easy to find – all you have to do is open a history book or an encyclopedia.

There are just not enough larps which answer the question of “What if...?”, and it is such an interesting genre.

Art Among many creations of culture that may become your material for a larp adaptation, art masterpieces seem to be rarely used as such. After all, paintings or sculptures lack the basic factor that connects larps to literature, theatre, or cinema – a plot. Of course, there is a stark difference between story construction in these forms: in the traditional approach a plot is fixed and unalterable, while in most larps it resembles a book full of blank pages that are to be filled with the actions of players.

However, is it really true that paintings lack plot? It is a misconception that we make by looking at them in a superficial way. It all changes when a picture is treated as a still frame of an important moment, depicted by the artist.

The simple question of “How did this situation come to

Piotr Milewski Born in 1977. A Kashubian from Gdynia who remembers the Polish larp scene from before the Biblical Deludge. The brains behind and one of the founders of Hardkon Larp Festival and the FunReal Association. Likes the woods and the sea.

pass, what makes the moment on the painting so special?” may bring many surprising ideas that would not appear otherwise. Why did no-one react when Icarus was falling into the sea? What is the story of the woman who climbed the barricades and raised the tricolour flag of liberty, equality, and fraternity? What is the naked woman eating breakfast on the grass thinking about? When the young ladies of Avignon dance, do they dance for themselves, or for someone else? What does fate have in storage for the stonemason working hard in the shadow of the Tower of Babel? Will he live long enough to witness the languages being confused?...

Browsing through an illustrated art lexicon is the first step to finding an original story. Step two, much more interesting, may be a visit to a museum – even a small one. It is true that not all of the pieces presented there will be firstclass, but believe me, that does not make them less worthy of being an inspirational material for thought experiments and plot themes.

I hope that this article will serve as a weapon in the difficult battle with larp clichés. It is the voice of a player bored with unoriginal copies of typical plots. Sometimes I feel that authors forgot how to enjoy their passion. For me – this time speaking as an author – running a larp itself is a very stressful and exhausting process. There is this feeling of being turned into a flawed machine, and my brain being forced to analyse not a stream, but a real tsunami of information that needs immediate reaction. Of course, a successful larp is followed by the feeling of satisfaction, not unlike the one that comes on a December evening when I put down the shovel and admire my driveway finally clean of snow. A truly exceptional feeling. However, what I find the most compelling in our hobby is looking for new themes and adapting them for larp expression. Thinking about history, heroes, wondering about the things that never happened although they could have. I encourage you to embark on such a journey as well. You may find “things, you people wouldn’t believe”...

See you on the road!

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It’s the Small Things

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ovember of 2013 saw the fourteenth edition of Falkon – a speculative fiction festival in Lublin. One of the attractions was the first edition of a new larp contest – Larpy Najwyższych Lotów (Soaring Larps), which was to award the best of several scenarios written on a previously-given topic. This year’s edition presented a theme very classic, to the point of being a cliché – “The King is dead, long live the King”.

Although this quote may serve as a summary for dozens (hundreds? thousands? bazillions?) of larps, the organizers decided it would be a good challenge for the larpwrights to present it in a new, creative way.

The contest saw six games. The authors created epic stories of life and death, search for the truth, great politics – however, these were all beaten by the larp whose description was deemed a joke by many and the action of which took place in a poorer region of Poland, on a wake following the funeral of a car mechanic[1]. There was no magic, no great mysteries of creation, no struggle for power, or anything of the spectacular sort. Only difficult – and painfully ordinary – family relations and everyday problems set in plain reality which beat the epic fireworks of the other games.

What the hell happened?

The power of realism Because of my coordinating duties I could not participate in Stypa (in the larping milieu known under the pet-name of Rosół – “Broth” – because of the dish that was served to the players), although I hope to make up for it someday.

However, it did not stop me from considering the whole case after the convention. Why bringing an epic concept down to an everyday level proved to be so successful?

Surely the novelty and daring of such idea were important factors, but is that all?

Now please go down the memory lane and remember the larps that you played and enjoyed. Done? Great. And now for the question – what do you remember best? What is

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most vivid? What brings back the echos of emotions from the past?

The answers will vary – we all enjoy different things after all. What makes the top of my personal list is (not very original) a collection of the most powerful and epic scenes, creating an album of individual pictures in my head. Further evaluation, however, brings me some other interesting conclusions – apart from these single scenes, which I shared with other players, I do not remember much, not really. Forever lost to my memory are the multi-layered intrigues, dark rituals, great speeches, and the courses of complex, heavy plots – and even if I can remember them, they are all bland and vague, even though they brought me so many emotions back then. What still moves me are very personal sub-plots and feelings: grudge and bitterness of not being listened by my own father, the support given by my brother, anger and resentment of being betrayed by my foster daughter, happiness of my love being reciprocated, anxiety and willingness to act when my reputation of a respected scientist was threatened.

Saving the world is cool and exciting, but it is also abstract.

It is easier for us to identify with a situation that could happen, or happened, in real life. It makes the character or the sub-plot resonate better with our experiences and feelings. References to the well-known reality help to blur the boundary between fiction and reality, make the game more authentic, and facilitate immersion. It makes the experience more powerful, even if it is not of the epic kind.

Ordinary days?

It is not that larps are always too far from reality – there are many games set in historical or modern settings. However, they usually present extraordinary circumstances or situations that just do not happen to ordinary mortals – espionage, crime investigations, great historical events.

Those are undoubtedly very exciting, but do we always have to romanticize the plot? The life of an ordinary citizen is also full of interesting conflicts, problems, and

Dorota Kalina Trojanowska Holds M.A. degree in English and a post-graduate diploma in legal translation, now on post-graduate Scandinavian studies programme. Proud member of Grimuar club and the current larp coordinator at the Falkon festival. Started larping in 2008, a year later authored her first scenario – Dia de los Muertos, inspired by E.A. Poe’s works. Co-author of the (in)famous Hardkon 2013 game, Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki. Very passionate about linguistics, Charles Baudelaire, and coffee.

experiences, even if their nature and scale are different.

This issue was already mentioned in the last year’s Polish Larp Conference publication by the author of the article on larp campaigns: “Everyday problems may create a better and more believable tale than those of kings and gods.”[2] Let us ask ourselves – what moves us the most?

Great events watched in TV news, even those that are of actual concern to us (politics), or family problems, friendship, love? Which is closer to us, which is the stronger experience?

Of course, I am not asking for larps about shopping and picking children up from kindergarten. However, I feel that life stories, everyday problems and family sagas are fascinating enough to build a good tale. Every Downton Abbey fan would agree. Besides, such topics are already present in jeepforms and freeforms of the “kitchen sink drama” variety, which show us that dramatic arguments over who should wash the dishes do not have to be strange or boring[3]. Maybe it is time for such themes to be included in larps as well?

Need something bigger? No problem – larps are fun also because they give us the opportunity to experience something unusual and break away from everyday life. However, in my opinion basing “extraordinary” problems on “ordinary” ones brings them closer to home – they are easier to understand and more significant to players. I will take the liberty of using an example from the game I coauthored, namely Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki (“Grim Lullabies of the Hedge”). Among the four Courts of Seasons, one of the Queens turned out to be pregnant, which caused lots of commotion both on political and “magical” level (as a Changeling, the Queen was supposed to be infertile). The whole sub-plot was grounded in a personal and everyday issue, namely a woman’s natural longing to be amother and, subsequently, the fear for her child’s safety. Such elements make larp characters more believable and with greater psychological depth than in the case of relying solely on “epic” motivations.

Draw what you see... … and write what you know. When working on larps, we often use various inspirations and sources as bases for our games. We do research, educate ourselves in new fields, struggle to connect information into an interesting whole.

Why not search for sources in our personal experience?

After all, this is what we know and understand best. We just have to notice it.

Recently I finished the beta-version of a jeep-like scenario Sokrates. No, it does not have anything to do with philosophy. It is about a group of students on an international exchange programme. They do not kill zombies, solve crimes or save the world – they just live together in a dormitory.

The game is based on the experiences gathered during my own stay abroad, when I shared accommodation with an international group of volunteers – and I am entirely sure that the topic has a potential for many conflicts and everyday dramas that will make an interesting game.

After all, it is no big news that it is life that writes the best stories.

Author’s Notes [1] Bartczak Kamil, Szymczak Przemysław, Stypa [2] Rogowska Agnieszka, “All the Sins of Larp Campaigns”.

KOLA 2013 publication, ed. J. Tabisz. Trans. M. Otto, D.K. Trojanowska. Wrocław 2013.

[3] Example from the scenario Robin’s Friends by Anna Westerling

Sources Bartczak Kamil, Szymczak Przemysław, Stypa, 2013 Grimuar, Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki, 2013

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creative process

What I Have Learned from Simulationist Larps

I

t is possible that an insightful observer of larp mechanisms will find this article a collection of things very obvious. In my case, discovering certain mechanisms working in simulationist scenarios took four games, namely two Geas larps (Geas: Burgkon and Geas: Burgkon 2)[I] and two larps in the Fantasy Village[II], set in the world of Game of Thrones. The price for this knowledge was the rather average satisfaction I got from playing, so I decided to record it for the future generations – the authors who wish to write a simulationist larp, as well as the players who want to play it. Here, I try to present my experiences as several conclusions. Maybe it will make the game better for you, although I cannot promise that it will be good.

Let us start with the basics. According to the GNS theory created by Ron Edwards, there are three attitudes that may be presented by players: gamist, narrativist, and simulationist[1]. Briefly, it depends on the different sources of pleasure that each type draws from while playing RPGs. For those focused on gamism the motivation is the will to win, compete with other players, use the mechanics to one’s own advantage and present one’s skill in using it, achieving goals. Narrativists enjoy the possibility to create a story – a personal tale, focused on character development resulting from their inner conflicts and solving those, as well as on their influence on the plot as a comprehensive tale that connects all the players. Finally, simulationism is based on faithful and realistic presentation of the given situation and the condition of the given character, modeled on certain sources or typical situations.

What is important here is that these are the descriptions of players’ attitudes (simplified for the needs of this article).

It is the players who have fun from being able to play in a certain style. Here, I am willing to risk the statement that these types suggest how various players achieve immersion. If reality weakens in favour of your involvement in the game during a fight using safe swords, where you are not bothered by the necessity to rip a life stripe after every

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strike or to shout the amount of life points – you are type one. You are still immersed in the game, although it will be a game very different from the one played by a narrativist, who does not aim to achieve their goals, but to introduce as much dramaturgy as possible. It is still larp.

However, in Poland the division into three types started to be applied to larps themselves, which I personally deem confusing. I feel that calling a larp “simulationist” is authors’ excuse to avoid the obligation to take care of the players, reject their critique, and blame them for the quality of the game, as well as to present boredom not as a bug, but as a feature.

Because of the Geas series and the foundation of the Fantasy Village, Polish simulationist larps are associated with exceptional attention paid to how faithfully the scenography realizes the intended vision of the setting. Organising the game in a real castle is supposed to facilitate immersion and complete, undisturbed simulation – the crowning features for the WYSIWYG rule (things are just what they look like, you do not need to pretend). The authors take responsibility for the quality of the environment, not for the simulation itself – they leave it to the players.

We were all tricked.

No larp could exist without players. There is no simulationist larp, if its participants do not execute simulation.

This is why a simulationist game needs to facilitate simulation in players. Of course, a proper scenography – environment – is important. But it is not the key element.

The GoT larp series left the whole process of creating a plot to the players. It was their responsibility to make the game fun for one another. There was no main plot, but the players were free to introduce their own subplots within the WYSIWYG framework – if you can act something out and get reactions from other players, it exists in the world of the game as true.

Mikołaj Wicher Born in 1989. Graduated from cultural studies at University of Silesia. Won several larp awards: Golden Mask in 2012 for the best larper, the Best Flamberg Larper in 2010 and 2013, as well as numerous others. Wrote papers for KOLA larp conference publication in 2012 and 2013. Was a jury member at LNL larp contest at Falkon Festival in 2013. Co-founder of Liveform Association and coorganizer of New Age larp series. Believes larps can change the world.

Thus, during the game the players not only have to act out their characters, but also think on how to create some action.

Of course, some of this work can be done before the game or written into one’s character sheet. However, it still induces the players to think on two different levels at the same time.

And if the aim is to immerse into the game through simulating a character, this second stream of thought works as a dam blocking immersion. It is not a fatal flaw – the larp played out and I think it was pretty decent. However, I feel it may be worth it to examine what needs improvement and how to provide more fun to the players.

In my opinion, if a larp requires and stimulates the players to create a plot – also by not providing one – it is not a simulationist game, but a narrativist one. Such a larp facilitates creating a story (although in a negative way), and not faithful simulation.

Here, I will risk formulating the following hypothesis: to strengthen the simulationist attitude in players, i.e. to create a simulationist larp, the author has to provide the participants with events to which they will be able to react as their characters.

It is very important in simulationist games to go into one’s character and their psyche to play this character as faithfully as possible. Part of the fun is discovering that one is doing something that their character would do – even if as a player they would do something different. This is part of the charm of simulationist games – exploration. For the participants to have the chance to face such dilemma at all, the game needs to include events that will let them do so.

The game needs a plot.

It does not have to be very complex. By that I mean it can be realized by planned actions – information that a given character does something “all the time” or “on regular basis” will make the player simulate specific behaviour. End of the world or not – I need to do something, make dinner, chop some firewood... This worked perfectly on the GoT larp

series and I cannot complain about this particular element.

Well-prepared scenography facilitates this kind of actions.

Another thing to consider are events created by the organizers (if it was not a simulationist larp, these could be scripted for other groups of characters). Players need events to play with, off, on, or against them and explore their characters. Boredom should be merely an option – for example, if there is a monster attacking, maybe I do want to go hunt it down as a player, but as a character I am too scared to do so. At the same time, simulation is destroyed if I need to make up a monster for me and other players to have something to do.

Action in simulationist games may also be based on various objects. Treasure maps, totems of enemy factions stolen “before the game”, shortage of resources that different groups fight for – such elements bring fun to the game without scripting it or forcing the players to abandon simulation.

This flaw was actually avoided in Geas games, where the plot was fixed to certain extent, giving the players events to react to. However, Geas did not avoid another pitfall – the inability to create functional social relations. The abovementioned first instalment of the series was less guilty of this crime simply because it was a smaller game. The problem was not so visible as in the case of the second instalment.

Hierarchisation is a perfect idea for simulationist larps.

Close-knit communities, families, dependency systems – like armies or corporations – may save the fun at a simulationist larp where everything else has failed. However, there are two conditions to that. Firstly, the leaders need to know how to rule others, and secondly, the subordinates need to know how to be ruled. The latter is good material for workshops. There, the players could build dependency systems strengthening their relations (economic, romantic etc.), discover simple psychological tricks to

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Simulationist larrs

communicate their positions, and learn how to manage the game that flows through them (for example, if in the given hierarchy I am on level X, I only do X by myself, and the rest I pass on to the lower level to give them something to do – repeat on level Y). In turn, leaders could use advanced training on this last point – taking charge of the game flow. Such managerial roles are often manned by very capable players, which may be risky – namely, there is nothing worse for a simulationist larp than an independent leader (at least in my opinion). If such a character is entangled in personal relations or focused on fulfilling other tasks by themselves, his or her subordinates will be forced not to act, but to become passive. I feel that it was a huge flaw of Geas (especially of the second game) to ignore this issue and divide the game into social classes without connecting them in a logical and realistic way.

None of the larps mentioned in this article had workshops for the players.

What I learned about larps in general Authors spend absurd amounts of time and energy on creating a larp, but none of this effort is dedicated to motivating players. When they think about their larps, the meta-level is practically non-existent. It seems that all it takes is having an idea for a game and choosing some tools to create it, and the players will make do somehow.

Maybe it is worth a try to change this way of thinking?

To once again put the player in the centre and with the chosen idea for a game in mind ask oneself, “What should I do for the players so that they create such a game for me?

How to invoke these particular emotions and behaviours in them?” The means for achieving that may turn out to be very different from the author’s original concept – as in the case of simulationist games, where the key factor may be creating a larp with a strong narrative element.

Can this relation be extrapolated on the rest of the GNS triangle? If to help players simulate their characters the author needs to build narrativist elements, do they need to create gamist elements in order to facilitate narrativism?

What does that mean and how can one achieve that? Is it

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possible to create mechanics that facilitates creating a story? How could such a thing work? Such elements already exist in RPG games and I think they can be successfully adapted for larps. For example, after a very emotionally involving scene a player could award another player with an “emotion token” or something like that. This token could give them a special skill, for example allowing them to be miraculously saved in a situation, when according to the mechanics they should die.

And does one need to build simulationist elements in order to facilitate gamism? This is a particularly interesting one.

A player focused on repetitive actions with foreseeable results needs something to prevent these repetitions from becoming boring. This is how video games work: as a character we only have a limited number of actions to use, but the game itself emphasizes character development and the progress from easier levels to more challenging ones.

Simulation is perfect for this – all the author needs to do is to put the players in the roles of recruits who with time get more and more difficult tasks and advance in the army hierarchy. Simulationism facilitating gamism.

I hope the reflections presented above will save several precious hours from the lives of both players and authors.

They certainly made me think about some of my past projects and helped realize why some games did not play out as well as they could have. Of course, this article is the aftermath of my personal experiences and presents a rather simplified model. My thoughts on the presented games might not be consistent with the thoughts of other players – the result of the games not being equally distributed among their participants. It is possible that the elements I suggest as solutions were present in those larps, I just did not experience them as either a player or a character.

However, I would like to encourage authors to change their way of thinking about larps – to once again set the players and helping them create our game as the most important factors. The reason is simple – we cannot create the game by ourselves, without our players or against them.

Mikołaj Wicher

Author’s Notes [1] Ron Edwards, „GNS and Other Matters of Role-Playing Theory”; http://www.indie-rpgs.com/articles/3/

Editor’s and translator’s Notes [I] Geas – larp series run by AR Argos, utilizing the idea of “360 degree illusion” and organized with utmost care for realistic scenography, props and costumes. The games (1) run all day long (2) use DKWDDK mechanics (3) are to change their premise, themes and venue with future editions. The first two installments were “burgkons” – larps played in an authentic medieval castle.

[II] Fantasy Village – A project including a fantasy theme park in South-Eastern Poland, used also for larp conventions and experiments. It is aimed at introducing larps as entertainment to people from outside the milieu.

Sources AR Argos, Geas: Burgkon, 2011 AR Argos, Geas: Burgkon Drugi, 2012 Maciupa R., Rozdziobią was kruki, 2012 Roth T., Grad Bieli i Czerni, 2013

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Geas: The Pilgrimage

T

hree years ago, when we decided to create a new larp series, we agreed on several principles concerning the nature of Geas. We dreamed about a family of larps that would be:

• • •

spectacular, prepared with utter care about scenography, costumes, and props, progressive, introducing something new into Polish larping, varied – we wanted to avoid the common problem of larp campaigns, that is collapsing into a series of continuations, self-references, and autoplagiarisms.

How have we been doing so far? In the case of the first game, Geas: Burgkon[1] – pretty well, apparently. The participants were really impressed by us renting a medieval castle and introducing food, accommodation (i.e. sleeping arrangements), and other everyday elements into the game. Almost utter lack of mechanics and using meta-mechanics for sex were also new to Polish larping.

The fact that currently no-one is surprised by fantasy larps with no mechanics and acting out sex via head massage[I] gained in popularity (and even started to be pushed out by even more direct forms of contact)[2] is surely, at least to some point, a contribution made by Burgkon.

While working on the second Geas larp, we broke one of the original postulates, mainly the one concerning the annual change in the form of the game. Burgkon Drugi was actually a copy of the first instalment, just bigger and with a new scenario. This decision was made because (1) Geas: Burgkon gathered lots of positive feedback (2) many people eager to play did not have the chance to do so the first time around. The game was pretty successful, however, it is impossible to create an equally big impression twice while using the same set of tools. Although it was a good larp which promoted the techniques we want to popularise, Burgkon Drugi had no chance to become a legendary, innovative, ground-breaking event.

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Dear reader, we want to share a secret with you: we, the AR Argos members, want our works to be legendary.

After a temporary break of 2013, filled with observing the current changes in the Polish larping scene and making certain preparations, we plan to go back to the principles that originally gave birth to Geas. We began working on a new instalment of the series, which is to be organised in the autumn (September / October) of 2014. This upcoming larp will not be a “burgkon”.

Geas: The Pielrimage In our minds, project Geas: Pielgrzymka (Geas: The Pilgrimage) is a combination of three types of larps: outdoor, journey[II], and survival. We also seek to limit the conventionality of the game even further. The most important directives of this new Geas game can be described as follows: (Almost) no symbolism. Although we considered writing Geas: Pielgrzymka following the postulates of the Dogma 99 manifesto, eventually we decided against it[3]. We felt the requirements of Dogma to be so restrictive that they would force us to focus on creating “a Dogma larp” and not giving due attention to its themes or setting. As we do not wish to become hostages to this approach, fulfilling the aims of the Norwegian manifesto is not our goal. However, we do not strive too far away from this either. Geas: Pielgrzymka is to be a „360-degree illusion”. The larp is to be organised by the sea, the area of the game encompassing a decent portion of the coast: waters, dunes, a beach, and a forest. The choice of place and time of the event is aimed at providing as complete isolation from the outside world as possible, preferably to the point when there are no non-players in the area.

The game is to be realised within the DKWDK framework (“you can what you can”), much more strict than DKWDDK (“you can what you can act out”), commonly used in Poland up until now. Acting out violence or sex is to be devoid of symbolism. At the third Geas larp, if your

Kamil Bartczak Larp author and organizer, the president of Akademia Rozwoju Argos, a larp authors’ association. Co-author of Fantazjada larps (2000 – 2010) and the Geas series (since 2011). In 2013, his scenario Stypa won the first Larpy Najwyższych Lotów contest. He also writes articles on larp theory from time to time.

character wants to hit someone – you need to actually do it. If the characters engage in an intercourse – the players need to actually have sex.

However, by adapting this approach we do not strive to organise an autumn beach orgy with full-contact fights.

What we aim to do is deprive the players from the ability to verbally add non-acted out content to the game, block the notorious “But in-game, this is what happens...” At Geas, what actually happens is only the thing that one can see happening.

We tested introducing real violence into a game in the project Fight Club[4]. It was to answer the question: “What happens, if the players are encouraged to have an actual fight?” The project resulted in actual full-contact fights aimed at achieving victory, however, with full consideration regarding the severity of the blows. Such a “game” is no longer safe and may lead to contusions, but ones acceptable within certain boundaries, for example ones present in extreme sports. Taking into consideration (1) the fact that during the fight force and aggression escalate gradually (2) there is a safe-word set for the game (although using it causes the user to lose the scene), we feel that such a solution is adequate for our larp. In order to gain more experience on the influence of violence on the plot and the players, we plan to precede the new Geas with another larp that includes real violence. During many discussions concerning this particular aspect of the game, a question was raised repeatedly: “What if I want to attack and rob another player, threatening them with a sharp object, but I am not willing to do any real harm to them?” The answer is: “If you are not willing to harm another player, neither is your character.” Geas character creation process is to ensure that there are no characters in the game whose morality would let them seriously injure or kill other human beings.

According to our research, up until now real sex was only incidental at larps, and there is no documentation of such

occurrences. The influence of sex on the plot was probably used to the fullest in All My Loving, with its “director’s cut” version allowing for various physical caresses.

Taking into consideration the progress that is being made in introducing sexual content into games, things may still change substantially before the third Geas.

Psychologically believable characters. What we, the AR Argos association, are well-known for, is our approach to fantasy larps. Our games are set in fantasy reality inhabited by “real people” – characters whose actions may be understood by putting oneself in their situation, and not by referencing (pop-)cultural topoi. Lack of symbolism in acting out sex and violence is one of the ideas to fulfill this aim. The characters will “inherit” their morality after their players. You had a verbal spat with your rival? Your character will not draw their sword and kill that person, like in fantasy films. Not because of simple calculation of costs and benefits, but because the character is not able to take someone’s life. If they are able to start a fight – it depends on the player.

To play in the new installment of Geas, a player needs to submit an interesting, but believable character whose description will answer the question: “What made you leave everything behind and embark on a one-way journey to an island, the very existence of which is dubious and from which no-one had ever returned?” This question is connected to our next postulate.

Religion in the game. This is not a new element, various levels of artificial sacrum were already present at some larps. Examples include the convent life at Fantazjada 2010[5], the celebration of goddess Melitele at the Witcher larp at Hardkon 2012[6], or the confessions at Burgkon Drugi. We want to continue with this theme, increasing its impact on the game, as well as its realism. What is sure to be included are various elements connected to tribal traditions – initiation rites. These may include pain, nudity, or overcoming disgust.

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Survival larp. This term is a bit of an overstatement, as we do not wish the game to be focused on the struggle for warmth, food, and shelter. Nonetheless, exhaustion, hunger, and cold will all be present in the larp.

We will include enough food, blankets, and building materials for the players to be able to use them, if they are motivated enough.

We had good impressions from The Game by Wielosfer Association and a journey larp by the authors of Zardzewiały Topór[7], where we had the opportunity to experience thirst and hunger. The larp about a group of shipwrecks by the sea will also follow this trend.

