Fact is, we live in a world where racism is a very bad thing. Turning around and trying to force people to act it up will never work. Plus you'd never have a mixed setting like the ones in FH and CARPS with true racism. Too much land for races to intermix.
Ultimately, granted I only speak for myself, "roleplaying" is a minor part of the game. To be honest if we were truly good roleplayers, we'd all be actors/actresses. I'm not knocking anyone's effort, but none of us are really that good. On the same lines, none of us are good are at combat either, no matter what we tell ourselves. Anyway, this is way off topic.
Hey do we need a topic split for the racism discussion since this isn't really about guilds anymore?
Guid skills
Moderator: Admin
Todd your asessment isn't entirely true, empaths also have sleep and fear both of which the times could be shortened or you could make it possible to move after charging the sleep with guild skills. But I digress, you guys removed the +10 damage which was pretty sick only to add something sicker.
Eric your guild may have been formed that way but some actually were formed....IN GAME *gasp* what a concept, role playing in a LARP. Just because you guys sat around number crunching doesn't mean the rest of us did too. Ask Julie about the night our 2 guilds were formed, there was no precrunching and as a matter of fact I was thrust into the head position only because a couple of us did not want Dave's character as a leader. To this day that is still one of the most intense times I've had, much more than any battle that's for sure.
Pc's find a way to be "exceptions" because it benefits their character, usually in power, not because of any role playing aspect. And then there is the OOG aspect.
Eric your guild may have been formed that way but some actually were formed....IN GAME *gasp* what a concept, role playing in a LARP. Just because you guys sat around number crunching doesn't mean the rest of us did too. Ask Julie about the night our 2 guilds were formed, there was no precrunching and as a matter of fact I was thrust into the head position only because a couple of us did not want Dave's character as a leader. To this day that is still one of the most intense times I've had, much more than any battle that's for sure.
Pc's find a way to be "exceptions" because it benefits their character, usually in power, not because of any role playing aspect. And then there is the OOG aspect.
Last edited by Peace420 on Fri Mar 26, 2004 6:58 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Death=Adder
One of these days...I'm going to cut you into little pieces...
~Pink Floyd~
One of these days...I'm going to cut you into little pieces...
~Pink Floyd~
Not at all true some people are excellent role players I would count Karen Doug and Ang in that. Some of us actually think that RP is the most important part and the combat rules are there only to facillitate conflict resolution. Afer all it's not SCA or combat training it a Live Action Role Playing game. Role Play not sword play.
Didn't mean to leave anyone out on the RP tip I was just mentioning the 3 that stand out for me and I get to play with alot.
Didn't mean to leave anyone out on the RP tip I was just mentioning the 3 that stand out for me and I get to play with alot.
Death=Adder
One of these days...I'm going to cut you into little pieces...
~Pink Floyd~
One of these days...I'm going to cut you into little pieces...
~Pink Floyd~
Not sure if this helps but here goes...from a psychological and sociological standpoint, research, both current and historical, would suggest that people are more at ease, more trusting when surrounded with people like themselves and more nervous and less trusting when surrounded by people who are different. The most obvious differences among people are physical features and thus people, largely out of fear and mistrust have been discriminating based upon this since the beginning. From that lens, I have always seen the guild system representing the fact that through trust and group cohesiveness comes a certain power and thus the guild bonuses represent that. The path argument doesn't work in the same way. Would an elven rogue really have more trust for a dwarven rogue than an elven healer just because they are in the same profession? I don't think so.
Just a spin on how to look at things...
Mike
Just a spin on how to look at things...
Mike
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Donovan Thynedar
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I'd have to disagree with the idea that role-playing is not or should not be a major focus of the game. Almost all of my fondest memories from gaming are situations in which the role-playing was phenomenal. I certainly won't downplay the rush and excitement in combat, or even the structure and stability a system can provide, but without question it's the story, the people, that make the game.
Just to tie two of the issues we've been discussing here together, I think that both racism and role-playing serve a purpose in a fantasy setting. Both go a long way to further the illusion of the world we create, and the more enveloped we allow ourselves to become the more intense (and for me, enjoyable) the game becomes as well. It's much the same reason the NPC's aren't using cell-phones and we don't order pizza every night: certain things enhance or detract from the fantasy.
While I will be the first to stand against racism in our world, in a game world it does provide both a mechanism for tension and a chance for unity. A quick look at Legolas and Gimli in LOTR can show how racism can be both displayed and overcome, all the while creating an enriching story. Here again, role-playing becomes key to the success of the endeavor. With good role-playing, the conflict becomes emotional and the characters seem more real. Without it, it's just a cumbersome addition.
