Humans Melt faces

Fearless Leader said:
Duke Frost said:
At HQ, we try to stay away from "call phrases" and are really trying to make a wysiwig game. Otherwise we're just little kids playing pretend in the backyard. I prefer to be a grownup playing pretend at the larp site.

"You see what you see" is my favorite "call phrase".

Scott

This might also be another basic attitude difference between us and NERO (please note that Colorado is not and has never been an Alliance game)

Truthfully, I think that this is an attitude difference between people who want to run a better game and people who are lazy. ;) NEROWest does an INCREDIBLE job with costuming, makeup, props and the like.

As for playing humans, my favorite thing about playing them is that in the early morning you don't have to 'put on your face'. Seen too many Dark Elves or Sarr's that have smudged or mostly powdered off makeup first thing in the morning or when we're awaken in the middle of the night by an encounter.

Plus, I never have to worry about forgetting my spirit gum at home. :D
 
Human racial restrictions (as has been handed down to me):
- cannot have an accent of any sort while wearing semi-swashbucklery or flashy clothing.
- cannot wear furs and act superstitious at the same time
 
"You see what you see" is my favorite "call phrase".

Scott

It needs to be used sparingly though...

It cant be the stock response.... otherwise you get:

"So I see keyboards, a CD player.... and Jesus?"

Because yes.... that happened to Dikembe...
 
RiddickDale said:
"You see what you see" is my favorite "call phrase".

Scott

It needs to be used sparingly though...

It cant be the stock response.... otherwise you get:

"So I see keyboards, a CD player.... and Jesus?"

Because yes.... that happened to Dikembe...

That's why I wrote that HQ was moving towards wysiwyg as much as possible.

I seem to be reading that we should not move to minimize OOG calls by improving costuming, makeup, special effects and locations?

I for one want to play a larp where stuff like that isn't necessary. We surely aren't there yet, but we should be moving in that direction. We should in no way accept mediocrity. Sometimes it's unavoidable, but we shouldn't settle for it.

I like playing without coke machines, where the cars are hidden and I get to drink out of period tankards and eat off real dishes. I've played in casual, "backyard" larps for far too many years. Myself and others are striving to build something greater and we're inviting everyone else to come along and to help. I know that's not geographically possible for everyone, but everyone should be striving to make their own chapter a little better every time they play. Even the little things like taking an extra 2 minutes to do your makeup better or buying a $2 tankard at a flea market to put your bottle of gatorade in add up. If everyone does a couple little things, it adds up to a much better game for everyone.

And since you are being anecdotal Riddick, I will elaborate on Gilwing's example.

I played Sil-Galad. He was an cursed elf...a mummy in fact. I took the extra time to do good makeup and put together the costume. I walked up to a cabin and was asked by a PC "What do I see?" Redcloud looked at him like he was not so bright and said patronizingly "Looks like an undead, elven mummy." That one sentence made the little extra effort I put in all worthwhile. It's what we should all strive for. I'm quite aware that it's not always possible due to many issues, but that shouldn't stop us from making the attempt. And it's definitely possible to do it more often than we are now. "You see what you see" maybe shouldn't be a "stock answer", but "What do I see?" shouldn't be a stock question either. It should be reserved for instances when you really can't rep a monster appropriately.

Scott aka Captain Tangent
 
I agree with Scott. We're trying to create a feel for the game that just can't be done with monsters wearing tabards that say "goblin" on them. Otherwise, why not just tabletop it?

That little bit of effort makes it so much easier to roleplay and stay in character.

Now, of course, it cannot always be done, especially if you are playing a huge pudding or a three headed dog or something, but the less we have to describe what is seen, the better.
 
Although not telling others how to run their games, I have found that creating stories and running plots with less fantastic monsters helps add to this a great deal. I don't write plots about griffons in mountain top caves because phys-repping a cave in a mountain, let alone a griffon, is difficult to say the least. The same exciting plot can be written involving a gypsy clan or a camp of bandits out in the forest.
 
markusdark said:
Although not telling others how to run their games, I have found that creating stories and running plots with less fantastic monsters helps add to this a great deal. I don't write plots about griffons in mountain top caves because phys-repping a cave in a mountain, let alone a griffon, is difficult to say the least. The same exciting plot can be written involving a gypsy clan or a camp of bandits out in the forest.

We've been doing this more at HQ too.

Though we do have a mountaintop. We just need to dig the cave.

Alliance, and Nero beforehand, also had the precedent that certain huge monsters like dragons and griffons have a human sized and shaped form as well...though that is certainly not original to either larp and most likely originates from religion or mythology.

But these monsters are the exceptions and not the rule. Orc, goblins, undead, etc. (pretty much anything bipedal) are completely within the resources of any chapter. I'd rather fight decent looking orcs and goblins all day long than a lamely costumed NPC saying "I'm a dragon!".

NJ did a great job with their dragon, Eon Nanethul. He had cool blue prosthethics, was played by a very tall NPC wearing large shoulderpads under their tunic. He was hulking and intimidating. To me, that was a much better production than having say ten NPCs running around as a "segmented monster" saying they were a big dragon.