Costume nazis are back. Because of the advanced simulationist nature of the game, the players will be required to pay extra attention to their costumes. These do not have to look wealthy (pilgrims, shipwrecks), however, they need to be complete. In particular, we intend to cross the line that seems to mark the frontier in fantasy larps: no glasses, no setting-inadequate shoes or underwear.

How many of these points will we be able to fulfill in the autumn of 2014? Right now we stay calm and keep working. See you there!

Geas 2012

Author’s Notes [1] AR Argos, Geas: Burgkon, 2011 [2] Dominik Dembinski, All my loving, 2012 [3] Dogma 99 manifesto, http://fate.laiv.org/dogme99/en/ [4] Kamil Bartczak, Fight Club, 2013 [5] AR Deadline, Fantazjada 2010 [6] Funreal Association, Gdzie Diaboł mówi dobranoc, 2012 [7] Zardzewiały Topór, ZT24KD

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Editor’s and Transaltor’s Notes [I] Head massage (Pl. mechanika czochrana, lit. “tousling mechanics”) – mechanics used for acting out sex, popularised by the Geas series and subsequently used in many other Polish larps.

[II] Journey larp (Pl. larp wędrowny, lit. “wandering larp”) – a type of larp distinguished by several Polish larp groups, where the players cover some distance as part of the game scenario.

12 Tricks

H

ey guys, I was just thinking, I want to write my first larp. Any advice? Thanks!”

Such posts pop up every now and then on Internet forums and walls of various Facebook groups dedicated to larps. Depending on the amount of free time and the comments of people faster than me, I sometimes add some of my thoughts on the topic. I have to start over every time, which is not a very effective way to share knowledge.

Thus, I decided to go through my experience and present it in a more coherent form in this publication. Dear authors – if you want my advice, here it comes.

One sentence Before you start writing, try to crystalise your idea. Search for its essence. Can you describe your game in one simple sentence? What is it about, what was it inspired by? Why do you want to write it, or rather: what for?

Let me get this straight – correct answers do not include “Because I always wanted to write a larp”, or “Because the players deserve some fun”. Fun may be one of the effects of your game, however, it may not be its sole aim.

There is a theory about authors being divided into two groups: artisans and artists[1]. Using always the same set of tools (for example: Warhammer setting, chamber larp, WYSIWYG), artisans create works that each time pose a different question: “Where do the boundaries of friendship lie?”, “What is humanity?”, “Why is sin so easy to commit?”, and so on.

In turn, artists are always in search for new means of expression; but they are also possessed by the one, persistent thought, an idea that haunts them not unlike an evil spirit, demanding answers (Dukaj: “What is the future of humanity?”, Lem: “How will the First Contact look like?”, Huberath: “What happens to us after death?”[I]). They constantly create new works, but if these are stripped of scenography and other trinkets, every time an empty wall

remains with one and the same question written on it.

Before you start writing your game and posing questions about it, try to think about something else.

Who are you?

A nifty word: design There are two schools of design: minimalist and baroque.

In the baroque method, the designing process is finished when nothing more can be added to the work. Otherwise, it would collapse under its own weight, polished details would become invisible, and the main idea would be lost in the maze of intricate decorations, additions, and ornaments.

In the minimalist method, the designing process is finished when nothing more can be removed from the work.

All the included elements are absolutely indispensable, and if you take anything away, the whole thing will go like a house of cards.

None of these paths is “the right one”. It is the worst for a project to be situated somewhere in between. If the ascetic method is applied in some aspects and the abundant one in others, it is bound to create a bad impression of either unfinished baroque or uncleaned minimalism.

Before you start writing, please imagine your game. Do you wish to present the idea behind it clearly? Or do you want to hide some elements? Do you want your players to see a complete world, or an idea? Choose the design method depending on what you really want from your game.

Body and Soul Design deserves more attention here, as authors’ shortcomings in this field are the most visible ones. Let us assume that our game is made of two sets of elements.

The first of these is Soul, meaning the idea, the plot, the

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concept, and the story; the second is Body, which contains the mechanics, the setting, and the rules.

The process of creating a game is like merging its Body and Soul together. Of course, it leads to an important question: “Where should I start?” The answer is: “Where you found the inspiration for your game.” If you came up with an idea for the plot first (“I have an idea for a game about polyamory!”), you should wrap it in an appropriate Body.

Apply the adequate amount of mechanics, design a world or choose an existing one (for example from a popular RPG setting). If you started with an element of the Body (“Eureka! I did it! I invented perfect mechanics of magic!

Farewell, condom waterballs!!!”), put a Soul inside. Find a story that will serve as a fuel for the mechanisms of the Body and let it unfold its possibilities.

Remember! Pick one: either Body to Soul, or Soul to Body.

Do not try to create your game by taking the cool ideas in your head and throwing them all in. Pick one first and carefully choose what to connect it with.

Open Door In the 90s, the GNS model – describing the ideas of gamism, narrativism, and simulationism – was defined[2].

Since then, many other theories on the players’ expectations emerged; nonetheless, I intend to take a closer look at this first one. In a brief, the GNS model defines three types of aims, realised within the following fields.

•

•

•

Gamism is about winning, completing as many tasks and quests as possible, achieving the highest status possible in the game, gaining points and levels.

Narrativism is about plot, epic scenes, a beautiful/ strange/mysterious (pick as needed) story, dialogues, moments, memories.

Symulationism is about immersion, jointly building a functioning world, sinking in, mood, atmosphere, the most faithful simulation of the game world possible.

There are not many players who like to pursue all of the above. However, even without going too deep into the topic of “Why do people play larps?”, it is easy to deduce that a game that caters to everyone does not exist. When designing a game, think about the element you want to

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focus on. Is it competition? Maybe the most important thing is the place of the game, which needs to create an exceptional atmosphere? Or maybe the players you expect to attend your larp prefer complex intrigues, like to meddle and scheme? As with other aspects of design, “purity” is also important here. Pick one of the three aspects (like narrativism) and supplement it with adequate elements from the other two. But do not forget what your focus is.

You need to decide if you want the players to (1) travel to another world (2) present your story in a spectacular way (3) have the opportunity to win the larp[3].

A very special offer for a very special day Why here and now? It is an important question, which I feel is often forgotten by many larp authors. It results in the use of clichés, as it is easiest to explain the characters’ presence in the game with some major event. Thus, when one decides to play a larp, they are most likely to see an engagement party, a wedding, the opening of a will, the election of a new leader, a holiday celebration, a market day, or a disaster.

Break away from this pattern. The moment when all the characters meet is extraordinary, because their paths crossed at some point in space and time. Yes, it was because of you. This is what makes this day so special. It does not need to be a wake or a royal election. A Thursday is good enough.

In the worst case Everyone knows that even the best larp can be spoiled by the players. It is a part of their nature – every Game Master knows as much. On the other hand, there are some exceptional individuals among them who can enrich the game more than anyone could ever expect. Now, it is time for a thought experiment. Imagine your game at the moment of an utter failure. What can go wrong? The answer is: possibly everything. The players completing their aims too soon or too late, “empty” quests, and incidental deaths destroying important sub-plots. Someone misunderstanding their tasks, important information not being discovered. Any of the above may happen at your game – you need to know and accept this. Design the scenario so as to know what to do, if (or rather: “when”) one of these disasters strikes.

Piotr Milewski Born in 1977. A Kashubian from Gdynia who remembers the Polish larp scene from before the Biblical Deludge. The brains behind and one of the founders of Hardkon Larp Festival and the FunReal Association. Likes the woods and the sea.

Now, before you are discouraged too much – imagine that your game plays out the best way possible.

Meaning: how?

This is extremely important: you need to know what you want.

Description, Knows, Wants, Has A game is composed of a scenario, scenography, a time and place, and players. Your means of communication with the latter is the element of a scenario we know as character sheets. The simplest and the most effective layout of a character sheet consist of four parts: •

•

•

•

Fabularized description. It should contain all the information and keywords that a player needs to build the character: past, dreams, personality traits, acquaintances. In other words – everything you think might be useful to the player during the game. The description is better if it is atmospheric and introduces the reader into the mood of the game.

Knows. In bullet points, present the character’s knowledge which may be important during the game.

For example: the character knows that (1) the countess has an affair with her butler (2) all Aquariuses are crazy by default (3) only Vestals can insert fuel rods into the reactor.

Wants. In bullet points, present the character’s tasks and other things that push them into action. For example: the character wants to (1) find the Fountain of Doubt (2) erase the famed celebrity harpist from our vale of sorrows (3) sell the key to the city gates for a good price.

Has. In bullet points, present the character’s possessions, all material objects they start the game with[4].

For example: the character has (1) the Jewel of Doom (2) a small silver teaspoon with engraved initials “E.N.” (3) 30 pieces of silver.

It feels like the “Knows”, “Wants”, and “Has” sections repeat the information that was already included in the description? Good. Experience shows that it is a good idea to communicate every important thing to the players at least twice. To be sure, repeat these again during the briefing.

Maybe the players will actually remember something.

The sad case of the Firewood-Collecting Woman VII The trap that may be dangerous even for the most experienced authors is the Perfect Plot. A truly outstanding idea for a game, with fail-safes in every possible spot. A game destined to success (or so it seems). Not only the leads, but the background characters and small extras seem to write themselves. However, among the thick fog of admiration for own work it is easy to forget about the most prominent characters of the larp – the players. A beautiful and complex vision may demand sacrifices that the players may not be necessarily ready to make. To your disappointment, they may not be so willing to play prisoners chained to walls and guards patrolling the walls for hours straight; they may not have the time of their lives playing an old woman whose only activity is gathering firewood and magical herbs for sale.

The biggest problem here is that a delighted author is usually surprised that he or she made such a game – as this news comes only after the larp is finished. It is true, one cannot notice it during writing the scenario, or even during running it.

Fortunately, there is a cure for that which can be applied during the next run. It is known as “from zero to hero”. After writing down all the character sheets, take a closer look at them and ask yourself one question. “Regardless of who will receive this role, is it possible that when the game ends this character will become the most prominent person in the larp?” If the answer is “No” – well. You need to fix it[5].

Star War Conflicts are the heart and soul of many games. However,

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designing a decent conflict structure is not an easy task.

Creating three opposing parties usually leads to a “two against one” alliance. If there is an even number of the sides to a conflict, the players – annoying as always – usually discard all logic of the setting and form really weird alliances... Which in turn leads to polarisation of the game – what is left are “Us and Them”. If the grand finale was supposed to include “the final 3 o’clock battle”, fine. If that is not the case, all the work put into designing every faction may be wasted.

The solution is a structure built of five groups, connected with two kinds of relations. Take a piece of paper and draw a regular pentagon, then put all the factions on its points.

In this model every faction has its allies as neighbours on the pentagon, and its opponents on the other side of the figure. As we can see, the situation is the same for everyone: our allies hate each other, and our opponents are allied against us. (Oh crap.) Such a conflict net is bound to confuse the naughty players and stop them from using the “Us vs. Them” solution[6].

Secret Math Can math help larp authors some more? Yes, it can. Now, let me reveal a secret: for many authors, 12 seems to be a magical number. Here are some examples of where it may be found.

• •

•

36

First, experience shows that one Game Master is needed for every twelve players.

Second, if the larp contains a Secret that should be revealed during the game, it should be known (apart from its main holder) by at least one in twelve players.

Third, if there are up to twelve players at the larp, there is no need for factions. If there are more people – group them. The factions should also be treated as characters of some kind. To avoid confusion, they may also be defined with the Description-KnowsWants-Has model. If there are more than 60 players in the game, it is a good idea to invent “over-factions” – powers that rule the world and group the factions, not single players. This way, the bigger the game, the more it resembles a multi-layered wedding cake.

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Turn your weaknesses into strengths In larps, some things are not possible. As we all know, magic just refuses to work and needs to be replaced with mechanics. We have to deal with this kind of situations all the time, although it is not always possible to find a larp substitute for everything. Solutions just keep getting stranger – thus, instead of searching for new ones, try to use the shortcomings of the real world as advantages in the fictional one. Try to adapt them into the plot. The rituals do not work? Maybe the gods are gone? Mages cannot cast spells? Maybe something blocks the mana flow? No children and old people in the village? Where did they go?...

Everything may become an inspiration. And the stranger it looks at first, the more original the effect you can get.

Do not fool yourself. If something is missing from the larp, the players will notice, regardless of how hard you try to conceal it. The only thing you can do is to pretend that it is missing on purpose.

Set yourself free The last rule is: break the rules. What I presented above is by no means the only right way. This is what I try to stick to when writing my own games. Most of these rules are the results of my evaluation of my own painful mistakes.

While reading other publications or books on writing games[7] you will find more of such rules. If you adhere to them – your games will become better. Maybe even, and I wish you that, really good.

However, if it proves to be not enough for you, and your ambitions include creating something really extraordinary, there is one thing you can do. Break a rule. Hell, break several of them. This is the only way to set yourself free and “correct” games which may come dangerously close to being bleak and easily forgotten.

At some point, writing and running larps will become attractive only if it resembles riding a really high wave or sailing during a storm, in a Beaufort 12 wind. We both know it well, you and me. Why do we do it?

Because we may fail.

Piotr Milewski

Author’s Notes [1] Here, please treat the terms “artisan” and “artist” as model rhetorical figures, without much ado about the actual nature of the larp craft and art.

[2] John Kim, “Revisiting the Threefold Model”. Wyrd Con Companion Book, 2012.

[3] My request to you, for the sake of the whole larping community: do not play your own games. Do not create the most important Background Character for yourself. Let it go.

Do not even think about it. Please.

[4] A common mistake here is the misinterpretation of what a character “has”. Do not write: “Has: to marry Henry” – this belongs to the “Wants” section, if it is a voluntary decision. Otherwise, it may be: “Knows: her father wants her to marry Henry”. Likewise, instead of writing: “Has: the access code to Section 4”, change it into: “Knows: the access code to Section 4 is 888”.

[5] A really terrible variation on this mistake is a game which is based on a lie. After it is finished, the GM tells the players that is was actually about something totally different than what it appeared to be. It was all a dream, or they were just shattered pieces of a psychopathic murderer’s mind, or they were just a reflection in a magical mirror hanging in the throne room which shows various possible futures.

Please. Do not write such games.

[6] The best-known example of such a conflict model is presented on the Magic: The Gathering cards. In my opinion it is a obligatory source for everyone who is at least a bit serious about writing games.

[7] I especially recommend The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell.

Editor’s and Translator’s Notes [I] Jacek Dukaj, Stanisław Lem, Marek S. Huberath – acclaimed Polish science fiction writers.

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Introduction to Players’ Free Will Management

O

ne of the larpwrights’ greatest challenges is managing the players’ behaviour in such a way that (1) the artistic agenda of the game is fulfilled (2) the players’ immersion is not interrupted too often by the GM’s direct communication.

There are numerous methods for managing the progress of a scenario, most of them emerging from the GM’s experience: character sheets, hints for players, workshops.

These are all tools aiming to direct the players’ decisions to be consistent with the author’s intentions.

Most of them rely on the GM’s most powerful tool – communication. Literally each and every idea or scene may be executed via communication (written or oral) between the author and the player, the best example being theatre (where the director’s vision is realized in almost 100%).

The following article aims to present several theses and tools consequential to them, which allow to manage the participants’ decisions on a level different than direct communication.

for example, use proper scenography to induce real fear (even if the player knows it is all just a game), or recognize characters in the players who act them out.

Most of the tools that are used to control the plot progress are connected to communication on the Author – Player level (character sheets) and Character – Diegesis level (relations to other characters), as well as to the Character structure (the character’s personality and aims), while sensory stimuli manipulation is limited to sight (scenography) and hearing (soundtrack). Other chain links usually stay the same.

However, not only the most popular, but every link presented on Graph 1 (the author included) may be used to create game experience and manage players’ decisions. To prove this thesis I will include a short list of sample operations that may be used in the case of every presented chain link: •

Communication The basic tool for building the plot for a larp is the Author – Player communication. It may be one-way (like giving out ready-made character sheets) or two-way (like creating character sheets by basing on the players’ ideas). The vision communicated to a player submits to interpretation in the form of decisions made during acting out the character, and these decisions are constantly influenced by emotions, when feedback and bleed appear[1]. A character created this way communicates with the diegetic environment[2] via language, senses, non-verbal messages etc.

It should be noted that all the sensory stimuli and diegetic messages pass through the character filter and they are adequately reinterpreted before they reach the player’s consciousness. Thanks to this phenomenon we are able to,

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•

The author with their attitude creates expectations of the game, which influence playing style. For example, if one creates an image of an author who frequently uses pyrotechnics, they subconsciously encourage the players to invest in their own pyrotechnic materials for the game, even if it is not advised[3]. In essence, the whole process of manipulating the “author” element is based on marketing.

The Author – Player Communication may take various forms. The more specific the guidelines, the more predictable the player’s behaviour. The less permanent the medium of communication (for example, an oral message instead of a written one), the smaller the chance to reproduce the information, which decreases the predictability of the player’s behaviour. Communication may occur during the game (like giving out subsequent pieces of character sheet)[4] or not occur at all until a specific moment (a player begins the game before they know it)[5].

Dominik Dembinski (Lower)German-(Upper)Silesian larp author, president of Liveform Association, and libertarian politician. Studies management. In his free time he learns foreign languages, trains kung fu, and brews beer in his family’s brewery – “Wrzos” in Ustroń. He is best known for the New Age series as well as the scenarios All My Loving and Star Wars: Creed of Ruin, the latter awarded on Złote Maski in 2012. Founder of Larpbase (www.larpbase.pl). His motto is: “Cinematic! Heroic!

Spectacular!”

•

•

•

•

The player may be instructed during workshops and introduced to source materials and inspirations. It is possible to influence their actual needs (like hunger or the need for sleep) in order to provoke desired actions during the game. It is also possible to use their personal relations to other players or ideas in order to create unstable sub-plots (if we create in-game friendship between two players who hate each other, we can predict that at some point the players’ feelings win and the friendship will crumble).

The process of interpreting the character by the player is mostly dependent on the player’s playing style (good references include the GNS theory[6], the Threefold Model[7], and the multi-tier game immersion theory[8]). It may be altered by clearly stating the desired playing style, as well as used to predict characters’ behaviour (when we know the players’ playing styles).

Bleed and feedback process is a very powerful tool to induce real emotions. Knowing a player and their experiences allows the author to introduce deliberate associations and emotions into the game in order to evoke bleed. One of the easiest tools used on this level is time flow modification[9].

The character is the chain link most often submitted to changes and innovations. Among the formal techniques the most interesting ones are (1) the possibility of assigning more than one character to the player (the relation between the player’s characters may become a tool to control the progress of the game) (2) manipulating the distance between the player and their character (the smaller the distance, meaning the more the character resembles the player, the closer the character’s decisions to the ones the player would make)[10]. Another important tool connected to the character is its role as a “filter”. Everything that the player sees, hears, and feels is filtered through the character’s attributes. A proper choice of the latter allows the author to effectively manage the player’s decisions – for example, if we write a deep fear of

•

•

spiders into the character, and place a desired object in a jar full of spiders, we may predict that the player will seek help in obtaining the item.

Senses constitute one of the main tools for diegesis perception (along with solely imagined information).

What is implemented to manipulate this aspect of information flow are scenography and soundtrack, with the latter used less often, which engage the senses of sight and hearing. However, the senses of smell, taste, and touch may be effectively used as well – especially when connected to plot-relevant information. For example, all the evidence in an investigation may have the same smell[11], and tastes may be used in mechanics[12]. It would be a very interesting idea to adapt the communicative medium to the players’ colour perception (like parts of information visible only to daltonists).

Character – Diegesis communication is (on the face of it) the last chain link of the information flow. It may be effectively manipulated by limiting the number of languages used by a character (for example, if several characters at the larp speak only Spanish, and the remaining majority speak Polish, it is predictable that users of the same language will interact more often).

Apart from such natural tools, more artificial rules of communication with the surroundings may be set, for example the necessity of wearing a proper outfit to access particular game areas.

The layers concept Up to this point, the presented solutions were mostly based on real experience or very fundamental understanding of the internal construction of larps. The mechanism behind these tools is very simple – splitting the process into basic components and performing a thought experiment on each of them: is it possible to use this element to influence a player’s behaviour, preferably without them being aware of it?

Although it is not difficult in the case of basic elements, I

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Free Will Management Graph 1

would like to propose a thesis that by breaking these components into even smaller parts we can find more limited, but also more precise tools for manipulation.

via fluctuations of immersion level some player’s features may be bleeding into the character. It is a phenomenon which may be effectively used to construct a scenario.

This thesis is easiest to present using the two probably most important chain links: the player and the character.

Let us imagine two characters, friends, played by two players who really hate each other. Most possibly, in the beginning, when the level of players’ involvement in the scenario is still high, the relation between the characters will take precedence over this of the players. However, after several hours, the players’ exhaustion and subconscious decisions may cause the level of involvement and immersion to fall – thus making players’ personalities influence characters’ decisions more. In such situation, the relation between the characters will probably change as well, adopting the real-life status into the diegesis. I personally experienced the reversed situation (real-life friendship connecting ingame enemies) many times.

Graph 2 analyses the Character and the Player, starting with their affiliation to an assembly of groups, through internal features specific for the individual in question, up to subconsciousness and the limits of a physical body. Some of these features are only relevant for the player or the character, others are common and theoretically inseparable. The presented division is merely an example. Depending on the adopted criterion, such analyses may be performed for every component of a larp (a full psychological or sociological analysis could be especially interesting).

The layers concept application It is easiest to present the layers concept by using several examples.

Management via related elements All the elements within the analysed process are connected to one another via more or less obvious relations. Such elements may be, for example, the player and their character. Apart from the relation based on interpretation, bleed, and feedback, many other relations may be distinguished.

Ideally, the player, when taking up the role of their character, renounces own self, motivations, or values to adopt these of the character.

With time, consequences of this division are changed and

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Such manipulation of the immersion level and assigning proper characters to the players allow the scenario to include significant changes that will happen without the players’ knowledge thanks to using simple tools on a different level than usual.

Management via manipulation on related layers level Within particular elements it is possible to distinguish a number of layers, constituting a whole. It is especially visible in the case of players and characters and the psychological and physiological processes that occur inside them, as well as their affiliation to larger groups. However, there is nothing to stop us from using the same mechanism in the case of other elements.

Dominik Dembinski

A good example of using a relation between layers is a group of characters that have a leader. Informing the leader about a group mission causes the whole group to be directed in a predictable way (the aim – making a group of characters follow the author’s intention without any direct form of contact – is fulfilled for the whole group sans the leader).

Apart from moving the message on the author → character line from the non-diegetic to the diegetic level, manipulation on related layers level also allows the author to use scenario-building tools on the layers dependent on the features primary to the analysed element. Sample usage of layers concept may be adapting the riddles at the larp to the knowledge and skills of specific players. If one of the players knows C++ programming, planting key information inside a computer code guarantees that their character gets the information first and passes it to other players according to motivations set by the author. Similarly, it is possible to transfer this concept to physical abilities or cultural code.

evident and hidden relations between groups and their members, and for players – to picture their likes and dislikes, expectations, experiences, or similarities in playing styles.

By overlaying graphs picturing different levels of the larp we may (at least in theory) enrich the game with various motivations and predict decisions while keeping the players in the dark. Examples include: •

•

The multilayered larp structure concept One of the most powerful tools for building a larp and giving it structure are graphs – the visualisation of relations between characters. The mathematical definition of a graph is: Graph is – in simple words – a group of vertices (nodes), which may be connected by edges in such a way that every edge begins and ends with a vertex.

(Source: “Graf (Matematyka)”, http://pl.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Graf_(matematyka))[I] In the case of larps, nodes usually represent characters (although they may just as well represent groups, factions, players, and even phenomena), and edges picture relations between them (it may be simple binary records of positive and negative relations, directed arrows, descriptions, or value sets). The graph theory was discussed in detail in the article “Larp as complex networks: measurable quantities of larp and their uses” in the Knudepunkt 2007 publication Lifelike.

Graph theory may be used for more than just evident relations between characters: graphs may be constructed for

•

Strengthening a relation is possible by, for example, recreating a real-life relation in the in-game one. Ingame friends will share a stronger and more stable bond if they are played by actual friends. It is the same with enemies, lovers, or total strangers (after all, the pleasure of meeting a new person may be successfully transferred to a larp level).

Weakening a relation is based on choosing such relations on specific layers (not necessarily on the Player – Character level) so that the relation between two characters is weakened. For example, a bond between two in-game friends affiliated with two different religious groups (not actively acting against each other, but unfriendly) will probably be easier to break than in the absence of a weakening factor.

A scripted change in relation builds a stronger dissonance between layers. Examples include the already-given situation of two enemies playing friends, but also pairing a player with strong gamist tendencies (and aware of that) with a typical narrativist. Possibly, in the key moment, their motivations will drive them apart (probably when a question raises if they should do something very unspectacular, but awarded with some sort of points).

However, implementing such techniques while writing a larp scenario is quite a challenge. We rarely create games with layers overlapping (in such an intentional way) within the individual and group aspect, and even more in the context of the Player – Character relation. Nonetheless, realizing that it is possible may help the larp author to use relations between layers as a tool. Another potential shortcut are model structures.

