Creating Atmosphere

by Dan W.


Another great post from Dan on the role of courtesy in LARPs-- sometimes courtesy, beyond simply making people feel better, can also improve the gameworld of the LARP in question.


Creating Atmosphere: The Game is What You Make It


One of the wonderful aspects of LARPing is that it is not only a shared experience, but that the creation of that experience is shared by all its participants as well as the creators. It's rather an amazing thing, but this can also at times work against a game when not everyone is on the same page. Most of us can probably recall at one time or another either in a LARP or tabletop game when a particularly powerful or compelling moment was spoiled by an ill timed out of game reference, joke, a cell phone ringing, or something similar. Emotionally engaging scenes, particularly those involving creepy or scary themes depend on everyone involved being invested in what is happening, and the shared imaginative space we collectively seek to maintain is easily broken. Creating a memorable and effective game experience depends not only on staff and NPCs, but equally on the player's contributions as well, and there are some things all of us can do to help things along. You've paid your game fee for the weekend, you may as well help get the most you can out of it.

First, it's not just about you. You may have decided you're playing Max Power The Undefeated Hero who isn't scared of anything, isn't phased by anything, and comes off as a cocky showboat, but keep in mind how your role-play is effecting the game space for those around.If you go in with a group of your fellow PCs into a dark module building with some heavily costumed creepy monster, some brash comments here and there may be appropriate for you, an unending string of them may spoil the mood for your fellow players. Some players
really enjoy drinking in the flavor of a scene, they want to be frightened, sad, or otherwise pushed to experience how their character will react to intense situations. This can only happen for them, however, if the mood in a scene is maintained. Going overboard on giving silly nicknames to enemy villains, excessive smack-talk, or even worse breaking game and making movie or video game references and the like can instantly undo everything plot is trying to accomplish (and remember what they're working for is to entertain you). So, be aware of the roleplaying atmosphere when you enter a situation, and help to strengthen it. It's fine to roleplay your hero how you see him or her, but you don't want to steamroll other people's roleplay while you do so.

Second, mistakes happen, and sometimes you just have to roll with the retcon. NPCs coming into a game have a lot of information to absorb, and not everything is going to stick, so you may find that an NPC hook coming to take you on a mod somewhere gives you information that contradicts things you know to be true, or that it turns out later was inconsistent with other things going on. Have mercy on the poor fellow. Sometimes when an NPC is sent out it's with only a sparse briefing from a frazzled staff person being pulled in twelve directions, and they may get something wrong, or they may have been given a very in depth seventeen page briefing which means they've probably forgotten 90% of it. So, when you run into a situation where the person running your encounter ends up having to clarify a confusing situation due to conflicting or inconsistent information, get the real story and just let the rest slide. Mistakes will happen, and harping on them accomplishes little save to further embarrass the poor NPC who is already feeling bad for having screwed up the information they gave out in the first place, and we don't want our NPCs to feel bad. It's understandable that you may feel a lot of frustration in the moment, but be aware that obsessing verbally over this sort of thing can end up adding to the frustration of other players.

Third, it's not contest. Plot is trying to tell a story and create memorable experiences, they're not trying to beat the players. NPCs are told quite frequently 'play to entertain, not to win.' PCs are expected to play to win, but at the same time it's important to keep in mind that it's not you vs. the GM. The game is supposed to be fun for everyone, and when staff throws you a particularly daunting challenge or hard fight, more often then not it's because they want you to have the chance to be heroic, and they're hoping you'll succeed. If you do get thrown a no-win scenario, keep in mind that the aim is still to engage you in a story that is fun. Think back to epic
science fiction and fantasy you've read or watched, and how much sweeter the hero's triumph is when they finally claim victory from seemingly insurmountable odds. Compare that with your average Saturday morning cartoon where the heroes win every single time, it gets pretty boring.

Helping to maintain the atmosphere that plot is trying to create isn't just about being courteous to NPCs and your fellow players, it's about creating a better experience for you. If you find you're breaking character repeatedly because you're not into a scene, consider if there are things you can be doing to help improve things. If one person starts breaking game, most likely other people will be too, so the quality of any encounter is entirely dependent on what the people involved make of it.


How have you moved to make games more courteous? Does courtesy create a better feel of immersion? What are ways to appropriate roleplay challenging situations?

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?