by Zoe
After this past weekend, I realized, in the two years that the husband and I have been LARPing, it's just become astronomically easier. When we first started, we had loads of unorganized stuff, piles of costume changes, and food that didn't pack well. Now? It's a few totes, a bag, a backpack, and a cooler of food. In short, it's simple and easily transportable. I think this comes with experience: you slowly learn what does and doesn't work in terms of convenience and expediency. With that being said, I wanted to share a few of my organizational tips, and invite others to do the same. Most of these tips are targeted at PCs and NPCs. However, if you staff a game, you could take this organizational system, and expand it to a much larger frame. Oddly enough, they're also some the same organizational tips for seasonal fieldwork...
1. Make a list.
I love lists. I love writing them. I love reading them. I love scratching things off of them. And you know what? They are really, really useful. I think having a premade list that details what you need to pack, buy, and prepare is very handy, especially if you are the lone person in charge of packing. Here are my lists-with-lists suggestions.
1. Have a go-to generic LARP list. This is your list for every single LARP, be it one you PC, NPC, or staff. It includes all of the stuff you need for the weekend: toiletries, basic make-up, contacts, repair kits, extra socks, bedding, medication, a towel etc. Laminate this list. Put it on your fridge. When LARP season hits, you don't need to do last minute planning and organizing for basic stuff.
2. Make LARP-specific lists. These are sub-lists that cover things like character costumes, rulebook, weapons, and props. Make one of these for each LARP you PC.
3. Make an NPC-specific list. For the games that you don't PC, you're going to need a slightly different kit. This would include things like your NPC blacks, extra sneakers, role-specific costumes, a set of generic weapons, and NPC food. If you play named roles in a variety of games, make an NPC list for each game.
Keep all of these lists laminated and organized. During LARP season, having the basic list on a fridge is a good idea-- when you go to the grocery store, you might think to pick up extra toothpaste or socks.
2. Use plastic totes.
Plastic totes are your friends. They are convenient, cheap, sturdy, and lightweight. In the event of a flood, your stuff won't get destroyed. They fit into a car easy enough. Covered with a swath of fabric, they make excellent end tables for a cabin or mod space. I highly recommend organizing your stuff into totes based on LARPs. You can pack it, and forget it. Come LARP time? Sling it in the car. A lot of LARP monster camps already do this, but I think it would be really beneficial for PCs and NPCs to adopt the practice. This picture below is my dream (the tote warehouse, not the mom jeans.)
3. Guard your tinies.
LARPs often burden us with a boggling amount of tiny, important things. These are things like item cards, prop tags, money, treasure, and magic items. Look for creative and cheap ways to store them. One way I have found useful is bead storage containers. They're easy enough to find, and they keep little things safe.
4. Keep your peas and carrots separate.
When you get to camp, unload your stuff into your cabin, and spring happily into game, it can often become a neat-freak's nightmare. Towels are jumbled up with weapons. Packets are jumbled up with socks. It wastes everyone's time, and is an even bigger terror come clean-up time. When packing, keep this in mind, and attempt to separate disparate things: don't pack together character props and your electric kettle; don't leave your boots with the repair kit; keep your towel and toiletries separate from the food. It sounds basic, but it's easy enough to toss everything into one bag, and head to the LARP. This is especially important if you're sharing a cabin, or a communal monster camp.
5. Have a bag or two dedicated to real-world stuff.
Last Madrigal, there was an unfortunate real-world situation that required Chris and I to gather up our wallet, purse, and my laptop, and stow it in our car. Luckily, we keep all of this stuff discreetly together, so it wasn't hard to put it all together. When I go to a LARP, I like to have all of my real-world stuff (a change of civilian clothes, my non-LARP shoes, ID, money, and phone) in one out of the way place. If I need to access it, I don't have to go looking.
6. Have drinks and food in separate containers from gear.
Food and organization perhaps merits its own post. Suffice to say, keep it separate from your clothes and props. Firstly, if you need water or a snack, it makes for easier access. Secondly, it ensures you're not going to have a jar of peanut butter all over your chainmail.
7. Keep your own make-up kit.
This applies more to NPCs than PCs, but having your own make-up kit, complete with cake make-up and fangs, goes a long way in a monster camp. Keep it stowed with your stuff, and use it for any number of monsters you may need to play. Not only is it more hygienic, but it avoids bathroom lines and messy MCs.
8. Set up a trashcan in your cabin.
This sounds basic, but it's my number one rule. If all else fails, at least I have a trashcan. All garbage goes there. It is emptied as need be. It's amazing how much space, time, and energy this can free up.
What do you do to stay organized? What have you learned over the months or years?
After this past weekend, I realized, in the two years that the husband and I have been LARPing, it's just become astronomically easier. When we first started, we had loads of unorganized stuff, piles of costume changes, and food that didn't pack well. Now? It's a few totes, a bag, a backpack, and a cooler of food. In short, it's simple and easily transportable. I think this comes with experience: you slowly learn what does and doesn't work in terms of convenience and expediency. With that being said, I wanted to share a few of my organizational tips, and invite others to do the same. Most of these tips are targeted at PCs and NPCs. However, if you staff a game, you could take this organizational system, and expand it to a much larger frame. Oddly enough, they're also some the same organizational tips for seasonal fieldwork...