Model structures – the Pentagram With a graph picturing the relations between characters

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Free Will Management Graph 2 and some imagination it is not difficult to predict how the social structure will change over the course of the larp. As the scenario authors we know more or less if during the game each character will have the chance to talk with everyone, if there will be any obstacles to such contact, and if the form of the competition between the groups facilitates exchanging their members. However, very often it is the author’s intention to build a web of relations stable enough for specific changes to bring predictable results.

One of the most popular model structures is a pentagram (Graph 3), used for example in Mellem Kansler & Krone[13], my own scenario All My Loving, and even in the popular card game Magic: The Gathering[14]. It is very stable and resilient to external factors, because it is based on a very simple assumption: a friend of my friend is my enemy. As it is presented in the picture, the outer edges of the figure represent positive relations, and the internal connections – negative ones. Such a structure results in direct aggression being equally unprofitable to everyone, as it includes the risk of losing an ally and the possibility of an alliance of two different factions against the attacking party (for a shared ally, cooperating to protect themselves from an aggressor is usually easier to accept than initiating aggression).

However, it is enough to change one positive relation into a negative one for the pentagram to instantly become two groups (2 factions each) fighting over an alliance with the last, undecided faction. Such a manoeuvre is easy to perform (for example, by introducing a key piece of information to the game that changes this relation), as well as can be scripted (for example, by connecting two players unfriendly to each other with a friendly relation). Of course, it may also work in the reverse way – a negative relation may change into a positive one, although the effect (on the face of it) seems to be much less spectacular.

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10 Permutations of a Square Of course, in order to be predictable, the graph in question does not necessarily need to be symmetric. The fewer nodes, the easier it is to successfully predict players’ decisions and cause specific events to occur during the game without communicating them directly.

A good example of using graphs in such a way is a square – and the ten models of relations that may be based on it. The green lines represent positive relations, and the black lines – negative ones.

To stimulate imagination I took the liberty of giving names to specific permutations: (1) Federation, (2) Little Feud, (3) The Grumbler, (4) Romeo and Juliet, (5) The Fellowship of the Ring, (6) Deathmatch, (7) Alliance, (8) Common Enemy, (9) Two Parties, (10) Status Quo. The knowledge of such sample graphs and associating them with specific situations may be a great help with predicting and conditioning players’ decisions when building multilayered relation structures for a larp. For

Dominik Dembinski

Grapgh 3

Graph 6

Grapth 7

Graph 8

example, if we create two sets of relations for each character (one public and one hidden), it is most probable that as time passes the public set will be replaced with the hidden set by slow revelation of the actual relations and the decisions made to fulfill the character’s true aims.

Although in its pure form such a structure is unprofitable, in the case of multilayered scenario construction it causes the deep (or the highest) layers, after long negotiations and frequent relation changes, to break through – which leads the scenario in a relatively predictable direction.

The rotating triangle

Thus, it is possible to stop the process of “the rotating triangle” by significantly changing the power balance (increasing one party’s strength) or the number of factions (merging or diving the existing ones, adding new groups from the outside, or removing some from the game).

For most graphs the basic element is a triangle (Graph 5; of course, there are numerous models not based on triangles, like the Grötzsch graph, however, at this moment I lack expertise to discuss them). Contrary to what seems obvious, it does not help in building stable relations. In the case of power imbalance, using a triangle leads to permanent change to a simpler (bipolar) or more complex (square) structure, while in the case of three equal, conflicted factions it causes the players to build perpetually-changing bipolar relations with varying conflict points[15].

6+ Structures Pentagram is not the biggest predictable symmetric structure that may be used in a larp. Hexagrams[16] (Graph 6), heptagrams (Graph 7), octagrams (Graph 8), as well as bigger structures, are also predictable to some extent,

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Free Will Management

Graph 4

Grapth 5

although the precision in descriptions decreases with every new vertex. A common feature of symmetric 6+ structures (with “symmetric” meaning that the number of negative and positive relations is the same for each character) is the growing number of negative relations (to be clear, in the structures presented in this article the inner connections are always negative, but other constructions may be also effective).

What is important here is that some negative relations are not limited by the existence of a common ally, which definitely quickens the conflict escalation and facilitates breaking the structure and reducing it to the ones presented earlier (for example by the creation of two-faction alliances). As in the case of a triangle, the direction and pace of dissolution are mostly determined by the structures on other levels. It should be remembered that if a structure on any level was neither defined nor introduced by the author, it will appear by itself, driven by the features, motivations, and relations of the players.

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the author’s intent and without the players’ knowledge of any manipulation of their behaviour.

The possibilities go much further than manipulation on the level of relations and motivations. Placing larp locations by basing on the availability of resources and limited physical condition of the players, or adjusting the event plan to their biological clock, taking into consideration the level of involvement changing with time – these are just two of many options of building a larp plot with tools other than communication.

Summary

Of course, the validity of using these methods depends solely on the idea behind the game, but if the aim is to create an amazing story (and such is the aim of most of my larps, written accordingly to the guidelines of the cinematic school[17]), every tool that helps to direct the story in a way unnoticeable for the players is very valuable.

If that is not the case, “Introduction to Players’ Free Will Management” should be treated as a presentation of one of many ways to perceive larp construction and analyse its elements to create new theories and tools.

The proposed method of analysing communication at larps, breaking distinctive chain links into integrative layers, and the presented tools for managing complex relation networks on specific layers – it all served a specific purpose, namely introducing the reader to one of many methods to control the plot progress in accordance with

To sum up, I would like for this article to remind the reader of one thing, regardless of their opinion on the methods presented: at the centre of a larp there is always the player.

A live person, who finally decides on how the game progresses.

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Dominik Dembinski

Author’s Notes

[16] Dominik Dembinski, All My Loving (director’s cut), 2013.

[1] Bleed – a phenomenon of emotions “bleeding over” between a player and their character.

[17] Dominik Dembinski, “Block-Bust Your Larp!”. KOLA 2013 publication, ed. J. Tabisz. Trans. M. Otto, D.K. Trojanowska. Wrocław 2013.

[2] Diegesis – all the elements treated as real during the game.

[3] Liveform Association, New Age: Honor of the North, 2013, http://www.liveform.pl [4] Dominik Dembinski, “Jak napisać larpa inaczej”, 2010. http://larpbase.pl/?p=1207 [5] Project Jericho – In Vitro / Lust for blood, 2011. http://www. heldentrutz.de/projekt-jericho-wir-laden-ein/ [6] Ron Edwards, “GNS and other Matters of Role-Playing theory”, 2001. http://www.indie-rpgs.com/articles/1/ [7] “The Threefold Model”, http://www.darkshire.net/~jhkim/ rpg/theory/threefold/

Editor’s and Translator’s Notes [I] Due to the article on the English Wikipedia being structured differently, the quote is a direct translation from the Polish version.

Sources Bruun J. et al. “Larp as Complex Networks: Measurable Quantities of Larp and Their Uses”, Lifelike, 2007 Bujniewski R. et al. All My Loving. Larp: Myśli i Szkice, 2012

[8] J. Tuomas Harviainen, “The multi-tier game Immersion Theory”. As larp grows up, 2003.

Chmielewski K., “Eksperyment o trójkątach”, GKF larp workshops, 2013

[9] Dominik Dembinski, “Czasoprzestrzeń w larpach”. Larp: Myśli i Szkice, 2012. http://larpbase.pl/?p=952

Dembinski D., “Jak napisać larpa inaczej”, 2010. http://larpbase.pl/?p=1207

[10] Robert Bujniewski et al. All My Loving. Larp: Myśli i Szkice, 2012.

Dembinski D., “Czasoprzestrzeń w larpach”. Larp: Myśli i Szkice, 2012. http://larpbase.pl/?p=952

[11] Liveform Association, New Age: Krwawi Rekruci, 2012, http://www.liveform.pl

Dembinski D., “Uniwersalne mechaniki larpowe”. Larp: Myśli i Szkice, 2012. http://larpbase.pl/?p=954

[12] Dominik Dembinski, „Uniwersalne mechaniki larpowe”.

Larp: Myśli i Szkice, 2012. http://larpbase.pl/?p=954

Edwards R. „GNS and Other Matters of Role-Playing Theory”. http://www.indie-rpgs.com/articles/1/

[13] Casper Gronemmann, Between Chanselor and Crown. Do larp, 2011.

Harviainen J. T., “The Multi-Tier Game Immersion Theory”, As Larp Grows Up, 2003.

[14] Magic: The Gathering. Color Pie. http://wiki.mtgsalvation. com/article/Color_Pie

“The Threefold Model”, http://www.darkshire.net/~jhkim/rpg/ theory/threefold/

[15] Krzysztof Chmielewski, “Eksperyment o trójkątach”, GKF larp workshops, 2013.

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Trade at Outdoor Larps

A

simple question: why introduce trade and economy mechanisms into big outdoor larps? The answer: for the same reason plots are written and sub-plots built. They are supposed to give characters opportunities for many interesting interactions with the game environment, mainly with other characters.

This is the general idea. To dig into details, larpwrights working on outdoor games (including me as the plot writer for Fantazjada) are very eager to use money as a motivating factor: “Complete this quest, and you’ll get a chest of gold!”, or “Don’t let them catch you red-handed or you’ll pay a high fine!”. We are taught to do so by literature, films, video games. Great, but if it is supposed to work, money should be actually worth something in the game.

Unfortunately, the authors usually ignore this issue and players have to imagine – make an assumption – that the financial trophies or fines are actually important for their characters.

In theory, a properly build economy would play by itself, without much attention from the authors. “The most beautiful plans are those that fulfill themselves”[1].

One of the key aspects is finding at least several players willing to play merchants. There is this stupid idea going around that “merchants have nothing interesting to do”.

I played one, and I think running a stall is fun enough. But what to do, if people are stubborn in their idea that it is not? Although I am not very eager to do so, I guess “something interesting to do” could be added – for example, involving merchants into a very visible political sub-plot, so that their characters gain in popularity. It is probably what the larpwrights working on Flamberg call “trinkets”.

From a technical point of view, trade needs a currency, money. At least it is cooler to play with them, than only with barter. Is it not fun to slip a greenback into a larp courtesan’s decolletage? You cannot really do that with a bundle of marten pelts. But seriously, cash has many advantages. A character can be given a pouch of “gold” and

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ta-dah: they are rich, we do not have to find three townhouses to give them. If only the said character looked adequately prosperous, but that is another issue.

What suits fantasy genre are coins, best if minted according to a special pattern. However, the cost of making them is horrendous. Special equipment you need to maintain, material, cutting out small discs, a week of hard hammering work... Just for people to steal all of that! Excuses are so simple: “Just this one, to remember the larp by...” What I suggest is beating some sense into players, and making them aware how much this stuff costs – preferably using a minting hammer.

Several types of coins, each of different size – sensible and cool. Just do not be tempted by complex conversions!

Sometimes players cannot remember their own characters’ names, and math is even worse. If you resign from simple decimal system, do it for a good reason. At Fantazjada, we set five copper coins for one silver, and twenty-five silver coins for one gold – it was aimed at making silver the most common means of payment. The reason?

Silver is easily represented by cheap aluminium, and gold by brass. Paradoxically, the most expensive ones to produce are copper coins, made of actual copper. And because props go missing on quite a large scale, it is sensible for the in-game prices to easily “ascend” from copper to silver level, and go further to gold level with difficulties.

If we have budget problems, we look for “substitute coins” – sequins or bottle caps. Whatever it is, it should be of sensible size, the size of a coin. Picking out money with tweezers is no fun.

Organisational tip for handing out starting money to players: get each person a simple sandwich bag, throw their stuff in, stick a name tag on, and sort it alphabetically at check-in. Not so long ago I saw these sorted by faction – if they were handed out to faction leaders, it would be kind of okay, but instead these were personally handed out to

Kamil Rauch Fantazjada larpwright. A heartfelt enthusiast of playing simple country boys while the world is being saved – if only at an outdoor larp. The story goes that his beard allows him to manipulate the weather, better still, to eat players alive.

each player, and the helpers had to dig through the piles each time. It is because of such silly stuff we always have to wait in queues.

Among the goods traded during larps, the most obvious one is food. Demand for food does not need to be stimulated, it is enough to spread information about its availability. An in-game pub is great, but even a small stand with apples and carrots is fine. Non-obvious snacks include, for example, sunflower seeds and mints for refreshing larp mouths. Here I remind you what this article is about.

I describe the in-game trade. I will not write about feeding players at games where food is included in the price of the event, and postulates for “equal availability” are pointless.

I will not discuss trading “for real money” at a larp either, this is an issue totally separate from the in-game economy.

Second position among the most popular things to buy are mechanics stuff, gadgets used for “winning the larp”. Kind of sad. Here we have, for example, fantasy alchemical mixtures. In post-apo it may be, analogically, “painkillers” increasing battle prowess. Different genres, but technology substitutes magic and the other way round. These are kind of “game breakers”.

Regardless of the setting, players may also be keen on buying (1) bandages (2) toilet paper (3) stationery (4) rope, strings, safety pins, threads and needles (5) various containers for liquids and small stuff, bags, purses (6) weapons and ammunition used in-game, although this means stocking a lot of props (7) lighters, matches, tobacco in various forms, alcohol. Of course, the very last item depends on the policy adopted by the organizers of the specific event, from complete prohibition to free-for-all, drunk-driving motorcycles in wilderness. Sometimes the plot creates other, specific “goods”, for example political privileges, the right to vote etc.

Economy is also fueled by services; unfortunately, I do not know many examples of them being successful. An

extreme case are mercenary warriors. No-one sensible would hire a stranger to fight for them, and what if they were paid to get rid of me? Also, if someone needs an additional muscle, they simply invite their friends to the game.

Seriously, let us leave mercenaries to low-class writers.

More successful services include, to list just a few (1) making henna tattoos (2) “world’s oldest profession”, regardless how it is acted out at the larp (3) postal service, if it is well-organised (I am not going to delve into details here, larp post deserves a separate article) (4) services demanded by the mechanics, like “fixing equipment damaged in battle”. Unfortunately, these are often ruined by the players who simply do not care. Armourers and gunsmiths have much less work to do than the number of battles would suggest. And it increases symbolism, as usually the armour is not actually “pierced all the way through”, our smith usually just pretends to “smoothen the dents”.

The list of playable goods and services is not very long, is it? Let us hope it grows with time.

A small organisational tip regarding marketplace or other trade locations: do not hang any price-lists for everyone to see. Asking about the price is a great conversational starter, a potential client needs to interact with the seller, the game is on. And remember – whatever you place among the goods, it will not come back to you. An item put on a stand may not only be bought, but also stolen, destroyed, whatever. Labeling it as “off game” may not work.

It is also not okay to say, “I will sell it to you in-game, but give it back after the larp”. It destroys the atmosphere, disturbs the game, is improper and ineffective. Counting on the other person to fulfill such a request is a case of naivete bordering gullibility. Although it is more common that the player is too lazy to look for the owner than them really wanting to keep the item, but it is irrelevant for the suffering party.

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Trade at Outdoor Larps

I think it is also fine to encourage players (also those who do not play actual merchants) to introduce their own goods into the game. It is an incentive to play trade. In particular, avoid discouraging the players with complex mechanics regulating how many buttons and matches one can buy for their “Equipment Points”. Starting cash amount based on character creation rules makes it difficult to settle trade issues. There is nothing to be afraid of, the scale will be small, at least at first. Most of the players will simply skimp money, the real one. No-one (or almost no-one) will be eager to trade, for example, boffer weapons, at least not nice ones. These require time and money to prepare.

Players are more likely to bring some snacks to sell.

Of course, there are some items that players should never bring into the game without the larpwrights’ knowledge and consent. These include all kinds of “artifacts” whose effects they made up on their own, or a pouch of “gems” that exceed the starting money of their character. Such a person does not want to play with trade, they want to power up. There are many powergamers out there.

I once found on the net a request from an organiser of an outdoor game, no matter which one, for the participants not to bring their own food or drinks. No, it was not an “all inclusive” game, where it is usually agreed that participants get something, as they paid for that. In this game, they were supposed to get everything in-game. Or not. After all, it is possible for someone to eat from your bowl and drink from your cup, in-game.

It is not even about the influence of such a request on trade, it was not a larp with strong in-game economy. But the request itself, well... I would never suggest that. I understand the temptation to motivate players with hunger and thirst, these two are undoubtedly effective. And I do not feel obliged to lead them by the hand for a meal or cut their health points when they do not eat their dinner as all good kids do, both true stories from other games (seriously!). A sensible person preparing for a game lasting several hours takes some food with them. But if someone would pass out after a mere suggestion not to bring any drinks and food, I would feel really bad. As Mikołaj Wicher wrote in his article, “play with food shortage, but not with complete lack of food”[2].

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Once, the flow of food was played on at a Sorontar larp.

Food, introduced by the organizers, was divided between various locations: bread here, sausages there, beer elsewhere... It was aimed to stimulate the movements of trading caravans and bartering. I like the idea. Unfortunately, I did not partake in that larp nor did I see how it played out, and the mileages vary. According to someone, it worked great, whatever it may mean, another person says that the system was flawed and caused constant problems with food. Either way, I see a problem here. An inn serving hot meals for in-game money would destroy this system.

Why go around and collect cold food, if there is a hot meal ready and available? And giving up on the possibility of introducing an inn is a shame – it really makes a game more attractive.

What is promising are various mechanics of “collecting resources”. These are aimed to make it possible to earn in-game money, as well as to encourage players to move around instead of sitting comfortably in one location. Organizers may need to introduce a special spot where a given resource is bought. The participants will not buy any coal or sand out of their own accord – why should they?

A good example of a resource is lead. It may be easily melted in the fire and used to introduce casting molds – an in-game “craft” which does not demand any professional skills. Yeah, I know, toxic fumes. Just do not breathe it in.

Such an amateur founder creates a market for lead hidden somewhere in the forest. And artificial demand, the buying point, moves up a level – for the whole thing to make sense someone needs to buy the ready cast as well (lead ornaments made in field are not really desirable).

In the magazine Larper (possibly when it was still called Kurier Kemocki) I found an idea to use styrofoam as a resource. Its pieces were supposed to symbolize stones and coal. I find it silly. There is some sense in pretending that a piece of foam is a sword – we do not want to really kill each other. However, in this case there is no need for such symbolism – a stone may be just a stone. Where is the satisfaction in fetching a piece of styrofoam from a faraway border of game area? Are larpers afraid of sweat? Well, sometimes they are. I saw many examples of this. So, if any idea based on transporting heavy stuff is to work, the main conditions are voluntariness and profitability. If players want to make money on it, they will. No stress.

Kamil Rauch

It is a clever idea to use herbs available on the game area (except those under protection) as ingredients of useful mixtures prepared according to various alchemy mechanics. The advantage is that the organizers do not have to buy, stock and hand out any stuff. Especially, as practice shows, since herbs are often used up faster than we assumed and we should re-stock, which demands time and people that we cannot really spare.

A very interesting mechanism was used at the last edition of Ziemie Jałowe[I], namely the so-called “hobby”. First, the organizers placed some junk around the “wastelands”.

To differentiate it from normal rubbish, they labeled it with stickers. Then, the authors gave some characters an inclination to collect a specific kind of stuff that was lying around: books, CDs, stuffed toys... A closer look shows us a typical mechanism of resource collection: I go out there and gather stuff that I cannot really use myself, but which I can sell. It worked pretty well. In practice, people gathered the stuff, brought it to a merchant (me in this particular case), asked about other things, I saved money for them, tried to haggle... I guess it was fueled by two things, namely (1) the presence of at least one functioning stall – after all, people invented marketplaces so that sellers and buyers do not have to search for one another (2) the players taking the mechanism seriously, not simply ignoring it.

Neuroshima[II] fans hold the idea of “collecting gamble” dear, get the idea, so they played on it. It would not have worked so well in a fantasy game.

Vehicles (e.g. a quad) were used at Ziemie Jałowe as well.

They could be potentially very significant for the game, if its area was vast enough. I wonder how it would have played out to treat gas as a resource (hardly) available in the game? Maybe I will find out some other time – in that case the problem of gas was “cut” from the larp.

At least twice I witnessed efforts to build artificial “dependency chains” that were supposed to build further trade interactions. An example: a player running the ingame cafe has to buy coal from the mine of firewood from a wood gatherer in order to light a fire and brew coffee for clients. It is purely symbolic as in fact they make coffee in the backroom, using modern electric appliances. Or in a different, less symbolic way: our coffee brewer cannot use the coffee they brought to the larp, but has to buy it

in-game from a merchant caravan. The problem is that usually nothing works properly on a larp, including delivery. And? A guy who came here to brew people coffee, talk to them and create an atmosphere, has to close the business for several hours? Not play at all, because merchant caravans and wood gatherers preferred to go and kill some dragons? Come on...

I think my point is clear. Building “dependency chains” is fine, but not if it can be detrimental to some fun element.

If we put a lot of work and money into making an inn, it is unacceptable for them not to make stew because “orcs robbed the merchants and the food is gone!” Orcs may, at the very best, rob “yeast for the booze” (meaning, citric acid added to water). Without “booze” the inn will still be functioning, and can give someone the quest to retrieve the “yeast”.

I see some potential in taxes – if we are playing with economy, they are a really obvious thing to use. Just do not forget the aim – fun. I saw a larp tax collection where the taxpayers were supposed to show up at a specific place and pay. What surprised me was that instead of boycotting it, they actually showed up... Just to burn in the sun while they were waiting in the queue to the one official that worked there. Fun, right?... It is another question if paying the tax (or not) actually has any impact on the game.

I surely hope it did.

Up until now I have had one successful attempt in this area – a toll paid at a gate to a certain location. It is mainly aimed to secure fun for the guards. If they have no initiative, the newcomers usually pass them by without even a word as if they were not even there. And this way – here you go, there is money to be paid, there is interaction here, the game is on. The danger here is blocking the players’ movements. The toll must be adequate and its rate regulated as needed.

Another difficult task is to create a general pricelist of goods and services, which would serve as a starting point for the in-game trade or assigning starting money to characters. It is all about players “feeling” the value of every coin, and at the same time about them having access to various available goods. Not necessarily from the start – they need some motivation to get more money after all.

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Trade at Outdoor Larps

I heard an opinion that a larp pricelist should be realistic and more or less relevant to the real-life prices. It makes no sense. At a typical outdoor larp many needs are fulfilled completely outside the game: long journeys, accommodation, food (at least to some extent), everyday items, clothes, shoes, weapons... So economical realism is hard to exercise. Besides, to my mind, realistic prices add no value to the game itself. I prefer for the prices, and trade in consequence, to foster interaction. This is their aim.

ulterior motives. Some people are ready to sacrifice others’ fun, and maybe even their own, to get a desired toy.

What is more, it is a murder on trading interactions. True, money will not lose its value. It will rise so much that players will stop spending money completely, just to get a bit closer to Wonder Bracers. I hear a similar situation took place at an airsoft game Afgaraq. At one point the whole economy stopped, because everyone started saving money for a nuclear bomb that was suddenly put on market.

I think the only sensible way to adjust the pricelist is... By trial and error. Set the values as you think, after the game check if there was too much or too little money, correct with the next edition, taking into account the changes in services or goods – the bigger the variety, the more valuable the coin.

While we are discussing semi-economical topics, I also want to share a stock exchange mechanism that actually worked pretty well at a big outdoor game. It does not actually have much in common with a real stock exchange.

The mechanism is extremely simple, which makes it pretty stable and does not demand much attention from the organizers during the game. We introduce some enterprises, virtual ones. We make up the value rates of shares. It is fixed, no game events may influence it. Group A gets incomplete information about the fate of an enterprise, Group B gets the missing pieces. During the game a hint is given how they are supposed to find one another to jointly predict the share value change. Interaction occurs, that was the plan. Simple.

From an organizational point of view, it is better for the players at the beginning to get less. Then, it is easier to divide money among the starting sets, it is cheaper and faster to prepare props. That does not have to mean characters are “poorer”, it depends on adjusting the prices. Besides, it is easier to introduce additional money (for example via new quests) during the larp than take it away. Although the latter is also possible. An interesting way to take away some excess money is by organizing auctions. These will not consume any fixed sums, but the surplus we want to get rid of.

During the last hours of the game, the “End of the World Effect” comes into play. One of its symptoms is the decrease in the in-game value of money. Players tend to think, “Oh gosh, the game is coming to an end. These funny little discs will cease to be money any minute now! I’d better spend it all, when I can still get something for them!”

Of course, their character would never do that. From their perspective, life goes on. But since when do larpers play their characters consistently and till the very end? One of the larping milieu personas, FlapJack, recently shared with me his idea on how to avoid this problem: introducing a cool gadget which would cost tons of in-game money, which would be worth saving for, and which could be kept after the game is finished. Decorative bracers, a nice boffer weapon, generally, an Item Every Larper Would Want.

I pondered the idea for some time, then scrapped it. It is only to easy to imagine lots of shitty actions triggered by

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All right, an example. In their briefings, all the potential stock exchange participants (here called “Stock Hookworms”) get the following information: You have some info that gives you a chance to predict the share market fluctuations. You can use them for yourself or sell them to other Stock Hookworms. The situations and characters mentioned below are virtual, located outside the larp – so it’s impossible to influence them. We suggest that you prepare some in-game notes on this, so that you don’t forget the details. This info is incomplete.

