Advice for a total noob

elliotbay

elliotbay

Knight
Marshal
I started thinking about LARP recently, with no apparent stimulus (I think I dreamt about it, but then what stimulated that?), and now I'm really interested in trying it out. You guys were one of the first groups I saw on Wikipedia (benefit of being near the beginning of the alphabet, I suppose). I checked out your website, and now I'm even more interested. There are several problems, though, and you guys seem like a nice bunch of folks, so I'm hoping I could get some advice on how to proceed.

I haven't done any kind of LARP or ARG in the past, nor a tabletop RPG, though I have read a few rulebooks, and made a couple of characters for one we were going to play this summer, but that never came to fruition. I've played several video game RPGs, but I'm sure the experience is much different. I also haven't done any kind of Renaissance Faire, or anything of the sort. I don't believe I have any acceptable clothing to be running around wearing in-game, with the possible exception of a green and yellow cloak (I have a green and black one, too, but that's made out of nicer material, and I'd be less comfortable about running through the woods in it).

I am currently based in Eugene, OR, without access to a car, which means I'll have to rely on public transportation, and/or the kindness of somebody from the Oregon chapter, or find a time when I can drag my girlfriend along, too, which brings me to my next hurdle...

As a University student in the marching band, I probably won't have a weekend free at least until the term is over, and when I do, my girlfriend likely won't, as she's in a couple different bands that often perform on weekends.

Also, as a University student who is graduating in the spring, and who doesn't know where in the US he'll be after that, my relationship with at least the Oregon chapter will last less than a year.


Given the above:

Would you recommend that I get a rulebook, or would I be essentially wasting money, as I would be if a new one came out before I could ever start playing. The main site says "Mid 2008" which is now. How close is it actually to coming out?

I read that it's recommended I start off as an NPC, and I'm cool with that. How much would the lack of a wardrobe thing be a problem in that case? As an NPC, would my in-game clothing be taken care of? Shopping for clothes would be a major barrier to entry for me, because of (1) the extra expense, and (2) I just don't really like shopping. Most of my clothing, I got for free at some point.

If I can't attend a majority of events, how would that affect how well I have a handle on the plot? I noticed that yesterday, Alliance Oregon had a faire day called "Shipments needed: The strangle hold has reach a critical point, resupply or die," which means nothing to me, except that I have a slightly higher fear of death by asphyxiation, and there will probably be merchants involved.

If I moved somewhere else, how likely would there be a chapter whose activities I could feasibly attend? On a related note, would moving to a different chapter be terribly discontinuous? That is, would the storyline be in a completely different place? If I PC'd for any events in the Oregon chapter, would my character transfer?

I imagine you guys are more plugged into this kind of thing than I am. I looked at a few off the Wikipedia page, and you guys looked like the best of those three, but is there another group that I should look into that might fit my situation better?


I also have several questions about logistics (lower-case l), but I imagine many of those would be answered with a careful reading of the rule book, so I won't bother anyone with those (yet).
 
Howdy!

I'm not an Oregon player, so I won't be able to help you with that end of things, but welcome aboard to this kooky thing we call Alliance anyway. I'll try to answer some of your questions as best I can.

elliotbay said:
Would you recommend that I get a rulebook, or would I be essentially wasting money, as I would be if a new one came out before I could ever start playing. The main site says "Mid 2008" which is now. How close is it actually to coming out?
Click to expand...

Rulebooks are a plus, but if you don't plan on attending event before the end of this year, you might as well wait for the change over to the new rulebook -- it sort of spares you some of the confusion as a new player. However, I'm sure some of the Oregon folks would be willing to lend you a hand with learning the rules and such if you plan on attending an event this season.

I read that it's recommended I start off as an NPC, and I'm cool with that. How much would the lack of a wardrobe thing be a problem in that case? As an NPC, would my in-game clothing be taken care of? Shopping for clothes would be a major barrier to entry for me, because of (1) the extra expense, and (2) I just don't really like shopping. Most of my clothing, I got for free at some point.
Click to expand...

When you NPC, your in-game weapons, costume, stats, and make-up will be supplied for you. The best way to prepare to NPC is to wear black; it's the standard color for everything and you can basically layer whatever costuming you have over that once you receive it for whatever roles you have.

If I can't attend a majority of events, how would that affect how well I have a handle on the plot? I noticed that yesterday, Alliance Oregon had a faire day called "Shipments needed: The strangle hold has reach a critical point, resupply or die," which means nothing to me, except that I have a slightly higher fear of death by asphyxiation, and there will probably be merchants involved.
Click to expand...

