Guest Contributor: Trust is Not Transferable

by Maggie

Trust is vital to any roleplaying experience. You might not need much of it, if the situation is light, and you might need a lot more, if the topic is heavy and dark. If I'm meeting an NPC, and they're leading my group on a module, I don't need much trust at all. I just need to know that yes, they're NPCing, and have the basic faith that whatever they're running has been okayed by staff. This is a trust pretty inherent when an NPC comes up to talk to you about going to do something.

However, if a situation is somewhat intimate, highly emotional, or involves some sort of risky physical challenge, it's important to have a lot more trust in that person. Sometimes, you can take a leap of faith and discover you really like roleplaying/gaming with that person, and sometimes your trust is mislaid, and it turns out to be something you didn't want to get involved with.

My primary example happened many years ago in a game I was PCing.*

Absence from those we love: Saying Goodbye

In more than a few of the LARPs I staff/play, there have been some very poignant player exits. These have involved a variety of circumstances, including player deaths and players electing to go "off-screen" in dramatic and meaningful ways. Exiting, as a player, is a topic unto itself-- how do you do it? Why do you do it? When do you do it? These are excellent questions (and, if the fodder feeds you, discuss), however, I'm more interested in the people left behind.

I recently wrote on the end of plot arcs. This generated some excellent comments-- many of the notes included that narrative resolutions can leave players disconnected and/or sad. Accordingly, it falls on staff (and the players themselves) to provide ways for those players to get re-involved. The exit of PC characters poses a similar, though more complicated, problem. Since my last quest on this topic was directed at staffers, this is directed at PCs.

Imagine, for a moment, you are in the climatic moment of whatever battle in whatever realm you frequent. Suddenly, one of your friends-- perhaps your closest friend and confidant-- does something heroic, unforeseen, and, ultimately, final: the player impacts the game in such a way that takes them permanently off-screen. Your friend, as a PC, has made their exit.

Take another situation-- a teammate, in a difficult and hard-won battle, is struck down, and, unexpectedly, fails to resurrect. The teammate's IG death is final, and they will no longer appear, fighting alongside you.

Or a slightly more complicated situation: your favorite teammate has OoG reasons that prevent them from playing. They have a new baby, a new job, or need to leave the country. Logistically, they have decided to quit the game, and the character is making an off-screen exit. In any case, neither you nor your character will see them IG.

Farewells, in whatever form they take, are inevitable and sometimes necessary. IG, player-exits can motivate narrative and heighten drama. OoG exits are necessary and productive for a variety of reasons. However, those absent certainly leave a hole: both IG and OoG, people feels the absence of friends and comrades. As a player, how do you deal with farewells from players to whom you are emotionally attached? How do you RP the drama of loss without making the game upsetting? How do you create new relationships that are equally meaningful? How do you commemorate players who have left the stage?

As always, your comments are appreciated.

p.s. Mirror, Mirror players-- I see a lot of enthusiasm floating around the netscape. If anyone is interested in doing some collaborative MM stuff, shoot me an email at collabnarration@gmail.com. If there are enough people interested, mayhaps we can do something fun before the first event.

When in Game, Always Be NPCing

Contributor: Daniel W. (Arcadinal on gmail)
Submission: non-fiction piece, from Dan's blog, on sportsmanship


Dan has written an excellent piece on PCing, player dynamics, and sportsmanship. It's an important topic, and one on which many of us, myself included, don't frequently write. After reading, please go check out Dan's blog, The Paladin's Perspective. I have been following it recently, and he offers a lot of sage advice.

A couple years back there was a discussion on someone's LJ about meta-level PC/NPC interactions. NPCs are frequently told 'don't play to win, play to entertain,' but the question came up as to whether or not PCs had a responsibility to watch out for the fun level of NPCs. One person asserted no, they didn't feel they had any responsibility towards NPCs at all, which created a bit of a stir. Here's my take on it.

I've only been LARPing for several years at this point, but I've done quite a lot of NPCing over that time, and it's a hat I can't really take off anymore. I'm pretty much always trying to keep an eye out particularly during fights as to how NPCs seem to be enjoying what's going on. Why? It's pretty simple. I like big melees, and lots of them. I like having a field choked with people running about thwacking each other with sticks, but I can only do that if there's someone for me to fight. Lets face it, boffer solitaire just ain’t that fun. I love to crunch as an NPC, and I have a pretty good idea of what makes for a fun fight from both the PC and NPC side at this point. I want NPCs to come to games I PC at so I can get in good fighting, and plenty of it, so I want them to have a good time while we're going at it. So, just as while I'm NPCing I'm constantly trying gauge PC enjoyment of what's going on, as a PC I'm doing the same thing.

There are a few good rules of etiquette which are admittedly situation dependent, but I personally feel help to make for a fun time for all involved, and I strongly feel this applies regardless of what side of the line you're on.

First off, don't mob the poor 4 vitality crunchy who's out doing field pain in a 17 on 3 fight. If it's a drag out brutal melee with folks being deathstruck and high-damage lieutenants roaming the field, then sure, go all in. If on the other hand you're in a relatively secure position and you see a breathless NPC crunchy is already fighting three people, just let those folks have it. You'll get plenty of other chances to get your treasure. There's no reason to mob the poor fellow with ridiculously overwhelming numbers. It can also aggravate safety issues as multiple people descending a single frazzled out of breath fighter means more chances of wild swings and unsafe head shots. As said, it's one thing if you're running down a lieutenant, but give the grunts a break.

Secondly, gauge who you're fighting and use some common sense. I have had some awesome full speed duels with some folks who I know from experience really get into it, and it's a blast. We're running all over the place, the swings are fast and furious, both parties are clearly enjoying themselves, and its a rush. When your opponent, however, is timidly approaching taking the odd cautious poke here or there, dial it back a few notches. Especially if you're skilled enough to take the person out with some well placed taps, there's no reason to go to town on that person at high speed. Also, if you're about to engage someone who you know likes a quick fight, but notice they're standing next to some folks who maybe aren't so inclined, be mindful of this so you don't inadvertently trample or clothesline folks who are a bit less rough and tumble.

Third, some may say this breaks immersion and such, but I don't think it's out of line to periodically offer a “thank you” or “good fight” to the exhausted NPC you just put down as you search them for treasure. I noticed some PCs doing it at Madrigal when I started NPCing there, and I try and make a point of doing it myself now because that person is there devoting their time to getting beat up by me and my fellows. I think it helps to let people know their efforts are appreciated.

The bottom line is that regardless of whether you're a PC or NPC, you're at a game and it should be a communal effort to ensure that all involved are having a good time. NPCing is the volunteering of the LARP world, for the most part no one's getting paid for this. So, it's a good idea to try and keep the volunteers entertaining you happy so they'll come back. It's a game, have fun, make sure your opponent is having fun too. That is after all sort of the whole point.


If you've worked the NPC shift, have you had experiences with sportsmanship that have made you more or less inclined to NPC that game again? What is "good" vs. "bad" sportsmanship?