Final Wave Battle on Video

[Laguna Hallik]

I'm really disappointed. I was planning on taking a trip with some friends to HQ this summer but now I am reconsidering. Please tell me this is not the norm for HQ.

Actually, out of the larps I've played Alliance HQ is the one larp that I laud as the best at immersion, make-up, story, and consistency of awesome. I watch Amtgard quests go down and shake my head in disbelief as yet another person claiming to be an elf does not even have pointy ears. Alliance has wowed me with some of the extents it has gone to to fully outfit and equip NPCs into a force of pure suspended disbelief. I'm confident that we have had wave battles even in the past two years that if video taped would definitely tip a casual viewer from on the fence about playing to definitely interested. Hopefully we'll tape a few of those in the future.

If you want to see a whole mess of confusing...watch the SCA Pennsic '07 megabattle that's online. I still have no idea what's going on.

Cheers,
Collin

 

[Duke Frost]

If you want to see a whole mess of confusing...watch the SCA Pennsic '07 megabattle that's online. I still have no idea what's going on.

Cheers,
Collin

I do, I was in that battle. Battles with 3,000 people are awesome. The ground almost thunders. I can't imagine what it would be like with 3,000 cavalry. While you're in the big battles, you really only have a feel for your small area and are listening to your commanders.

Scott

 

[Telokh_Amdo]

When you know the game large battles really aren't a problem. There is some confusion, to be sure, but that adds to the realism of the encounter. Makes it feel like you're really in a battle situation where you really have to pay attention to succeed.

 

[Duke Frost]

Fog of War.

Battles are confusing, the bigger the more confusing. SCA battles, where the rules are much simpler are also very confusing at times.

Scott

 

[ClawsofSlash]

Honestly, after showing this video to my friend he had "wished he was there." Though this is someone who used to play in SCA combat. He was interested before seeing it, and after he is almost sure he's coming with me at the end of May. The perception of the viewer is much different depending on their past encounters...

 

[Laguna Hallik]

Fog of War.

Battles are confusing, the bigger the more confusing. SCA battles, where the rules are much simpler are also very confusing at times.

Scott

What are the exact strike and wound rules on SCA? I figured it'd be a "Hit to Torso kills and Hit to Limb wounds" deal, but I see a lot of hits not drop folk in the video.

 

[Duke Frost]

Fog of War.

Battles are confusing, the bigger the more confusing. SCA battles, where the rules are much simpler are also very confusing at times.

Scott

What are the exact strike and wound rules on SCA? I figured it'd be a "Hit to Torso kills and Hit to Limb wounds" deal, but I see a lot of hits not drop folk in the video.

Torso or head shot kills. Most kills are from head shots. Limb shots, you lose the use of that limb. Armor protects you from getting hurt, not from any imaginary force. There are no hit points or armor points.

The blow also must be of sufficient force, that's why you see a lot of shots not drop someone. You are taught "calibration" so you know when a blow is good or not. Calibration also varies from kingdom to kingdom. Some kingdoms just hit harder and take harder. Whether you take a shot or not is up to the person being hit. If someone is being "thick" and not taking hits, you generally start aiming for unarmoured spots. Almost everyone will take a good hit to the armpit.

Scott

 

[Kazura]

... if I was someone who was considering starting to play Alliance and I saw that video I would change my mind.

Quite frankly, while I value that you are giving your opinion, it's extremely harsh and very ungrounded.

I am a brand new Alliance member. That event was the first LARP event I have ever been to in my life. HQ not only got me hooked on LARPing, obsessed with LARPing, and dying to get to any weekend I possibly can, but it also was a wonderful group of people that I truly enjoyed spending even a very hardcore cold-wet weekend with (mud mud everywhere!).

Also, I can personally tell you a very good reason why indeed that battle was rather choppy: There were six never-before-LARPed NPCS (including me) and a few brand new players as well. Is the battle unsmooth? For a huge amount of brand new people? Nope. This entire event was full of brand spanking new people, and it went very, very well in my opinion. The staff was wonderful, modules were fast paced and never lacking the entire weekend, and no one went to the hospital. I call it a wonderful start to my love of LARPing.

--Elissa

 

[youthculture]

I don't play the chapter where this video takes place and after seeing the video I have to say that I am glad I don't. I hate to say this but if I was someone who was considering starting to play Alliance and I saw that video I would change my mind.
I was excited when I saw this link and I called my friend into the room so I could finally show him a video of my hobby. He shook his head and said it looked dangerous, confusing and unbelievable. After seeing this video I can only agree with him. This wave battle makes our battle system look confusing, choppy, and frustrating. The NPC make up is unconvincing and, to be frank, really shoddy.
The location looks extremely dangerous and anachronistic. I'm really surprised no one got seriously injured.
Half the time it looks like the players are just standing there or in some kind of "mini-hold" argument. Is this seriously what HQ is like or was this some out of the ordinary flop of a wave battle?

I'm really disappointed. I was planning on taking a trip with some friends to HQ this summer but now I am reconsidering. Please tell me this is not the norm for HQ.

Would it be reassuring to tell you that having played Caldaria, old Syraandor, Deadlands, and HQ, HQ is a chapter I want to actively PC in as much as possible?

I'm the first to admit that battle was chaotic. Throw enough people in a small space who are calling out damage, spells, or other crazy crap and it's going to get insane enough in the first place -- especially when it's the last wave battle of the weekend and everyone is pounding through the last of their skills and spells for the weekend. For most people, the make-up fell under the category of 'sunday morning make-up', but even I admit some of it was a bit half-assed, even for Sunday. I can't say much for myself in that battle since I was still finding black make up down my shirt days later.

This video isn't really meant to be a promotional video, though. I think if that were the case, you'd be seeing a whole different game. It was really just a 'hey awesome, we have a camera, let's use it' moment. And to be honest, as crazy as that wave battle was, I had stupid amounts of fun in that wave battle, and in that weekend. I didn't see or hear much complaints about it afterwards, other than issues with incants (which I agree) and issues with space (which I don't really care too much about, people still played safe).

That's my two cents, yo.