In the end, if you miss an event, you'll miss some plot, but it's not a huge deal. You either catch-up with what happened by asking questions on the IG boards, or ask what's going on the next time you're in game at the chapter. You won't always know what's going on -- hell, you might go to every event and still not know what's going on. I sure don't half the time.

If I moved somewhere else, how likely would there be a chapter whose activities I could feasibly attend? On a related note, would moving to a different chapter be terribly discontinuous? That is, would the storyline be in a completely different place? If I PC'd for any events in the Oregon chapter, would my character transfer?
Click to expand...

You can transfer your character permanently and house it in a new chapter if it's a long-term move -- or if it's a temporary move, such as college, you can inform the home chapter of what events you are going to, and the will transfer your character's information to that chapter for the event. I bring my PC to three different chapters -- it's not too difficult to do, I promise. :)

I imagine you guys are more plugged into this kind of thing than I am. I looked at a few off the Wikipedia page, and you guys looked like the best of those three, but is there another group that I should look into that might fit my situation better?
Click to expand...

That I can't answer for you -- I'm on the East Coast, so I don't know any LARPs in that area. Sorry, dude. But gung-ho for giving Alliance a shot!
 
Wow, how epically coincidental. Someone else, from Eugene even, just started this thread on the Oregon section of this board. Most of the questions you just asked, and a few more, were just asked/answered in that thread. I highly recommend checking it out and posting there, since this other guy seems like he's right in your area and is looking for a lot of the same info.

To answer just a few of the questions that aren't completely doubled up: IIRC, Oregon doesn't have another weekend long Event scheduled for this year. They will mostly have Gamedays, which are single afternoon games. The Seattle chapter has an Event scheduled October 10-12th, which many Oregon (and even some San Fransisco) people are attending. If you are interested in going to that, I'd recommend registering on the Seattle Board so that you can connect with a carpool (you cannot view the forums unless you are registered).

I doubt the book will be out before 2009. As a new player who may only get to play once or twice, it's kind of up to you. If you're a rules hound, buy it. If you're broke, don't.

NPCs in Oregon and in Seattle are expected to show up to game with black clothing. No jeans or t-shirts with visible logos. A pair of black sweatpants and a couple plain black shirts will do you for the weekend. As an NPC, you will be provided any other costuming and props you might need. If you have costuming, feel free to bring it, but if you don't it's not a problem.

As an NPC, you generally don't have to worry about getting into/having a handle on the plot. The Plot team will make sure you know everything you're supposed to. As a PC, don't ever expect to know everything that's going on. The main plotlines will be fairly open, obvious, and accessible. There will be many other plotlines throughout the game that you won't interact with, and some that you'll be one of just a few people who will ever see. For example, everyone might know if trolls have been attacking the town. Only a few people might know that there's an assassination attempt being planned against the local baron. You might only find out about it if you're in on it (on either side).

If you went to another chapter, the storylines will be completely different. All of the chapters in the alliance use the same rules, but they very rarely share storylines. You will see many of the same people, who may be playing the same characters, so the intra-personal relationships will still be present, but it's basically like traveling into a new land. The people, races, and political structures are pretty similar, but they have their own problems and important personalities. It's really not discontinuous, it's more like travel, and nearly everyone does it.

The big advantage to the Alliance that other LARPs generally don't have is the ability to travel to other Alliance games. Once you create a character in one Alliance game, you can travel to any other Alliance game and play the same character with the same skills, same equipment, and same history as where you created the character. Really, for someone who doesn't know where they're going to be but wants to keep playing the same game regardless of where you end up, you picked a pretty good place to start.

~Matt, West Coast Variety
General Manager, Alliance Seattle
 
I saw that post earlier, and it had some good info, but it was also from the perspective of someone who has played other LARPs, and some of the analogies, I didn't understand. Also, to be honest (and no offense intended to wiccanbear), I found the questions a bit hard to parse. I didn't think I asked any questions that were answered there, but I apologize if I made an oversight.

I also thought that my questions were a bit more general in nature, but I'll ping that thread too, as someone in a geographically similar geographically situation

Oct. 11's no good for me, alas (vs. UCLA), but I'll keep an eye on these forums for future events.

(edit) Oh, and thanks for the info. It really helps me have a clearer picture in my mind of what it's all about.
 
