LARP Musings

[secret_stuff]

I haven't been able to attend an OWBN game in several months, for a couple of reasons, mostly school and WoW, which I simply prioritize higher. I am still on the Vite-OOC list and some Nosferatu clan lists

Comments

[young_egotist]

I need to sit down and mull this over. I like what you're saying here and on surface, I agree. But I've been big on looking at causation lately, and I wonder if there's more of an element of choice in the other things we do as well. Will go back and re-read and think more on this later...

[secret_stuff]

Let me caveat this also, Abi, by stating I mean it in terms of the the way OWBN works. I am sure that in different environments, simulationist models can be made to work

[young_egotist]

Hmm. Well you know I'm all for realist LARP. I've got no problems with Steve punching Bob IRL.. ;)

[secret_stuff]

That isn't LARP

[chestervhe]

While I believe your system is far superior to many suggestions I've seen posted in the past, the problem still comes back to the players. Let us say you have a conflict between Reggie Roleplayer vs Manny Mouthbreather. Reggie Roleplayer is heavy social, but Manny Mouthbreather has put all his points into making mashed potatoes out of his enemy. His response to every conflict is "I attack you until you are dead." If the player of Manny Mouthbreather refuses to alter his chosen method (at which he is more likely to succeed than Reggie), the system breaks down again. Yes, the old system is no better at solving these problems either. It comes down to the quality of gamer.

[secret_stuff]

Agreed. Every system has flaws in that regard, but again you would deal with problem players like that the same way you would in the traditional system (or any other.)

My suggestion is not to protect against abuses, but provide a streamlined alternative that protects against the unintended consequences (the drama because 90 people all remember it differently, the fact that the conflicts are never resolved, just postponed, etc.)

Also, just because you can get people to relent by threat of death, doesn't mean you remove the sanctions against killing necessarily. So the threat of murder may be empty if you can't "get away with it." I would expect Esclation to Death would be a rarity in On Elysium arguments.

Perhaps the most key consideration here is that the meta aspect includes true resolution, not postponing. And that might be the hardest part to make work since we've all been trained on the piecemeal system.

[toothlesshag]

Yeppers - but then I have not been playing much old school WW lately, and most of my current group says the system is trash anyway - it's fun to explore other systems, especially ones that don't have much systemat all. But then, I am not a simulationist, unless it means I get to play a silly game (like using a famous logic game to simulate programming computers) to substitute.

[secret_stuff]

Very true. Although I am not sure I'd categorize neat mechanics as really simulationist, although I suppose they are one form of it

[bombyamom]

Happy birthday!

[viheorff]

I’ve been into blogging for quite some time and this is definitely a great post.Cheers!

[secret_stuff]

Thanks! I have not been checking LJ for awhile. :-)