Contributor: Beth Fallon
Submission: the ins and outs of making the leap into staffing
System: Accelerant (but all take heed)
Years LARPing: 21
Email: efallon@earthlink.net
I've recently included a lot of pieces for newer players and PCs in general. The wonderful Ms. Fallon offers some sage advice for those pondering the "other side of the fence": staffing a LARP. Read on, all ye who bravely take up the sword that is the plot-staff pen.
* * *
Please note that all of this is personal opinion, flavored heavily by advice ganked from many far-smarter people than me over the course of many years. Your mileage may vary. Keep hands and feet inside the ride at all times.
So! You've decided that you want to start Staffing a LARP, i.e.writing the stories what makes the game Go. Congratulations, you masochist you! ;)
But where to begin? What do players want? How do I get started? What should I keep in mind when writing plotlines? How do I not suck? OH GOD TEH PRESSURES!
Okay, breathe. Herein I have collected some advice which has served me well for several years - take from it what works for you, ignore what doesn't apply, and go forth and be AWESOME!
Rule 1: PCs Want To Look Cool
- It's pretty basic, but easy to forget: PCs come here in order to be greater than themselves - more awesome, more badass, more evil, more good. We as Plot have the ability to provide a clear-cut world where someone with a mouthful of witty repartee, a boffer sword, and too much Mountain Dew CAN change the world. Think about ways in which PCs can shine, and make real, lasting changes in the world around them.
- NPCs/Plotfolk that play to "win", or purely for their own Look Cool, are full of FAIL. Don't DO that. :(
- Looking Cool does not mean that the PCs always win, or nothing bad ever happens - it means they don't look foolish, and they don't feel silly. Sometimes the bitter-tears-running-down-
- Do NOT make fun of PCs. Mocking them as part of a Bad-Guy rant (when you KNOW they are about to give you the beatdown your NPC RICHLY deserves) is one thing - but making them feel petty, useless, small, etc. IG should be done with GREAT care, and ONLY when they have a chance to redeem themselves (and kick your ass) soon thereafter.
Rule 2: Make It The PC's Problem
- Don't "monsterbate" or do "cut-scenes" when at ALL possible - i.e. two Huge NPCs RP at each other, kill each other, do all the Cool Stuff themselves while the PCs look on. Imbue the PCs to act in your stead,
make them your messengers, have a reason that the NPCs cannot/should not interact.
- When you DO a "cut-scene", they should be rare as hen's teeth, AND should make sense to complete and utter new people - ask yourself, "Will This Make Sense To The PC Who Started This Weekend, And Isn't
Involved In This Plotline?" If not, find ways to expound and rant when the scene happens.
Rule 3: PCs Need Something to Strive Against
- They cannot be Good Guys without a Bad Guy to antagonize them. They cannot be Sneaky Badasses without a Clueless Rube to burgle. They cannot be Political Movers And Shakers without Dangerous Political
Opponents. They cannot Stand Together without something to Stand Against. It's your job to give them something to define themselves by, by NOT being [X], and to give the appropriate game-specific flavor to
those interactions.
- You ARE going to have to be mean to them. You are going to have to betray them. You are going to have to hurt their feelings. You are NOT always going to be their friend... InGame. Work to get over that NOW,
before the plotline starts - no chickening out half-way! Remember - PC TEARS TASTE LIKE CANDY!
- Please note, all joking aside, that this can be harder than it seems, especially if you are real-life friends with the players in question, AND they think the NPC you're playing is actually a good guy/friend/ally. Betrayal is an incredibly powerful plot trope, but if you're not prepared for the emotions it can cause on both sides, it
can be disheartening. Something to keep in mind!
Rule 4: Keep Them Guessing
- Don't always play good guys, and don't always play bad guys. Shake it up, even if (ESPECIALLY if) you find yourself desperately uncomfortable with one or another type of role. If you always play one type or another, the PCs will (politely) metagame you - "Here comes Bef, she must be playing a Good Guy Who Will Give Me Stuff". By playing a mix, you decrease their habit of metagaming, AND you make the world more realistic.