As far as Events go in the area, here's the schedule (Gamedays are usually announced a few weeks in advance, since they're not as big a deal).

October 10-12, Sheppard High Adventure Camp (Seattle Event)
November 7-9, Millersylvania State Park (Seattle Event)
January 16-19, Millersylvania State Park (Seattle Event)
March 27-29, Millersylvania State Park (Seattle Event)
Early May, Silver Falls (Oregon Event)

I didn't see any upcoming events for San Fran, but we get players from there, too, for Oregon and Seattle Events. More could be announced by SF or by OR, but that's comprehensive of Seattle until March.
 
sweet, thanks

(edit) The first three are no good for me, but the one in March looks like it'll fall at the end of spring break for me, so I'll probably be able to swing that
 
obcidian_bandit said:
I didn't see any upcoming events for San Fran, but we get players from there, too, for Oregon and Seattle Events. More could be announced by SF or by OR, but that's comprehensive of Seattle until March.
Click to expand...

San Francisco's next event is a day event schuduled for Sunday, October 5th. It looks like we got hosed on the location for our November event. Planning for December and next year is in the works.
 
One things that is true however is that most larp games and Alliance are run on weekends. If you are often doing a lot of things on the weekend you probably won't be able to make it out to as many, but you should definately come to any that you can!

A lot of the reason Alliance is run on weekends is because we (Chapters/Alliance players) often go some distance to find a nice wilderness site to play at and invest a good deal of time preparing. As such we like to have a nice chunk of time to plays as well. Weekends are obviously a pretty straightforward choice for this. And heck if you end up liking it enough you'll end up clearing up your weekends to larp like some of the crazier folks. ;)

Also though from the perspective of another College student Alliance is fantastic for someone who might be moving around a bit. I go to college in MN and live in NH during the summer. Thats over 1,300 miles apart and halfway across the country. But I can still play the same character in Chicago that I play in New Hampshire. (And have)

In fact my first 6 games were all in different chapters. (kind of nuts) I also have to say that if you take the time to get to know the folks who play Alliance around you you'll probably be able to find a whole new group of awesome friends who come together to play a common game we all love. :D
 
obcidian_bandit said:
As far as Events go in the area, here's the schedule (Gamedays are usually announced a few weeks in advance, since they're not as big a deal).

October 10-12, Sheppard High Adventure Camp (Seattle Event)
November 7-9, Millersylvania State Park (Seattle Event)
January 16-19, Millersylvania State Park (Seattle Event)
March 27-29, Millersylvania State Park (Seattle Event)
Early May, Silver Falls (Oregon Event)

I didn't see any upcoming events for San Fran, but we get players from there, too, for Oregon and Seattle Events. More could be announced by SF or by OR, but that's comprehensive of Seattle until March.
Click to expand...

Jan 30-feb 1st Silver Falls at the New ranch only (Oregon Event)
May 1-3rd Silver Falls at the Youth Camp (Oregon Event)
 
whorfin said:
obcidian_bandit said:
I didn't see any upcoming events for San Fran, but we get players from there, too, for Oregon and Seattle Events. More could be announced by SF or by OR, but that's comprehensive of Seattle until March.
Click to expand...

San Francisco's next event is a day event schuduled for Sunday, October 5th. It looks like we got hosed on the location for our November event. Planning for December and next year is in the works.
Click to expand...

Ha! We got hosed for our first location for our November event... We got un-hosed because we got Camp Cutter on November 14-16! (Made sure not to conflict with those living in temperate rain forests.) =)
 
Some day I hope I can make it out to a SF game! :D
 
Dreamingfurther said:
One things that is true however is that most larp games and Alliance are run on weekends. If you are often doing a lot of things on the weekend you probably won't be able to make it out to as many, but you should definately come to any that you can!
Click to expand...

Being busy most weekends is not really a permanent situation for me. This will likely be my last year in any marching band, and next term will likely be my last season in any basketball band. When I go off to graduate school somewhere (or if I get a job instead), I don't have any plans to be doing things on the weekend regularly, so there won't be anything stopping me from LARPing (or some other recreational activity, if I decide it's not my thing).

cymryc said:
Jan 30-feb 1st Silver Falls at the New ranch only (Oregon Event)
May 1-3rd Silver Falls at the Youth Camp (Oregon Event)
Click to expand...

There's a good chance I'll be playing at the women's rivalry game during the first one. I don't see any issues with the May one for me, but we'll see when the time comes. It's after the one I've planned to do at the end of Spring Break in WA.
 
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