The Celestine Tradesman

Returning to my plans of writing short introductions for our races and guilds, I present the Celestines and the Tradesman's Guild

You come from the Celestine Kingdom, a land rooted in legend, magic, and chivalry. Your earliest legends tell of the Dragon Age, when the land was ravaged by great flying horrors with a appetite for treasure and destruction, when heroic knights would test their bravery on the hills to return as Dragon Slayers, or not at all. To this day cities a built away from hilltops, and formal oaths and challenges are made at high places. Many a legend also speaks of the Alfar, magical folk who could bring good fortune or deadly danger in equal measure. Tales of their rewards for virtuous heros and punishment to greedy and wickedness are popular. But the greatest epic of all is the story of Queen Celeste who, outnumbered by Harkor invaders, led her army with guile and cleverness that won the kingdom our freedom.

Today a woman still maintains her court of love for the benefit of her people and is well loved by knight and peasant alike. She is the first queen to reign under Guild Law from the start, and has proved an adept ruler in a quickly changing world. She maintains relations with our close neighbors, the enigmatic Alfar. Rumors have it that the Alfar diplomat is even her lover! 
Dwarves have also visited the Celestine court, and their crafts are wonders in their own right. The sight of Dwarves is becoming more common, although the often keep to themselves. 
Dineh-ih are often met traveling through Celestine cities for trade. They are also known for begging or petty theft, and may be invited to travel on if they are seen as problems.
Harkorian merchants are common, but their patriotic rhetoric makes them less welcome.
Lizard men, Sturthis or Hithus, rarely travel so far, so when they are seen they attract much attention. Most people can't tell the difference, or even know they are two different peoples.

the Tradesman's Guild

You are a tradesman, following the craft of your father or mother. You've been trained since you were very young knowing that one day the family business would pass to you. Your pride in your work will hopefully bring you a reputation for quality in time, but for now you pay your dues. If you're able to attract some noble's attention, perhaps you can finally be recognized for your art!

The Tradesman's Guild is possibly the weakest of the guilds, a collection of artists and artisans that would have no influence at all alone, but together demand a voice amongst the guilds. Though not as in demand as blacksmiths or entertainers, the leather goods, quality tailoring, woodworking and other skilled trades are needed commodities for soldiers to nobles. 

• Goldsmiths services are for the benefit of nobles. You're better off buying a locked chest. But when goldsmiths are doing a noble's shopping, they must be well treated!

• Blacksmiths are glorified tradesmen who's work get more credit than they deserve.

• Merchants are good for buying up your inventory, but they don't pay what you're worth.

• The Church of Saints are at least there to defend your right to your trade without unlawful competition. Its good to make regular donations to them.

• The Military College often calls for leather armor, banners, or siege machines. Otherwise best to stay clear of them.

• The College of Magesters are a strange lot, powerful and dangerous. What they purchase could be any strange thing. Again, better stay away.

• The Noble Court demands only the best craftswork. If they commission you, and like your work, you could find yourself a wealthy benefactor for good

Thanks for reading. Please tell me what you think. Would you be interested in playing this character? Does this give you enough background to jump into a game with some base idea of your place? What else would you want to know?

A Market without Money? How do you even do that?

Mab in the Fairy Market by Julia Jeffrey

I've written regularly about writing our game, Mystic Crossroads, and running playtests with varying
 success. I have not, however, shared much of the actual game as I write and develop it. Since I really need to focus more on writing for the game and new books, I'm going to start sharing bits here. I hope you find it interesting.
Last game I recognized a real problem with the Alfar, the elvish race that by their nature do not use any type of human currency. Without currency players really didn't know how to trade, or didn't have things others wanted. I didn't think this would be as big a problem as it was, and it caused the economy to halt just where plot needed it to flow. I can't say more while these plot lines are still active, but it was frustrating. I saw I needed to get something into place to direct players better. I just passed this to my players in hopes that new actions will follow.