To predict the changes, carefully follow the Marketholder’s announcements during sessions. A careful listener will infer where the missing info can be found (get some in-game stationery to write it down). The situations suggested by the Marketholder influence the share rate during the next session.

One or more participants should get the following information:

Kamil Rauch

The quality assurance team for an enterprise that is just moving its headquarters to Dragonshitcastle (virtual, off-game location) is made up entirely of women.

not force, as they can sell the shares to the Marketholder or anyone else, any moment. The number of shares connected to enterprises is limited, which fosters competition.

This does not give away anything, yet. Not even which enterprise it is about. No clue, where to look for further information. Another piece, given to the players manning a faraway location which is a dwarf mine:

It was suggested to me that the mechanism should be more complicated, for example the share rate should depend on the weather. Silly. It would not create any new interactions in the game. There was also an idea to include non-virtual entities as enterprises on the market, for example an in-game food stand. However, sensible monitoring the “state of the enterprise” to modify the share rate is, in my opinion, impracticable. Besides, it makes no real sense. Business for a stand like that is mainly about selling snacks, which I mentioned earlier. And as such, it does not stand chance on the market. Unless someone murders the merchants, steals the stuff, and destroys the stand, which we do encourage, as it is an effective method to make someone go bankrupt. Making the share value a function of demand is not convincing either. First, it is complicated, two, it encourages manipulation by lying about the share value.

Trolling is not fun in the long run. It destroys the larp.

Sometimes you trade with people from the villages located around Dragonshitcastle (virtual, off-game location). You know from them that the castle is inhabited by a succubus, whose presence works wonders on men, but makes women feel bad.

Again, no suggestion what it refers to and no clue to look for. However, the clue will show up soon. The bearded holders of this valuable information are mainly stationed outdoors, which gives them a chance to draw other players from the inn.

Out virtual enterprise is called Babybulb Beetroots, or BB. The Marketholder, who is the NPC directing the whole mechanism, gives an announcement during a session: BB is moving its quality assurance department to Dragonshitcastle. The inhabitants of that region are known to make business with the dwarf mine.

Now, a player involved in the share market got a clear clue.

We provoke them to contact the mine. The Marketholder’s announcement on the next session: The BB quality assurance department, staffed entirely by women, moved into Dragonshitcastle. Unfortunately, the management was not aware of the succubus living in the castle, whose presence has bad influence on women.

And so the value of BB shares decreases. Those who managed to predict it, already sold them.

It is important to constantly stress the fact that virtual entities are virtual. Why should a player spend three days looking for something that is not there? During the briefing, Stock Hookworms get shares instead of starting cash.

It encourages them to get involved – encourages, but does

The abovementioned problems include information holders altering them on a mass scale, out of spite or due to sclerosis. Possible counteraction: add two things to your briefing (1) a strong suggestion to take notes (2) a tip to offer money for information, however, only if it turns out to be true.

That is all about shares, stock market, and trade at outdoor larps. For now. If you meet me at a larp, make sure you have some coins, ammo, shells, whatever runs the game.

I always have something cool to sell. Cheap, you know.

Author’s Notes [1] Quote from Inne pieśni (“Other Songs”) by Jacek Dukaj.

[2] Mikołaj Wicher, “A Taste of Larp”, KOLA 2013 publication, ed. J. Tabisz. Trans. M. Otto, D.K. Trojanowska.

Wrocław 2013

Editor’s and Translator’s Notes

[I] Ziemie Jałowe – “Barren Lands”, an annual Polish event with a post-apocalyptic theme.

[II] Neuroshima – a Polish RPG system set in post-apocalyptic United States. Gamble is the name of the main currency used in the game.

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Urban Games as a Tool in Education

I

work in the Well of Memory Association (pl.

Stowarzyszenie Studnia Pamięci), which deals with, among others, history and culture education. Within this framework we are always in search for new and interesting tools whose attractive form would help us fulfill our aims better. During the preparation for the 2011 Culture Night in Lublin, the topic of urban games came up. None of us had ever taken part in this kind of project, less worked on such. However, it still inspired us to create a concept of what we wanted to do.

Our first decision was to keep it easy with the first game and temporarily skip the educational element in favour of creating as interesting and engaging plot as possible. We decided that it should be a crime mystery, and after contacting Marcin Wroński, a novelist from Lublin, we chose the setting of his books that take place in Lublin between the World Wars (the most recent ones also in the post-war period). And thus the game Kryminalne Zagadki Starego Miasta (CSI Old Town) was created. At the beginning of the game the teams were instructed to investigate the murder of a Jewish artist Estera Krauze, and were given a prop newspaper article with basic information and clues. Every team was to follow a fixed route, meeting people connected to Estera and getting more clues from them, and in the end guess the murderer’s identity and arrest them with the aid of police aspirant Fałniewicz, a character from Wroński’s books.

The aim was achieved. The plot proved to be very engaging, however, it turned out that figuring it out did not pose any real challenge. The teams followed their routes and after short conversations with the characters on the way they easily got all the necessary information. It was too easy and did not demand any real effort, as it was pointed out to us after the game. Nonetheless, the participants were really involved and interested in the game and it was enough for us to deduce that it is a good direction for us to follow. And so we did in the following year.

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Dead literati on the streets Another Culture Night, another game. We based it on a simple assumption: use as many significant places and characters as possible, so that the participants may learn about interesting episodes from the history of Lublin.

When designing the game, we created a structure based on (1) content, the most important elements we wanted to deliver to the participants, meaning the information on places, people etc. connected to the city (2) plot, a story that gives meaning to the game and provides the participants with a clear aim (3) tasks, which, depending on the game, may vary in the difficulty level, but they also work as an educational tool by being directly connected to particular characters or places. This is how we created Stowarzyszenie Umarłych Literatów (Dead Literati Society).

Content After a long discussion on what our content should be we decided to build the game around the literati directly connected to the city. Thus, our volunteers acted out characters such as Jan Kochanowski, Franciszka Arnsztajnowa, Andrzej Strug, or Bolesław Prus. Most of these personages may be associated with particular places in Lublin (like the townhouse that Arnsztajnowa used to own, or another, where Józef Ignacy Kraszewski used to live and which is still adorned with his portrait). This way the participants (as well as our volunteers) learned about historical figures connected to the city as well as places that were either prominent for them or commemorate them.

Plot A game needs a story that provides the background and points to the aim that the participants are to strive for.

Our story needed to explain the sudden appearance of these historical figures (they are all long dead after all).

To achieve that, we used two legends, only slightly adjusting them to our needs. The first of them was concerned with a woman burned in Lublin after she was accused of witchcraft. Here, we added a curse that she was to cast on

Daniel Krzaczkowski Member of Grimuar club and the president of The Well of Memory Association. Graduated in philosophy and historical studies. Since 2011 explores the field of city games and uses them in education and cultural animation. Designs city games with teenagers for cash and for fun. Devoted follower of Sigmar, fan of low tuned six strings, historian, and guide around the history of our Elder Brothers in faith. Works in a beautiful Renaissance synagogue. His life motto is Hava nagila.

the city just before she died. The curse was to activate in the future, erasing all stories about Lublin from the pages of history, and thus – from human memory. And just this happened in our times – references to the city started to disappear from Polish literature. The second legend is the story of a Dominican friar, father Ruszel, who lived in the 17th Century. After he died, his body mysteriously disappeared, and some claimed to have seen his ghost. After a while he ceased to appear before the living, however, the legend has it that he is to return when Lublin is in need.

And this is the moment.

To sum up, the game included such educational elements as: historical figures and places (content), legends and stories (plot), literary texts (the final puzzle), and trivia (for example, Kochanowski’s monument). All these elements fitted perfectly, and the game itself played out really well.

The design structure we created checked out in practice.

Urban games in the hands of youth

The person who acted out father Ruszel opened the game with an intro where he told the story of the curse and how it can be broken. The teams had to find the literati whose ghosts, at the Dominican’s request, came back from the other side for a short time. The participants needed them to give away the fragments of their works that referenced Lublin. Only the chosen ones, who completed the challenges set by the ghosts, could save the city.

The next game posed a different kind of challenge. The 5Medium foundation received a grant for a project where a youth group supervised by instructors was to create and run an urban game with a literary theme for their peers.

A group of middle school students from a town near Lublin took part in a series of workshops on urban games, linguistics, and modern technologies. My task was to run a workshop on designing a game in a group. The important thing to remember was that whatever happened, the game had to be run. That is why it was essential to consider which elements could be left for the youth to handle and which needed to be created and controlled by us.

Details, or tasks

Designing the game

We could not connect all the tasks directly to the characters, so we also used simple riddles, mathematical puzzles and coding. In several cases we managed to include interesting stories in the tasks. For example, the teams met Kochanowski, who was devastated over not knowing what had happened to the monument the citizens had founded in his memory. The task was to find the monument (which was moved by the Nazis during the war) and take a picture with it as a proof that they completed the task.

The first part of the meeting was an introductory presentation, as our youth had no knowledge of urban games whatsoever. They needed to see what they were supposed to work with and discover the variety of things that could be labeled as urban games. The presentation included such games as: Big Urban Game from Minnesota, a mixed reality game Can You See Me Now?, Pac Manhattan, as well as several larps. We also presented some videos on some Polish urban games that were the closest thing to what we were supposed to create. The videos were mainly intended to show the youth some examples of how NPCs (whom they were to play) interact with the participants.

As an award for completing the tasks, the players received fragments of texts where the literati referred to Lublin.

When a given team collected all the texts they headed for the ending venue, where they received a decrypting device.

Then, they needed to read through the received fragments and put them in the correct order – only then could they use the device to read the password undoing the curse.

In this project I decided that it was important to give the volunteers the possibility to choose and work with their own characters. It would later influence how they felt in their roles and, in consequence, their interactions with participants. This is why the first workshop focused on

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working with characters. We already had the essentials, meaning the places and characters used in the previous games. However, the youth were given a free choice. They could browse the characters and choose those that seemed interesting, but they also had the possibility to propose other literati connected to the city that they would like to act out. Some people chose the latter – and so our game was enriched by, for example, Janina Porazińska and Julia Hartwig.

The next educational element were the puzzles. After the first workshop, when our volunteers chose their characters, we held a workshop on Polish. There the youth, supervised by another instructor, worked on literary texts authored by their characters. They coded the texts to create puzzles. This way they knew the tasks they were to give the participants.

Since we gave the youth lots of freedom concerning characters and puzzles, the role of the plot was limited to holding the elements together and making them coherent. And so the game was started with travelers from the future in which the Great Server endured a serious failure. In its aftermath, a great deal of centuries-old literature was lost.

The guests from the future came to the present to ask for help in restoring the lost data. Several factors influenced such an outcome. The volunteers had lots of elements to work with, and we did not want to put too many responsibilities on them; neither did we want too many duties to affect their performance. That is why we simply presented them with several plot options, and after a discussion they agreed on the one they liked the most.

Modern technologies workshop The 5Medium foundation works with modern technologies as well – this is why their grant application included making a workshop on using technology and Internet as a part of the game. Just like in the case of the plot, we did not want to make the work overly complicated, so we chose QR codes. These contained clues on the NPCs’ locations. Moreover, we prepared an online stage where various puzzles, offered by our volunteers, appeared before and during the game. The participants gained additional points for solving them.

The game Wgraj się w ojczysty (Tune In Your Mother

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Tongue) played out the best so far, but it was to a large extent thanks to our middle school volunteers, who were very interested in the game and put a lot of effort into it.

During preparations they took part in three urban game design workshops, a linguistics workshop, and a modern technologies workshop. In my opinion there was only one element missing here, namely a theatre workshop.

It would have been perfect after the volunteers had chosen their characters. Such a workshop would have helped them create their own ideas on acting out their roles as well as give them more confidence.

Safe online – on the street The next project of the 5Medium foundation – “Surferzy, czyli młodzi o bezpieczeństwie w sieci” (Surfers, or youth on online safety) – had three aims: creating a theatre play, a comic book, and an urban game. All these forms were to share the theme – online safety. This time the volunteers who were supposed to create the game were mainly university students. We started with a group-building workshop, later one on online safety, and then we moved on to game designing stage.

The first challenge – a slight confusion on how to set a game with such a topic in the Lublin Old Town. However, after some adjustments, the structure used earlier again proved to be suitable. All we needed to do is to shift the point of focus from city topography, which became the background for new content. It was all to be tied together by the plot.

However, what we needed to decide on first were the challenges for the participants, and some common thread.

Among the many issues presented during the online safety workshop we chose eight (“Hated” and “Spotted” websites, computer addiction, piracy, cyberstalking, data theft, psychofans, spam) observed in the same context – Facebook.

This was the birth of the game we titled Alicja w krainie Facebooka (Alice in Facebookland).

The next element we worked on was the plot. We created a story of young Alice who, because of her careless Facebook usage, was faced with all of the problems listed above. It lead to these problems roaming on her account, eventually cutting her completely from it. In the beginning of the game Alice asked the participants to help her retrieve the account password. To do this, they needed to find and defeat all eight problems, whose personifications

Daniel Krzaczkowski

(acted out by the volunteers) frolicked through the city.

This was achieved by solving puzzles or completing tasks.

Thus, we had our content and plot. All that was left were the puzzles – and here things got difficult. The original idea included all puzzles and tasks being connected to real solutions to the given online problems. Unfortunately, it turned out that we do not possess enough expertise on online safety to create educational elements suitable for such a game. We could not create tasks as we planned in the beginning, so they mainly were only generally connected to a given theme, or simply posed a challenge to the participants.

The game was run without any problems. The Facebook password was retrieved and given back to Alice. Her profile was saved – or was it? The problems did not disappear completely, and Alice may lose access to her account again, as the game scenario is available online for free. Along with the information on the project, it may be found on www.projektsurferzy.pl. I encourage everyone to browse through the materials on the website, and adjust them to their needs[I]. The game may be run anywhere, as the locations are not really significant to the game. What is important here is the plot and fighting off the problems.

Time to sum up The structure I do not intend to evaluate the issues connected to logistics or budget, as it is the topic for a separate article. From the educational point of view, every time our game was built from three elements: the content, the plot, and the tasks.

Depending on the needs, any of these may serve as the educational element. It is all about the basics – we need to decide if we want the game to be strictly educational, pure entertainment, or something in between.

Designing a game with volunteers The first thing I want to state here may sound mean: when we work with young people, we cannot depend on them completely. There were three games I co-designed and run with youth who were beginners in the topic. Among these three groups, each of them showed a different level of involvement: from great enthusiasm, through average interest, to almost completely ignoring everything (of course, in every group there were exceptions). Knowing that the pictures from portal olublinie.pl

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game we design needs to be done, we always need to create a fail-safe or earlier deadline in case the volunteers do not do their jobs and we need to work by ourselves. While counting on the best, we need to prepare for the worst.

Did we educate them?

This is presumably one of the most difficult questions. In the case of the last two projects there were no doubts about the volunteers, who created the game and acted out the NPCs, gaining lots of valuable information on Lublin history or online safety, as they worked directly with a great amount of educational materials. As for the participants, to be honest, we had no opportunity to evaluate the games’ influence on their knowledge. Tight schedule and focus on the organization did not give us any time to prepare such an evaluation. This is one of the things that we need to consider and fix next time. Such an evaluation should be run immediately after the game, as we cannot count on many people to fill online questionnaires later. If the game includes gaining points, there is some time before these are counted and the results are announced when the participants may have a moment to answer some questions.

Us. Actually, it is us who learn the most – the people who deal with game design. We work with the structure, research people and places, supervise the puzzles and their difficulty level, work with each of the volunteers separately. This is why it is us who experience the educational value of the game the most, even if we do not really participate in it.

In the end, I would also like to thank the people without whom the projects described above would never come to pass: Monika Czapka (5Medium), Rafał “Merlin” Hordyjewski (Grimuar club, oLublinie.pl portal), Agnieszka Jarmuł (5Medium) i Wojtek Kutnik (Well of Memory Association). Thanks!

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Editor’s and Translator’s Notes [I] The website and the game scenario are only available in Polish.

Sources Czapka M. et al., Alicja w krainie Facebooka, 2012.

5Medium Foundation project.

Hordyjewski R., Krzaczkowski D., Kutnik W., Stwowarzyszenie Umarłych Literatów, 2012 Jarmuł A. et al., Wgraj się w ojczysty, 2012.

5Medium Foundation project.

Krzaczkowski D., Kutnik W., Kryminalne Zagadki Starego Miasta, 2011

Larp in Your Own Tongue

T

he role of communication at larps cannot be emphasized enough. Actually, everything at a larp is communication – with non-verbal messages to other players we suggest how they should treat us, with meta-game messages we co-direct the plot, and with diegetic verbal messages we create the relations between our character and others. Larping is an art of communication – and on many levels at that.

Often the larp author’s aim is for their agenda – their idea for the plot and the game – to be realized as much as possible while keeping direct interference into the players’ decisions as scarce as possible. This level of a larp is also based on communication – this time via various tools and theories that strive to, in the chain of: author’s message → player’s consciousness → player’s subconsciousness → character’s decision embedded into a game, omitting the seemingly-essential element which is player’s consciousness.

Very often, both players and authors go so deep into their search for methods for creating a communicative landscape – complex costumes, new movement patterns, thick layers of make-up – that they forget about the most important communicative tool, whose conscious usage may easily change a character’s image, their way of thinking and even their subconsciousness!

This tool is Language.

Many Polish players have a command of at least two language variations good enough to be used as a character creation tool, both by them and larp authors. These variations are standard Polish and a dialect.

The speech of mines (buried by non-Silesians) and the Silesian larp groups The Silesian language (sorry, to be politically correct – “the Silesian ethnolect”), which was my main motivation to write this article[1], is usually classified as one of the seven varieties of Polish dialects[2]. It is used by over 500,000 people in Poland and the Czech Republic[3], who belong to the Silesian nation of over 900,000 people (not recognized by the government)[4]. Just like the Kashubian language (which was given a regional language status), Silesian is unintelligible to a Pole who only speaks standard Polish (similarly to Scots to an Englishman or Plattdeutsch to a German).

However, contrary to the situation in Great Britain or the Federal Republic of Germany, where a dialect is something to be proud of, in Poland speaking one is often the reason to become an object of ridicule. During the communist times Silesian was banned, using it at school earned children corporal punishment, and suppressing Silesian minority or national movements still continues – for example, it is forbidden to register any associations or foundations whose names suggest the existence of the Silesian nation[5].

In this unfairly-treated Silesia there are many larp and speculative fiction groups, like Liveform, Śląski Klub Fantastyki, or Bielski Klub Fantastyki. Every year, dozens of larps are organized in Silesia (like New Age, Orkon, Flamberg, larps at the Grojkon convention), and the art-larp and Nordic larp movement is one of the most prominent in Poland.

The connection?

What do larp, larp creation, and Silesian language and nation have in common?

Art.

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(Lower)German-(Upper)Silesian larp author, president of Liveform Association, and libertarian politician. Studies management. In his free time he learns foreign languages, trains kung fu, and brews beer in his family’s brewery – “Wrzos” in Ustroń. He is best known for the New Age series as well as the scenarios All My Loving and Star Wars: Creed of Ruin, the latter awarded on Złote Maski in 2012. Founder of Larpbase (www.larpbase.pl). His motto is: “Cinematic! Heroic!

Spectacular!”

Art is one of the most important elements of culture. It is fundamental to both material and spiritual culture, it comments on, defines and redefines social culture. Art influences language[6]. Art allows us to create civilization almost from scratch – all the more it allows each of us to define our own culture.

In my case it is the Silesian culture.

By making games in your own vernacular, not only can you present the players with a specific set of associations, but also influence your local culture. In the modern world, where local culture protection organizations value highly every word written in a dialect, such a work will quickly gain attention of the media, and its message will reach more people than another niche work in the standard language.

Only you may decide if speaking or playing in a dialect is a reason for embarrassment, or a rare privilege – varying the linguistic level may add a new quality and depth to even simplest games, and by making larps in your regional vernacular you definitely help it gain higher status. After all, the majority of important works written in dialects are simple folk poems, recipes, or letters, and not pieces of high culture.

Paradoxically, making games in regional vernaculars may lead towards breaking the magical barrier between low and high culture.

And if you are not interested in the artistic value of larps – come back to the beginning of this article and imagine the linguistic richness of larps in Great Britain, where

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a nobleman may speak the polished English of Buckingham Palace, peasantry from a picturesque village use Welsh borrowings, and tough highlanders make toasts and battle cries in Scots.

Right now we try to achieve this effect by imitating German or Russian accent or speaking English – while we could just as well practice the Warsaw or Podhale dialects, learn Kashubian or Silesian. While it demands a lot of work and organizing many larps with an altered linguistic level – the effect may be stunning!

I will no longer stand and look with envy at Englishmen and Germans and their possibilities to create linguistically rich worlds without drawing from foreign languages.

I will write larps in my tongue and play in my tongue!

And you, too – larp in your own tongue!

Author’s Notes [1] Ethnolect – a variety of language associated with a particular ethnic or cultural subgroup.

[2] Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialects_of_Polish [3] Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silesian_Polish [4] Source: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narodowość_śląska [5] Source: “Sąd Najwyższy: Ślązacy nie są odrębnym narodem i dążą do osłabienia państwa”. Dziennik Zachodni (http:// www.dziennikzachodni.pl/artykul/1059014,sad-najwyzszy-slazacy-nie-sa-odrebnym-narodem-i-daza-dooslabienia-panstwa-zdjecia,1,2,id,t,sm,sg.html#galeria-material) [6] Source: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kultura

deed

preparation, running and post-larp documentation

Free Rein A word on a Game Master’s power

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ame Masters are gods. They create a world they invite players into, write stories, connect characters with shared sub-plots, or drive them apart with feuds. A GM – an architect of an alternative reality, where players may forget about their own identities and assume those of the characters written for them, or ones they wrote themselves under the supervision of the World Creator.

But how much of this power actually stays in the GM’s hands? Is it unlimited, or does it come to an end with the symbolic gong marking the beginning of the larp? What kind of “god” a GM should be? A puppet master, for whom players are but little figurines to move around so that everything goes according to the “divine plan”, small cogs in their great machine? Or a maker, who lets the story unfold according to the players’ wishes?

Many factors are essential for a larp to be fun. A lot depends on the players themselves, however, the greatest responsibility rests on the GM’s shoulders. It is, among others, creating an interesting scenario and an intriguing setting – the elements that are to constitute the background for the players’ characters. However, players do not always entirely understand the world they are to appear in, and even if they know the relations between various factions they often do not “feel” them. For example, I may understand the relation between a lord and a vassal – but when I meet someone of a higher class on my way, I do not know if I should get off the road, bow, or respectfully greet them.

Thus the question is, how to make players feel part of the game world? There are several ways to achieve that, but each and every one of them requires goodwill of both authors and participants of a larp.

A very popular way to help players immerse into the atmosphere of a game is to hold a short talk or a lecture before it. These should be compulsory for all the players, and the date could be agreed upon via voting on a forum or a social networking website. It is best if an absence could be

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made up via individual consultation during which the GM answers the player’s questions and they discuss the character and their in-game relations before the larp. If the players are divided into factions, it is a good idea to make additional, separate briefings for each group, with explanations of who-is-who and their shared aims. If characters from different factions are supposed to know one another in-game, they could use a briefing in the form of an RPG session in the game setting, where each players takes up the character they are to play at the larp. Events initiated during such a session may (but do not have to) constitute an introduction to the game proper. Such sessions help players to relate to and immerse into their characters, as well as create an opportunity to “calibrate” the role adequately to one’s acting skills. The GM has the chance to notice that a player does not “feel” their character and give some pointers or even change some details.

Another idea for helping the players with immersion is running an acting workshop. We divide players into small groups or twos and give out short description of characters and situations. Then we ask the groups to act out scenes or in-character discussions. Players can exchange their roles in order to discover different aspects of the world and understand the situation and arguments of other social classes, sub-cultures, or parties to a conflict. After this exercise we listen to the players’ accounts, where they tell us what was problematic or uncomfortable, as well as what they learned. Such workshop can also be used to try out the larp mechanics, for example if a given scene is finished with a duel. This way the GM may familiarize the players with the mechanics in order to limit their own moderation during the game to a minimum.

Another problem that every larp author has to face is determining what is more important – characters’ psychological development, or progress of their sub-plots. It is actually very difficult to achieve balance between these two elements, because different players prefer different levels of immersion, and some of them focus less on feeling their

Karolina Fido Lives in her hometown, Łódź, where she co-created her first larp: Fortuna Fabrykanta. Her adventure with larps began much earlier, though, when she started introducing role-playing elements to field games for scouts. She has been creating outdoor games for 13 years, and larps for 4 years. At present, she is a board member of the SMF speculative fiction fans association in Łódź. She works at The Academy of Business Administration and Health Sciences, where she promotes role-playing games and drama as part of education. She co-authored of the main game at Flamberg 2013.

character and more on the aims they are to achieve. A conviction still persists in the larp milieu (although it is often subconscious) that a larp may be won. Well, in a way it may – one may kill the Big Bad Boss, assume the throne of an enormous kingdom, a faction may defeat the others in a fight for important resources. One may also win by creating a spectacular scene, making an inspirational speech that mobilizes the oppressed to take initiative, or following a sub-plot in a surprising way that makes it more exciting for other players.

