Firefly LARP thread - soliciting ideas/feedback by TenthCrewMember

I've helped to develop a sci-fi LARP ssytem myself - in fact, when Firefly came out right afterwards, I thought it had some eerie similarities to the system we developed.

Things I liked about the system we made (but may or may not apply to what you're discussing!):

1) We had learning-type rules systems for things like science, engineering, etc. You could actually solve puzzles that taught you a LITTLE bit about those disciplines. Put another way, you really ought to give the mechanics something to keep busy with. Repair/jury-rig-type puzzles are probably good for that.

2) We used 'airlocks' to great effect, really. Seemed to add a lot to have areas designated as airlocks.

3) Paintball masks sure looked good for respirators. Not so sure about proper vacuum suits.

4) Cameras and R/C vehicles added a LOT to the tech feel of the game. A Firefly game would only need one or two gadgets, anyway (tech shouldn't dominate), and it would add a lot to atmosphere.

5) Ours WAS a combat LARP. That is, combat was handled real-time, using Laser Tag-style guns. This really can work quite well, with the right guns, which are not expensive. On the OTHER hand, we had lasers, not gunpowder weapons - might not work so well for Firefly. Perhaps NERF? Capguns work very well for 'modern' combat LARPS, as an alternative. You can throw a beanbag at the same time the capgun goes off, and a combat sure SOUNDS like a Firefly-like fight. On the other hand, perhaps you don't WANT a combat LARP. But man, swinging foam 'chairlegs' and 'bottles' would look GREAT in a bar-room brawl.

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Thursday, May 26, 2005 9:38 AM

For a good LARP I personally think you need both combat and politicing, storylines and so on.

How many people would you want to play? The best LARPing has at least 20 players but would this be too many for 1 ship? It could be done so that the game was based on Persephone. That time a bunch of people could be a crew for a Firefly-class ship and others could be different characters on Persephone. Alternatively, you could have it so the actual Serenity crew are in the game as NPCs and only come in to play occasionally.

I think allowing maybe one or two alliance PCs would work but they would have to keep it secret and so the GM(s) should make sure they know the players before agreeing to them. The same with companions - too many would be silly. As an aside, I totally agree about giving mechanics something to do.

extremely dimensionally transcendental

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Thursday, May 26, 2005 5:29 PM

Could you please just make it stranger? Stranger. Odder. Could be weirder. More bizarre. How about uncanny?

Combat - Yes
Politics - Yes
Storyline - Hell yes.

To me, combat in Firefly was merely an extension of the politics of the 'verse, whether it be personal (Mal & Patience) or Governmental (Alliance & Independents).

My thinking for the LARP would be to allow people to portray characters in the 'verse but not the actual people in the show (NPCs as you said). Thus if I wanted to be a cook from Londinium with a shiny hat that took a job on a transport so I could "see the 'verse", I could be just that. I am thinking the setting should be 10 or less players per group, all on 1 ship. Multiple groups could exist, but it would be up to the storytellers(for lack of a better title) to find reasons for them to come together (such as they both get word of a wrecked freighter on an outlying moon and race in for salvage! That could be fun with seperate rooms representing seperate ships!)

This could also allow for online play if say, a group of 6 people spread across the globe all wanted to be part of the same crew...but let's start small, and think big for later.

Sorry, getting ahead of myself. I want the game to incorporate the combat, the politics, and the story. Characters should have depth. Reasons for being and doing. They can have conflict, hell, I'd encourage conflict. Though I'd warn against excessive PC death. A good storyteller will make common enemies for the PCs to deal with and keep on keepin' on.

Of course, if you have a large enough group (like I could have here in Cincy) you may want to create a "bigger" story. Perhaps they are a crew of Slavers who supply the gov't with labor for terraforming, and of course the Alliance doesn't ask where they came from so long as they arrive out on the border. So you could conceivably have a larger ship with more "roles" to be taken on (like "Recruiter" ha ha ha). It's a LARP so anything (within reason) should be possible.

I am also thinking this will be a great way to bring other gamers into the Firefly fanbase. I mean, who wouldn't want to run around, steal, and shoot people? Sounds like every D&D game or Vampire LARP I've been in, except now we get spaceships!

