Happy New Year!

Well, I'm actually a bit late with this, but Happy New Year nonetheless. I wanted to do a post specifically about the next year of larping: last year was a busy year that was punctuated by the endings and openings of various games. Now, in 2014, things have started to settle into place. So, what are you most excited about in the coming year? What sort of games do you want to try, and what games are you enthusiastic to continue? Are you instituting any major changes in your play? My answers, to get the ball rolling, follow:

• I have a few plots that are very near and dear to my creative core. Some of their big narrative arcs are going to get going this year, and I'm excited to see in what directions players take my plot children.
• A team of close friends and I started playing Ascendant-- not only do I love the world, but the community is really different from my (much beloved) New England one. The change of pace, and the new (to me) faces, are refreshing and add a new dynamic to my gameplay. (Also, I have discovered that eight hour road trips, with the right company, are not only bearable, but fun.)
• I've been getting into a lot more creative writing lately-- though I mostly write for myself, game-based writing has been a welcome re-entry into storytelling.
• I have some super secrets in the works, but, for now, they are super secrets. Nevertheless, I'll vaguely hint at them here.

Goals for LARPing

by Zoe

So a few friends of mine recently wrote a list of LARP goals. I think this is a really good idea, as it generates ways to make a hobby more successful. After a season of rest, a revel or two, and scheming for the spring, many of us may find ourselves reflecting on how to better our games, so to speak. Those who don't LARP may wonder why people would post about ways to improve the LARP experience; however, I think it's a really helpful tool. LARP is a type of performance art, as I've argued before: it requires skill, improvement, and practice-- during your first year or two, you may feel comfortable being the always awkward with big NPCs fellow, or the dame with the less-than-stellar costume. After you have some experience under your adventuring belt, however, you may want to shift things around. Writing a list of LARP goals is an excellent way to this. Here are some topics to start you off-- remember, your goals can be IG, OoG, large, small, personal, or community-oriented.

1. What IG goals do you have? Are they worthwhile? Are they fun? Have you made progress on them? Do you feel like pursuing them for another season?

2. OoG, are you having a good time? Do you feel like your money is well-spent? If you're not enjoying yourself, what could you do to improve the game experience?

3. Have you developed a team/allies? Do you know these people OoG? What sort of things could you do to make your IG allies your OoG community?

4. How is your costume? How could you make it better, more interesting, and/or more authentic?

5. Have you experienced any weather/climate problems for which you weren't prepared? (Snow, cold, humidity, wind etc.) How could you better prepare for the next event?

6. How's your organization prior to an event? What systems could you employ to make it better?

7. How do you write PELs? What could be better/worse? If you've changed your PEL writing style recently, has it affected your experience from game-to-game?

8. What is your IG experience like? Are you enjoying yourself the entire time, or do you need breaks? What works the best for you from game-to-game?

9. How is your combat? How could it be improved?

10. What are some things you could do to make a better LARP community? This could include welcoming new players, expanding your team base, recruiting new NPCs, apprenticing new staff people, and/or hosting OoG get-togethers.

11. Even if you've bee playing for awhile, have you tried something new?