Rule 5: Proactivity Is The Name Of The Game
- I CANNOT stress this enough: the quickest way to make a PC lose interest in a game, and faith in you, is to never let them affect the world.
- Plotlines should NEVER progress from A -> B -> C. "Lead-pipe" plotlines, that force the PCs to go from one action to another, are boring and no fun. Be flexible, and willing to run with what the PCs throw at you - I won't kid you, this is a tough skill to learn, and it doesn't always work, but it is INCREDIBLY rewarding when it does. If you can, try to treat your plotlines like a call-and-response, rather than a static presentation or play - you set the scene and present the challenge, then it's the PC's turn. Then your turn. Then their turn.
etc. etc. until the plotline reaches a logical conclusion. It takes practice, and sometimes it DOESN'T WORK, but it's awesome when it does!
- When you come up with your plotline, take the attitude that all you have control over is what has ALREADY HAPPENED. When you present the PCs with the plotline (Hey, look, a Banshee, what's that about?), start with a few ideas in mind as to how they might react (1)Kill her; 2) Redeem her; 3) Ignore her and go after Wickford), and plan accordingly. Then, when they pick a direction, build outward from
there - that's the joy of several weeks between events, and a whole committee full of smart people to brainstorm with!
- Sometimes, the PCs come up with REALLY dumb ideas, which won't work for good, solid, IG reasons. Do not be afraid to say no, but (at least at first) try do so in a sympathetic and clear way, that lets them
know WHY the idea won't work, instead of the knee-jerk smackdown. This isn't always possible, of course, but to start off with, it's not a bad tactic. The longer the game runs, and the more the PCs can reasonably expect to know about the campaign, the more harsh you can be.
- Some useful advice, from two other longtime Plot staffers:
* "I would add "...and sometimes, if they really, really want to, let them do the dumb thing. Because then they'll say 'Oh, crap, that was really stupid and now we're kind of pwned', but they may have written
a new and entertaining plotline for you." Not that that's ever happened. Oh no."
* "When you are writing your plotline, present it to other plot-minded folks and say, "How would you solve this problem? How would you break this plot?" The answers you get, that you never thought of, will amaze
you, and planning for more possibilities will expand your plot writing capabilities."
Rule 6: There Is No I In Plot
- Committees = Awesome. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, different past experiences, and different ideas. Do NOT be That Guy that never works with other Plot members and NPCs - it will handicap you in ways you won't even understand until it's too late... do not believe that I speak from experience, here. *ahem*
- Finding people you work well with is a glory and a joy forever. NPC roles for each other! Brainstorm on ideas over drinks! Accept their help when the PCs go completely off the rails and your plotline now bears no resemblance to your original idea! It's awesome. ;)
- From another Plot staffer:
* "Don't be afraid to take risks and innovate -- and listen to advice. Those that come before you may well have tried similar gimmicks or presentations. If you are lucky, the people working with you should be encouraging and realistic at once. If they have tried a similar idea to yours and it failed, it does not necessarily mean you should drop it. However, you should learn all you can about WHY it didn't work, to see if avoiding the same mistakes will make it fly this time."
Rule 7: High Fantasy vs. Low Fantasy
- High Fantasy = the end-of-the-world, game-arc-level-stuff, high-stats, high-impact stuff.
- Low Fantasy = "My daughter hasn't come back with the sheep for over an hour, and I am worried. Someone said they saw some Goblins in the area. Could you help?"
- DO BOTH. Really. Honestly. See Point 4 - it's important that you stretch yourself a bit and at least HELP in both types of plotlines.
Rule 8: Exploration Plot Is Your Friend
- One of the most rewarding types of plot around, from both sides of the fence, is EXPLORATION PLOT. A new race, a new land, a new magic, etc. - something the PCs have never seen before, and THEY are the Cool Kid that gets to figure it out. It's a great way to get Look Cool moments on both sides of the equation.
- It's especially awesome from a Plot standpoint, because you are not trying to cover for/re-run/keep up with plot that someone else ran, years ago, and TOOK NO NOTES ON ARGH. You can keep it neat and clean,
control the output of information, and monitor the PC interest as it happens.