Those were just some surface thoughts to give you an idea of the location of NO & WHERE, which is where I am presently. :)

BWAH!
TCM

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Thursday, May 26, 2005 9:13 PM

Yeah that sounds good, although I have played the games where you have different rooms and they don't often work (IMHO). What can work is having a large hall and using tables and such like as makeshift walls - that way you can still see the other players.

The other rooms, do of course work for a weekender.

Your ideas for a plot sound good, but the ship sounds a bit tricky, you would need a certain number of NPCs to make it interesting and with only 10 players it would be hard for them to come out of game-time to become a different character for a while. Of course, they could do this if the ship were to land somewhere, your mechanic/companion etc could go looking for parts/clients and come back as a dodgy dealer...

Sounds good, wish I could come and play - the Atlantic is in the way though!

extremely dimensionally transcendental

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Friday, May 27, 2005 8:42 PM

Could you please just make it stranger? Stranger. Odder. Could be weirder. More bizarre. How about uncanny?

Quote:
Originally posted by Emma:
Yeah that sounds good, although I have played the games where you have different rooms and they don't often work (IMHO). What can work is having a large hall and using tables and such like as makeshift walls - that way you can still see the other players.

Well that was an idea for larger groups or groups that want a competetive US v THEM style of game.

Quote:
Of course, they could do this if the ship were to land somewhere,

Well a good ST would certainly get them there. :) A good idea for newcomers and new games might be to have the Captain be an NPC until the players get on their feet.

Quote:
Sounds good, wish I could come and play - the Atlantic is in the way though!

When I get this all done (sometime in the future, hopefully not 500 years from now! LOL!) you should get a group together on your side of the pond. And perhaps, email/chat game will be a good possibility (seeing as they communicate via "waves" in the show all the time).

BWAH!
TCM

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Saturday, May 28, 2005 1:50 AM

sounds cool!

extremely dimensionally transcendental

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Saturday, May 28, 2005 6:25 AM

Personally, I prefer a LARP with the role of 'player' (i.e., 'hero' for lack of a better word) vs. 'cast' deliniated. If you have a group of 20-40 participants, then, you'd have a few 'storyteller' types (the storyteller, technical support roles), a ship crew of perhaps 10 'players', and the rest would be 'cast.' This would fit the model of a small crew in a larger 'Verse pretty well.

That's just a style of LARP I prefer - the other alternative would be a 'Persephone'-like game like you describe (actually, the Space Bazaar would work really well, too), where you'd have a LOT of 'players' in various groups, and very few 'cast' - that's much more like a Vampire- or Mind's Eye Theater-style game. Much more politicking and inter-PC conflict.

Me, I prefer the small group vs. the world - and Firefly supports that, to some extent - but I'm sure there's room in the 'Verse for BOTH types of play. Perhaps you'd want 'Persephone' like games at conventions?

As for difficulty in set design - Firefly is PERFECT for 'planetside' adventures - all you need is a nice drylands-looking park. Shipboard adventures DO require some creative set design, IF you want it to 'look good.' On the other hand, a few tables and a lot of imagination could go a long way :)

I'm in New Jersey - where's the proposed region for play?

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Saturday, May 28, 2005 6:42 AM

Few more thoughts -

1) How bout using an existing ruleset, to keep this simple? Just translate dicerolls to rock-scissors-paper if need be (ala Vampire) and streamline the system. I'll go ask Jamie Chambers if the new Serenity RPG is well-suited to LARP translation - who knows? Maybe they'd give 'us' an advance quickplay copy to use?

2) Is the goal here advertising for Serenity? If so, we (note: I'm saying WE, but I think TCM is the one doing this :) could put this on a fast development timeline and rush out a game this summer. Not impossible to pull off, depending on scope, and it would be right, timing-wise, to draw in new recruits.

3) You know, it really WOULD be easy to set up the stereotypical 'Mal meets the contact' scene - imagine the meetings with Patience or the contacts buying the meds on Ezra (War Stories). SO easy to pull off in a park.

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Saturday, May 28, 2005 10:36 AM

SLAYER730

My husband SteamedBao3 already wrote an entire Firefly LARP, rules and all over a year ago. If you have any questions, you can email him at Ripper5X5@hotmail.com

***Never judge a book by its movie***

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Sunday, May 29, 2005 6:23 AM

There's a topic I resurrected over at the Serenity board on this subject - here's the link:
http://browncoats.serenitymovie.com/serenity/index.html?fuseaction=for
um.viewtopic&p=216652#216652

Slayer730, I definitely should contact your husband - he posted on that link a while back, too. Thanks!