1. Make a list.
I love lists. I love writing them. I love reading them. I love scratching things off of them. And you know what? They are really, really useful. I think having a premade list that details what you need to pack, buy, and prepare is very handy, especially if you are the lone person in charge of packing. Here are my lists-with-lists suggestions.
1. Have a go-to generic LARP list. This is your list for every single LARP, be it one you PC, NPC, or staff. It includes all of the stuff you need for the weekend: toiletries, basic make-up, contacts, repair kits, extra socks, bedding, medication, a towel etc. Laminate this list. Put it on your fridge. When LARP season hits, you don't need to do last minute planning and organizing for basic stuff.
2. Make LARP-specific lists. These are sub-lists that cover things like character costumes, rulebook, weapons, and props. Make one of these for each LARP you PC.
3. Make an NPC-specific list. For the games that you don't PC, you're going to need a slightly different kit. This would include things like your NPC blacks, extra sneakers, role-specific costumes, a set of generic weapons, and NPC food. If you play named roles in a variety of games, make an NPC list for each game.
Keep all of these lists laminated and organized. During LARP season, having the basic list on a fridge is a good idea-- when you go to the grocery store, you might think to pick up extra toothpaste or socks.
2. Use plastic totes.
Plastic totes are your friends. They are convenient, cheap, sturdy, and lightweight. In the event of a flood, your stuff won't get destroyed. They fit into a car easy enough. Covered with a swath of fabric, they make excellent end tables for a cabin or mod space. I highly recommend organizing your stuff into totes based on LARPs. You can pack it, and forget it. Come LARP time? Sling it in the car. A lot of LARP monster camps already do this, but I think it would be really beneficial for PCs and NPCs to adopt the practice. This picture below is my dream (the tote warehouse, not the mom jeans.)
3. Guard your tinies.
LARPs often burden us with a boggling amount of tiny, important things. These are things like item cards, prop tags, money, treasure, and magic items. Look for creative and cheap ways to store them. One way I have found useful is bead storage containers. They're easy enough to find, and they keep little things safe.
4. Keep your peas and carrots separate.
When you get to camp, unload your stuff into your cabin, and spring happily into game, it can often become a neat-freak's nightmare. Towels are jumbled up with weapons. Packets are jumbled up with socks. It wastes everyone's time, and is an even bigger terror come clean-up time. When packing, keep this in mind, and attempt to separate disparate things: don't pack together character props and your electric kettle; don't leave your boots with the repair kit; keep your towel and toiletries separate from the food. It sounds basic, but it's easy enough to toss everything into one bag, and head to the LARP. This is especially important if you're sharing a cabin, or a communal monster camp.
5. Have a bag or two dedicated to real-world stuff.
Last Madrigal, there was an unfortunate real-world situation that required Chris and I to gather up our wallet, purse, and my laptop, and stow it in our car. Luckily, we keep all of this stuff discreetly together, so it wasn't hard to put it all together. When I go to a LARP, I like to have all of my real-world stuff (a change of civilian clothes, my non-LARP shoes, ID, money, and phone) in one out of the way place. If I need to access it, I don't have to go looking.
6. Have drinks and food in separate containers from gear.
Food and organization perhaps merits its own post. Suffice to say, keep it separate from your clothes and props. Firstly, if you need water or a snack, it makes for easier access. Secondly, it ensures you're not going to have a jar of peanut butter all over your chainmail.
7. Keep your own make-up kit.
This applies more to NPCs than PCs, but having your own make-up kit, complete with cake make-up and fangs, goes a long way in a monster camp. Keep it stowed with your stuff, and use it for any number of monsters you may need to play. Not only is it more hygienic, but it avoids bathroom lines and messy MCs.
8. Set up a trashcan in your cabin.
This sounds basic, but it's my number one rule. If all else fails, at least I have a trashcan. All garbage goes there. It is emptied as need be. It's amazing how much space, time, and energy this can free up.
What do you do to stay organized? What have you learned over the months or years?
I <3 plastic bins. I use them for everything.
ReplyDeleteFor Madrigal, I have one for costuming, and one for props/cabin setup/etc. I used to also have one for food and food prep equipment (plates, cups, utensils, paper towels, trash bags, etc), but I downsized my food prep and so no longer need all that.
I also use these for all my non-costuming clothing: http://shop.eaglecreek.com/packing-cubes/l/212
I have one for pants, one for shirts, one for socks/underthings. I pack all of my larp pants into one, and all of my non-garb shirts into another one (long underwear, layers to wear under garb in cold weather, and tank tops for warm weather). After a larp I wash whatever I wore, fold it up, and put it back in there. All of the cubes go into a plastic bin
So when packing for larps, I just grab the shirts cube and the pants cube out of the bin and throw them in my duffel, toss in my toiletry bag and towel, and am good to go. I don't have to look for anything, or do any extra folding, or worry that I didn't bring an extra pair of pants or won't have enough layers.
Since these days for me, I feel if I manage to get to a larp with pants, that's a major victory, this system = win.
Aralis 2 was actually where I originally got the tote idea, now that I think of it. I remember wondering at your MC organization, and realizing that a lot of it had to do with carefully organized totes and clearly marked lists etc.
DeleteI agree with downsizing food prep. We used to try to do a lot more than we currently do (which involve some pho noodles, pho broth, veggies, and an electric kettle), and it was a nightmare. It wasn't even that messy, but it was that much more stuff that we had to pack and, worse yet, clean.