New Player Questions

Pandafox

Newbie
I intend to NPC for my first event which will (hopefully) be in May as that seems like the best way to get to know things better. Despite feeling really eager to play my own character on my own adventure, I think waiting to have that experience once I have a little first hand understanding of an event will make that first PC adventure all the better.

As such I had a few questions about NPCing and events as a whole that I did not see answered in the Rule Book or when I skimmed around for information.

I saw somewhere that if you are NPCing you don't need to bring your own gear, just camping supplies, EXTRA SOCKS (you guys really seem to have a thing about socks, but I feel like its plastered around enough that I should pay attention), Clothes for going home, and I imagine some kind of basic clothes to wear that various costumes can be applied to. Does it sound like I have it about right?

More specific questions:
The event I would like to attend doing the NPCing role will be in May, which can be hot up here but the recomendations for NPCs I read said to bring black sweats... this seems like a bad idea. Should I invest in some black or brown scrub pants (or some cool wrap pants I saw online) and a basic black or brown T tunic for my first time out? I imagine sweats would be a good idea at night, I am just worried about daytime... and also where to find sweats...

I imagine period bags for carrying things are a good idea even for NPCs so we have a way to keep inhalers and (turned off or silenced) cell phones nearby as well as trail mix and that sort of thing, are there any good leads on where I could get something like that?

Hydration Is important. Do we need to find or would it be appreciated if we found period appropriate water bottles or do you just keep normal ones in an aforementioned on-theme bag?

For a first time NPC do you kind of get a station you stay at for a while or are you able to freely roam enough to go to the bathroom and get water and such when you need to?

Do NPCs all bunk together in their own cabin away from the other players? (the event I plan on going to does mention that they have cabins) I imagine its hard to find an on-theme sleeping bag and even if I could I imagine they are a little expensive for a first timer to invest in. Since LARP is a 24 hour event even when you are sleeping, do you just ignore the fact that you are sleeping in a neon yellow nylon sleeping bag or are there actually OOG sleep times?

Sorry if any of these questions are easily found somewhere I didn't think to look. I am just very excited to try this out for the first time and have a lot of over-eager questions.
 
Hello there, Pandafox!

Some of your questions are chapter specific (sleeping arrangements for NPCs, in particular).

What area are you from? It'll help get an answer for you!
 
I'm not from Oregon, but just to minimize the amount of waiting you might have to do before someone from there can answer you, I'l tackle a few of the easy questions to get you started on info.

Pandafox said:
I saw somewhere that if you are NPCing you don't need to bring your own gear, just camping supplies, EXTRA SOCKS (you guys really seem to have a thing about socks, but I feel like its plastered around enough that I should pay attention), Clothes for going home, and I imagine some kind of basic clothes to wear that various costumes can be applied to. Does it sound like I have it about right?

If you're an NPC (especially over a weekend), you will be quite active and on your feet for potentially long stretches of time. If you're doing a lot of running around, your feet are (naturally) going to sweat, even moreso if it's hot, and you probably don't want to be wearing the same pair of gross wet socks to a night battle you were wearing to a morning one. :p Aside from the general ick factor, that's a really good way to get blisters on your feet, and you probably don't want that to happen. The same deal applies in wet weather, although a good pair of waterproof boots will help considerably in this case. Depending on how active Oregon's NPCs are, you might be looking at 3-4 pairs per day, plus an extra pair or two as backup.

PandaFox said:
The event I would like to attend doing the NPCing role will be in May, which can be hot up here but the recommendations for NPCs I read said to bring black sweats... this seems like a bad idea. Should I invest in some black or brown scrub pants (or some cool wrap pants I saw online) and a basic black or brown T tunic for my first time out? I imagine sweats would be a good idea at night, I am just worried about daytime... and also where to find sweats...

Sweats are probably going to be a decent idea even if it's hot out, because they're usually designed around keeping you dry and more or less a stable temperature. There's nothing wrong inherently about wearing a pair of black jeans if that's what you prefer, but you are probably going to sweat, and those jeans are going to chaff. Not fun. :( As far as other clothing goes, a black T-shirt or tank top that fits just a little loose is going to be better than a full tunic in the long run, and probably cheaper. I recommend the T-shirt if you have to pick just one, but you might prefer the tank top during the day if you can afford both. :)

PandaFox said:
I imagine period bags for carrying things are a good idea even for NPCs so we have a way to keep inhalers and (turned off or silenced) cell phones nearby as well as trail mix and that sort of thing, are there any good leads on where I could get something like that?

As an NPC it's less of a requirement to have a pouch to carry things, and you probably don't want to have your cell phone with you while you're out of NPC camp, especially if you're going out for combat. I ordered a few belt pouches from Medieval Collectibles for a reasonable price, but you might also consider Epic Armory or commissioning a bag from a fellow Oregon LARPer who makes them. Or take a stab at making your own, if you're feeling crafty. :D

PandaFox said:
Do we need to find or would it be appreciated if we found period appropriate water bottles or do you just keep normal ones in an aforementioned on-theme bag?