"Although the Alfar do not find value in the coin of other kingdoms, that does not imply that they don't have commerce. The Alfar have thriving marketplaces and bazaars where the strangest and most unusual things are traded. The manner of these exchanges are seldom understood by man, in part because they don't understand the magical nature of Alfar boons. None the less, humans can find themselves trapped in an Alfar debt that can cost them dearly.
You must understand that Alfar business is conducted both through bartering, trading one good or service for another, and through a system of "gifts", favors, or boons. Direct bartering is much preferred for its lack of entanglements; a simple business exchange. What Alfar find value in can be mysterious, and sometimes grizzly, but the trade can be clear enough.
Often direct trade is not of convenience, or an agreeable exchange can not be found. Often an Alfar will instead offer a gift. "Take this as a gift, freely given," is a common phrase, imitating human manners, but filled with subtext. This is not a gift, however. It is an exchange for a favor, a boon, owed to the giver that they may call upon as they require. This completes the human imitation of manners, a Alfar parody, but one taken with all seriousness.
When a boon is accepted, the giver should make a note of the gifted item on an index card as reminder, and have the receiver sign it showing their acceptance. The giver will keep the card as a reminder, and if lost, it is forgot. This is not a component card, and can not be stolen or exchanged like commodities.
Such a boon is nothing to be taken lightly. Part of the Alfar's magical world, a piece they apparently carry with them, enforces such boons like a court of law never could. You see, so long as one owes a boon to another, they may not take direct action to do them harm. An attempt to attack the debtor will cause the attacker to be shoved to the ground without touching the target, or if setting snares, or applying poison, the attacker will blunder his own work, unable to control himself. He may still defend himself, but at what a terrible disadvantage!
Further, when the boon is called in, it cannot be refused. So long as the request does not put the person in mortal peril it must be fulfilled. When a boon is repaid the index card documenting the boon is torn in half and given to the boon-bound.

Narborough Hall Fairy Fair

Such things are well known the the Alfar, and taken as common knowledge. In the Alfar court "gifts" are given and received regularly. It would be impolite not to accept such a gift, and earn the giver's anger, so it must be accepted. Therefore nobles attending court make certain to have gifts to exchange, so as to keep their debts at a minimum. However, when outside of Alfar court, refusing a gift is somewhat less a social faux-pas, and is only likely to displease the giver.
Boons can not be owed both by one person over another, and the other over the first. Such debts cancel each other, regardless of what they are. Multiple boons may be owed by one person to another, however. Often saving one's life will enact such a debt, or repay one. Boons can be made between any person and an Alfar, but only with Alfar. The magic only seems to enforce boons with Alfar, like an extension of themselves and their world."

Full scale event planned for ZPG Games

Full scale event planned for ZPG Games

Since the goblins have been a bit antsy as of late we put them to work on our first full weekend event. The event will be the first weekend in November to give folks time to prepare and to give the goblins time to work on the props and planning for it. For anyone who plays Mystic Crossroads this is a great time to hang out with other players and have a full weekend immersive event. For those who have not played, or have not done LARP before this is a great introduction and no experience is needed.

We will be camping at Palmetto State Park just south of Gonzales, Texas. Your fee $40 fee includes entrance to the park and the event, lunch and dinner on Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday. It also includes a copy of the Mystic Crossroads Field Guide that you can reference during the game and keep

Here is a link to the page with ticket info and registration forms:

http://www.zpggames.com/New_Moon_Festival.html

Also, here is the link to our email address if you have any questions:

ZPGGames@gmail.com

Intoduction to the Alfar and the Noble Court

Continuing my new player write ups, I present the Alfar and the Noble Court.

You are of the Alfar. The first people to set foot on this world of Lluris, the Alfar are the most beautiful and varied in their form. Pooka and Boguns, Elves and Ogres, all are part of the Alfar courts. Alfar are the wisest of people, recognizing the true value of virtue and experience, promises and honor, over possessions that humans hold so dear. The imagined worth of coin and currency is lost on Alfar, who discard such pointless unattractive baubles.
As Alfar, you have learned to use their innate powers to dictate the seeming of things, a power called Glamour. Alfar use Glamour to change useless items into the tools they need, and to dictate the perceptions of others as naturally as humans take to digging in dirt. Strangely, the holding of iron, or metals containing iron, will rob you of your Glamour.
Your stories tell of when the Dwarves were first birthed of the mountains, only to look to the sky with fear and disgust and return to their stony womb. But just as the mountain hides its treasures, the rough and stoic Dwarves have great hidden talents in craftwork and design that prove their worth.
The Sturthus, the reptile men who rose from the desert, are vicious and heartless. They arrived after Dwarves, with a hunger for power over others, each other, and the elements themselves through Alchemy. The have long hunted Alfar to drag to their slave markets as servants or as subjects of their magical experiments.
Humans are the newest of races, and most interesting. Some are noble and kind, other craven, the powerful are weak, and the destitute strongest. Their greatest virtues have been taken up by some Alfar, where others hate humans for their greatest faults. They are an entertaining puzzle.

You were born of privilege, from a family of noble title, with a duty to maintain a province, or fiefdom, and the well being of the serfs who work the land for you. The taxes you collect from your fiefdom allow you a guard for defense of your land and self, a comfortable life among families of title, and to invigorate the economy of this, your city of residence. The city folk are not your subjects, but they owe you their respect for your position, patronage and protection of this town. The other guilds are here for your benefit as you require them.

