Team or independant

Alor

Alor

Scholar
Gettysburg Staff
Having played only one event not on the East Coast thus far, and having only been playing for 2 seasons, I'm getting really curious.

As a ~mostly~ independant player, my perception is that the game is becoming more and more team-orriented, and it is more and more difficult to function without being on a team. The other threads on the board about magic items and ritualist magic seem to reinforce that thought.

I'm wondering if anyone else has this perception, or if it's different elsewhere. I'm NOT trying to start an arguement about how one is better than the other or anything, I'm just wondering if it's a shared perception and if it is the same elsewhere.

I ~hope~ this can stay civil... please... :D
 
Team is the way to go!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I wouldnt say it is becoming team orented. It has always had the air of team going on. More east coast than west that i can tell (May be some kind of distance thing) but a lot of PCs have "clicks" and often they turn it into team.
And sometimes teams rock, heck I recall the short lived all dwarf team (short lived as it required PCs from 3 states to support) we kicked rear as opposed to larger random people groups.
On the west coast most of the teams go by, went by house names so IG or ooc you can even ask about the houses and how they used to do.
 
My two most often played characters are both on teams. I have two other characters however that are not. However the two non-team characters are also relatives of some of my friend's characters, so I'm not sure they count as entirely independent, even if a formal team isn't really there.
 
The goal of the game is to entertain as many players as possible, and not just one or two. Therefore, plots are written to encourage teamwork, where you need to have others to accomplish your goals. That's not to say you can't be an individual, but no modules are ever written for just one person. Even personal plotlines are written so that the character should be seeking help from others to accomplish the goals.

As the President of the Alliance, as one of the founders of NERO and as the Fearless Leader, I can tell you without a doubt and from its inception that the game was designed to be a team sport. Yes, without a doubt, this is what it was meant to be. It's not a perception, it's the reality.

Maybe the difference between east and west has to do with size of the events, too? Maybe we have more players at an event, and therefore have more of a need to keep everyone entertained?
 
Team or even a loosly based group of PC's with common goals seems to be the way to go. The game and the classes involved are designed in such a way that it is all but impossible to survive without one or two people watching your back.
For example, a fighter on the line without a healer to healer or even a celestialist to provide additional damage or binding is really is really just a speed bump for WAVE BATTLE #3. However if you pair that fighter with a equally sized or bigger caster and it becomes a whole different game. Or on Mod #6 solo earth caster goes up against a mod group without anyone with him/her, they are likely to turn into a fine paste. Place a rouge or fighter or another caster or two in there and it is a different story

my opinion

-John W
 
I'd say that it is at least team oriented due to classes and I like that. When the healer isn't around everyone has to bust out the cash for potions and play alot more safely. When the Celestial scholar isn't there people get stuck with Wizard Locks and the like. When the rogue isn't there you can't really disarm anything you just have to plough through. And when the fighter isn't there... ouch... >.< Everyone takes more of a beating...
 
Usually when we fight big baddies way over here we are a mindless rabble. It's like a bar room brawl with clear sides. When we actually take the time to get organized or into teams we kick significantly more *** than we ever would as a mindless rabble. So I think as the players realize what team playing does there will be much more of it. There already are more players trying to organize teams.

There will always be the holdouts though! Thats what makes the game fun is you can do whatever you want with your PC.
 
Fearless Leader said:
Maybe the difference between east and west has to do with size of the events, too? Maybe we have more players at an event, and therefore have more of a need to keep everyone entertained?
Click to expand...

That's possible but I'm not sure it's the answer. Oregon and Seattle events go between 30 and 70 players. Not sure of the average size of an event out there, but I've heard of a number of smaller chapters which move more towards the team-based play. My guess is that it's simply more of a chapter culture type thing than size.
 
Any time you can pool resources, you are probably going to be more effective. But, yes, I'd say that our game is definitely team-oriented. However, there are a number of ways to be involved with a team, even if you don't have a clique of friends that play with you, including joining a guild or a noble team.

When I started my LARPing career, I purposefully played a character that didn't hang out with my friends and I joined the nefarious thieves' guild. Since I didn't know any of the other thieves' guild members outside of the game, I remember laying awake at night wondering when they were going to attack me and take my stuff! It was actually really cool because it made my entry into the guild waaaay more realistic (some nights I was really scared!). After the events, my friends and I would trade stories about the game on the drive home because we barely saw each other all week-end.

And when I started Alliance (back then it was NERO, of course), I came into the game with a group of friends, but they abandoned Alliance for another game, so I was solo. But I joined a noble team (which was a group of friends that I didn't know) and became such good friends with them that many of them came to my (real-life) wedding several years later.

So, I guess my point is that even people who come to the game solo can still find a team if they want.

