The State of the Alliance LARP: 1.3 to 2.0 - Where We Stand Today

Alliance SoMI

Alliance SoMI

Expert
We have observed some confusion regarding the current state of the Alliance LARP Rules and wanted to make sure that everyone understands where things stand.

The Near-Past & Present
Currently the Alliance LARP is using the 1.3 Alliance Rulebook as its official rules, however Chapters may continue playtesting the 2.0 Alliance Rules until such time as the 2.0 Rules are officially implemented. We expect full implementation to occur during this coming year (more details below). Here in South Michigan we have made the decision to run all of our Events going forward under the 2.0 Rules playtests because we strongly believe in that ruleset and believe that it is in the best interest of our game and our Players to enjoy those rules.

The upsides of this decision include our Players’ ability to see how the Alliance LARP is evolving, having an active voice in providing feedback regarding the 2.0 Rules, and enjoying the benefits of using the online Character Management Application (CMA) to manage their characters. It also means that you will continue to be allowed to make changes to your Characters build from Event to Event.

At the same time, this decision means that rules may change as official playtest packets are implemented by the Owners and Alliance Rules Committee (ARC). We will do our best to keep our Players informed of these changes as they occur. It is also important to recognize that the CMA is in active development and the official record of your Characters is kept in the 1.3 Character database. While we strive to make sure the version of your Character in the CMA is up to date there are differences between the 1.3 and 2.0 Rules regarding XP gain so you are likely to see some conflicting information. This also means that you need to communicate with Logistics (Logistics@alliancesouthmichigan.com) if you want to add a Character to the database or take any other Character related actions.

The Near-Future
Moving forward, the Owners and ARC are in the process of discussing proposed changes based on the 2018 playtests. While we are not able to discuss the specifics of the proposed changes to the 2.0 ruleset, we can say that we are broadly supportive of the changes and that we feel they generally improve the state of the game.

We expect the implementation of these changes to the Playtest packet in the coming month, though not before our January Event, at which time Players will have the opportunity to weigh in on them as we use them during Events.

Currently it is the Owners’ intention that these will be the final changes to the 2.0 Ruleset before its official implementation. With that implementation, all Chapters will adopt the CMA as their official database for tracking Events, Players, and Characters and the 2.0 Rules will govern how Characters earn XP going forward.

The Farther-Future
After the implementation of the 2.0 Rules and the CMA we expect there to be iterative updates and changes to both systems. Rules may change slightly as they are used across a larger number of games and unintended consequences are revealed. Further, additional rules may be added as the Owners and ARC strive to make sure that our game grows over time and does not need another multi-year project to update its rules anytime soon.

The CMA will continue to evolve as well, becoming the active Logistics hub for the game. We hope that Players will eventually be able to address nearly all aspect of the Characters without needing to communicate with Chapter Logistics, but until that happens we'll be there to keep things moving smoothly.


We hope this clarifies the current state of the game but if you have further questions please feel free to ask and we will answer them to the best of our ability.

-Chad, Chris, Matt, & Travis
 
Late but important:

My character (and certain guilds who may benefit from this query) has a plethora of item tags and magic items. There is a guide for how Logistics is supposed to transform magic items and such, but some characters represent taxing, high volume logistical concerns. Is there a plan for getting to those so we don't give Ian an unrecoverable amount of stress at the beginning of a game?

Possible solutions I see:

1) Forced "Merchant"ing of tags using 1.3 values, conversion of excess magic items to either Goblin points or assigning them to other characters (with permission). Reasonable amount of goblin stamp equipment purchasing (1 time.)

2) Logistics meeting on an off-day (maybe a day before game at site/Matt's place?)

3.) Suck it up. Change is hard.

You might have different ideas. Just trying to provide solutions with questions. :) Thoughts?

-JT
 
There's going to be a spread sheet you can fill out and turn in.

Logistics will get your tags ready

You turn in all the tags on the spread sheet, you get new 2.0 tags.

All your magic item tags will turn into something else. You won't lose anything.

There's a whole conversion formula that you'll be able to look at shortly.

As we get closer to 2.0, that process be cemented and required to be done on the next event you attend.
 
Joseph Smith said:
3.) Suck it up. Change is hard.
Click to expand...

There is going to be a significant amount of work involved in the implementation but, as Chris indicated above, there is a plan. In addition to Magic Items and Ritual Scrolls there are changes in Production Items that will require new tags as well.

In the coming month we'll have more information for the Players so that it goes as smoothly as possible.
 
Another suggestion: Changing the look of tags in 2.0 so that pre-2.0 tags don't get confused as valid tags.

Clarification: As sensitive a topic as Nero and Alliance comparisons can be, it's just about a perfect example, so:

In Nero, you can have as many Magic Items as you want, but only three can be "attuned" to you/can be used per game. In the 2.0 rule set, I keep seeing that you can have three magic items period. I see the reassurances that I won't lose anything, but my example is that I have over 50 magic items. In order for the rules to work as intended, I HAVE TO lose something. My persistence is in trying to figure out how that loss occurs so that I might plan for it. Most of those items are one-shots, but you get my dilemma. I don't want to take Ian out of play for two hours so he can convert all my items if that conversion is an invalid solution.

In the end, I trust the system. I'll have fun even if all my items disappear. (I mean, I'd rather they didn't.) But I'm being a pain now so later can be more fun.
-JT
 
I believe the "3 Magic Items" thing was only for Playtesting purposes at specific events - you'll be able to have as many items as you can when 2.0 goes live and the big shift in MIs happens. :)
 
Gandian Ravenscroft said:
I believe the "3 Magic Items" thing was only for Playtesting purposes at specific events - you'll be able to have as many items as you can when 2.0 goes live and the big shift in MIs happens. :)
Click to expand...

That's actually kind of disappointing. Ah, well. At least they don't replicate/replace spellcasting anymore. Take the victories where they come.

-JT
 
There is currently no plan to impose a cap on the number of Magic Items a Character can make use of during an event.

After significant amounts of discussion it was decided that the other changes to the Magic Item system, which are significant, were a good start to addressing the issues created under the 1.3 Rules.
 
Joseph Smith said:
That's actually kind of disappointing. Ah, well. At least they don't replicate/replace spellcasting anymore. Take the victories where they come.

-JT
Click to expand...

Most magic items require some amount of character skill to use. Or take up an important slot that isn't the easiest to switch out mid fight (armor and weapons). I think you'll be surprised when you actually get a chance to play. It's a more elegant way to cap items that feels more real than some arbitrary limit you have to struggle against.
 
Alkalin3 said:
Most magic items require some amount of character skill to use. Or take up an important slot that isn't the easiest to switch out mid fight (armor and weapons). I think you'll be surprised when you actually get a chance to play. It's a more elegant way to cap items that feels more real than some arbitrary limit you have to struggle against.
Click to expand...

I'm hopeful. Whatever the rules are, I'll have fun. The more I can play it the less anxiety I'll have over it. Here's hoping it happens soon. :)

-JT
 
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