- As much as a pain it is, pre-writing your Exploration Plot is the way to go - especially when you have other staff helping you with it. Keeping a living document somewhere (LJ community, yahoogroup, googlegroup, wiki, etc.) is a great way to keep track of what the PCs already know vs. hasn't been released yet.
Rule 9: Nothing Is As It Seems
- A corollary to Point 4: Plot Twists Are Awesome. Tweaking tropes is a good way to get an otherwise simple story to become a No Shit There I Was -level plotline.
- Really, there is only so much you have to work with: as our seventh-grade English teacher said, there are really only seven basic plots/types of narratives. It's up to YOU to combine them in an unexpected and cool fashion.
- From another Plot staffer:
* The PCs Have No Idea What Your Plotline Looks Like Behind The Scenes. Never worry that it is too boring, or too simple (in fact, you may want to beware its being too complicated). They don't know what's
coming, it's all brand new and shiny to them. They don't know if there's a really easy way to solve it, much less what that intended way is. They don't know where you were originally going with it -- anything that has not been set in stone is subject to change. Cannibalize their theories if you like them better than your original idea! And know that odds are, when it hits the field it will be seen as solid awesome -- and that the PCs will freely go on to fill it with far more awesome still."
Rule 10: Run What You Love:
- This is kind of obvious, but sometimes you need someone to say it: It Is Okay To Run What You Love. If you dig political stuff? Go to town. If you prefer to hit stuff with big stats and look cool as a PC? Provide that to others. You LOVE big-emotion, angst-and-woe stuff? Other people do too. Really, truly.
- You won't entertain everyone all the time. Some specific people WILL prefer other peoples' plots to yours, or better yet, will play on your plotlines and bitch about them CONSTANTLY. You may find yourself
running for the same 5-25 people a lot. THIS IS OKAY. Really. I promise. The whole point of a committee is to have a lot of different plot styles on the field, and people are going to gravitate to the plot styles they prefer. Don't freak out about it.
Rule 11: NPCs, the characters you play, are people
- They have strong opinions on things. They have blind spots. They make mistakes. They got turned down by the little red-headed girl in second grade when they asked her to dance. They still mourn their childhood pet. They have mommy issues. They have favorite colors. They hate broccoli. Etc. etc. etc!
- In short, you are RARELY going to be playing a character which is omniscient. If you say the wrong thing, 99.9% of the time you can either correct the issue later, let the PCs figure out the correct information through another means, OR have another NPC (maybe even one played by another member of staff) go in and explain WHY your NPC "felt that way" or "believed that". Hell, sometimes you can run with that mistake and make it an integral part of the plotline, if it works to do so! Not optimal, but doable. There is rarely anything truly unforgivable or undoable in a LARP.
Rule 12: Start Sloooooooooow
- I am a strong proponent of getting to know your player base and game world SLOOOOOOWLY. I wouldn't plan on actively running major plotlines/field battles by yourself for at least 2-3 events. Run
plotlines/fights with other people, NPC for others, run a sub-plot/NPC in an existing plotline, etc. - get your feet under you first.
- In my humble opinion, start with Low-Fantasy plots (see Rule 7), and work upward from there - if everything goes completely awry, it's a hell of a lot easier to retcon/fix a "human-types doing mean but
perfectly everyday things to other human-types" than "godlike-being playing with time and space", especially in a long-running campaign where the PCs are likely to have some boon left over from 14 YEARS AGO
that can set the premise of the plotline on fire. O_o
- Don't be afraid to ask for help, especially if you come off an encounter to discover that the PCs are doing Q when you expected A, or your plotline has been misunderstood to be part of a different plotline altogether, and now the PCs are off on the totally wrong path for both. Everyone gets stuck in that sometimes - trying to cover it up or fix it yourself is an excellent way to make things so, so much worse. No, really.
Best of luck!
Submission: the ins and outs of making the leap into staffing
System: Accelerant (but all take heed)
Years LARPing: 21
Email: efallon@earthlink.net
I've recently included a lot of pieces for newer players and PCs in general. The wonderful Ms. Fallon offers some sage advice for those pondering the "other side of the fence": staffing a LARP. Read on, all ye who bravely take up the sword that is the plot-staff pen.