--- Eric Stehle / Ivan Drake
 
Eric,
I agree 100% with you that anyone who wants to join a team can find a team if they try. Pooling resources, be they skills, treasure, knowledge or even personalities greatly increases players survivability, involvment and more often than not enjoyment of the game.

-John W.
 
I guess I should note that I would assume the town and players would have to work together as a team. What I was asking about was the more formalized aspect. I thought it would be assumed (and believe it's mentioned in the rule book) that no one player can survive as the proverbial island.

Thanks for all this input, it's great to get this view of where people are coming from.
 
Are there really any examples in literature, tv, movies, myth or real life where someone goes through any kind of dangerous lifestyle while always being alone? Even the truest "loner" characters had help and allies at one time or another.

Aragorn had the fellowship and his rangers.
Elric had Moonglum and Rackhir.
Xena had Gabrielle.
Conan had Subotai, Valeria and Belit.
Buffy had Giles and Willow and Xander.

You can be a loner in the game, but there will always be time you need help. And what's really the point of being a true loner at a larp? One of the main points of it is that you are playing with other people. Otherwise you might as well just play video games.

The game does allow for some independence and you don't have to be on a team to survive or even thrive. But you do need the other players a lot of the time.

Ask Eric Stehle how scary the one person module can be.

Scott
 
<<< Ask Eric Stehle how scary the one person module can be. >>>

Yep. All you are thinking is, "I'm gonna rez! And there's nothing I can do about it!"

--- Eric Stehle / Ivan Drake
 
I like to think that there are three types of characters.

1. The complete loners: These characters will always want to do things solo. They don't go on any modules except those that are single player and are really only comfortable in a wave battle fighting one-on-one.

2. The tag along: This character often interacts with other groups yet is not part of an established adventuring group, baronial group, guild, etc. This is the typical adventurer who will join groups in modules or wave battles but does not have an allegiance to a group.

3. The groupie: This character is a part of one or many groups. Maybe he/she belongs to a baronial group and at the same time has an adventurering group, and assists at the Mage's Guild.

JIM
 
I can't speak for Oregon or Seattle as I have not played there in years but right now, San Francisco has a small, but growing, playerbase. At this time, it is possible to do more 'personal' mods. However, even with them, it usually turns into a small 'group'. For example, if a plot deals solely with something from my past, I will follow up on it. But with the instinctive nature of adventuring, I will try and bring a few people along with me. It is EXTREMELY rare that a single person will go out and do something on their own as they will almost always wind up rezzing.

As for playing a 'loner', I tend to play these characters quite often. I will tag along on adventures that interest me but I will also stay behind at the tavern while the rest of the group is out killing the baddies. Something people often don't realize is that playing a loner is quite lonely. :D
 
Each of my three PC's falls into a category. My dark elf is on a team. She is a teamster. ;)
My gypsy is a groupie. She flits from group to group helping whoever. Everytime she tries to officially join an adventuring group, something bad happens. :(
My MWE is a loner. Though she belongs to an NPC Duchess... so maybe she is more a team player. I dunno. :) But her first 5 years she was definitely a loner.
 
My gypsy doesn't have the attention span to be a "groupie"! She's often a loner, but not by choice. It's because she is really dumb or people are lazy, I don't know which.

Example: Walks into an elemental prison alone with the goal of getting her friend out. She is unarmed with no magic summoning abilities. She knocks on the door; "Hello? Aye, you 'ave mi friend an' I am 'ere to baihl 'im out, ah? Nye? Hmmmm.....plais? Ah, certainly! Ef you gimme mi friend back, I would GLADLY 'elp you kill the elemental lord of chaos......"

She doesn't kill, by the way.
 
Marcena said:
My gypsy doesn't have the attention span to be a "groupie"! She's often a loner, but not by choice. It's because she is really dumb or people are lazy, I don't know which.

Example: Walks into an elemental prison alone with the goal of getting her friend out. She is unarmed with no magic summoning abilities. She knocks on the door; "Hello? Aye, you 'ave mi friend an' I am 'ere to baihl 'im out, ah? Nye? Hmmmm.....plais? Ah, certainly! Ef you gimme mi friend back, I would GLADLY 'elp you kill the elemental lord of chaos......"

She doesn't kill, by the way.
Click to expand...
Hmm this story distinctly reminds me of the time my group and I went into a mod and were overwhelmed. Myself(the healer) and another person the only ones left standing. The monsters told us to run away and leave. I didnt like that solution so I asked em what they were gonna do with my friends. They stated they were gonna either sell em as slaves or use em as slaves (my memory is fuzzy after these years). So in the end I bought all my friends back from em, think I spent 5 gold for 8 people. Well worth the price. (Memories of Coony)
 
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