There are various situations that make it difficult for a certain type of players to have fun, and at which the GM may only spread their hands and say: “I can’t please everyone”.

For example, it happens that the immersion-oriented players, who push aside questing to make room for some atmospheric freeplay, finish their game prematurely when their character is killed by those who focus on getting a valuable quest item. It also happens that quest-oriented players are simply bored because while they are expected to act out interesting scenes they would rather hunt enemies or search for a component for a magical ritual. So, what is a GM supposed to do, when their larp is attended by players of both types?

The best solution is to find out what kind of game is expected by each player and to give them suitable roles.

Here, it could be a good idea for immersion-oriented players to possess self-defense skills so that they do not become easy victims for those who crave to gain more and more points of experience. Some GMs give such characters bodyguards, who have their own quests, but their priority is to defend the given character. Others think it enough to equip a “High Risk Character” with priceless knowledge which will be gone if the character dies. Both these solutions have their pros and cons, however, it is obvious that none of them can guarantee an enjoyable game. In the case of quest-oriented players I know of two solutions that actually worked. Some GMs gave their players so many high-priority tasks that it was impossible to

complete them all, thus the players had to “trade” their tasks with one another – this improved interaction as well as their quality of acting, as these players wanted others to accept their task, and not their competition’s. Another way was to introduce quests that were virtually impossible to complete. The players were showered with mini-quests leading up to a bigger plot which was designed so as not to allow for a satisfying resolution. Reactions varied – some players were angry and they went for the throats of their enemies with whom they earlier allied for more support in the Main Quest, others brilliantly acted out the feeling of hopelessness when they understood that everything they did was for naught. With their tactics, the GM pushed the players into such consternation and disbelief that the larp finale resembled the film technique of fade-to-black – all that was missing was a big white “THE END” caption.

There is one more problem that a GM needs to face, namely determining (1) limits of their own power over the progress of the scenario (2) acceptable level of players’ interference into the progress of events at the game. While writing a larp, most of us envision several directions in which the game could develop. If it is a political game, with various intrigues and plots at its core, the author assumes that one of the factions will win and seize power. But what if the factions find a consensus and decide that they actually do not want a monarchy anymore, and instead they want to reshape their kingdom into a republic? Should the GM react? Tell them that their characters would never do such a thing? I do not think so. Of course, as a GM I understand spending lots of time on describing in detail the thousandyear-long history of the said monarchy and endowing each of the characters with ambition and sentiment for tradition. However, I also assume that the moment I announce the start of a larp it ceases to be exclusively my property.

Starting with that moment, the players take it in any direction they want. And if I want to maintain some control over the characters’ behaviour I may supplement their descriptions with the so-called “character diamond”, that is four fixed and unalterable personality traits that constitute

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the core of the given role. This way I minimize the risk of a captain of the palace guard (with the features Arrogant – Brave – Honourable – Loyal) stabbing their sovereign in the back. Of course, it may happen that someone manipulates a character to such an extent that with the best of intentions they will act against their personality; but it is for little things like this larps are worth writing, right?

I saw a very interesting solution at a larp where the players completely ignored the guidelines for the scenario and halfway through the game they caused most of the characters to die. The solution was confronting the players with the consequences of their acts. After an intermission, filled with intense work of the GMs, the players received new characters and time was fastforwarded to a “20 years later” setting. The players found the world destroyed by a civil war, the families of their previous characters slaughtered or enslaved, and their noble ancestors forgotten. Thanks to this interesting twist the players, instead of finishing the larp full of pride and boasting about who had the most epic kill, were impressed by the influence their reckless behaviour had on a consistent, multifaceted world. During the debriefing both the players and the GMs admitted that the other party surprised them and that they all learned a lot from one another.

Every GM faces quite a challenge. They have to create a larp that entertains a group of people with different

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tastes, a larp that gets their attention, a larp not only interesting, but also innovative in terms of theme or mechanics.

When one needs to reshape their abstract idea into words and spends many nights on refining and searching for the best solutions, sometimes taking whole months to do so, it is not easy to hand over the power to the players – who have particular expectations, or sometimes treat our larp as just another game in the schedule and they do not put much effort into playing, or even “spoil” our idea with their initiatives. As the GMs we believe that it is our world and we want to retain control over it. However, it happens more and more often that authors create characters with players, and then pass the control onto them. They only intervene if there are issues with game mechanics and leave the plot to progress freely. It happens that the GMs take up some background characters roles to help the players in-game, without breaking the atmosphere.

Once a GM and a friend of mine jokingly compared writing a larp to a nurturing process – first we shape the character of our child, and when the time comes we set them free to live as they please. They say that a good parent is supportive without being controlling.

This is what I wish to all GMs – larps so good that they are able to defend themselves, while their authors can just watch the effects of their work with pride.

Playing Versus Acting Or, are acting skills enough?

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uring one of the games we had the pleasure to attend, a friend of ours (let us call him Piotr) played the character of a fanatic priest in a space opera setting. As it happened, both the character and the player were very charismatic; moreover, Piotr was a much more experienced larper and had much more knowledge of the setting than most of the other players. Thus, after fifteen minutes he was able to gather enough followers to finish his character’s important quest, finishing the whole larp at the same time. Although that was what his character wanted and he was supposed to complete his task as quickly as possible, for about two hours Piotr was stalling. Did he act like a good player?

On the one hand, Piotr acted for the benefit of the game, letting all the sub-plots develop and giving other players the opportunity to play on them. On the other, his behaviour – delaying completing his own mission – was totally inconsistent with his character’s personality and motivations. Thus, one could state that Piotr failed in the acting department. Moreover, the people who played the characters connected to his sub-plot could not understand why his character did not strive to complete his task, so it cannot be said that he acted for the benefit of all other players.

In our opinion, playing and acting are two different aspects of larp participation, inextricably connected to each other and influencing the overall quality of a game. Minding the good of the larp as a whole, Piotr revealed himself to be a good player, at the same time he gave up using his acting skills. In this article we discuss the topics of playing and acting, pointing out the differences between a good Player and a good Actor in order to define these two types.

The text also includes guidelines that may help GMs communicate with both types of larp participants.

According to our division, a good Actor identifies the key elements in a character description that may constitute a foundation for their acting, and during the game they

constantly build upon it. They relate all the in-game choices directly to their character’s personality and motivations, concentrating on creating a consistent story of their character. Basing on the events, which they interpret from their character’s perspective, they develop the role more and more. For an Actor, the most important aspect of participating in a larp is the consistency of their behaviour and emotions with these of their character. In order to act well at a larp, some people need to immerse in their character – the emotions of the character and the player need to become one (as in the so-called “bleed”), so that the player is able to present behaviour consistent with their character’s personality. Other players do not need to “become” their characters to act them out properly. It is enough for them to recognize the main personality traits they are supposed to act out, supplemented by good acting skills.

What is the most important for good Players is not their acting performance or creating a consistent story about their characters, but the larp as a whole. Good Players go beyond their character descriptions and notice the influence their playing has on the whole game. They recognize the aims and limits of the game and learn its complete mechanics. They also mind what the larp author wants to achieve – good Players agree with the author in their efforts to make the game fulfill its aims, be it creating an intricate tale of love and betrayal or a competition that is to choose the hero to receive a magical artifact. For them, it is important not only to maintain their characters’ behaviour consistent with the scenario, but also for the decorum[I] to be maintained during the game, also by other players.

Most importantly, good Players’ priority is the entertainment of others, with the assumption that they all willingly take part in a game with particular aims and rules, and going beyond these is contrary to their expectations.

In our opinion both aspects of participation in a larp – playing and acting – are important. Larp participants may manifest their talents in both fields, however, usually one of them is dominant. How does it influence the GMs’

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communication with each type of participants? The differences are visible already when characters are given out.

Those who see acting as the key aspect appreciate contact with GMs, not necessarily for learning as much as possible about the game, but to bond with their character more. It gives them more foothold to build the character upon. It is especially important for people who need to “become” a character to use their acting skills properly. Those who prefer playing to acting, from the very beginning concentrate mainly on the character’s role and function in the scenario, as well as on the aims and rules of the game. This is the best moment for a GM to figure out what kind of participant they are dealing with and what mode of communication is the best to provide the players with the best entertainment possible.

In the case of an Actor is it important to communicate such a description of the character that lets the participant build a full-scale image. Thus, they should get complete info on the character’s motivations, or their background that helps to identify them. What is also important here is that during the briefing the GM should address the character instead of the participant, show them props from the game, or play the soundtrack in the background. Those who rely more on their acting skills rather than immersion into the character may also use some general director’s tips on how the specific character should be portrayed at the larp.

In the case of a Player briefing it is essential to thoroughly describe the rules, including the mechanics and how to communicate with the GMs during the game. Moreover, it is important to specify their character’s place in the plot and their role in the scenario, as well as what influence we expect on other characters. A Player could also use some tips on mechanics and how it relates to their character’s behaviour in specific situations that may occur during the larp. Communication with a Player should resemble communication between two partners discussing an important venture – we can use the first person plural pronoun to talk about the larp. Unlike in the case of an Actor, what is important here is the communication on the GM – participant level, not the GM – character level. For a Player, the GM is less of a director and more of a project coordinator, who aims to provide as much fun as possible for all the participants.

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While choosing a role for a participant it is important to remember about the preferences of Actors and Players.

For an Actor, a larp is, among others, a field to use their acting skills upon. Thus, the GM should provide them with a “scene”, meaning: build the game in such a way that there is room for unforgettable acting performances.

Meanwhile, a Player prefers the power that results from the mechanics – they have more fun by choosing the moment when an important scene can occur, rather than playing the main role in it.

Actors value consistency in how they portray their characters, so the GM needs to make sure the participant understood their character in the same way the author did.

It is essential to pay attention to specific borders while using tools facilitating immersion, as an Actor may have the tendency to over-interpret their character, which may lead the game into unexpected directions. Another risk connected to Actors is the possibility that they would ignore the mechanics, which may result in scenes running against the rules, including the safety rules. This is why GMs should not fool themselves that Actors will learn the mechanics properly by themselves and needs to focus on communicating it to them. Actors should also not be given characters loaded with mechanics.

As a Player is less interested in making an unforgettable performance, they may neglect developing acting skills to the point that they are not convincing. It is a good idea to organise acting workshops before the game to improve this skill among all the participants. If for some reasons it cannot be done, the larp itself may begin with a spectacular scene featuring a good Actor, who will set the standards for acting that all the participants should strive to achieve.

Communication during the game is just as important. Over the course of the larp the GM should address the character of an Actor rather than the participant, sometimes taking up the role of an omniscient narrator or even a daimonion[II] of their character. On the other hand, during the communication with a Player it is important to be available and answer their questions about the meta-level of the larp. The risk here is that a Player may focus on the meta-level too much, so that their performance during the larp may appear flat and disturb the flow of the game.

A Player may also focus on the tasks too much and forget

Anna and Michał Rogala Born in Kielce, lives in Łódź. Larper and larp designer, specializes in large games (80 – 200), creator of an archeological website Stroje na LARP (Costumes for LARP), jury member at LNL contest. Larps since 2001, designs games since 2003. Her most famous works are the main games at Flamberg 2009 and 2012, and a series of period drama larps called Fortuna Fabrykanta, co-created with Museum of the Factory in Łódź. On a daily basis researches stress at work and is responsible for online psychological interventions.

Larper and larp designer. Avid RPG player for over 20 years, and a larper for 14 years. Created his first larp 12 years ago. Well-known for her large games in fantasy worlds i.a. main games at Flamberg 2009, 2011, 2012, and space opera chamber larps. Does extra shifts organizing conventions (e.g. Polcon 2009) and is an active fandom member: twice a jury member at Puchar Mistrza Mistrzów, and a long-standing board member of SMF speculative fiction fans association. Bank official on daily basis with a weakness for history and good food.

the emotions that their character is supposed to feel. This may be improved by some tips, communicated on the GM – player level (for example: “After such a humiliation in front of your family, your character would be furious”).

An often-forgotten aspect of running a larp is the communication with the participants after the game is finished.

It should include feedback on their acting. Basing on our experience we advise to focus on the good things, although opinions vary on this. To motivate an Actor, it is important to praise their acting and recall the scenes they created.

It is a good idea to ask about the future plans or choices of their character – even if these are irrelevant for the game world, it is important for an Actor to share them with the GM. During a debriefing with a Player, it is important to treat them as an equal co-creator of the game.

It is a good idea to ask what they would change over the course of the game, which elements were appealing and what was wrong. Their contribution to the larp should be also stressed.

Of course, an ideal participant combines the best features of an Actor and a Player. They focus on the meta-level and the entertainment of all the participants, as well as on creating an unforgettable performance and a consistent image of their character. While in practice most larpers prefer only one of these directions, it depends on the GMs’ skills and experience how during various stages – giving out roles, briefing, game proper, and debriefing – the potential of both types is used for the good of the larp.

Editor’s and Translator’s Notes [I] Decorum – the principle of the fitness of a style to the theme.

[II] Daimonion – in ancient philosophy, a divine voice, conscience, a warning inner voice. It discouraged doing bad deeds and making wrong decisions, but it never gave any advice or encouragement on what one should do.

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Scenario Culture Shock Previous Occupants in Poland – a case study

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here is no doubt that the development in the field of communication technology and common Internet access revolutionised larping. Nowadays, it is not a problem to find someone to play or run a game, it is easy to keep in touch with other larpers, share knowledge and experience, search for help, or ask for interesting events worth attending. We co-author our scenarios via the Internet, save our work somewhere in the cloud, and browse the net for sources and inspirations.

Another boon: scenario bases. Several minutes are enough to find dozens and hundreds of free, ready-to-play scenarios. Their availability lets them leave the author’s immediate circle of friends and even cross country borders. It is thanks to such websites that jeepforms became popular in Poland – after all, it is enough to download and read a jeep scenario to give oneself and others several hours of fun.

However, as enthusiastic as we may be, an important thing should be remembered: a larp or jeep scenario is a product of a certain culture, a brainchild of a mind working in a particular way. When a person finds themselves in a foreign place, they experience culture shock – what about a game? Can a scenario suffer from a parallel affliction?

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you a well-known case of the said affliction. The name of the patient – Previous Occupants[1].

Symptoms This scenario – a dynamic ghost story with a hidden message concerning the inevitable changes that people undergo – already saw many Polish runs, and its popularity does not seem to fade. The English version is easily available online, so what are we waiting for? We find the PDF, we download and read it. The game is written in plain English, it has a clear structure and means of expression. We gather the players, set the scene made up from two motel rooms and set the hotel bell in the middle. We explain how the game looks like and what story they are to act out.

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Everything goes smooth up to this point, so we start with Act One. And suddenly, something is wrong.

Usually, there are no problems with the Old Couple. Everything plays out just fine: Husband and Wife – prisoners of an unhappy marriage – constantly getting on each other’s nerves, their arguments and hate, and finally emotional escalation leading to murder. There is something very familiar and mundane in this couple and their mutual hate, which makes it very easy for the players to start throwing mean comments, insults, and accusations at each other.

Although violence and murder are not a part of an average player’s everyday life, this part of the game usually plays out in a very natural way.

However, something is wrong on the other side of the scene. The Young Couple, two Christians in love with each other, shuffle around their part of the motel room and engage in weird, affected dialogues. They are supposed to be all about love and passion – but all we get are conversations about sin and Jesus. Someone scolds their loved one for indecent behaviour. Someone wants to pray to Mother Mary. There are no affectionate gestures, no cuddling, no secretive caresses. Only physical distance and unpleasant, pseudo-religious, judgmental clichés, uttered in a cold voice. Act One is supposed to conclude with the Young Couple’s sex scene – whereas it seems to be the very last thing on their mind. While there are already blood and guts flying around on the Husband and Wife’s side, Boyfriend and Girlfriend, instead of heading for the bed, recollect their Light-Life Movement retreats and meetings of their Bible study group. Of course, they are in the opposite corners of the room. In the best case, they sit stiffly next to each other and hold hands sheepishly.

Of course, it is not like this every single time, however, a fact remains that the Young Couple’s religiousness often hinders the run of Previous Occupants. Players get

Dorota Kalina Trojanowska Holds M.A. degree in English and a post-graduate diploma in legal translation, now on post-graduate Scandinavian studies programme. Proud member of Grimuar club and the current larp coordinator at the Falkon festival. Started larping in 2008, a year later authored her first scenario – Dia de los Muertos, inspired by E.A. Poe’s works. Co-author of the (in)famous Hardkon 2013 game, Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki. Very passionate about linguistics, Charles Baudelaire, and coffee.

frustrated, the GM cannot maintain the even progress pace for the two plots of Act One, and the game falls apart.

It is a common problem and a source of many complaints.

Because of that, there are some who argue for omitting this element while playing. However, this way the game is deprived of the possibility to introduce an interesting religious flavour in Act Two, when the Young Couple are possessed by ghosts. Besides – the characters in the scenario are described so briefly, they do not even have names. The authors only supplied the important characteristics. Thus, the religious element must be here for a reason. Can we just throw it out?

Let us take a closer look. What is the actual meaning of Christianity in the case of the Young Couple and why does it give us so many problems?

Diagnosis I think it is no big secret that some elements of reality may be perceived and interpreted differently in various cultures. Fritz H. König, a German researcher of Scandinavian literature, calls it the “boat and birch syndrome” – because of the cultural, historical and geographical factors, an average Norwegian perceives these two things as more familiar and meaningful than an average German does[2].

Transferred into a different cultural awareness, some concepts acquire a meaning different from the original.

A similar situation may be observed in the case of Previous Occupants. Although the game takes place in an American motel, it does not change the fact that the authors are Danes, which obviously leads to certain themes (including religion) being tackled from the perspective of a Danish person, which is very different from the one of a Pole.

Is that a problem in itself? Of course not. Larp scenarios often explore culturally significant themes, allowing the recipients to experience the world from another point of view (here I am willing to risk the statement that such elements add an educational value to the games). The problem here is caused by two factors. First, in Previous

Occupants, religion is merely a background element with no real focus put on it, which gives the recipient no clue regarding it being different from what they know. Second, religion in general is such a familiar thing that the players do not think much about its interpretation, instead instinctively relying on their own everyday experiences. And here is where the clash occurs – the cultural barrier, separating the Scandinavian and the Polish reality. Although geographically they are relatively close, they differ in many respects: systems of values, attitude to religion and religiousness, associations, and behaviour patterns.

Let us take a look at Denmark first. According to statistics, the most popular religion is Christianity, and to be more specific – the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark.

Officially its members account for 80% of the country’s population. However, it is not actually so popular to attend church or believe in God. Faith is a personal matter that is not to be discussed and that has no great influence on the life of an average Dane. But those who actually attend church do so with joy and passion – it is a conscious choice, not a meaningless act committed under social pressure. The rituals are very different from our (usually rather depressing) masses, and the religious institution is very forgiving and progressive (ordination of women, same-sex marriage etc.). Another important aspect are the mores which, compared to our standards, many would probably describe as lax. Weddings come quick, divorces happen often (compared to Poland) and are not really considered a personal tragedy. Casual sex is also highly acceptable, and so are purely physical relationships. Sex is discussed much and in detail, without shame or great emotions. Danish is a highly individualistic society, where personal satisfaction and development are often seen as more important than starting a family. There is a sense of community, but the focus is put on being part of the same nation, not a smaller group defined, for example, by religion.

In such a context, how should a young, openly-Christian

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couple be interpreted? The answer is simple: they are two people sharing a true love. What we see here is rejection of natural urges and casual sex for real magic. These two love each other so much that they do not want to be like others.

Despite the social acceptance they did not have sex yet, because they want it to really mean something, to be special. First, they want to make their vows in front of God. They are not chaste Puritans who spend their days praying with a rosary (the scenario clearly specifies that, for example mentioning the first sexual caresses that already happened), but a perfectly ordinary young couple, madly in love and completely devoted to each other. The fact that their relationship is not yet consummated is only a matter of time and personal choice (as well as – obviously – a plot point) and does not result from lack of willingness or some kind of ban.

There are numerous reasons to play larps and one of them is putting ourselves in situations we cannot experience in our everyday lives. Games often present events that we do not fully comprehend or we are not sure how to deal with. To figure out what we are supposed to do, we use cognitive schemas – these are a kind of interpretation scenarios based on our knowledge and experience. They help us decide on our action and adjust our behaviour to new situations by comparing them to those familiar to us.

However, they are heavily dependent on the culture a person grew up in – and in the case of Previous Occupants we observe the incompatibility between the Scandinavian and the Polish schemas regarding people in love and religious people. This causes problems with proper character interpretation, which in turn lead to problems with running and playing the game.

Now, let us come back to the country by the Vistula river.

Although we Poles really want to be modern and “Western”, we actually still hold tradition very dear to our hearts.

True, social acceptance has been raising in the case of divorce, but for example casual sex remains a very touchy subject. Statistics say that most of us are Catholic – there is even a stereotypical concept known as “Polish-Catholic”.

Religion is a topic we talk about a lot and very loudly. We do not keep distance from people like the Scandinavians do, and we still value human relationships and a sense of community over individualism. This sense of community also makes us prone to dividing the world into “us and them”, supporting one side and condemning the other.

Thus, Catholics threaten others with fire, brimstone, and eternal damnation, and herd youth to Light-Life Movement retreats, and the non-Catholic people laugh at katole[I] and their alleged aggressiveness and backwardness.

As usual, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

We cannot really talk about physicality and passion, it is still a bit of a taboo, something shameful – but premarital sex is socially accepted, and refraining from it usually gives us the katol label. Of course, this paragraph is only a very simplified picture and it has more to do with the media than everyday life. However, I think it presents the general context which the trans-Baltic scenario found itself in. To make things worse, nowadays the Catholic Church comes under severe criticism focused on its administration and the priests’ misconduct, which makes some very defensive and the others very critical of religion in general[3].

Treatment and therapy

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Translation often requires an additional commentary to help the recipient understand the given work and provide a kind of “interpretative instruction”. Literature has the translator’s forewords, afterwords, and comments, and during rehearsals to a theatre play the director gives explanations and directions to the actors. In the case of larps such support is even more important as they constitute an interactive form – a player is not a passive recipient of the content, but its active co-creator. As such, they need a better understanding of the given work than when they watch a film or read a book; otherwise the game may become inconsistent, incoherent and full of misunderstandings.

This is why it is so important to run a proper briefing: to explain the context, the cultural differences and the problems that may originate from them. Is such an introduction enough for people who had no direct contact with the foreign culture? I am sure of that – it just needs to be properly made. First, as the authors of the Vi åker jeep website advise, one needs to believe in the players being able to handle difficult forms and understand complex stories. Second, an actual confirmation was gained during the Previous Occupants run on the Falkon convention of 2012, where the briefing included a short talk on religion and cultural issues.

The Young Couple played perfectly.

Sharing scenarios is great, and if they cross borders it is even better. Do not be afraid to run foreign scenarios. If

Dorota Kalina Trojanowska

something is good, it is worth trying. If something goes wrong, do not give up. If the problem reappears, fix it. Let us do justice to good scenarios, even if it requires both GMs and players to put a bit more effort into looking into the problem and preparations for the game. Larps are worth the effort. And who knows, maybe adopting a new perspective will prove to be inspiring?

Author’s Notes [1] Scenario by Frederik Berg Østergaard and Tobias Wrigstad, available on Vi åker jeep (jeepen.org).

[2] Fritz H. König, „Translation and Cultural Interference”.

[3] I am well aware of these descriptions being exaggerated and unfair for many people. I apologize to the offended and would like to remind that (1) the length limit and the format of the publication do not allow for a profound and truthful cultural analysis, while they demand simplicity (2) in the state of culture shock that affected the discussed scenario the foreign culture comes across as aggressive and distorted. I am convinced that if I wrote this article while I was still living in Denmark, my perception of the two countries would be very different from the one above.

Translator’s Notes [I] While katolik is a neutral Polish term for a Catholic person, katol is derogatory and associated with being a close-minded fanatic.

Sources Hejwowski K., „Mit tekstualizmu: “tłumaczenie jest operacją na tekstach””. In: Kognitywno-komunikacyjna teoria przekładu (The Cognitive-Communication Theory of Translation), Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 2009.

König F., „Translation and Cultural Interference”, 1985.

Nosowski Z. „Czy Polska jest jeszcze krajem katolickim?”, Tezeusz (http://tezeusz.pl/cms/tz/index.php?id=2098).

Soliński W., „Parateksty przekładu literackiego a polikulturowość (zarys problematyki)”. In: Kultura w stanie przekładu.

Translatologia – komparatystyka – transkulturowość (Culture in the State of Translation. Translatology – Comparative Literature – Transculturalism), ed. W. Bolecki, E. Kraskowska. Instytut Badań Literackich PAN, 2012.

Woroniecki M., „Agnostyk patrzy na Polskę i jej kościół”, Dom Wszystkich Polska (http://www.dwp.org.pl/aktualnosci/ podlasie/articles/106-agnostyk-patrzy-na-polske-i-jejkosciol).