Scott
 
I will always be a fan of not writing monsters you can't costume or phys rep. Well costumed and made up monsters is even allot more fun for the monsters.
 
Duke Frost said:
But these monsters are the exceptions and not the rule. Orc, goblins, undead, etc. (pretty much anything bipedal) are completely within the resources of any chapter. I'd rather fight decent looking orcs and goblins all day long than a lamely costumed NPC saying "I'm a dragon!".

Ah. What I was trying to say is that I'd rather fight human brigands than poorly made up orcs and goblins. And likewise, I'd rather fight brigands that aren't wearing sneakers and a t-shirt. I guess my point is that to run a visually pleasant game, one should start small. Get your NPC's decent garb. Then go towards descent armor and weapons. Move onto 'simple' makeup - such as dwarves and elves. Move onto the more complex such as orcs and goblins and so on and so on. I don't think a game is hurt if for the first six months or so, they mostly meet human bad guys.

Chapters can't start out with foam pantherghasts (which is still one of the more impressive costumes I have seen a pic of from Alliance) :)
 
markusdark said:
Duke Frost said:
But these monsters are the exceptions and not the rule. Orc, goblins, undead, etc. (pretty much anything bipedal) are completely within the resources of any chapter. I'd rather fight decent looking orcs and goblins all day long than a lamely costumed NPC saying "I'm a dragon!".

Ah. What I was trying to say is that I'd rather fight human brigands than poorly made up orcs and goblins. And likewise, I'd rather fight brigands that aren't wearing sneakers and a t-shirt. I guess my point is that to run a visually pleasant game, one should start small. Get your NPC's decent garb. Then go towards descent armor and weapons. Move onto 'simple' makeup - such as dwarves and elves. Move onto the more complex such as orcs and goblins and so on and so on. I don't think a game is hurt if for the first six months or so, they mostly meet human bad guys.

Chapters can't start out with foam pantherghasts (which is still one of the more impressive costumes I have seen a pic of from Alliance) :)

I think we agree Mark.
 
Duke Frost said:
I think we agree Mark.

Oh, I know we do. Just imparting the wisdom of our years upon the younger generation. ;)

I just imagine in another 100 years, LARPing like Larry Niven's books with CGI visors overlaying the images you need. So an actor with a spot suit (the ones you see people wearing when they are capturing movement for CGI) is just overlayed with a goblin, or zombie, or whatever and that's what the player sees. Not to mention turning a warehouse into a forest or ruins or a griffon's cave on top of a mountain.
 
markusdark said:
I just imagine in another 100 years, LARPing like Larry Niven's books with CGI visors overlaying the images you need. So an actor with a spot suit (the ones you see people wearing when they are capturing movement for CGI) is just overlayed with a goblin, or zombie, or whatever and that's what the player sees. Not to mention turning a warehouse into a forest or ruins or a griffon's cave on top of a mountain.
CGI visors? get out of the late eighties, sir. Contact lenses with heads-up display and thought-controlled headsets are the more likely direction of gaming. :)

I wish we could have had you guys out for "Journey to Whistler's Pass". The "big bad guys" were teen-level or lower humans.
 
I actually like being outdoors, up on the mountain. I like the smell of leather and steel and dirt and trees.

I like my make believe to be real. You can keep the magic visors and contacts.
 
The closest thing to a human I play (as a PC) is my gyspy. She was my first character, invented in the car on the way to my first event based on the random clothes I managed to scramble together for the weekend. I am a human in real life "Be all you Can't be" to me means not playing as I am every day.

My favorite character is my Mystic Wood Elf, and as her I usually stay in her make up all weekend if I can (minus shower time). I use spirit gum horns - along with the ears, multiple removal is bad for the epidermis. ;)

I am all for immersion and strive to be prepared whether I PC or NPC to represent my assigned role well.

I hope that once I get back to the States and finally get back to school for Special Makeup Effects, I will be able to aid the Alliance better with my training. I have a vision of an 8' high animatronic griffon... and articulated, light-weight masks for NPC camp.
 
Fearless Leader said:
Now, of course, it cannot always be done, especially if you are playing a huge pudding or a three headed dog or something...

I think there needs to be more huge puddings in game. I'm going to go right now and write a weekend plot line employing only giant puddings.
 
markusdark said:
I just imagine in another 100 years, LARPing like Larry Niven's books with CGI visors overlaying the images you need. So an actor with a spot suit (the ones you see people wearing when they are capturing movement for CGI) is just overlayed with a goblin, or zombie, or whatever and that's what the player sees. Not to mention turning a warehouse into a forest or ruins or a griffon's cave on top of a mountain.
Why bother? We'll just be able to Replicate all the sets and costuming we need. (Earl Grey, hot)
 
Ren Suzume said:
Fearless Leader said:
Now, of course, it cannot always be done, especially if you are playing a huge pudding or a three headed dog or something...

I think there needs to be more huge puddings in game. I'm going to go right now and write a weekend plot line employing only giant puddings.

Yay, I'll finally have a reason to make a Pudding Slayer!!
 
Hoyce... aren't you technically a pudding slayer?
 
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