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The art of LARP, and the true form of freeform...
(Written because so much crap has been put out on the subject, I needed a rant. Sue me.)
Over the past couple of weeks or so, there has been some discussion over on pagga (of which I am a member, but only in the sense of lurker, to be honest) about what constitutes acceptable game play and acceptable game requirements. The first strand was started by someone expressing surprise at the unease of one (or some) of the female players in his Gor (God help us!) LARP game. I think that![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pax_draconis had the right of it in the observation that there was trollism at work, but nonetheless it stirred some debate. My personal view on the particular game, is that anyone playing a game based on the risible Gor sequence pretty much deserves what they get, but that’s not the point.
The point is, that anyone writing or administering a game, be it LARP or Freeform, should never require the players to do something which at best they are likely either to be uncomfortable with, or at worst, end up committing what may be in other circumstances an arrestable offence. Call me old fashioned like that.
I do not profess to be an expert in these matters, but I do have some experience of writing freeforms (though the LARP side of the hobby is relatively alien to me). I have only ever done this as a co-writer, and never as the prime writer/plotter, and certainly never as the overall organiser/head honcho. I have no ambitions beyond the level of input I already have, and that only for one further game. After that, my freeform writing days are over, and likely my entire involvement with the hobby, although I retain the right to change my mind on the latter if something of quality and comparatively modest scope comes along.
My position on all this is quite simple: know your players and their limits, and write accordingly. If you have a part or parts planned that may require certain in-character behaviour, be especially careful how you cast the part; if possible, ask the players if they are comfortable with it. If you cannot do that, then either find another plot line, or at the very least ensure that the plotline is not essential to the overall run of the game, so that an unwilling player doesn’t end up having his or her experience ruined, and the rest of the game damaged. If you are not sure of your players’ limits, then write conservatively. This does not mean that you should fail to write imaginatively, but it does mean that you should not presume upon your players. To do otherwise, insults them, spoils everyone’s enjoyment, and demeans you as a writer.
Challenge your players. Push their roleplaying, encourage them to step out of the envelope; their role play and your writing will spark off each other and the entire experience will evolve and develop for the better. Corner someone with sensationalism and crass vulgarity and you deserve the backlash.
The point of a game, be it LARP, freeform, or even a board game like monopoly, is to entertain, not to insult or embarrass. And quite apart from any of these considerations, if you cannot justify care on any other basis, remember that there is a very good chance that your player has paid for the privilege of playing your game. It rubs both ways: players have a right to expect you to do of your best because they have paid for it, whether you make money on the deal or not, they have paid – and given the demographics of the hobby, they have probably paid an amount which is comparatively significant in their own personal circumstances - and you have the right to expect the players to play as well as they can, doing justice to your material.
But there should be mutual respect, not one-sided assumption.
If you can’t write and run a game under these constraints, then you should step back from the hobby. If you want to run a Gor BSM session one weekend fine, be my guest. Just make sure it’s for you and a small number of like-minded friends in a secluded environment. It’s still a relatively free country, after all. Just don’t pretend it’s something else, and let your players fall into a trap not of their making.
Over the past couple of weeks or so, there has been some discussion over on pagga (of which I am a member, but only in the sense of lurker, to be honest) about what constitutes acceptable game play and acceptable game requirements. The first strand was started by someone expressing surprise at the unease of one (or some) of the female players in his Gor (God help us!) LARP game. I think that
pax_draconis had the right of it in the observation that there was trollism at work, but nonetheless it stirred some debate. My personal view on the particular game, is that anyone playing a game based on the risible Gor sequence pretty much deserves what they get, but that’s not the point.The point is, that anyone writing or administering a game, be it LARP or Freeform, should never require the players to do something which at best they are likely either to be uncomfortable with, or at worst, end up committing what may be in other circumstances an arrestable offence. Call me old fashioned like that.
I do not profess to be an expert in these matters, but I do have some experience of writing freeforms (though the LARP side of the hobby is relatively alien to me). I have only ever done this as a co-writer, and never as the prime writer/plotter, and certainly never as the overall organiser/head honcho. I have no ambitions beyond the level of input I already have, and that only for one further game. After that, my freeform writing days are over, and likely my entire involvement with the hobby, although I retain the right to change my mind on the latter if something of quality and comparatively modest scope comes along.
My position on all this is quite simple: know your players and their limits, and write accordingly. If you have a part or parts planned that may require certain in-character behaviour, be especially careful how you cast the part; if possible, ask the players if they are comfortable with it. If you cannot do that, then either find another plot line, or at the very least ensure that the plotline is not essential to the overall run of the game, so that an unwilling player doesn’t end up having his or her experience ruined, and the rest of the game damaged. If you are not sure of your players’ limits, then write conservatively. This does not mean that you should fail to write imaginatively, but it does mean that you should not presume upon your players. To do otherwise, insults them, spoils everyone’s enjoyment, and demeans you as a writer.
Challenge your players. Push their roleplaying, encourage them to step out of the envelope; their role play and your writing will spark off each other and the entire experience will evolve and develop for the better. Corner someone with sensationalism and crass vulgarity and you deserve the backlash.
The point of a game, be it LARP, freeform, or even a board game like monopoly, is to entertain, not to insult or embarrass. And quite apart from any of these considerations, if you cannot justify care on any other basis, remember that there is a very good chance that your player has paid for the privilege of playing your game. It rubs both ways: players have a right to expect you to do of your best because they have paid for it, whether you make money on the deal or not, they have paid – and given the demographics of the hobby, they have probably paid an amount which is comparatively significant in their own personal circumstances - and you have the right to expect the players to play as well as they can, doing justice to your material.
But there should be mutual respect, not one-sided assumption.
If you can’t write and run a game under these constraints, then you should step back from the hobby. If you want to run a Gor BSM session one weekend fine, be my guest. Just make sure it’s for you and a small number of like-minded friends in a secluded environment. It’s still a relatively free country, after all. Just don’t pretend it’s something else, and let your players fall into a trap not of their making.
General propositions
Re: General propositions