Questions for a New Guy

SirSerfdom

SirSerfdom

Novice
Hey all,
So I think it is safe to say that I'm pretty darn interested in LARPing and this looks like a great place to start. I have no experience LARPing whatsoever but I have lots of experience with camping, acting, and games like Dungeons and Dragons. Only problem that I can see is that I'm a minor. I'm 16. I haven't seen a lot (if any) other people my age LARP at all. So my questions I have today are: Do you think I could thrive in this LARP given my circumstance? Any other issues any of you can foresee? And lastly, I've looked everywhere I can but it can never hurt to be more informed, are there any general tips you have for a new LARPer like myself?
I have minimal LARPing gear and I would definitely NPC for my first couple times if I were to go forward with this.
Thank you all!
 
I have never seen a teenager who was as articulate as you are fail to thrive and find joy at this game. Alliance is one of the few games out there that permits younger than 18 in some chapters (ours being one of them.) The only real issue I could forsee for you is the matter of guardianship/having a responsible adult around for you. But that's a pretty normal issue that you should be able to sort quite readily.

The rulebook for our game is available for free as a pdf on the main site. I very strongly recommend reading it over, maybe keeping track of questions you might have as you go along. There's a fair amount of flavor text in it, but the meat and potatoes are pretty easy to find. There's a couple of good tips in there too, such as the guide for building a basic starting boffer.

Otherwise, you're pretty much spot on. Welcome aboard!
 
Hey hey and welcome!

I started playing in this chapter when I was 15 and never stopped (I'm 21 now). It was absolutely worthwhile and everyone was very welcoming despite my age. All of Sarah's advice is excellent. I'm not sure what the current rule is on if you need an adult guardian on site/at game with you, or if they just need to fill out the forms. That would be a question to ask out logistics team at logisticsasf@gmail.com . I also super recommend NPCing your first few games- that's a great idea.

My one piece of practical advice is *do not* play a character who is of-age while you are still underage (except in NPC roles, then do what staff tells you). It is never anything but weird and awkward. I tried, I did not succeed :eek:

Other than that, I think you'll have a great time! Welcome to the game!

-Spencer
 
Wow, thank you Sarah and Spencer for the speedy response!
The matter of guardianship is the make-or-break factor for me here and I will definitely email logistics to clarify the regulations.
Spencer, it is good to hear a success story like yours and thank you for your practical advice, that is something I had not considered at all.
Other than this I guess it is just a matter of registering, self-confidence, and actually going out and LARPing. Thank you again and if anyone has anything at all to say, it is certainly welcome!
 
I was there at Spencer's first event. In fact, had a quite memorable experience before ever going into game with him. It's been pretty awesome watching him come into his own as an adult with us.

That moment when I realize I've been doing this almost twenty years... and that there are some who've been doing it longer... >.>
 
I also started playing with this chapter at 15, now I'm 22 with a one year hiatus for abnormal complications.

My advice is build a character who has room to grow. Obviously that's also generally applicable advice, but you'll likely find that as you grow up as a person IRL, the shapes and sounds of your character will change as you, as a person, change. Frontal lobe development is one hell of a thing, and it's hard to notice for yourself as it's happening. Both of my characters have done as much if not more growing up over the past seven years than I have, while retaining the same core I wrote for them when I was a teenager.

One of the simpler ways to leave room for those changes is to play a character who is similarly young to yourself, the player, as Spencer advised, but it isn't the only way to write in wiggle room.

Don't be afraid of the possibility of change, your character's own IC experiences will cause them to change, as will you changing underneath them and you discovering what you do and don't like as a gamer.

Hope that helps! Sorry if any of that comes off as condescending, I know talking about aging experiences can come off that way, not at all my intention.

Hope to see you at game!
 
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