1. The Blacksmith’s guild builds the tools of the workers and soldiers. If you require them at all, it is for a piece of extraordinary quality for your display.
2. Goldsmiths are generally safer for keeping your accounts against theft. They are also needed as jewelers to maintain your display of status.
3. Bards handle the kitchen work, and proper entertainment of guests. You may also employ them to write ballads and poetry about your exploits, or your loves.
4. Tradesmen make your garments, maps of your property, sundry other things. Ho hum.
5. Merchants are the ones to find those quality items you can’t get in this simple town. You usually have to pay in advance so its good to have an established relationship.
6. The Military College trains your sheriff, or master of the guard. Soldiers can be found anywhere, but good leadership must be trained.
7. The Church of Saints is your best resource because they keep the other guilds in their places. It's like a town guard that you don't have to support.
8. The College of Magesters are the pampered sons of nobles or merchants that just didn't fit in the family. Some still put on airs like a noble, but they only need a reminder of where they stand.

Introducing the world of Lluris

I spend a lot of time here talking about larp or my experience trying to manage one, problems I have or that I see. That's sort of the point of the blog. But I don't have deep philosophical observations all the time, and when I do its likely as not dreadfully boring. So, hey! Thanks for reading! But sometimes its been a distraction for me, when I need to put energy into writing the the game or the next book. So check this out. I'm going to post my rough drafts here for whatever I'm doing. Let me know what you think. Tell me what needs work or if it's terrible. I could use the feedback!
Last June I wrote an entry about new players titled Engaging Your Noobs, mostly ranting, but ended with a plan to write up short two page spreads for new players on each race and guild; a quick read to get people into the game as fast as possible. So lets get to it! I'm gonna start posting these here, and maybe later on zpggames.com to promote the game. I just need motivation to keep moving forward. So here's how I'm introducing the world:

Only a hundred years has passed since the world of Lluris was bathed in blood and fire, greed and ambition. The Great War took its heavy toll from every land; fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, again and again until only orphans and the frail remained.
Only a miracle, a message from the Saints, forced the end of war and acceptance of the new law, Guild Law. Kings and warlords alike were forced to disarm and bend the knee to the holy Saints and the peace that Guild Law promised. Even today the Great War and its horrors are retold by grandparents who remember, so their suffering will not be forgotten.
Today a prosperous world of Guilds and skilled trades has grown across Lluris to replace the suffering and ruin that the War left. Everyone can learn their trade and everyone knows their place in the world. But feudal border skirmishes still ignite and there is still a place to win your fortune at the tip of a sword. Marauders must meet justice and overreaching lords my be put down. There is still a place for heros.

There are eight official guilds covering all skilled professions common to the cities and towns across Lluris. Each guild holds a monopoly over their skillset that they protect with secrecy and legal protection. The young are accepted into a guild when they begin to show aptitude, often the same guild as their parents. There are still many people not members of guilds such as farmers, sailors, hunters and trappers or sellswords, but their prospects are usually limited without guild support.
The Blacksmith’s guild is focused on the smithing of steel and its alloys, be it swords, locks, shield bands, or armor.
Goldsmiths are both jewelers and workers of precious metals, as well as bankers and currency managers.
Bards encompass all aspects of the entertainment field including cooks, barkeeping, dancers, and poets.
Tradesmen include all crafters or builders that don’t fit into the previous more specific fields.
Merchants are buyers and sellers of goods who travel from city to city buying low and selling high.
The Military College trains those who would be professional soldiers, officers who lead armies.
The Church of Saints provide spiritual guidance while maintaining the observation of Guild Law.
The College of Magesters study the mysteries of Alchemy
The Noble Court maintain laws, social services and economic health of towns cities.

Villains

I had another topic I planned to write about this month, but the game got me excited about something else entirely. Instead I want to talk about villains. 

from ConQuest larp

In regard to RPGs, I make assumptions about villains being recurring and powerful antagonists, but NPCs under full control of a GM. In a table top game, if a player takes on a character that actively doesn't get along with the other characters, undermines the GM's direction, maybe even kills other PCs, that player is a danger to the game and is usually ejected from the group or the whole game falls apart. I've play in some games where "evil" aligned characters are just not allowed. RPGs are social games and adding someone who is antisocial breaks the game.