* * *
Please note that all of this is personal opinion, flavored heavily by advice ganked from many far-smarter people than me over the course of many years. Your mileage may vary. Keep hands and feet inside the ride at all times.
So! You've decided that you want to start Staffing a LARP, i.e.writing the stories what makes the game Go. Congratulations, you masochist you! ;)
But where to begin? What do players want? How do I get started? What should I keep in mind when writing plotlines? How do I not suck? OH GOD TEH PRESSURES!
Okay, breathe. Herein I have collected some advice which has served me well for several years - take from it what works for you, ignore what doesn't apply, and go forth and be AWESOME!
Rule 1: PCs Want To Look Cool
- It's pretty basic, but easy to forget: PCs come here in order to be greater than themselves - more awesome, more badass, more evil, more good. We as Plot have the ability to provide a clear-cut world where someone with a mouthful of witty repartee, a boffer sword, and too much Mountain Dew CAN change the world. Think about ways in which PCs can shine, and make real, lasting changes in the world around them.
- NPCs/Plotfolk that play to "win", or purely for their own Look Cool, are full of FAIL. Don't DO that. :(
- Looking Cool does not mean that the PCs always win, or nothing bad ever happens - it means they don't look foolish, and they don't feel silly. Sometimes the bitter-tears-running-down-
- Do NOT make fun of PCs. Mocking them as part of a Bad-Guy rant (when you KNOW they are about to give you the beatdown your NPC RICHLY deserves) is one thing - but making them feel petty, useless, small, etc. IG should be done with GREAT care, and ONLY when they have a chance to redeem themselves (and kick your ass) soon thereafter.
Rule 2: Make It The PC's Problem
- Don't "monsterbate" or do "cut-scenes" when at ALL possible - i.e. two Huge NPCs RP at each other, kill each other, do all the Cool Stuff themselves while the PCs look on. Imbue the PCs to act in your stead,
make them your messengers, have a reason that the NPCs cannot/should not interact.
- When you DO a "cut-scene", they should be rare as hen's teeth, AND should make sense to complete and utter new people - ask yourself, "Will This Make Sense To The PC Who Started This Weekend, And Isn't
Involved In This Plotline?" If not, find ways to expound and rant when the scene happens.
Rule 3: PCs Need Something to Strive Against
- They cannot be Good Guys without a Bad Guy to antagonize them. They cannot be Sneaky Badasses without a Clueless Rube to burgle. They cannot be Political Movers And Shakers without Dangerous Political
Opponents. They cannot Stand Together without something to Stand Against. It's your job to give them something to define themselves by, by NOT being [X], and to give the appropriate game-specific flavor to
those interactions.
- You ARE going to have to be mean to them. You are going to have to betray them. You are going to have to hurt their feelings. You are NOT always going to be their friend... InGame. Work to get over that NOW,
before the plotline starts - no chickening out half-way! Remember - PC TEARS TASTE LIKE CANDY!
- Please note, all joking aside, that this can be harder than it seems, especially if you are real-life friends with the players in question, AND they think the NPC you're playing is actually a good guy/friend/ally. Betrayal is an incredibly powerful plot trope, but if you're not prepared for the emotions it can cause on both sides, it
can be disheartening. Something to keep in mind!
Rule 4: Keep Them Guessing
- Don't always play good guys, and don't always play bad guys. Shake it up, even if (ESPECIALLY if) you find yourself desperately uncomfortable with one or another type of role. If you always play one type or another, the PCs will (politely) metagame you - "Here comes Bef, she must be playing a Good Guy Who Will Give Me Stuff". By playing a mix, you decrease their habit of metagaming, AND you make the world more realistic.
Rule 5: Proactivity Is The Name Of The Game
- I CANNOT stress this enough: the quickest way to make a PC lose interest in a game, and faith in you, is to never let them affect the world.