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Sunday, May 29, 2005 3:25 PM

Could you please just make it stranger? Stranger. Odder. Could be weirder. More bizarre. How about uncanny?

Quote:
Originally posted by Forrestwolf:
Personally, I prefer a LARP with the role of 'player' (i.e., 'hero' for lack of a better word) vs. 'cast' deliniated. If you have a group of 20-40 participants, then, you'd have a few 'storyteller' types (the storyteller, technical support roles), a ship crew of perhaps 10 'players', and the rest would be 'cast.' This would fit the model of a small crew in a larger 'Verse pretty well.

Right. Heroes V. the 'Verse is kinda what I was thinking for local settings. For larger things, like Cons (wow, that would be some kind of horrific! LOL!) yeah, a big planetside or Space Bazaar type event would be cool.

Quote:
On the other hand, a few tables and a lot of imagination could go a long way :)

Imagination and tables have always gone a long way in the games I have played. Beyond personal costuming, not much is needed (but always welcomed!) in any LARP universe. Groups will always determine their level of *need* as will each individual.

Quote:
I'm in New Jersey - where's the proposed region for play?

Well I am figuring on setting up rules, and then making them free to the public, of course. I'll probably set the stage for local groups, and if demand gets high enough, we could look into making the game "bigger". Right now I want to focus on the small steps in forming a foundation so local (to whatever area you are in, aywhere in the 'verse) fan & rpg groups can begin playing under a universal set of rules that can be modified to suit future growth.

Bwah!
TCM

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Sunday, May 29, 2005 3:38 PM

Could you please just make it stranger? Stranger. Odder. Could be weirder. More bizarre. How about uncanny?

Quote:
Originally posted by Forrestwolf:
Few more thoughts -

1) How bout using an existing ruleset, to keep this simple? Just translate dicerolls to rock-scissors-paper if need be

Well, RPS is seen by some as too simple. But I am going to weigh all the options I can before choosing a resolution system. LARP is bad enough carrying character sheets and pencils, so I like to keep it simple and RPS does that. Cards are too easy to cheat with, dice are cumbersome and roll off tables (which aren't always around)...so I might even come up with something revolutionary (yeah right! LOL!). We'll see.

Quote:
I'll go ask Jamie Chambers if the new Serenity RPG is well-suited to LARP translation - who knows? Maybe they'd give 'us' an advance quickplay copy to use?

That'd be shiny!

Quote:
2) Is the goal here advertising for Serenity? If so, we (note: I'm saying WE, but I think TCM is the one doing this :) could put this on a fast development timeline and rush out a game this summer. Not impossible to pull off, depending on scope, and it would be right, timing-wise, to draw in new recruits.

Wasn't really going the Ad route, but if it gets done in time, hey, awareness is always a good thing to raise...that and my salary since this is a non-compensatory gig. ;)

Cilantro!
TCM

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Saturday, June 4, 2005 3:07 AM

MICHIZURE

Guys, I think I've found a solution to the live combat firearms problem: airsoft weapons.

See, e.g.: http://www.airsoftatlanta.com/

Essentially, these are BB- or paintball-guns that fire lightweight (<0.5g) 6mm foam pellets instead. Muzzle energy is deliberately kept low, so the only safety equipment required is eye protection. Ranges of 50-100 feet are possible. Weapons come in all sizes from concealable pistols to shotguns and assault rifles; there are even a few sniper rifles and light machineguns. Most weapons are replicas of real or movie firearms, so there are a wide variety of styles, including sawed-off shotguns and revolvers.

Minimum startup cost seems to be about $20-30 for a spring-powered pistol, $20 for a decent set of goggles, and $10 for ammunition. Gas- or electric-powered weapons (which can be semi-automatic or full automatic) cost more, starting around $80 for a pistol and maybe $40 for necessary supplies. The sky is the limit on cost: there appear to be some pretty obsessive airsoft players out there. For our purposes, however, we could (for example) restrict everyone to spring-powered weapons, to keep the playing field more level.