Wrigstad T., Østergaard F. B., Previous Occupants, 2009. „Marooned in Scandinavia: The Life of a Catholic in Denmark”, Berkley Center (http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/ letters/marooned-in-scandinavia-the-life-of-a-catholicin-denmark). „Religion in Denmark”, Wikipedia.

Vi åker jeep / We go by jeep (jeepen.org)

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I Can’t Believe What’s Happening Here It’s absurd

W

e love larps. Let’s have the guts to say this aloud. It’s time to be absolutely honest.

Here, in this publication, we write openly: we love larps. So it bothers us that not everyone share our fascination. It scares us that not everyone know what larps are.

Thus, in October 2012 we embarked on an educational crusade. We prepared and ran two larps for beginners, for newbies, for those who never attained enlightenment.

This article contains our reflections on the topic. You will not find any ready-made recipes here but our ideas and solutions may inspire and help you prepare a larp for beginners.

Boruta: It’s over, Linka[I]. At least for now...

Linka: I’ve had enough of this. Larp, larp, larp... What are you thinking about? A larp. What do you want to say?

I have a new idea for a larp. What are you doing? A larp.

Boruta: Only this article left and it’s over. Let’s focus.

Ladies and Gentlemen, while preparing the larps Seans (Séance; based on the scenario Did You Hear the One...?

by Sophie Melchior, but heavily modified compared to the original) and Hotel we tried to include three things in their design. First, we needed larps that do not demand great skills and preparations from the players.

Linka: Second, they were to encourage the participants to continue their adventure with larps. They simply needed to be attractive, without any survival elements of field games. Third, as the GMs we also strove for the highest possible control over the game to limit the probability of players surprising us.

Boruta: However, let’s start with introducing our players.

Seans was attended by six beginners, all of them around thirty years old. Three women and three men. A one-sentence summary of the larp: several people are invited to

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a séance in an abandoned house, where they experience strange phenomena.

Linka: The second larp, Hotel, was a bit of a bigger challenge: fifteen participants, including three experienced players. Average age the same as before. The group included people who work with the handicapped, manage firms, and there was also a teacher and a bus driver. It was a larp about a group of people unknown to one another who come to a hotel. They discover strange rooms, experience confusing events, learn information about themselves, and eventually it turns out that they are but thoughts of a confused murderer who killed them. The larp was organized by the Liveform Association.

Boruta: I think it’s important that we managed to invite proper, settled down adults. It may be relevant to people who plan to introduce larps into the commercial sector.

”I forgot I’m afraid of closed spaces.”

Boruta: Let’s start with all the things that were supposed to make acting out the characters easier. A week before the larp, every player received their character sheet. Nothing new here. We did our best to make their content as clear as possible. They included three basic elements (1) character background (2) personality features (3) aims, desires and motivations. The backgrounds were very short and focused on the most important events. We specifically stressed the basics like age, occupation etc. Too much information is stressing, that’s why it was all very brief. The characters were very stereotypical, which allowed the players to build their characters on well-known convictions on, for example, a given occupation. In general, the players liked the bios.

Linka: At the first larp we had a problem with names. The story was set in the US, so the characters had American names. Memorizing them gave the players difficulties and stressed them out, that’s why at the next larp everyone had Polish names, as well as ID tags with their character’s age.

Sz. Boruta and A. Hawryluk Newbie, played his first larp in 2011. Since then, he has been awarded for the role of Dwarf on Fantazjada and the role of Tomcat on Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki. Got an applause after several chamber larps as well. Active Liveform supporter. On a daily basis, he plays the role of a psychologist – and they even pay him for that. Has terrible eyesight.

A girl whose passion for preparing larp costumes led her to become an adept at the School of Artistic Outfit Design in Kraków. Member of the Liveform Association, co-created New Age: Honor of the North larp. Her adventure with larps started not so long ago, in 2011. Since then, she has been feasting on them mainly during conventions and festivals (where she oftentimes volunteers as a helper).

Boruta: This way we eliminated one stress factor that we completely ignored before: when we wanted to achieve the atmosphere of an American ghost story, but couldn’t because the players focused on linguistic problems.

Linka: You mentioned the setting. It’s best if it’s wellknown, so that it’s easy for the players to immerse into the larp. We don’t need to create an unknown, complex reality. Everything is new and exciting for beginners. Don’t try too hard to make an avant-garde larp. Although with Hotel, we kind of did just that.

Boruta: Well, the mind of a killer where the players are imprisoned was actually an easy and understandable setting. This topic is also connected to the costume issue.

I’m still not sure which is better. Both larps took place in modern times, which didn’t demand too much effort from the players, just some elements specific for the character’s occupation.

Linka: However, we know very well that a different costume and appearance makes it easier to act as someone else. It makes people feel as if they were in a different skin, so they can distance themselves from the game. Maybe the easiest solution is to talk to the players before the game? If they want to put some effort and prepare themselves, the larp could include costumes.

Boruta: What’s also important is to help the players with their costumes, even if the larp is set in modern times.

Coming back to the characters and setting, I have to admit that Hotel was rather challenging in this respect. It was a kind of a horror, maybe a thriller, and every character

dealt with some seriously immoral stuff in their life. Most people don’t like or can’t play villains, and here we had beginners... The situation was saved by an unusual situation and the dramatic events in the hotel, which helped to cover up the players’ shortcomings a bit.

Linka: Besides, some of them actually enjoyed being “the bad guys”. After all, they could push their moral boundaries in a safe way, and without any consequences. During the game they also learned about the other characters’ vices, which gave them more self-confidence. The horror atmosphere surely left a strong impression. We know that later some of the participants had trouble sleeping, and during both larps several people shouted or jumped when they were startled. On the other hand, this genre is very difficult, as it requires acting out fear, disorientation, stress reactions – and still it also helps to smooth the shortcomings in acting out the personality traits. At Seans every person had only several traits listed, but at the second larp there was much more material, along with some descriptions. I still prefer the first option. Short and clear.

Boruta: But remember, most of the players said they liked the personality descriptions and that it outlined their characters well. Still, I have to admit that there were problems with acting. It was great with small, concrete things, like: “you’re afraid of darkness”, “you hate the Church and all that religious crap”, “you’re disgusted by sickness” etc.

It was easy to see these during the game.

Linka: Although sometimes even these were forgotten.

Like the player quoted above, who volunteered to stay in a small room, and then she remembered that she’s claustrophobic.

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Boruta: That actually happens even to experienced larpers.

one another, which eliminated the problem of shyness and stress that accompany meeting new people.

Linka: We didn’t mention that the characters were written for specific people that you knew, so we were able to use their real-life features.

Boruta: On the other hand, it gave birth to new problems.

The people who knew one another went out of character very easily, because they were reminded of everyday situations. They often made one another laugh and didn’t act out their characters’ personalities. During Hotel we made our best to separate married couples and good friends.

Boruta: It worked pretty well. After all, it’s like this at many larps. GMs write or choose the role basing on what they know about the player, their strengths and weaknesses. Every character sheet included advice on how to prepare to playing the character, as well as some basic larp rules. It helped to acquire some information long before day zero.

Linka: Of course, we also talked about the rules before the larp. Before Hotel we held workshops, where the players learned the aforementioned rules, the mechanics and had some acting warm-up.

Boruta: It’s a great tool for fighting stress and introducing the players into the game. It’s getting more and more popular, and we also recommend it. The players were satisfied with this part. The last thing included in the character sheets were the aims.

Linka: We’ll never finish with the character sheets, will we...

Boruta: From the very beginning we explained that the aims are not compulsory. We were well aware that we don’t need them at all, but I had to squeeze them in.

Linka: You were afraid that the players will be bored when the game slows down. The aims were pretty simple, sometimes really general, leaving room for imagination. To our surprise, some of the players realized their aims, although they needed to be reminded to do so. The aims were also a kind of supplement to the character description.

Boruta: I had to explain the aims to the players many times. You need to be prepared to devote a lot of time to answer players’ questions. It’s essential. For the beginners everything is really new.

Linka: Not everything was new. Most of the people knew

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Linka: This need for being part of a group was very visible at Seans. Although the larp was run in one room only, the characters never separated. Even when the sofa was completely occupied, they still squeezed in, just to be close to the others. It was better during Hotel. One of the beginners even praised the possibility to play outside of a group, with a person she didn’t know.

Boruta: We had several experienced players at this larp.

We invited them not only because we liked them. We wanted our beginners to see how experienced players behave and react. They were also supposed to maintain discipline in groups of people familiar to one another. We try harder when there are unfamiliar people present. To be honest, I have no idea if it was successful. Some beginners told me that they learned several things and took them to heart.

They also said they’d prefer to have an experienced player with them, but someone they knew (like me in this case).

Linka: For beginners, one of the most difficult things is having conversations – especially small-talk. They don’t know how to start a conversation, they can’t remember their bios, they can’t build a free discussion. I have no idea what would happen, if we just locked the players in a room for an hour and said: “There you go, you have some time to talk now!” According to our observations, it would probably be pretty miserable. Our attempts to provide the players with the possibilities to develop this aspect weren’t really successful. That’s why we introduced the following rule: a larp for beginners should be task-oriented. The players need to be able to focus their attention and activity on the events and materials provided by the GMs. Boruta: Various tasks and puzzles help the players experience the things that happen around them. It’s a good idea for a larp to have a set ending. A crime story is an

Sz. Boruta and A. Hawryluk

appealing genre, and a perfect one for a task-oriented larp.

We showered the players with clues, written materials and props. They had no time to get bored.

the end, or rather – what the possible paths were. These were set in stone and unchangeable. Giving the players free rein in playing would be too risky.

Linka: Besides, completing a task or solving a puzzle gave the players satisfaction and motivated them to continue.

One of the players had really cute theories. He came to the conclusion that the haunted house was inhabited by vampires. Why? I have no idea where he took that from! However, what was important was that he could focus on something specific and not engage in any “terrifying” small-talk.

Linka: And it’s not just about destroying the intricate construction of the plot. I would be more afraid of the players being bored to death when left to their own ideas. I don’t doubt their skills. I saw with my own eyes that people playing something similar to a larp can do it better than experienced larpers. Among them there was a fifty-year-old woman, who easily held a two-hour conversation, in-character. None of them ever played a larp. However, I prefer to be safe than sorry. The aforementioned notes helped us maintain the control we needed.

Boruta: Besides, they knew precisely what they were supposed to do and what was expected of them. At the same time, simplicity didn’t mean barrenness. Up to this point we talked about simplifying the aspects of immersion and acting out the character.

Linka: We’re still going to talk about it, because we forgot about the notes. These refer to short descriptions of how a given character felt in the given moment, how they behaved, what they noticed etc. A few examples: “This whole situation is really getting annoying. These people piss me off, all of them!”, “My leg is starting to hurt, a piercing pain in my knee! It’s getting worse... Passes after 10 minutes”, “This person really needs support, I feel sorry for them. I’ll help them the best I can”, “It’s too cramped in here. The crowd tires me, I’m gonna find some more space. Maybe I’ll take someone with me”.

Boruta: These were given to the players during the larp.

We had around fifty notes. Properly prepared, they helped the GMs react to boredom or when things were starting to get too intense.

Linka: The players acted out the notes really well. It was easier than remembering their innate features. Here they could just react and try their best at acting. For us, it was a great tool to make the game attractive and control it at the same time. Good stuff.

“I want to talk to the staff. I want to leave.”

Boruta: I’m sorry, no-one leaves the building. As in: we control how the larp progresses. It’s nothing new, however, in the case of beginners it’s really important. We knew how the larps were to progress from the beginning until

Boruta: Both larps were divided into stages, marked by the passing of time or specific events, for example acted out by NPCs. During Seans it was Tarot-reading or using an Ouija board. There were many set events at Hotel, like a party organised by the staff, a visit from scary figures, supper or an assault. All these were planned and triggered at specific moments.

Linka: We limited the players’ freedom with the story and had scripted endings to make sure the last scene of the larp is impressive. It doesn’t mean that the players couldn’t influence what was happening. They had many occasions to do their best! We gave them possibilities to decide about certain aspects. For example, the players received letters that they could write back to, influencing their characters’ future. We even had various answers prepared. At the end of the larp they voted for the ending. They were to decide on the fate of the murderer.

Boruta: Even if we gave the beginners freedom at the game, most of them wouldn’t know how to use it. Beginner players are more of recipients of a larp. They start influencing and creating it with experience. The difference was easy to spot when comparing the actions of experienced larpers and beginners. After the larp there was much discussion on what the players could do but didn’t. It was only after the larp finished that they realized how many possibilities they had had. It’s a question of experience and ease.

Linka: They didn’t come up with any ideas on how to use the available props. They didn’t take action despite our

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I Can’t Believe

clear suggestions. They showed no signs of natural reactions. There were people dying in the room, one by one, and no one thought about calling an ambulance.

Liveform team did an excellent job. Full recommendation!

The scenography was complemented by such devices as a stroboscope or smoke machines.

Boruta: Actually, this problem also concerns experienced larpers. Knowing that it’s a larp, they ignore unusual events simply because they expect such things to happen.

But you’re right. Be prepared for the necessity to prompt the players, a lot – but I think that’s what it’s about. Leading them by the hand a bit. It’ll be better next time.

Linka: We used all the multimedia we got our hands on.

Before Hotel we produced a video trailer, and during the larp the players could watch movies which presented what the murderer sees. It demanded a lot of effort, but it was worth it.

Linka: I just wanted to add that we had great NPCs and all the players were amazed by how professional they were. It worked on them. I observed the players’ reactions to NPCs’ behaviour and actions. This is a great tool to control the progress of the scenario, evoking specific emotions, and training acting skills – for example by imitation.

Boruta: The beginners knew they could die at the larp. It gave them some adrenaline. Almost every one of them had to act out a death scene, which is usually a rather attractive opportunity. Actually, they couldn’t really die in Hotel. They just got up after several minutes. After all, they were all already dead. They were still afraid to die, but they knew it wouldn’t end their fun.

“Lie down!”

“But the floor is dirty!”

Linka: During many days of preparations we had a very noble aim in our minds – to encourage beginners to continue larping. We didn’t want it to be a one-time thing.

Boruta: We wanted at least to prove to them that larps are cool and I have a good reason to talk about them all the time. To keep it short – we did it. Everyone who played Seans wanted to play another one as well, and after the second larp they are still excited about it and talk about various scenes that happened. Of course I’m generalising, but it’s the majority of them.

Linka: We did it by making the larps as attractive as possible. We wanted a good scenography and we really nailed it.

People were delighted with what they got.

Boruta: It’s not difficult to create a horror scenography, but this larp... I’m really proud of what we did. The

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Boruta: We gave the players mobile phones, and texted or called them.

Linka: There was also a laptop with a program that simulated decoding a password.

Boruta: The character sheets weren’t just sheets of paper with bios. For Hotel, these came in the form of a hotel offer, along with a map and some other information. During the game the players could find their photos, even though they knew nothing about it. It’s so easy to get people’s photos these days...

Linka: The epicness was complete with an awesome soundtrack that could be heard everywhere. The players really praised how the sounds influenced the atmosphere.

Boruta: We also tried the Black Box. We didn’t know how it would work in the case of beginners. During Hotel, an NPC – the hotel manager – invited individual people to her office and there they played specific scenes. It turned out the beginners managed and even enjoyed it. They said that it was there that they experienced the most intense emotions and that they would like more scenes like that.

Of course, it’s mainly thanks to the NPC. Linka: We were surprised. We thought that the Black Box was a rather risky experiment for beginners, but it turned out to be a great attraction. Another unknown was the duration of the larps. Seans was planned for two hours, and the players were shocked when it turned out that it took three hours. They thought not even two had passed. Hotel was planned for six hours, but it finished in four and a half.

Mileage varied on this, but most of the players said that it was fine or that it could be longer. It’s important to have some freedom in controlling the duration of a larp.

Sz. Boruta and A. Hawryluk

Boruta: We gave them a bit too much stimuli. There were too many things going on and it tired the players. It’s also important to set a good date for the larp. The first one was organized on a Friday evening, which wasn’t a really good idea. On this day of the week, people who work are tired.

The second larp was organized on a Saturday afternoon.

Linka: We were to encourage, and not discourage, so the larps took place in a warm building and there was a meal included. Of course, the players had to pay for that, but it wasn’t expensive.

Translator’s Notes [I] The authors use their nicknames in the article.

Sources Bątorek P., Boruta S., Hawryluk A., Hotel, 2013.

Boruta S., Hawryluk A., Seans, 2013. Based on: Melchior S., Did You Hear the One...?

Boruta: Besides, Hotel was organised as a training activity for a public institution workers. Along with new experience and fun, they also acquired a document certifying their work on personal development. I guess we don’t have to explain how great a training tool a larp can be?

Linka: These two larps gave us a lot of valuable experience.

We treated them as a kind of experiment. We wanted to see what works and what doesn’t when there are beginners at play.

Boruta: We hope that it’s another step to bringing larps to broader audience. For now, as promised, we take a break.

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Larp in School A practical guide

T

ons have been written on educational drama. By no means do we despise theory; we happen to develop some ourselves, but this time we shall try something else. We have collected a bunch of observations from hands-on practice in edu-larps conducted in public schools. We will focus on two projects, one in middle school (Polish gimnazjum), the other in high school. Project DEMOcracy, coordinated by Łukasz Wrona, comprised 64 larps with over 1100 middle schoolers. Research project Live Action Role Play in School Education, headed by Michał Mochocki, locally coordinated

by Krzysztof Chmielewski in Tricity and by Łukasz Wrona in Kraków, comprised 13 larps in high schools (plus 8 in earlier pilot studies). In both projects, the games were based on historical scenarios by Michał Mochocki, following the 3-phase formula described in “Edu-Larp as Revision of Subject-Matter Knowledge”[1]. Thus, the conclusions below are based on a relatively large sample (about 80 games), that utilised the same model for larp design.

Hopefully, these can be a warning (know what to expect!) and instruction (get prepared!) for larp educators.

We are gamers. We like games, including (perhaps: primarily) larps. But it was not passion for gaming that made us design games for schools. We make edu-games because they work. If we can get the popular kids involved in the scenario, the level of participation reaches 90-95%, leaving one, two, rarely three people who will consistently refuse to participate. If the kids who are popular among their peers do not cooperate with the GMs, in the first phase (and any time we want the students to make public statements) we may have up to 25% pseudo-active players who only pretend to be participating – but this does not last long. At later stages, group integration pulls even the reluctant ones into the game: even though they may not feel comfortable with role-playing, they get in their roles so as not to fall out of what is going on in the classroom. It is only in heavily atomised, non-integrated groups (like fresh first-graders) that the number of non-participating (or not-really-participating) students can stay as high as 20%

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until the end. Still, even if we assume this least desirable version, please note that the rate of 80% actively involved learners is difficult to achieve by any other teaching method. We take that as a strength, not a weakness of larps; and as encouragement for further efforts.

Okay, passion for gaming is one reason why we make edugames. In the Tricity group in one of the projects, about 10 students (out of ca. 140) got interested in larping. Four of them now attend larp events and conventions, at least one started to design her own games. Two teachers contacted the organisers after the project to thank them for making the group open to in-class drama activities. However we define it, this is a success as well as basic capital, given that many schools do not have drama experts or they are unwilling to work with this method. Almost all teachers in the LARP in School Education project expressed hope for further collaboration with the GMs. Summing up (1) there is demand for school larps (2) it is easy to sow the seeds of larp (3) reaping the fruit feels great.

Yes, edu-larp is highly rewarding. But we are not going to talk about the advantages. This time we are shifting gears to problems and challenges that we, after years of experience, consider to be typical. This is a text about problems – and their solutions.

Problems with starting the game 1. Players are not able to position events in time and space Plus, what is no less important, they come late for class.

If this is a history-based larp, students should be given maps with markers. You should also prepare a visualised timeline of game-relevant events. In general, it is good to use graphics in game materials. An A-4 page filled with pure text is not beyond the range of a high-schooler, but not everyone will take time to read it during the briefing, and it is inconvenient as a handout used during the game.

In the Live Action... project, the first preliminary stage (all groups prepping separately) was the last moment that

K. Chmielewski, M.Mochocki, Ł.Wrona Larp designer and researcher. Larps since 1999. In 2008 began his professional career, mainly related to using larps in trainings. Substantive editor of a popular science periodical on chamber larps (Larp. Myśli i szkice, Gdańsk 2012; Larp. Twarze i Maski, Gdańsk 2013), author of a number of articles about larps. Since 2009 a jury member in the biggest Polish larp contest Złote Maski. Author of an RPG system Hospiterror. Member of the Games Research Association of Poland. Head of the LARP department in Gdański Klub Fantastyki.

Holds Ph.D. in Literature and works at the Faculty of English Studies at the Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz. Founding member and managing board secretary of the Games Research Association of Poland, and Advisory Board member in the Homo Ludens scholarly journal. Also engaged in historical re-enactment and game-based learning. Actively promoting gamification in higher education. Currently researching the activation of heritage in reenactments and non-digital roleplaying games.

text-based game materials could be conveniently used.

Visualisation of information that is necessary for participation is useful also for latecomers. It is difficult to eliminate the risk of someone coming late for class, and if a student comes after the briefing, they will have hard time following the content and the form of the activity. It cannot be guaranteed that a map and coloured charts will make the latecomers actively join the game – but it gives them a chance to try.

2. Players read one another’s character sheets The worst thing students may do when the larp starts is to show character sheets and reveal their goals to one another. This frequently co-occurs with non-immersion in character (“So, it says my goals are this-and-that – what are yours?”). Then, they can restructure the game: “Let’s make it easy: ignore the conflicting goals, go only for the common ones.”

Preventive measure: state it firmly and clearly at the beginning that some roles have secrets that – if revealed – may jeopardise or even ruin the chance of ‘winning’, i.e. reaching the goals, so it is very unwise to let others read your sheet.

3. Players play close to home Krzysztof Chmielewski: We usually make edu-larps for groups of friends or colleagues, and in-group hierarchy is sacred. Given that, it is good to ask the teacher which students are leaders – and not pick them for the leading roles.

A change in hierarchy is good for the group: it activates people who are usually alienated or mocked, while those who were expected to perform actively will do so anyway

to maintain their in-group status (unless the entire group unilaterally boycott the game and make a joke out of it).

Of course, you should not overdo because you may harm someone by putting them in the spotlight; that is where feedback from the teacher can be useful. But 10 minutes of observation will do even better. Łukasz Wrona: DEMOcracy Project convinced us that we cannot leave anything to chance. In the age of equal educational opportunities and egalitarianism, favouring particular students can be frowned at – but a successful larp needs thoughtful decisions. In the first several games we followed the teachers’ tips about the ‘best’ learners/leaders. They defined it in various ways: sometimes a class ‘genius’ was picked as a leader, another time it was a troublemaker. Unfortunately, the latter tends to do much better at a larp. With time, we developed our own method of picking players for the most important roles: by intuition.

60 seconds of watching how the group is taking their seats behind the desks was perfectly enough. I do not think we have ever made a mistake (in 56 groups!), and our assessment of the students’ skills and aptitudes was better than the teachers’. When we did try to leave it all to chance and the key roles went to clams, the quality of the game decreased. Not everyone can be a leader – and let us face it, not everyone at a larp can evolve from an inhibited stay-athome to a charismatic governor.

In the end it all boils down to the issue of participation, or player engagement. Making students partially responsible for the scenario is not enough. They should be promised some tangible benefits. After all, this is a negotiation game that contains training in effective communication, and the game itself is usually great fun. These promises should be

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made – after double-checking that they can be kept in the typical chaos of the classroom. We should treat learners as our partners, just like hardcore larpers or businesspeople larping as corporate training. We also need to remember that they are sensitive to fraud, and that our initial authority when we enter the classroom (regardless of our larp design CV and relations with the school administration) is close to null. This leads us to another potential problem.

4. Students do not want to play Sometimes we optimistically assume that a student in class is probably bored anyway, so they will eagerly welcome two funny larp guys. AARGH! Students are not dumb, they know their needs and they strategise: “There’s a guy from outside of school, so he can’t punish me if I ignore him.

I’ve got 2 hours for Facebook.” We need to offer a product good enough, and sell the idea convincingly enough, to make the game more attractive than the well-known attractiveness of not-participating-in-the-class. And we do have a toolbox to do that. This is a set of features of edu-larp that can be presented to students (preferably, in spoken form and informal manner): •

•

•

•

It is active. You do not sit at a desk, you move around as part of a bigger plan, full of chaos and enthusiastic noise. You can make your own comments on the content: there is room for debate. Several times student-players told us they felt they were taking on the role restricted for teachers: drawing conclusions, selecting content for debate, putting forward theses.

It is social. Everyone has similar knowledge, and gets involved in debates within and between their in-game groups (factions).

It is creative. Everyone can influence the course of events. The story emerges from collective ideas and interpretations of all who are actively involved.

It is a GAME. By definition, it is a non-serious and spontaneous activity. And it seems better to call it a game with a drama-like aspect rather than focus on the theatrical quality in itself. Not all groups think theatre is cool; not everyone want to open themselves to drama and role-playing. If you focus too much on this part, you can successfully block their participation.