As an NPC you'll probably be making semi-frequent trips to change and do new makeup, so carrying a water bottle with you probably won't be necessary, but if you want to it's preferred your water container is either in-period or stored in an in-period bag of some sort.

The rest of your questions are much better answered by someone from Oregon, as they pertain to specifics of that chapter. And if anyone from Oregon tells you anything I've said above is wrong, listen to them, they'll know what they're talking about. :)
 
Thank you for your helpful replies Sage!
I was actually looking at Epic Armory yesterday. I don't know any of the Oregon LARPers yet but will hope to make a few contacts at the event.
 
To add to one of Sage's points, never bring something valuable and breakable with you on a combat mod (or even an RP mod, because PCs may have different ideas). As long as it is safe to do so I would leave anything that you need ready access to but you don't want broken at NPC camp. Most sites usually have a separate area you could probably store stuff. Also most chapters have some sort of first aid people on hand, if you have a health condition such as severe allergies or asthma etc, it may be a good idea to make them aware.

Also, I have worn black scrub pants before. They seem to work reasonably well but personally they aren't the most comfortable for me and don't look the best, so I bought some viking style pants that work with most outfits. Scrub pants are usually super cheap though, so that's a bonus.
 
Hello PandaFox! I'm a PC from the Oregon chapter!
They May game is the Big West - multi chapter event and it is a more expensive longer weekend that has slightly different provisions than the normal Oregon chapter game. I would recommend checking out the Regional Events section on the Forum for more details. That game is also located in Washington, at Millersylvania State Park.

More specific questions:
The event I would like to attend doing the NPCing role will be in May, which can be hot up here but the recomendations for NPCs I read said to bring black sweats... this seems like a bad idea. Should I invest in some black or brown scrub pants (or some cool wrap pants I saw online) and a basic black or brown T tunic for my first time out? I imagine sweats would be a good idea at night, I am just worried about daytime... and also where to find sweats...

See above about the specific event. June is the next Oregon Chapter game, also at that same site. Out next game at our "home" location is in November. But for NPCs black is the prefered color for under clothes. Monster Camp has monster and townie garb for you to wear over your black shirt and pants to get you into character. And as mentioned, waterproof/sturdy shoes and spare socks are super helpful!

I imagine period bags for carrying things are a good idea even for NPCs so we have a way to keep inhalers and (turned off or silenced) cell phones nearby as well as trail mix and that sort of thing, are there any good leads on where I could get something like that?

Hydration Is important. Do we need to find or would it be appreciated if we found period appropriate water bottles or do you just keep normal ones in an aforementioned on-theme bag?

Period bags are provided by Monster Camp for in game use, but if you have one you want to use, totally bring it. I'd recommend leaving your cell phone in Monster Camp or your cabin for safety during combat. We provide bottled water, and there is water on site. Also we provide a meal plan for our NPCs for the weekend ($20 charge for weekend's worth of meals), but you are more than welcome to bring and cook your own food.


For a first time NPC do you kind of get a station you stay at for a while or are you able to freely roam enough to go to the bathroom and get water and such when you need to?
As long as you aren't in the middle of a battle, since that would be awkward, you are free to grab water, snacks, a nap etc, whenever you want. Monster Camp wants our NPCs happy, fed and well rested.

Do NPCs all bunk together in their own cabin away from the other players? (the event I plan on going to does mention that they have cabins) I imagine its hard to find an on-theme sleeping bag and even if I could I imagine they are a little expensive for a first timer to invest in. Since LARP is a 24 hour event even when you are sleeping, do you just ignore the fact that you are sleeping in a neon yellow nylon sleeping bag or are there actually OOG sleep times?

Sorry if any of these questions are easily found somewhere I didn't think to look. I am just very excited to try this out for the first time and have a lot of over-eager questions.

Cabins are an OOG area, so it doesn't really matter what your sleeping gear looks like, but there isn't an assigned sleeping time for players. As I said before, if you need a nap, go for it, just let Monster Camp know so they can keep track of how many active NPCs they have, and again for when you're ready for bedtime, but usually things die down around 12am. All the NPCs bunk together in a group of cabins, and at our "home" location of Camp Kiwanilong, those cabins now have mattresses! And Millsylvania does have mattresses too. We don't have heat in the cabins at Kiwanilong, but have hot water in the bathrooms for showers.


Hopefully this helps a bit!!
 
It would appear that my work has been done for me! Whoo! Go team!

PandaFox, as said above I'm the New Player Rep for Oregon. If you have any additional questions, comments, concerns, or just want to talk about the weather please do not hesitate to send me an email at newplayer@allianceoregon.com

Thank you for expressing your interest, and I very much look forward to hearing from you, and seeing you in game!
 
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