Most airsoft games seem to use a "one hit, one kill" rule, but we can probably use FW's "one hit disables a location" variant for better roleplaying. About the only out-of-context rule we'd need is to say that the first person to draw has to call a freeze, which holds until all participants either put on their goggles or get out of the way. Duels, of course, would start with both players already wearing their eye protection.

To simulate different levels of character (as opposed to player) skill, perhaps we only allow semi-auto or full auto weapons to players who have the requisite skills or advantages. That is, if you work up to the Gunfighter "license," you get the advantage of a higher rate of fire, which will help win a fight regardless of your actual skill.

Thoughts?

--------
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Far Trader: the handbook for interstellar merchants.

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Saturday, June 4, 2005 5:29 AM

I for one wouldn't like that idea. I am all in favour of combat in a game, nothing like bruises after a sword-fight, but this would take combat to a new level. Players can avoid combat in LARP but with people firing off 'real' ammo things could go astray. The concept of having to have eye protection is just a bit weird as well.

Plus, it would be cost prohibitive to many (me included).

extremely dimensionally transcendental

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Saturday, October 29, 2005 7:31 AM

DAES

Quote:
Originally posted by Emma:
I for one wouldn't like that idea. I am all in favour of combat in a game, nothing like bruises after a sword-fight, but this would take combat to a new level. Players can avoid combat in LARP but with people firing off 'real' ammo things could go astray. The concept of having to have eye protection is just a bit weird as well.

Plus, it would be cost prohibitive to many (me included).

extremely dimensionally transcendental

go here

http://www.n-e-x-u-s.org/

a successful LARP using airsoft and foam latex weapons...

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Thursday, November 10, 2005 6:52 AM

AJAKZ

Im glad someone suggested nexus. The system is brilliant. The plot is nearly firefly. More like the story of being a survivor on the earth that was. In their plot the rich packed there bags and left the system, leaving the players behind, it's fight to survive.

I was thinking that differant play sights across the globe could be "ports" and a few times a year there is a "shindig" or random gathering of crews and ships. But for the most part I would like to see small groups starting out 5 - 12 people and that is a "crew" what ever games you play most of the time can be the adventures of your ship.

We could colaborate what is happening independantly into one universe, by "ships logs"

Lets say twice a month you and six friends can get together and play. Well this is an independant adventure by an independant crew.

So I imagine outside games (paintball feild, pivate property ect) being big jobs with both opposition and competition. (other players, NPCs)
and inside games (small games in a house, big garage, barn, hotel during a con. etc) This would be an "on ship adventure"

Your on your "ship" (house), get a "wave" (e-mail, message, whatever) go on a mission in your "shuttle" (car) to a distant "port of call" (game site) and have an adventure. Get the loot and get out.

I've been tring to start something with nexus in the states but being a yank I don't feel welcome, So let all show those boiled fish eaters what a sci-fi larp is about!

The only person you have to be better than, is yourself from yesterday.

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Saturday, January 21, 2006 7:06 PM

KINDMS

I agree that Airsoft is an excellent way to introduce 3 dimensional realism to RPG. I've also tried some 'airsoft skirmishes' at field nearby hear in Modesto. It can sting but there is nothing like adrenaline to keep your mind focussed. I just bought a spring airsoft gun rifle from these guys: http://www.airsoftgunroom.com

Best
MK

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Friday, March 31, 2006 5:01 AM

Howdy, Browncoats! I'm almost finished writing(like about 90% of the core rules, and halfway through on an event scenario)a set of rough-and-tumble Firefly-inspired Airsoft LARP rules titled 'BIG SKY.' These rules are much more for the Jaynes, Mals, and Zoes out there than the Kaylis and Inaras - don't get me wrong, there is room for both styles of play, it's just that combat (and medicine) involves real contact.

I've written and hosted dozens of LARPs and scenario paintball events over the years. My current crew, the Gryphonians, are particularly well-known for our armored vehicles, especially the BA-64 and the PUG. Our tankettes and armored cars are regular features at scenario paintball and airsoft events in the Upper Midwest.

Anyway, TCM, if you'd contact me off-list I'd be happy to forward you a copy of the BIG SKY rules draft in MSWord format so's you could convert it into a PDF file and post it in your games section iff'n ya wanted to, so I can get some feed back from you good folk.

If there is enough interest, I could probably be persuaded to arrange a BIG SKY LARP in central Wisconsin or northern Illinois.