Important: in scenario design, you should pre-design the

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need to recruit supporters for the competing sides. If you do that, the active students will encourage non-participants to get involved in the game.

5. Games are lame Many print-and-play larps for schools are ill-balanced, hastily written, and they did not go through external playtests of game mechanics. They are large games, for chamber larp standards, sometimes reaching up to 40 participants. Written usually by a single author, perhaps with a proof-reader. More often than not, they are not good games. No offence – yours truly have made this mistake – we frequently approach school larps as second-class games.

At the end of the day we enter a classroom we have not seen before to play with people we have never met before, who see us as a curiosity rather than fellow co-players. In the great majority of school larps, we cannot support the mood of the game with props, costumes, stage decor, not even with control over the stage space. The conditions for organising a school game, from the perspective of the GM, border on survival horror. That is a good reason to have your game foolproof and checked by 1k4+1 fellow GMs. Even more so, when you realise this is the only thing that is under your (author/larpmaster) control before you meet the players.

In DEMOcracy Project we experimented with gamistic playing for points: we put numerical scores on in-game goals, e.g. “3 pts if you get elected MP; 1 pt if your competitor is not elected”. It worked. This can relieve some of the problems with unwillingness to start/continue/get involved in the game. Even if role play does not engage the players, good game play can do that.

Mid-game problems 6. Players test the boundaries Just for fun, or out of the natural drive to test boundaries, students want to check the integrity of the game world, e.g. by actions and comments incompatible with the game reality (e.g. they talk about cell phones even though the game is set in the 17th Century).

There is one simple method to prevent such behaviour: state it straightforwardly in the briefing that there is

K. Chmielewski, M.Mochocki, Ł.Wrona

a boundary which generates ‘system error’ when crossed.

It is enough to say clearly that the game ‘works’ only through their interactions and each of them can easily ‘crash’ it by introducing elements incompatible with the world. With all players having heard it in advance, their comments about automobiles and the Internet no longer come as a joke or boundary-testing – they are obvious and deliberate spoilsporting.

by at least two instructors[3]. But this rule is based on the Anglo-Saxon school system, and was born on... Taiwan[4], where most classes in schools equivalent to Polish liceum and technikum (high schools and vocational schools) are held in groups of no more than 20 learners. In school larps we often face groups of 30+ students. In the above-referenced projects each game was run by two (in DEMOcracy – three) GMs.

7. Players drop out of character Reasons are many: from disinterest in the game, misunderstanding of game materials, performance anxiety, up to stomach ache, or urgent love confession. In non-school larps the danger of players dropping out of character (OOC) is present, too. In most edu-larps immersion is not essential for success, but nevertheless going OOC is a disadvantage for the game. Firstly, the learners usually have no experience in drama or theatre (even less in larp), and OOC can generate cognitive dissonance that obscures the rules (which are not clear-cut for beginners anyway). Secondly, going OOC frequently leads to going out of game entirely. With the peer group being the strongest motivation in school larps, players who are OOC distance themselves from other players and may stop playing altogether – or pull even more people out of character. The target group in a school game are not hardcore players – in their view, the game does not have value in itself.

In one of the larps (Facing the 2nd Partition) players are divided into 3 factions and at one point they play the game separately (for some time). In this part of the game the lack of the third GM was visible, and at times troublesome.

The flow of the game suffers if not all groups have immediate access to a GM, while lack of supervision over the engagement of all participants resulted in circles of less involved players being formed at the beginning of the game.

Not recognising the moment when a player goes out of game may pave way for the snowball effect. It is essential that the GMs can watch all groups at all times and be ready to react to signs of withdrawal. Frequently, you can help a learner get back in game (there might have been problems with content competence or simple stage fright). If the player does not want to continue playing, you cannot force them. They should be allowed to officially quit the game, which they have the right to do, even though it is not the best option. This is a method that reduces the number of players who slide out of game because of social stimuli.

However, practical implementation of this method is dependent on another edu-larp problem: 8. Not enough GMs In chamber larps created for entertainment, it is assumed there should be 1 GM for each dozen players[2]. According to InteractiveTheatre.org, each edu-game should be run

It is possible to run a school larp solo or with a co-instructor, but it requires much more attention and is simply exhausting. Working in ‘stereo mode’ makes us so tired that it becomes visible to students, and may challenge our authority. If they see us running not walking half of the time, we seem less prepared than we really are.

9. Students do not understand the function of NPCs If you suddenly enter the stage shouting, „Enlightened lords and ladies, the Muscovites are encircling the quarter!”, the players will rather send you for counselling. They should be told beforehand that GMs can get in-character too, when they want to facilitate communication with the world beyond the player characters. This should be of primary importance for students who play the host of the ingame venue, and could have domestic servants played by the GMs. The very fact of having servants who are physically present in the game gives them the natural advantage of the host lending the place for the meeting. As NPCs, you can provide players with information (and verify information they already have), and you become a buffer for interacting with the outside world (active use of the setting!).

Problems with ending / debriefing 10. Stage fright In the third stage of the game (official negotiation), we had public speeches. One person talked, others watched and listened. A huge contrast to the noisy and joyfully chaotic

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stage of unofficial talks. Performance anxiety can paralyse shy players.

Simple solution: do not do such formal negotiations. But education-wise this is a very valuable moment that puts forward all important edu-problems while everyone is focused. A solution that seems promising (not tested yet!) would be to equip selected roles with pre-defined goals (with scores) which can only be reached in this part of the game (e.g. „1 pt if you are the first to speak at the official negotiation table”).

11. No time for debriefs The final scene is not the end of the larp experience. If you explained at the beginning why the larp would be fun, do not forget to discuss with students how they felt. If their own observations confirm the assumed goals of the project, we will not need to convince them about the greatness of larp. Edu-larp is a project and the learners are the investors. Even before the game you should have an idea of how to interview the students about their investment of energy in the game. We can really learn a lot from them about the strengths and weaknesses of our larps.

But the time slot we are given in schools is usually not enough. Two lessons and breaktime amount to ca. 110 minutes: take 20 minutes for briefing and role distribution, 70 for gameplay, 10 for delays (all this counted conservatively), and time for debriefing shrinks almost to none. The solution would be to book three lessons – which teachers are unlikely to agree to.

Problems with teachers / principals 12. Teachers do not want verification of outcomes It is easy to bring edu-larp to schools, but it may be extremely difficult to measure their educational efficiency!

Teachers are afraid of external verification of students’ knowledge, since they feel it is their competence as teachers that is being evaluated. It cannot be precluded that some teachers deliberately sabotaged the test timeline to

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avoid giving out the results. Their anxiety cannot be dispelled by any disclaimers we make. It is essential that the teachers get extensive information in writing, preferably with the visualisation of planned presentation of the end results – to strongly highlight that test outcomes will not be linked to particular schools.

Whatever difficulties we face in cooperation with school administration, they are usually connected to teachers’ anxiety about the measurement of their students’ performance. This hurdle is often more difficult to overcome than carrying out the larp.

Summary Even though the text is packed with problems and dangers, we do not feel we are sending a negative message. We do not discourage from organising larps in schools. We want to show that nearly all problems have their already tested solutions and preventive measures. Whenever a larp cannot guarantee success (keep 100% learners engaged for 100% time), non-larp classes do not do better either.

By no means will we stop to edu-larp in schools. Our own example should show that problems can be solved, and the game is worth the candle.

Author’s Notes [1] Michał Mochocki, “Edu-Larp as Revision of Subject-Matter Knowledge”, International Journal of Role Playing #4 (2013), p. 55-76.

[2] Paweł Jasiński, “Ludzie LARP-y piszą V”. http://larp.polter.pl/Ludzie-LARP-y-pisza-cz-Vc21794?view=drukuj [3] Aaron Propes, „Hints to Starting a New Interactive Theatre Troupe”. http://www.interactivetheatre.org/hints.html [4] Brian David Phillips, “Speculative Realities: Embedding Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Themes in Interactive Drama”, Journal of Interactive Drama, volume 3, issue 3, November 2008, p. 46-59.

Larping out of Sight

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his short piece is based on a report-lecture “The application of larp methodology in solving topical social problems” I held in June 2013 at the Interactive Education conference at Moscow State University.

from a volunteer school – Gymnasium 72 (hereinafter referred to as G72). We have also invited the director of Theatre Class A! Tatiana O. Shilova, who has over 23 years of experience working with children and adults of all age groups. Main stages of the project were:

Role modeling in the form of a live action game is not popular enough as a tool for implementing professional tasks in the modern world. Nevertheless, based on my experience with live action role-playing games (hereinafter – larps) in different areas, I would like to note the versatility and adaptability of larp as a technique which works perfectly in any conditions and is adjustable to any target audience. Undoubtedly, successful usage of larp requires experience and many skills needed to work with a specific target group: preliminarily for workshops, test runs, psychological calculations, etc., and in postproduction for debriefing, deroling, reflections, etc.[1].

Meeting with parents and presenting the project As most participants were minors, we needed their parents’ consent. They had to be informed of every aspect of the project. Parents met with the theatre director, assistants, and the organizer, the idea and aims were explained, theatrical exercises were presented, and the concept of larp was introduced and demonstrated.

Practical implementation demonstrated multidimensional effectiveness of applying larp methodologies in various areas of education, training, crime investigation, treatment and prevention of mental states[2], research, etc. Benefits of larp methodologies at different stages of ontogenesis have been proven by practical research data[3].

Larp techniques have also proven effective in the project Theatre 188, started in 2013 and aimed at socializing partially sighted and blind children.

Some of the objectives of this project included (1) promoting social inclusion of partially sighted and blind people (2) increasing socialization of blind children (3) helping children acquire skills necessary to improve their quality of life (4) ensuring long-term effects of the project (5) developing children’s communication skills.

Two target groups were invited to participate in the project: children aged 13 and younger with loss of eyesight (Specialized school 188, Minsk, Belarus), and their peers

Meeting

with each group of children separately.

Prepara-

tion for the upcoming meeting with the other group, larps

Here we met the children who would participate in the project and introduced us and our idea to them. With the children from G72 we talked about blindness, played a few simple larps where they had to pretend to be blind with the aim to develop empathy, understanding of the problem, and effective communication with blind people. The group from the specialized school 188 was taught basics of theatrical concepts and did exercises for improving speech and acting skills.

Meeting of all children and the director Larps focused on interaction and team building. Children met and got to know one another. They played various games to improve communication and integration.

Theatre rehearsals with the director Selecting the text was tough. The Little Prince was chosen for its characters (to whom children of this age relate easily) and simple scenography (which makes it easier for young participants to move around the stage). In the end the material proved difficult for the first play. Still, it was interesting to work with this new type of actors and look for ways to help them to get into character, for example, by using scent and touch. It was a new experience with

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developing characters and it helped us a great deal later during our work on larps.

Key training: “mask”, “speechless expressions” and “silent movie” One of the main parts of the project. It is common knowledge for those who often interact with the blind that if loss of vision took place in early childhood, facial expressions are often not developed, which which makes it difficult to socialize. Keeping that in mind, I developed a series of exercises to stimulate facial muscles and muscle memory, and a few larps to instill these skills.

dren aware of their advantages. Darkness is based on a famous children’s poem about the sun swallowed by a crocodile. Children play various forest animals which search in the darkness for clues as to what happened, and then look for someone to free the sun. Night Forest is a game where the participants imitate forest wildlife at night. Dungeons and treasures is a classic treasure-hunt larp with dark corridors, traps, riddles, and random encounters. There were also other larps, mainly based on sounds.

Larps

where blind children had an advantage over those

The Day of the TrifCurse of the witch and Dungeons of the Black Castle The first one is based on a famous novel by John Wyndham – The Day of Triffids[4]: blind children, having more experience, are quicker to reach the colony and better at avoiding their enemies. The second larp is inspired by Celtic folklore: a blind witch cursed the village, so that all its inhabitants lost their eyesight. When a group of blind children were passing through the town, they found the witch and broke the curse. And the third larp is one of the biggest ones. Dungeons of the Black Castle is a game in fantasy setting where characters find themselves trapped in a dungeon of the mysterious magic Black Castle. To find the way out, they have to pass through a labyrinth in complete darkness. The trick is that all clues and traps are tuned to a blind person’s perception, with some information hidden in paintings and written in Braille[5]. All players start separately and soon realize that in order to survive they have to stick to the blind children. By the end of the game, the blind lead other children the same way as in normal circumstances a guide leads a line of blind people. And thus, blind children become the saviours and lead the others out, into the lit hall where parents and teachers greet them as heroes who saved people from evil. who are too dependent on their vision:

Role playing and facial expressions used for interaction Larps used here were designed to stimulate communication based on facial expressions and to integrate it with children’s communication skills, making it an active tool for interacting. For the project to have a lasting or even permanent effect on the quality of life of the selected children, it was essential for these skills to be used on daily basis. For example, larp Resistance is set in a distant future where people are oppressed by a less intelligent but more aggressive race, and all conversations are forbidden unless supervised by a guard. People find their own way of passing information – through facial expressions. So while holding a politically correct conversation they can add facial expressions to confirm, deny, or suggest the opposite of what is expressed with words. Thus, a fascinating system of signals is developed. There are few more twists to these rules. The alien oppressors try to limit unmonitored communication, but assume that blind children cannot use facial expressions to transfer information, so by the end of the game they make children play in pairs: a blind child is allowed to have a guide who can see. This way, while one blind child transfers a message during the conversation, another blind child’s guide deciphers the message and uses hand touch to pass it to their blind partner. So actually, two unique methods of communication are developed, which is fascinating by all accounts.

Developing various senses with larps like Darkness, Night forest, Dungeons and treasures These larps were mainly designed to develop imagination without using visual stimuli and to make the blind chil-

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fids,

The final rehearsal of the play The final rehearsal in costumes with all the props and special effects. Test audience is invited out of actors of the Theatre Class A!.

Performance of The Little Prince for parents and teachers

Yaraslau I. Kot Senior lecturer of Belarus State University (Legal Ethics, Forensic Psychology). Researcher and lecturer on larps, game expert of National Institute of Education of the Ministry of Education of Republic of Belarus. Author of over 100 academic works in various areas. Has actively practiced larping since 1996. He applies larp methodology for education, therapy, rehabilitation, corporate training, crime investigation, research, and entertainment.

Project results exceeded expectations. Efficiency expressed in several indicators and demonstrated on several levels.

Blind children, among other skills acquired, developed invaluable skills of using facial expressions in communication. Fully-sighted children improved empathic skills, found out how to interact with the blind, and learned to rely more on senses other than sight. These and many other positive effects (kinetic development, communication development, emotional intelligence development, inclusion, etc. ) would be impossible to achieve in such a short time and with so scarce financing if it was not for the use of live action role modeling techniques.

Author’s Notes [1] Kot I. Y., “Rolyeviye igri v kulturye molodyezhi”. Gulni i zabavi u kulturi pravyadzyennya volnaga chasu dzyatsyei i moladzi u goradzye i na syalye: traditsyi u navatsyi.

Brest 2013.

[2] Kot I. Y., “Sociodramatic tale therapy (Live action role playing) as a method of alternative rehabilitation”. Altyernativnaya ryeabilitatsiya: sbornik statyey. Minsk 2012.

[3] Kot Y. I., “Live Role-Play Games within the System of Moral Development of Preschool Children”. KOLA 2013 publication, ed. J. Tabisz. Trans. M. Otto, D.K. Trojanowska.

Wrocław 2013.

[4] Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_the_Triffids [5] Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braille

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Croatian Larp Scene at the Beginning of 2014

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his year, Croatian larp scene turns 18. For people in most countries that number implies maturity and adulthood. It is a good age to reflect on how Croatian larp scene has changed over this time.

For the first 15 years, the answer is: very little. Apart from the few fleeting Vampire larps which were active at that time, the majority of Croatian larps remained very monolithic in style, themes, and structure, with the following features: • • • •

•

•

setting would be a generic medievalish fantasy, influenced by real geography and Croatian mythology, players created their characters and played them at all the larps of that style, the game was either a chapter of the US-based Amtgard society[I], or using its rules or a variant thereof weekend camping events (1-3 times a year) were taken seriously, one-day events were considered just a casual pastime, the general structure would be the main quest which was presented to the players by the organizers, mostly in the form of part-time NPCs and items, with parts of the storyline slowly released throughout the weekend with heavy Friday night play and big bad reveal on Saturday late afternoon; along with the main quest, there were usually several smaller side quests prepared either by organizers or provided by a group of players, a lot of fighting, mostly with oversized boffer weapons.

During that time, the larp scene grew, got into heated arguments, fought over minor differences, fractured, shrunk, grew again etc. Larps died and new ones appeared. Yet the basic formula remained practically unchanged, although many details were refined in accord with their organizers’ wishes. And you can still find larps of this type. The most prominent current organizers are the Ognjeni Mač Association (though they seem to be heading for some changes),

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the Amtgard chapter of Krvomeđe, and the Gaia Association in Osijek.

The first larp that made a difference was the Italian chamber larp Love is Blue, which was imported into Croatia in 2011 by Ana Rajner and Božo Špoljarić (who also narrated the translated in-game audio). It remains the most widely played chamber larp in Croatia, and it can still be played on many science fiction conventions. They also organized several smaller conventions and wrote thematic larps for them, which were highly successful.

At that time, I started preparing and playtesting Terra Nova, a fantasy larp series with an alternate structure and themes, which has been run since 2012. Around the same time as the first Terra Nova event, the diplomatic steampunk series Para pokreće svijet by Sven Nemet started, and has still remained influential. Another larp that started in 2012 was the Fallout series, which has a traditional structure, but it also brings larping and airsoft closer together.

However, the story of Croatian larp scene of 2012 is not complete without mentioning Tragači zore, one of the most influential larps run here. It was a one-shot fantasy larp by Ana Rajner and Božo Špoljarić, which included no rules apart from the usual safety rules and a strong setting.

If it was convincing, it worked. The characters were deeply interconnected and the plots were completely personal.

2013 was the busiest year so far. A lot of chamber larps were written and played – including my Death of the Japanese Emperor (which is actually from December 2012), A Party Full of Secrets, and Star Trek: Tethys. I also organised a print and play larp – Limbo written by Tor Kjetil Edland, which was well received by the players[II].

We had a few other chamber larps, such as The Cabin by Ivana Delač and Vesna Kurilić, and (Re)union, written as a group project on a workshop during the PoRtaL convention – the first larp convention in Croatia. The event was a mix of larp groups from Croatia and nearby countries

Ivan Žalac One of Croatia’s most productive larpwrights and larp organizers. Works with various styles, including nordic, experimental, chamber, fantasy combat, vampire, and pervasive larps. Experiments with different techniques and methods, sometimes runs workshops on them. One of the organizers of PoRtaL 2012 larp convention in Zagreb. Apart from writing and/or producing his own larps, Ivan often visits other larps. He regularly writes about his experiences on his English-language blog, Diary of a Croatian larper (http://www.crolarper.com).

presenting themselves and included larp theory presentations, discussions, panels, and some chamber larps.

We also got three new series. Carmen is the science fiction larp series by Zvonimir Barać. Elder Scrolls Chronicles by Marko Zadro is a new fantasy series of events, where location and characters change with each installment – similar to the Hungarian series Chronicles of Demgard. Camarilla Agram is a new, Zagreb-based Vampire series with a couple of twists and with a rotating organizer scheme.

Editor’s and Translator’s Notes [I] Amtgard – a fantasy combat game primarily based in the United States, with local branches in many other countries around the world, including Germany, Croatia, Canada, and Korea.

[II] The games run by the author of the article are documented on his English-language blog: http://www.crolarper.com/p/ my-larps.html

And we had some new projects as well. Highland Games paired the no-rules idea of Tragači zore and the all-inclusive world in a large in-character party. The two Izgon larps were pervasive, intensive, immersive, long-duration games – the first one lasted for five weeks, and the second one was played across the globe, with participants playing simultaneously in six countries across the world.

To summarize: some Croatian larps are goal-oriented, some are relaxed, and some are written for maximum intensity of emotions. The playerbase is mostly located in Zagreb and numbers around 150-200, but it is rapidly increasing as the scene has been diversifying for the past three years – now, more people are running larps than ever before, and we hope that these trends will continue in the future.

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A Summer Night’s Nightmare or, the game that spun out of control

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n their way back from a summer event, a group of young people has an idea to... Organize the next year’s main game of the Hardkon larp festival. They have a feeling that, as they have no experience in the field, it may be the biggest mistake of their lives, but they make a promise to support one another. A year later, an event takes place that surpasses their wildest expectations.

decision in the history of Polish larping. We had practically no knowledge on organizing such big outdoor games, and next to no experience in participating in such. All we had were enthusiasm, persistence, and the Hardkon organizers’ trust. We carefully considered all the advice they offered, scrupulously wrote down all the pros and cons of various games we took part in, as well as thought about our own larp dreams and whims.

The following article is a more or less successful attempt to (1) investigate the events of summer 2013 (2) understand what made the Hardkon main game leave such a powerful imprint on the participants’ consciousness (3) evaluate one’s work that spins out of control and takes a life of its own (4) touch the metaphysical. The idea to shape the restless thoughts into the consistent form of an article is the result of many observations, forum threads, and private conversations which do not cease to amaze. The author of the following text does not intend to provide clear answers, formulate theses, or create theories, as he simply lacks the expertise to do that. The aim is to draw attention to certain phenomena, pose questions, raise doubts, and encourage readers’ own reflections.

Our aim was clear: producing a “Grimuar style larp” using the best larp elements from projects such as Sen Nocy Letniej, Gangi Starego Lublina and Misterium Rodu Featherlove[1]. Shaping a surreal, yet very real world suspended on the verge of dreams and influenced by its inhabitants, a world with its own history, possibilities for the future, and mysteries which the players would explore even long after the game finished. Writing characters who possess knowledge as well as emotions, desires, and fears. Creating a specific mood for the participants to fully submerge in, like when listening to a magical story told by the fire.

And, most importantly, doing all this together with the players – taking their hands and leading them into this world long before the actual larp, so that during the game they could discover its beating heart.

The one shows up, who does not know it is impossible...

Kołysanki went against logic, rejected all tested and approved solutions: existence of a main plot, saving the world, the final 3 o’clock battle. It rejected quantum ontology and the modular scenario model, the latest achievements of Polish larping. It was a fairytale written by the players. And we needed several months to stop talking about it all the time.

(Annika Olejarz, “Black Wings”) If a year earlier I had heard that a two-night long Changeling larp could turn out great, I would have told my interlocutor they were crazy. It turned out awesome.

(Anna Rogala, “Ash”)

Our offer to organize the main game of Hardkon 2013 was probably the most spontaneous and the least reasonable

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After many hours of meetings, brainstorming, and consultations we created a game brief, which presented the chosen title – Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki (Grim Lullabies of the Hedge), summarized the setting, mood, factions, characters, the main story, and mechanics; it also included a short story introducing the atmosphere of the game[2]. Although the organizers were very surprised by the choices we presented in the brief – like the Changeling setting[3], role-playing at night, mechanics based on Tarot cards, or the opening scene set by the lake – they gave us the green light.

The world of Changeling, where even the most beautiful dreams may turn into the worst nightmares, seemed perfect for us. It allowed us to make a good use of the available

Marcin Słowikowski Born in the year of Big Brother. Active member of Grimuar club. Defended his MA thesis on larps at the Faculty of Theory of Culture and Culture Studies Methodology. Larper and larp designer – a disciple of the Lublin larp school. He penned an epistolary epic Róże Pogorzeliska, intricately sculpted the case of Misterium Rodu Featherlove, reached the edge of sanity with System and Psychol, but he believes his greatest creation to be Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki – the main larp at Hardkon 13. Founder, organizer, and jury member of the LNL larp contest.

space, let the participants’ creativity run wild, and make the most daring costume and characterization dreams come true. It also proved to be very flexible in terms of the plot and atmosphere – an uneven mix of fairytales and nightmares. As we strove for the greatest immersion possible, we started introducing it to the participants long before Hardkon. To do that, we used the so-called kołysanki (“lullabies”), short stories that referred to fairytales, legends, superstitions, and myths. The first two were published on the Christmas Eve and on the New Year’s Eve 2012 respectively. We also encouraged the participants to write their own.

These stories were used as inspirations for the characters of their authors, who had the opportunity to create the roles jointly with the GMs. Up until mid-February we received thirteen stories. We used them as the bases for several characters that for the next months we developed with the players by exchanging emails describing events and relations. This helped us enrich the world by adding more and more characters, sub-plots, and secrets. This was the sole privilege of the players from the first round of registration. The second round, in March, let the players list their expectations which we then tried to fulfill. These included, among others: solving a mystery, experimenting with different tastes, the possibility for loud and obnoxious behaviour, an emotion-oriented game. In the third round of registration the players could choose a character basing on short descriptions. Finally, the fourth and the last round gave the possibility to receive one of the remaining available roles.

In the meantime, along with our players we were shaping a small world, governed by its own rules. It had its own, at least 2,000-year-long, colourful history filled with both legendary and very mysterious events. It had its own politics, based on four very different factions, focused on the Courts of Seasons and its monarchs entangled in complicated relations with one another. And, last but definitely not least, it was built upon multi-layered conflicts and

inhabited by complex characters that made it alive. For two nights, we gave it to our players to fill it with even more amazing events. And so it began:

Grim Lullabies of the Hedge I’ve seen a larp, you people wouldn’t believe... Changelings on the shore of the darkest fairytale’s forest... and all... those... moments... will never be lost in time.