But, on that note, the whole world is a cumbersome addition without good role-playing. If all we wanted to do was camp out for a few days and hit each other with sticks, I can think of far more rewarding and competitive systems to use than the one we've got.
When we break out the foam weapons, we play by King's rules up 'round Muskegon way (any hit takes a limb, any chest/head hits kill) and have an absolute blast on a Saturday afternoon. Then we'll hit a round of Disc Golf, jump in the lake to cool off, grab a shake from the Frosty Oasis, and then barbeque while we game. If all we wanted was combat, we've got that handled.
And yet we're all geeked about driving 2 1/2 hours to the next FH event.
Why?
Role-playing. That's why.
I can swing a sword at Ryan (Curufin) or Bob (Kabre) till I'm blue in the face, and it's still just Taki hitting one of his friends with a plastic stick. I know it, they know it, and the mundanes driving by are more than happy to remind us of it. No matter how many rounds you win, no matter how many hits you score, it never leaves the Intramural Softball/Yahtzee level of fulfillment. Nifty, but meaningless.
Now factor in role-playing. I'm new to the LARP scene, but I know from experience that when it's Donovan fighting for his friends against the forces of darkness, Taki feels a whole hell of a lot different then when there's no story being told. The drama, the emotion, the life that can be felt in a game is second only to the real thing, and since I'm not likely to square off against a shape-changing druid at school or try to bring peace to a troubled land at work, I'm all for the role-playing, thank you.
... Wait a sec. Scratch that. Considering all the Poly-Sci I'm dealing with right now, I am trying to bring peace to a troubled land at work.
Anyway, I'm sure you get my point.
Just to tie two of the issues we've been discussing here together, I think that both racism and role-playing serve a purpose in a fantasy setting. Both go a long way to further the illusion of the world we create, and the more enveloped we allow ourselves to become the more intense (and for me, enjoyable) the game becomes as well. It's much the same reason the NPC's aren't using cell-phones and we don't order pizza every night: certain things enhance or detract from the fantasy.
While I will be the first to stand against racism in our world, in a game world it does provide both a mechanism for tension and a chance for unity. A quick look at Legolas and Gimli in LOTR can show how racism can be both displayed and overcome, all the while creating an enriching story. Here again, role-playing becomes key to the success of the endeavor. With good role-playing, the conflict becomes emotional and the characters seem more real. Without it, it's just a cumbersome addition.
But, on that note, the whole world is a cumbersome addition without good role-playing. If all we wanted to do was camp out for a few days and hit each other with sticks, I can think of far more rewarding and competitive systems to use than the one we've got.
When we break out the foam weapons, we play by King's rules up 'round Muskegon way (any hit takes a limb, any chest/head hits kill) and have an absolute blast on a Saturday afternoon. Then we'll hit a round of Disc Golf, jump in the lake to cool off, grab a shake from the Frosty Oasis, and then barbeque while we game. If all we wanted was combat, we've got that handled.
And yet we're all geeked about driving 2 1/2 hours to the next FH event.
Why?
Role-playing. That's why.
I can swing a sword at Ryan (Curufin) or Bob (Kabre) till I'm blue in the face, and it's still just Taki hitting one of his friends with a plastic stick. I know it, they know it, and the mundanes driving by are more than happy to remind us of it. No matter how many rounds you win, no matter how many hits you score, it never leaves the Intramural Softball/Yahtzee level of fulfillment. Nifty, but meaningless.
Now factor in role-playing. I'm new to the LARP scene, but I know from experience that when it's Donovan fighting for his friends against the forces of darkness, Taki feels a whole hell of a lot different then when there's no story being told. The drama, the emotion, the life that can be felt in a game is second only to the real thing, and since I'm not likely to square off against a shape-changing druid at school or try to bring peace to a troubled land at work, I'm all for the role-playing, thank you.
... Wait a sec. Scratch that. Considering all the Poly-Sci I'm dealing with right now, I am trying to bring peace to a troubled land at work.
Anyway, I'm sure you get my point.One should rather die than be betrayed. There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though ... betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope.
Just wanted to say thanks. I too believe the story and the role playing are the most important and it's nice to hear the stories have been working for you because that's where it's at for me.
As for a brief add on--I meant to discuss the role of tension in my least post but got tired. I do see racism and the guild structure as being simply one more source of tension. Without tension there is no drama, no story, no fun. This is just another way of getting that in there.
As for a brief add on--I meant to discuss the role of tension in my least post but got tired. I do see racism and the guild structure as being simply one more source of tension. Without tension there is no drama, no story, no fun. This is just another way of getting that in there.