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Monday, May 22, 2006 10:19 PM

Swedish LARP games are a bit different from most others in the world. First off were not so heavy on rules. Secondly we usually build up the place that the LARP is set, Ie if we ever had a LARP inside a ship we would try to build a ship. Usually we build small towns out in the forest and have pretty big areas in wich we LARP. Average LARP´s have somewhere between 100-200 people on them, and there usually set in a Fantasy setting, but we have alot of Vampire LARPs aswell but these have fewer players (20-50). Gamemasters and support personel usually have normal roles on the LARPs here. Having a Firefly LARP here would be expensive, most likely there would be a colony settlement built up and the story would focus around it. A LARP of that type would probebly cost 75-100$ per person.

You can’t stop the Signal.
Keep spreading the word about Firefly!

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Wednesday, May 24, 2006 8:20 AM

My SciFi Western LARP rules system is called "BIG SKY." A manuscript draft version of the first half of the system, the Player's Handbook, can be downloaded from:

www.savefile.com/files/9805348

I'd really like some feedback on this. The combat system is a bit more rough-and-tumble than most American LARPs, but well within the mainstream for Airsoft or SCA-type events.

I know a number of Airsoft/paintball field owners in Illinois and Wisconsin that could be talked into hosting a Firefly-based weekend Airsoft LARP if there is enough interest. My shop builds props for these guys on a regular basis.

If anybody likes the first half of the rules, I will finish and post the Event Planner's Guide.

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Wednesday, May 24, 2006 11:37 AM

400 fps maximum would be fine with me personally. The actual fps limit used at a particular event is almost always set by the field owner, anyway. I just used the limit the local airsoft field uses, mostly because we have a lot of kids playing with low-end springers - the better-equipped players at the Chicago-Rockford area fields are allowed to shoot hotter. I can shop around for a 400 fps field. Read the rest of the rules when you have a chance and let me know what else seems iffy.

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Thursday, May 25, 2006 4:48 AM

No problem, criticize away, I need honest feedback. I wrote these rules with the intention of stimulating a little controversy. I was trying for a minimalist Scandinavian-style rules structure, with as strong emphasis on actual roleplay and as little paper-pushing as possible. I wanted to put the roleplaying experience before the respect for disposable property, and to try to inject just a tiny dollop of actual risk/consequences to one's game actions.

So many American LARPs are stultifyingly boring because NOTHING REAL EVER HAPPENS. It's all talk and flashing of cards, with the occasional hurling of a beanbag. From the outside, they look really dumb, because the organizers are overly concerned that Biffy and Billy will be upset if someone musses up their costume armor.

The whole reason I love Firefly as a LARP platform is that the props needed would be cheap and entirely expendable. There is no way I would bring my $300 Tokyo Marui to a BIG SKY game, but I wouldn't be crying in my beer afterwards if my $40 springer pumpgun got stepped on and my $5 Goodwill pants were torn so the doc could patch up my leg. I might be a little pissed and go hunting for the character who shot me and smashed my gun, looking for payback, but that's the whole point. My character would have a real reason for hunting down or avoiding that other guy. Roleplaying is much more interesting when something is at stake. Mal is a huge bundle of just such motivations, and it is his creative decisionmaking that makes him fun to watch.

I understand what you're saying about the desire for a mapped-out skill aquisition path (I'm guilty of writing quite a few of these myself) but I REALLY wanted to stay away from that oh-so-typical American/British LARPer tendency to drain all the blood out of a game through administrative control-freakiness. The problem with skills trees is that they have to be administered, because they are a stylized substitute for actual skills. To do well in a BIG SKY combat situation, a player needs to be able to shoot straight, move well and think clearly under pressure - as opposed to having a handful of properly countersigned lammies that explain he's a 67th level King of Londinum with a Class III Whompum Blaster and a Magic Shiny Hat.

The event organizers issue licenses to Pilots and Doctors, and they handpick certain key characters. Beyond that, if you wanna pick a lock (or whatever,) you better really know how to do it.

I'll get back to you on the whole spaceship section in my next post. I was trying for a very specific kind of experience, one that could probably be better done with networked computers. The overall idea was to create meaningful roles for folk who want to avoid even the possibility of combat as much as possible - the Washes and Kaylees.

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Thursday, May 25, 2006 6:34 AM