(Piotr Milewski, main organizer of Hardkon)

After several rounds of briefings (general, faction, and individual), rehearsing the elaborate mechanics, handing out the paper versions of character sheets (several to several dozens of pages long) and the Tarot cards used for magic, many hours of characterization, and a chaotic dispatch, we were ready for the game. When the participants set off for the larp area, it was around midnight.

A several-minute walk through the forest was enough for the players to transform into their characters, leave the everyday reality behind, and step into an imaginary world of wonder. The opening scene took place by the lake. Most of the characters gathered on the shore to welcome these who were to arrive by boats. The darkness was illuminated by lanterns and the moon, reflected in the water. The whispers subsided when one of the characters started with a song: Sleep of the Earth of the land of Faerie Green is the lore of King of Spring Hail be to they of the Forest Backwoods Pale, dark spirits, help us free (Tricky Pixie, The Mushroom Song)[4]

That moment gave start to eighty-eight stories that for two nights (with a short break for a nap and fixing the characterization) intertwined with one another – and we listened from behind the scenes, trying to put the observed pieces together. Each of these stories was unfolding at its own pace. While there was not much going on in one of the locations and its GM was worried about the players

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getting bored to death, in another place it was so intense that its GM had trouble keeping up with what was going on. There were several moments when we were full of doubt and feared that this intricate house of cards that we had built over many months might collapse. And we still feel that in the end a part of this construction did not survive.

There were also moments when we held our breaths not to disrupt the things that were unfolding right before our eyes – scenes that will be always imprinted in our memories and could be never described by any words or pictures. We have witnessed situations where the player and their character merged into one entity. We touched the metaphysical – whether it was a frantic search for one’s fate hidden in the Hedge, a hypnotizing aroma of lilac, a solitary tear traveling slowly down a cheek, a soothing melody of a flute, or goosebumps at the faraway echo of a howling wolf.

Trying to describe the plot of this larp would come to naught. It could be summarized, of course, in a brief description of the main plot points or factions, stylized descriptions of single scenes, or a chronological list of events – which is not even possible to reproduce – but it would contribute nothing to the article. It is impossible to present the plot of the game in several paragraphs[5], but they say every good story may be summarized in one sentence.

This sentence became the sub-title of our game:

A dark tale of the stigma that magic leaves on humans For me, it was a fairytale in which we experienced a grim reality, distorted in a colourful caleidoscope. I submerged in the hedge of human desires, fears and other intense emotions. And most importantly, these two nights were a soothing lullaby for my burning need to both create and play with imagination and various more or less familiar feelings.

(Szymon Boruta, “Tomcat”)

The game finished at dawn, and the players, exhausted after two sleepless nights, came back to the resort. Many of them did not go to beds though, and instead stayed up to talk about the larp. Actually, it was not really surprising – in many cases after a very intensive game a phenomenon occurs that Elge Larsson calls “the post-larp charisma”[6], a state of psycho-physical agitation, a kind of excitement

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connected to the larp that has just been played. Among others, it may result in heated discussions about the discovered sub-plots, memorable scenes, fulfilled character aims etc.

As the GMs we were not entirely satisfied with how the game played out, so the players’ enthusiasm really surprised us. They thanked us for the game and praised it a lot. Some argued that the larp should be extended at least into a third night or have a sequel at the next year’s Hardkon. At first we thought they were just being nice – then, that it is the post-larp charisma talking. Even before the debriefing the players not only engaged into numerous discussions, but started exchanging their character sheets, at first only reading the characters connected to them, but then moving on to others. A large, several-hundred-pages-high pile of paper grew steadily on the dining table.

That was quite unusual, taking into consideration that reading had a strong competition: the sun and the lake.

It all finished with the goodbye party – although not for everyone...

The next days brought the deserved criticism, however, positive feedback would not stop coming either. The players kept surprising us with their confessions: someone admitted to crying on the way back from the festival, someone else said that they dreamed about Kołysanki at night. There were some serious declarations as well, about the larp changing someone or crushing their worldview, curing their cynicism, or flaming up their enthusiasm for larping. Many Internet posts were truly moving: “I have no words. I don’t know if larping will ever be the same.

Or if I will” (Mikołaj Wicher, “Felix”) or “Thanks to him [my character] I was able to answer the question ‘What can change human nature?’” (Jakub Komacki, “Zephyr”).

Three days after the larp one of the players sent us a written, nine-pages long summary of their game. The next day we got another one – twenty-six pages this time (sic!).

Pleasantly surprised, we decided to ask other participants to send us their epilogues, describing the game events and their characters’ future. All the texts we received will be put into a Memorial Book. At the moment of writing this article we have around a dozen epilogues and several declarations of writing more.

Marcin Słowikowski

The discussions between players, as well as status updates and comments on Facebook referring to the larp that are still popping up, started to build a sociolect of a kind[I].

Sometimes someone publishes a text, a link, or a photo that means nothing to “an outsider”. The four main factions created their own respective Facebook groups. Kołysanki inspired the players to create an Internet forum[7], where between July and September characters continued their stories in a Playby-Forum form. Several participants also decided to play a larp-inspired RPG campaign, focused on their characters. The campaign was finished by the end of October, leaving behind a YouTube playlist created by the person running the game.

There were also two events inspired by Kołysanki. In September, in Pszczyna, a photo-shoot called “Changeling Postkołysankowy” took place. It was organized by the players and attended by several participants of the game. In November, during the Falkon speculative fiction festival in Lublin, a party was organized, attended by almost 60 people connected with the larp, some of them in costumes referring to their characters. During this event one of the players announced holding his next birthday during the next year’s Hardkon, stylizing it as a feast in the larp world.

What does the future have in store for Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki? It is a difficult question and probably none of the authors can answer it. We are working on the Memorial Book, but of course, we never know what the players will surprise us with. Is there any chance for a continuation? It is a tempting prospect, but we are well aware that no man ever steps in the same river twice. Besides, we believe that it is better to be left wanting more than hurting from overeating.

Dorota Mruk, Katarzyna Humelt, Annika Olejarz

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Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki was the most intense larping experience. A masterpiece played on the relations between the characters. The game that astonished me with its elan and its influence on my life, and on the lives of my friends. It was an opportunity to learn new things about myself.

(Mikołaj Wicher, “Felix”)

Poland saw hundreds, if not thousands of larps – but have you ever seen a game with such an influence on the players? Was Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki exceptional? If yes, how? What made many of the participants still radiant with the post-larp charisma effect? These are the issues I have pondered about for months as one of the authors. For the purposes of this article and as an attempt to look into this phenomenon almost half a year after the game, I decided to ask some of the players the following question: “What did / does the larp Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki mean to you?”

Among the answers, apart from subjective ratings of the game, several elements could be found that influenced these ratings the most. These elements may be divided into several categories. The first group of players stressed the importance of the setting and the plot: ... Kołysanki is the most perfect specimen of its kind observed in nature. Painfully aware of the limitations put on larpwrights, I decided to participate with full acceptance of any inconveniences in exchange for the promise of dreaming together a fairytale in my favourite modern fantasy setting. What I received was undoubtedly more than I could expect. (...) KGK was a larp that fully fulfilled its fairytale concept. A beast was a beast. The ice queen – a cold bitch. The heroic king – a self-centered coxcomb.

Instead of overdoing things, which happens a lot at larps – understanding and respecting the fairytale rules, creatively developing them. No fodder for power-gamers. Long, novelized, emotional, and well-written character sheets. Excellent costumes.

Polished set-up. Engaging the players into the story so much that a fantasy larp author with ten years worth of experience is willing to describe the way his character was created. Moar pls!

(Kamil Bartczak, “Toad”) For me, it was a story about dying hope, desperation, and the strength that is born among the fire of odds working against you. It was a magical legend which unraveled on many layers at the same time and which you [the authors] in some inexplicable way wrote into our lives.

(Danai Chondrokouki, “Ondine”)

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While some players became absorbed in creating a Changeling fairytale, others noted the atmosphere and the visual layer of the game, including costumes, characterizations, and the fact that the larp was played at night: Recently I went to grab a beer and chat with a non-larper friend of mine. Once again, the topic of “my weird hobby” came up. He asked me how it is possible that people just suddenly go into the game, that they do not feel stupid, silly, or as if they were lying.

I showed him my picture from Kołysanki. I told him it took me two hours to achieve this look. Then I started to tell him what happened next. The marching army and military songs. The lit pier at the lake, the welcome song, and the boats with the Ambassadors approaching the shore from the darkness. When I reached the part with the flaming sword, he interrupted me.

I didn’t have to say anything more – he already regretted not being there. And such a magical feeling accompanied us throughout the whole game.

(Bartosz Zioło, “Jackal”) Kołysanki was a larp where immersion into one’s character was really intense, almost complete. In my case it was a Jekyll-andHyde-style metamorphosis – the larp drew out my other, dark self, and it was it that wandered the night forest. Undoubtedly, nighttime was precisely what was at work here. At night one’s mind works differently than during the day, reacts to other stimuli. Moreover, amazing stories and fairytale costumes created a different world, made real with true emotions of the players.

(Agata Godun, “Scorpion”) Kołysanki broke the mould, helped me cross the limit I reached after 15 years of larping. The location, the visual effects, the costumes etc. were top-notch. Plus the mechanics that allowed to settle the score like real men – on the arena – or with cards, fully covering the players’ confrontation issues. Something nice for everyone. Darkness was also important, it stimulated creativity and hid all the shortcomings.

(Artur Wysocki, “Sun”)

There were also those who valued not only the atmosphere, but also the emotions that accompanied the game, as well as sharing these emotions with other players: For me, a person who in every art and game form appreciates the atmosphere the most, Kołysanki was the quintessence of entertainment and the absolute apogee of immersion. The events, the emotions, the Changelings, the music, the magic of the Hedge...

Each and every element was so perfect that I would not dare to change anything. Everything was just as we would dream it, and because we all really wanted it – we actually dreamed it. For me,

Marcin Słowikowski

Kołysanki was not a game, it was an experience. A collective experience whose every participant became someone really special to me. It’s such a luck to find oneself in the right place, at the right time!

(Maciej Jureczko, “Caterpillar”) For several nights we lived in a beautiful world. We weren’t playing, we were the characters who felt emotions, who changed, grew, died. It wasn’t a game and I will never agree with the opinion that it was all pretending. These several hours were filled with real emotions I had never experienced before. Everyone was a hero, everyone was the main character, we were all part of one picture. The biggest problem of the game was the upcoming ending and the life afterwards, with the awareness that it was just entertainment after all. For me personally it was very hard to come back to reality. I still call these hours to mind and I would like to thank the organizers from the bottom of my heart.

(Marcin Szurpicki, “Ice”) Although Kołysanki finished quite some time ago I still remember it with joy. I still remain in touch with my larp-sisters. I still think what else I could have done during the game. I still recollect the interesting scenes. I still browse, with the same enthusiasm, the photos from the larp. It was not a game aimed at gaining points or completing tasks. Lucky for me, because I hate those. Here I acted out a character I created and let my imagination run wild – as did about eighty amazing people! And that was what I had expected!!!

(Joanna Tylus, “Ivy”)

For many players the important part were the characters they acted out for those two nights. This concerns both those who participated in character creation for several months before the game proper and those who received a complete character just a week prior.

For me, Kołysanki were, most of all, a living story. When we began creating it several months before the game, we only knew one thing: it’s a Changeling larp. When the game actually started, the players were long attached to their characters. I felt as if the story was told by itself, as if people changed into Changelings the very moment they put on their costumes. And this story – it was made of our nightmares and dreams.

(Marek Małagocki, “Frost”) An awesome thing that I consider to be decisive for the uniqueness of this larp was my character and how easy it was for me to go into the role. I did not create or co-create it, it was added to the game during the third round of registration. However, for me as a beginner the character of Stella was perfect. I think other players loved their roles as much, they became their characters

and this is why those two nights were so magical. No one pretended, they all just were.

(Natalia Rożek, “Stella”) For me taking part in Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki was a kind of catharsis that I had never expected to experience in such an intense way. It took me many weeks to “cure myself” of that magical atmosphere. The character I played, and profoundly immersed into, was in a way my reflection, however, it only helped me submerge into the larp and convinced me that being mad doesn’t mean being inferior. (anonymous player)

The opinions quoted above not only present the picture of the larp which exists in many players’ consciousness and was passed into the larp milieu, but they also indicate several factors that could influence the occurrence of the phenomenon described earlier.

One swallow does not make a summer Finally, the two quotes presented below may indicate the direction for further research.

In the presented context, a very interesting opinion was offered by Dominik Dembinski as the answer to my question: Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki didn’t impress me much. As a player I didn’t have much fun, and because of the setting the character creation process didn’t really appeal to me. However, I still feel the “side effects” of being Bard for two nights... And there are reasons for that. The strength of this larp wasn’t in the larp itself, but in its characters. While my character was created mainly basing on dry pointers (and it was awesome!), most of other roles were written by the players themselves – and I think this is the key to understanding the phenomenon of Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki. The character creation process resulted in the majority of the players entering the Backwoods as the deconstructed versions of themselves, based on their own, hidden needs and fears. The possibility to experience oneself in an environment that created the illusion of safety made us never go out of our characters, just go back to everyday roles – longing to be ourselves... in a different way. This yearning for one’s changed self and changed versions of one’s friends makes us search for opportunities to restore that world.

While evaluating the validity of the above, one should note that only about a dozen among almost ninety players had an actual influence on the character creation process.

Thus, the situation described in this article should not

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concern those who chose a ready-made character, were given the one we chose for them or – in the case of replacements for sudden vacancies – got their characters only just before the game started. Actually, these constitute the majority of the players. It should also be noted that among the quoted players some wanted to play another character, but someone took it first.

A similar direction is indicated in the next quote, which also gives the basis for a more general conclusion and, possibly, more accurate interpretation.

However, the biggest advantage of this scenario was providing the players with an array of tools that allowed them to create the world, freely interpret their characters, and paint their visions in the imagination of others. Like, instead of Barbie dolls, children are given play-dough, and they can create anything they want. These tools, some of which were available long before the larp, allowed for freedom that brought everyone effects exceeding expectations.

(Agnieszka Pilc, “Weaver”)

In this case it should be concluded that the decisive factor was the players’ active participation in preparing the game, thus, greater responsibility for the final outcome.

It concerns not only co-writing the characters, but also writing short stories for the website, building locations, preparing props and characterization. Here, other big outdoor games that also make similar activities available for the players could serve as a point of reference.

As the article is aimed to spark discussion and encourage asking question, the opinions quoted above may constitute the first step to answering the following questions: what makes a two-night game appear in people’s dreams and evoke strong emotions even half a year after it finished?

Can a larp change our lives and perception of the world?

What gives larps power and influence over players?

It seems difficult because of two reasons. First of all, according to the best of the author’s knowledge Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki was the first larp where the described phenomenon was so intense and widespread. In the case of the three Grimuar games mentioned at the beginning the scale was much smaller, although one of the players’ opinion suggests it should not be ignored: “Contrary to, possibly, the majority of the participants, I don’t think KGK was exceptional. For me it was the standard I knew from

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other games made by Grimuar or in Lublin in general. Unfortunately, this time it wasn’t flawless” (Jakub Barański, “Codex”). The second important reason is the fact that we work on a live and, most importantly, own organism, and it is always the most difficult task to make a self-diagnosis.

There is nothing left to do for the author but to wish everyone exceptional, memorable, and inspiring larps that spin out of control and prompt similar reflections.

Marcin Słowikowski

Author’s Notes [1] Larps authored primarily by ‘Squirel’, run in 2008-9 for the Grimuar speculative fiction fanclub from Lublin.

[2] “Kołysanka o Kwiecie Paproci” (A Lullaby of the Fern Flower), http://hardkon.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=399:kolysanka-o-kwiecie-paproci&catid=44&Itemid=450 [3] Changeling: The Lost – one of the RPG systems published by White Wolf, set in the World of Darkness universe.

[4] Along with Scarborough Fair and Jaskółka uwięziona (“The swallow imprisoned”), it was one of the songs performed by the players during the game. It was their own initiative and contribution, and they will surely associate the three songs with Kołysanki forever.

[5] As it is a Grimuar tradition, we are working on a Memorial Book, a PDF file documenting the game. It will contain all the materials that were created for the larp.

[6] E. Larsson, “Larp as a Way to Enlightenment”.

[7] Forum address: http://matecznik.forumpolish.com/

Editor’s and Translator’s Notes [I] Sociolect – a variety of a given language, characteristic for a certain social group. It may include novel words and expressions which may be properly understood only by the users of the lect.

Sources Grimuar, Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki, 2013.

Larsson E., “Larp as a Way to Enlightenment”. In: As Larp Grows Up – Theory and Methods in Larp, ed. M. Gade, L. Thorup, M. Sander, Projektgruppen KP03, Frederiksberg 2003 All opinions quoted in the text come from two sources. The first are fragments of the answers to the question: “What did / does the larp Koszmarne Gąszczu Kołysanki mean to you?” made by the players who agreed to be quoted in this article. The second are fragments of public posts on Facebook. The date of access to the Internet sources is 30th November 2013.

Agata Lubańska, Malwina Otto

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A Short Critique of Larp Criticism

C

riticising larps has become a peculiar entertainment of sorts for surprisingly many players. I also used to find satisfaction in analysing games thoroughly in order to find as many faults as possible and to build a (superficial) social position for myself by publicly delivering long lists of comments, complaints, and propositions for improvement (often impossible to exercise). With many a sophisticated word, complex-compound sentence, and affected epithet, I washed out the last strands of motivation from a number of quite talented authors... and I feel terrible because of that.

The problem is that critique, which is a field for its own sake and totally separate from a creative process, never entered the Polish larping culture as an independent area of expertise, which brought about serious consequences.

The lack of critical skills is harmful both to the authors and the critics, and ultimately it restrains development of the Polish larp scene by depriving it of the powerful tool of proper criticism.

What is criticism?

Film criticism – a field of intellectual activity concerned with films, film culture and its social situation. It is based on discussion and formulation of opinions on films and cinematography. Its aim is not only to describe individual works, but also to shape the directions of film development, as well as to promote certain values or aesthetic concepts. Furthermore, film criticism functions as an intermediary between filmmakers and their audience.

(Entry: “Film criticism”. In: Marek Hendrykowski, Słownik terminów filmowych (Lexicon of Film Terminology).

Ars nova, Poznań 1994. P. 158-159.)

There is a reason I chose the definition of film criticism.

For me, personally, cinematography is the branch of art that is closest to larps, and it is from the cinematic theory that I have adopted most know-how into the larp field.

Thus, I see no reason to abandon this habit in the case of

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criticism. For the purposes of this article, I would like to propose a definition of larp criticism, based on the above: Larp criticism – a field of intellectual activity concerned with larps, larp culture and its social situation. It is based on discussion and formulation of opinions on larp scenarios, larps which were run, and larp-writing schools.

Its aim is not only to describe individual works, but also to shape the directions of larp development, as well as to promote certain values or aesthetic concepts. Furthermore, larp criticism functions as an intermediary between larp authors and their players.

Why criticise?

As proposed by this definition, larp criticism is not (only) concerned with relieving one’s intellectual bloodlust on an innocent enthusiast who spent several months writing a larp (of course, one that in the critic’s eyes is a total failure), but with “shaping the directions of larp development, promoting certain values and aesthetic concepts, and functioning as an intermediary between larp authors and players”.

Wait a moment. So critique can actually serve a creative purpose?!

Yes, it can! It is because it may shape trends and styles – also in the larp milieu. It is well-visible in the case of the games submitted for larp contests, like Złote Maski or Larpy Najwyższych Lotów (Pyrkon and Falkon festivals, respectively), where each year brings distinct tendencies among the submitted scenarios. For example, after Złote Maski 2012 awarded a larp with a pronounced structure of separate acts and scenes, in 2013 there were already several games of this type submitted to both Złote Maski and the premiere edition of Larpy Najwyższych Lotów. I suspect that in a similar way the winners of both contests of 2013 will contribute to a new trend next year, this time for scenarios with a realistic setting. It was enough for the judges (critics) to favour a game with a specific construction.

Dominik Dembinski (Lower)German-(Upper)Silesian larp author, president of Liveform Association, and libertarian politician. Studies management. In his free time he learns foreign languages, trains kung fu, and brews beer in his family’s brewery – “Wrzos” in Ustroń. He is best known for the New Age series as well as the scenarios All My Loving and Star Wars: Creed of Ruin, the latter awarded on Złote Maski in 2012. Founder of Larpbase (www.larpbase.pl). His motto is: “Cinematic! Heroic!

Spectacular!”

However, such an effect does not require prominent contests or tempting awards. A scrupulous critic, by writing merely several texts a month, could successfully influence the expectations and trends for a whole generation of larpers(!), and a proper promotion of larp theory could accelerate the development of our games so much that we could catch up with the Nordic larp culture within two or three years, instead of a decade as some expect.

I am delighted to say that it is exactly what is beginning to happen!

Why does critique change anything?

The need to feel better than others, dissatisfaction with the larp experience, or ordinary malice? What makes us criticise? I am well aware that it may sound idealistic, however, in my heart I believe that every critic assesses someone else’s work in order to help the author and make their work even better.

Actually, it does not sound idealistic at all, if we examine the subtle difference between professional criticism and ordinary fault-finding. Criticism is based not only on subjective impressions, but also on objective knowledge, certain guidelines, and on supporting one’s opinions and verdicts with examples and advice – after all, even the harshest but fair (or at least professional) criticism provides the author with many solutions, arguments included.

Utilitarian nature of criticism aside, speaking from the point of view of a criticised person, when there are arguments, they may be disagreed with, discussed, countered by counterarguments, or juxtaposed with the original intention. It is not possible in the case of a humiliating bouquet of profanities.

Criticism is useful, because it expresses the needs of a player-critic, who often speaks not only for themselves but for a whole group of players. Most authors more or less consciously do what is the most reasonable when one is

criticised: accept the comments, and incorporate the ones they agree with into their next work. It results mainly from two things (1) we are often criticised by our colleagues and friends – this is how the larp milieu looks like after all (2) the merciless laws of the market – if an author wants more people to attend their larp, the quality of their works has to improve. If an author listens to criticism, sooner or later they succeed in distinguishing themselves from the anonymous crowd. If not, they fail to be noticed.

How to criticise?

It is an obvious thing to say that criticism should be polite, linguistically correct, to the point, and based on experience. Maybe the last one is not so obvious (I make this mistake myself sometimes) and needs explanation: it is not proper to criticise either a game that we did not attend, or any elements of a game that we did not experience ourselves. Period. It does not mean we should not talk about these – quite on the contrary! It is because of repetition that criticism is able to influence the trends after all. However, it is proper to share criticism with acknowledging its author, indicating sources, or at least informing that those are someone else’s words and not ours. Of course, a critique does not need to cover the whole larp – so for example contact with a scenario only is sufficient to make a decent criticism of the said scenario, while contact with scenography – a convincing criticism of the said scenography.

However, one should never make a criticism of a scenario based only on how the larp played out or a full description of a scenography, including how it pertains to the said scenario.

Moreover, good criticism is constructive. It means that for every criticised feature we present at least one suggestion for improvement. It does not have to be a ready solution – a good critic does not have to be a good larp author! However, they should possess knowledge on various games that have already been made, how problems were solved in their cases, and what conclusions were drawn from that; here the second type of constructive criticism appears. If,

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as a critic, you cannot propose any solutions, point to the people, games, theories, or literature that would allow the criticised author to draw some conclusions on their own.

On the face of it, such an approach restricts the larp milieu, authorising criticism only in the case of “the elite” – but that is not true! Literature and scenarios are easily available nowadays[1], and it is enough to spend two, three evenings to get an idea about the most important topics in larp theory.

However, let us not run free with our criticism, as it has certain consequences and needs to be used responsibly and consciously. As mentioned before, repeating a criticism gives it power to create and influence both audience’s expectations and authors’ ambitions. Thus, when a criticism of a particular type of larps begins (for example vampire larps), with time these games start to be gradually rejected by the milieu, and eventually disappear from conventions.

Wait a moment. Was it not exactly what happened?!

And what about jeepforms, larps in realistic setting, or adding a soundtrack to a game? These are all trends popularised through positive criticism. Players act according to a kind of herd behaviour, authors try to meet their expectations, and the actual influence on our larps is wielded by those individuals who create these expectations – those who create trends.

You too can change the Polish larp culture.

You too can be a creative critic.

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Acknowledgments And finally – dear malcontents, dear grumblers – the bigger a larp is, the less its authors fathom it. It is physically impossible for organizers to be everywhere at once, resolve every conflict, spot every mistake, be present during each and every of your spectacular scenes. These people devote their time, their money, and their fun for you to become part of something unique. They deserve your honesty and objectivity, so note their every mistake but also praise their every effort and glint of innovation – it often happens that praise is the only thing that larp authors are left with to muster new motivation.

Author’s Notes [1] http://www.larpbase.pl

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