- Plotlines should NEVER progress from A -> B -> C. "Lead-pipe" plotlines, that force the PCs to go from one action to another, are boring and no fun. Be flexible, and willing to run with what the PCs throw at you - I won't kid you, this is a tough skill to learn, and it doesn't always work, but it is INCREDIBLY rewarding when it does. If you can, try to treat your plotlines like a call-and-response, rather than a static presentation or play - you set the scene and present the challenge, then it's the PC's turn. Then your turn. Then their turn.
etc. etc. until the plotline reaches a logical conclusion. It takes practice, and sometimes it DOESN'T WORK, but it's awesome when it does!
- When you come up with your plotline, take the attitude that all you have control over is what has ALREADY HAPPENED. When you present the PCs with the plotline (Hey, look, a Banshee, what's that about?), start with a few ideas in mind as to how they might react (1)Kill her; 2) Redeem her; 3) Ignore her and go after Wickford), and plan accordingly. Then, when they pick a direction, build outward from
there - that's the joy of several weeks between events, and a whole committee full of smart people to brainstorm with!
- Sometimes, the PCs come up with REALLY dumb ideas, which won't work for good, solid, IG reasons. Do not be afraid to say no, but (at least at first) try do so in a sympathetic and clear way, that lets them
know WHY the idea won't work, instead of the knee-jerk smackdown. This isn't always possible, of course, but to start off with, it's not a bad tactic. The longer the game runs, and the more the PCs can reasonably expect to know about the campaign, the more harsh you can be.
- Some useful advice, from two other longtime Plot staffers:
* "I would add "...and sometimes, if they really, really want to, let them do the dumb thing. Because then they'll say 'Oh, crap, that was really stupid and now we're kind of pwned', but they may have written
a new and entertaining plotline for you." Not that that's ever happened. Oh no."
* "When you are writing your plotline, present it to other plot-minded folks and say, "How would you solve this problem? How would you break this plot?" The answers you get, that you never thought of, will amaze
you, and planning for more possibilities will expand your plot writing capabilities."
Rule 6: There Is No I In Plot
- Committees = Awesome. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, different past experiences, and different ideas. Do NOT be That Guy that never works with other Plot members and NPCs - it will handicap you in ways you won't even understand until it's too late... do not believe that I speak from experience, here. *ahem*
- Finding people you work well with is a glory and a joy forever. NPC roles for each other! Brainstorm on ideas over drinks! Accept their help when the PCs go completely off the rails and your plotline now bears no resemblance to your original idea! It's awesome. ;)
- From another Plot staffer:
* "Don't be afraid to take risks and innovate -- and listen to advice. Those that come before you may well have tried similar gimmicks or presentations. If you are lucky, the people working with you should be encouraging and realistic at once. If they have tried a similar idea to yours and it failed, it does not necessarily mean you should drop it. However, you should learn all you can about WHY it didn't work, to see if avoiding the same mistakes will make it fly this time."
Rule 7: High Fantasy vs. Low Fantasy
- High Fantasy = the end-of-the-world, game-arc-level-stuff, high-stats, high-impact stuff.
- Low Fantasy = "My daughter hasn't come back with the sheep for over an hour, and I am worried. Someone said they saw some Goblins in the area. Could you help?"
- DO BOTH. Really. Honestly. See Point 4 - it's important that you stretch yourself a bit and at least HELP in both types of plotlines.
Rule 8: Exploration Plot Is Your Friend
- One of the most rewarding types of plot around, from both sides of the fence, is EXPLORATION PLOT. A new race, a new land, a new magic, etc. - something the PCs have never seen before, and THEY are the Cool Kid that gets to figure it out. It's a great way to get Look Cool moments on both sides of the equation.
- It's especially awesome from a Plot standpoint, because you are not trying to cover for/re-run/keep up with plot that someone else ran, years ago, and TOOK NO NOTES ON ARGH. You can keep it neat and clean,
control the output of information, and monitor the PC interest as it happens.
- As much as a pain it is, pre-writing your Exploration Plot is the way to go - especially when you have other staff helping you with it. Keeping a living document somewhere (LJ community, yahoogroup, googlegroup, wiki, etc.) is a great way to keep track of what the PCs already know vs. hasn't been released yet.
