"Parlour LARP"

[the_eggwhite]

So...

An idea that I've been messing around with for a while, and may look at doing from time to time. One off freeform/rules light LARPs, run in a house or other freely available space...

Obviously I plan to get UA up and running first, but I'm thinking of these as one-off "event" style things. Lots more prep than usual, set dressing, dirty tricks to creep people out, etc.

Characters would all be pregens after a fashion, but either tailored to the individual players or left broad enough for the players to put their own spin on it. In the latter case it'd be something like "You're a relatively high earner in a field where you get to find out a lot about important people. You know these things, and would give your eye-teeth to find out these other things. The rest is up to you."

I'm also wondering about the idea of multi-tiered games. Basically, two or three groups of players all sharing a gamespace, but with each of the groups having it's own distinct concerns. This would leave the way open for each group to have totally different power levels, or levels of knowledge, but still be playing in the same game...

I currently have an idea for such a game which would be set at a seance, taking place in a suburban house some time in the latter half of the 20th Century. PCs would be guests at the seance, and would all recieve a fairly loose brief... The intention would be that there is no PC/NPC divide, and that the GM (me) would only be there to handle disputes or help steer the direction of events if they're slowing down too much.

Any thoughts?

Comments

[reindeerflotila.livejournal.com]

with the right palyers, it could be fabulous, I have similr plans for a greek gods based free form larp also.

wrong players, could be evil. Good luck with it, i am quite interested in being there myself.

[eggwhite.livejournal.com]

I suspect it'd be invite only, but you'd quite likely be on the invite list... As for players, I think it'd actually be fairly forgiving of player quirks so long as you get a decent mix and allow people to tweak characters to suit. Also, with a lot less rules there's a lot less rules-lawyering. Instead I would rule by GM fiat.

[reindeerflotila.livejournal.com]

ah, the totalitarian dictator GM. oddly enough I had decided on that method myself :P If not on the list that is cool as it occurs i live very far away and would likely be a naff non committing creature :P

[eggwhite.livejournal.com]

Well, it would be a one-off, so if you could make it once, that's all the commitment required. Once we've quietly taken Mage out to the woodshed and shot it lovingly in the back of the head, and once I've dredged Unknown Armies out of the primordial gaming ooze and kicked it to life, I'll start working out details for the first one of these (the seance one... although it may end up not being a seance... my game ideas tend to mutate in the planning.)

[reindeerflotila.livejournal.com]

groovy :P