Guest Author - Jay Shaffstall
Role playing conventions are a great place to try a LARP experience, but you also need to approach it from the right perspective.
LARPs at conventions run the gamut of possible styles of live action role playing, and you may very well get into one that isn't right for you. Just keep in mind that the one experience isn't typical of all LARPs, and try again.
Here are some tips for enjoying your convention LARP.
Complexity
Most conventions allow a game master to rate the complexity of her game. If you've never played a LARP before, stick with the ones that are low complexity. If a game says it's detailed, it means exactly that! There will be a lot of stats and rules to keep track of, and you're probably better off waiting on that one until you're more experienced with the simpler LARPs.
Experience Needed
Another way of rating games at conventions is by the level of experience needed. This means experience with that particular LARP system. If a game says it needs experience, then the GM will likely not spend a lot of time going over the rules.
Experience needed may also mean knowledge of the game world itself. Get into a game that says it needs experience, and even if the rules are easy you may find yourself lost by all the context you're missing about the game world.
Don't Play A Gambler
I blame the TV series Maverick for this, but I've always wanted to play gamblers in role playing games. The problem with playing a gambler in a LARP is that their goals mostly revolve around, well, gambling. And in LARPs, the most interesting bits happen because you're moving around and talking to lots of people, not because you're sitting at a gambling table trying to amass a fortune.
Every time I've played a gambler in a LARP, it's always been a boring experience, and by sticking to my character I've missed out on all the exciting bits that happen.
So do yourself a favor, and if you get a choice of characters, don't pick the gambler.
Types of Systems
Some LARP systems are tied to specific games, and some knowledge of the games is needed to enjoy the game. Here are a few samples. This isn't a comprehensive list.
Cthulhu Live: This system is used to play LARPs in the Call of Cthulhu world. While table top Call of Cthulhu is a party of characters going through a preset adventure, Cthulhu Live is typically more of a meet and greet party type of game. You get a character who has goals, and you interact with other characters in a social situation until something goes horribly wrong, at which point you all try to survive on the basis of whatever alliances you made in the beginning of the game.
I'd classify Call of Chtulhu as mildly heavy rules light system, if that makes any sense. You should have some experience with Call of Cthulhu to enjoy it, but even that isn't necessary (since your character won't have that knowledge).
If you enjoy watching horror movies, you'd probably enjoy Cthulhu Live.
Fading Suns: This is a setting that is fairly involved, with a lot of back story that is important if you want to get the most out of a LARP game set in it. I'd recommend a read of the rule book before trying to play it to get at least an overview of what's going on.
Minds Eye Theatre: The system itself is simple, but the settings typically involve elaborate social hierarchies and conspiracies. While I've never played an MET game myself, they are hugely popular, although I haven't seen a lot of overlap between players of these games and players of other LARPs.
Boffer LARPS: Some systems use foam weapons, either melee or projectile, for combat. If you don't like the idea of being hit by a foam sword or bullet, make sure you know if the LARP you've signed up for uses foam weapons. They don't hurt, really, but some people don't like the idea anyway. If you're one of those, stick to those systems that use simulated combat instead.
Pick More Than One Game
Ultimately, pick three or four LARPs to play during the convention. That will make it more likely you'll find one that really clicks for you. On the other hand, if you come out of three or four entirely different LARPs wondering what the point was, then LARPing probably isn't for you.
Either way, a convention is a great place to give a LARP a try!
Downloadable version of Cthulhu Live rules