Rule 9: Nothing Is As It Seems
- A corollary to Point 4: Plot Twists Are Awesome. Tweaking tropes is a good way to get an otherwise simple story to become a No Shit There I Was -level plotline.
- Really, there is only so much you have to work with: as our seventh-grade English teacher said, there are really only seven basic plots/types of narratives. It's up to YOU to combine them in an unexpected and cool fashion.
- From another Plot staffer:
* The PCs Have No Idea What Your Plotline Looks Like Behind The Scenes. Never worry that it is too boring, or too simple (in fact, you may want to beware its being too complicated). They don't know what's
coming, it's all brand new and shiny to them. They don't know if there's a really easy way to solve it, much less what that intended way is. They don't know where you were originally going with it -- anything that has not been set in stone is subject to change. Cannibalize their theories if you like them better than your original idea! And know that odds are, when it hits the field it will be seen as solid awesome -- and that the PCs will freely go on to fill it with far more awesome still."
Rule 10: Run What You Love:
- This is kind of obvious, but sometimes you need someone to say it: It Is Okay To Run What You Love. If you dig political stuff? Go to town. If you prefer to hit stuff with big stats and look cool as a PC? Provide that to others. You LOVE big-emotion, angst-and-woe stuff? Other people do too. Really, truly.
- You won't entertain everyone all the time. Some specific people WILL prefer other peoples' plots to yours, or better yet, will play on your plotlines and bitch about them CONSTANTLY. You may find yourself
running for the same 5-25 people a lot. THIS IS OKAY. Really. I promise. The whole point of a committee is to have a lot of different plot styles on the field, and people are going to gravitate to the plot styles they prefer. Don't freak out about it.
Rule 11: NPCs, the characters you play, are people
- They have strong opinions on things. They have blind spots. They make mistakes. They got turned down by the little red-headed girl in second grade when they asked her to dance. They still mourn their childhood pet. They have mommy issues. They have favorite colors. They hate broccoli. Etc. etc. etc!
- In short, you are RARELY going to be playing a character which is omniscient. If you say the wrong thing, 99.9% of the time you can either correct the issue later, let the PCs figure out the correct information through another means, OR have another NPC (maybe even one played by another member of staff) go in and explain WHY your NPC "felt that way" or "believed that". Hell, sometimes you can run with that mistake and make it an integral part of the plotline, if it works to do so! Not optimal, but doable. There is rarely anything truly unforgivable or undoable in a LARP.
Rule 12: Start Sloooooooooow
- I am a strong proponent of getting to know your player base and game world SLOOOOOOWLY. I wouldn't plan on actively running major plotlines/field battles by yourself for at least 2-3 events. Run
plotlines/fights with other people, NPC for others, run a sub-plot/NPC in an existing plotline, etc. - get your feet under you first.
- In my humble opinion, start with Low-Fantasy plots (see Rule 7), and work upward from there - if everything goes completely awry, it's a hell of a lot easier to retcon/fix a "human-types doing mean but
perfectly everyday things to other human-types" than "godlike-being playing with time and space", especially in a long-running campaign where the PCs are likely to have some boon left over from 14 YEARS AGO
that can set the premise of the plotline on fire. O_o
- Don't be afraid to ask for help, especially if you come off an encounter to discover that the PCs are doing Q when you expected A, or your plotline has been misunderstood to be part of a different plotline altogether, and now the PCs are off on the totally wrong path for both. Everyone gets stuck in that sometimes - trying to cover it up or fix it yourself is an excellent way to make things so, so much worse. No, really.
Best of luck!
This is really helpful-- especially the parts about starting slow.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I really want to emphasize, especially from a PC perspective, is write-up and, moreover, briefing people from that write-up. A write-up allows people to be specific when they have the time and energy to think. In the heat of game, you might send out a new NPC, assuming they'll cleverly make-up details for one-time NPCs (name, favorite food, and what they were doing an hour ago). They don't always do this-- a friend encountered a farmer who didn't know her name. It really spoiled the IG moment for him.
Nice article! I'll be recommending it to my staff!
ReplyDelete