Again I find larp is a decidedly different beast than tabletop RPG. To think otherwise is a mistake that handicaps a game. Players fall into the habit of inaction, waiting for the GM, or plot, to introduce game hooks from the outside. They follow that line of plot, or they don't and sit bored and are inclined to break character because there's nothing to do or talk about. Even knowing this myself, my group has fallen into the trap. My players get along pretty well, socializing easily in character or out, and would be great table top players. They don't have… no… they avoid conflict with each other. To that extent, our current noble has turned the group into a fascist state and no one has raised a finger against her. It's pretty spooky, really, that everyone is afraid to stand up against her, to break with civility and risk a fight rather than cause the game in many ways to come to a halt.

from Avalon LARP

A more ideal situation would include players who are more keen to start trouble, to see how they can get a leg up on other characters, to be unabashed adversaries, or manipulate weaknesses, to test game boundaries. In short Villains. Already I retract with a sense of danger for my poor game. How far would villains try to go? Would they scare off the few players I have? Would they throw tantrums when their nefarious plans don't work just as they hoped? Mine constantly don't work out as a GM so why should they? How will they feel when they are ultimately defeated after a long drawn out dramatic story? Ultimately villains don't get to win, right? That's the way the stories all go.
Maybe the fault is mine in making the game too safe for the risk averse. Maybe I'm risk averse, but I'm willing to discuss it. I've tried to extend the potential for special powers and wicked advantages to characters that seemed to want them, but they just didn't pursue them like I'd hoped. Should I have made it easier? I want to see how close to the edge I can get without the game breaking. Well… a little closer, anyway.

From Knights-of-Badassdom

And then there came our last game. It was a smaller attendance, but we did welcome a few new players who've had some experience in vampire larp before. In VLarp games, characters are intentionally pitted against each other. Breaking the other characters, and their plots and plans, all the things that would destroy a table top RPG are the fodder of VLarp. Now we may have three players with that sort of experience entering the game, testing our limits, vying for power. Just a few hours showed me they could stir things up, and breathe some new wickedness into the game. Already in my excitement I jumped the gun thinking one wanted to go full out evil, but we're working it out. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the next game sets off.

Lessons in Planning a Larp Game

I guess this last year I've made another ungenius realization. In short, planning plot and storyline for events is work. If I were reading this I'd think "duh" just like you are, but when you actually start doing it you see its more tricky than one might think. When my creative partner and I started doing this I'd never Game Mastered a table top campaign before. It always seemed overwhelmingly difficult to know everything before the players did, and anticipate and manipulate their actions. When things started rolling with our playtest group I learned quickly there were a lot of the same skills, but with many more limitations.

First, your adventuring party was a lot more than four or five people, and when everyone needs something from you it slows things down. Having two of us helped, but when one doesn't know what the other is doing that can cause more problems. I think one of the unexpected advantages of Mystic Crossroads has been that most interactions don't require GM intervention. The rules covered most player vs. player circumstances so calls for a ref are fewer than other games I've seen.

Second, since you need someone play every Non-Player Character you have to limit your NPCs to the bare minimum. You can pull player away from their own Characters to a degree, but that's not usually what they came to play, and you want everyone to have a good time and get what they came for. That generally means no invading armies of ogres or complex plots to work through, or does it? What we've tried to do is select from the PCs that are already in roles we'd use an NPC for and feed them information that is important for what we hope to transpire in the game. In the best circumstances you get the best of both worlds; all players can be PCs while those supporting NPC spots are filled.

Third, players will never NEVER do what you plan them to do. This is the case in table top, of course, but in larp you're herding a dozen or more cats instead of five. You can only give so many hints about plot hooks. Sometimes the fish just won't bite. We've planned out action packed linear hack and slash adventures with NPC monsters, puzzels and treasure to have players totally ignore it and go in a completely different direction. They hung around town and bartered and bantered with each other and none of our plans were ever seen. I left those games feeling like I'd totally failed, but all the players said they had a great time doing whatever the hell they were doing.

What I learned is not to overcommit to a storyline or single crawl. I can't own the story I think is going to happen, because it will never happen the way I expect. I can't leave NPCs in the woods waiting for PCs who won't show. Instead I have to start the ball rolling and just see what people do. NPCs have to be characters just like everyone, only I get to write their motives and objectives instead of a player. That's when they become "real", making their own decisions and interactions unscripted. There's a point where players write the story for me and I just have to pay attention to what happens and build from there. I have to be ready to change direction and keep a good plot going.

from Shards of Orn larp

This is all really hard to plan out alone. It's a big reason we pulled back from weekly games to monthly, and I was so burnt out by then I still didn't get it together. As this year has started up, I've started doing what I noticed another game group has done for years. On a week between their games their leaders, or plot development team meets just to discuss what happened in last game and where to take it in the next game. Everyone builds on each other's ideas and by game time they're all on the same page more or less. I'm sure other groups probably do this. It makes complete sense when you need many people directing plot, but I'd never seen it. We just had our first meet this month and I'm already more confident about the year than I was any time last year. I'm really excited and I hope things work well.