I always role-play my wargaming, probably because it wasn't a game to the person who first taught me. One of his early lessons was the fact that your troops aren't just bits of plastic but represent living human beings, and you didn't want to have to write condolence letters to their parents. Something he had to do too much during Vietnam.
Which is why I can't stand a lot of modern computer games that are set up on an "acceptable casualty" basis. It's also why I'm generally better at strategic games than most of my friends, because I'm not willing to take risks and I maintain an active reserve to exploit opportunities.
And it made an easier transition when I later had to command units in the field. My first reactions are always going to be conservative and defensive. I'd much rather get you to attack me than the other way around. As long as I'm prepared for your attack.
I like playing open secrets. It's a technique where you, and everyone else are public about your deep dark secrets. It allows the other players to tease you about the secret. In fact, done properly, the secret generally never gets invoked unless you are caught point-blank. It works well, because people now know something about you and can play to that. Whereas if your secret is actually a secret then no one can play with it and a whole crutch of your character goes unrevealed. Of course people who aren't used to this might try to use this to their advantage, in which case, unless they have actual evidence, you greet it with great disbelief and ridicule. [A good example of this is the "He's a girl" scene in Shakespeare In love.] Of course, cleverly forcing a reveal is probably fun for both parties, but it should mark a critical part of the campaign play, not just be used as an opportune advantage of the moment. And of course, there is always the opportunity for bad play to be taken as an example of the character's moral inrectitude. ["Thank you for telling me. Yes. I do know. I've known for a long time," he says drawing the curtains. "And I'm glad you've come to me and no one else. You see, I've secretly loved her for a long time and this allows us to see each other. And now, you loathsome little worm, I shall have to reward you and protect her."]
As I say, it's best to be on stage with your characters and larger than life. Especially with LARPS. The players are your audience as well as your fellow players. Play to them.
As for our favourite albino lupine, the actual situation is a lot more complicated than that, although there is an element of truth, especially for the Masquerade/Redemption phase. On the other hand, I got sick and tired of Champions coming out with a new edition every few years with no actual changes apart from presentation. One of the reasons I look forward to a Harn-like system of integrating electronic rules into one document, so you can buy rule updates and supplements integrate into the base rule system. Sort of like D&D4 with it's DDI web interface, which not only negates the needs for the books but has actually relegated them to being obsolete.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-07-04 01:27 pm (UTC)I always role-play my wargaming, probably because it wasn't a game to the person who first taught me. One of his early lessons was the fact that your troops aren't just bits of plastic but represent living human beings, and you didn't want to have to write condolence letters to their parents. Something he had to do too much during Vietnam.
Which is why I can't stand a lot of modern computer games that are set up on an "acceptable casualty" basis. It's also why I'm generally better at strategic games than most of my friends, because I'm not willing to take risks and I maintain an active reserve to exploit opportunities.
And it made an easier transition when I later had to command units in the field. My first reactions are always going to be conservative and defensive. I'd much rather get you to attack me than the other way around. As long as I'm prepared for your attack.
I like playing open secrets. It's a technique where you, and everyone else are public about your deep dark secrets. It allows the other players to tease you about the secret. In fact, done properly, the secret generally never gets invoked unless you are caught point-blank. It works well, because people now know something about you and can play to that. Whereas if your secret is actually a secret then no one can play with it and a whole crutch of your character goes unrevealed. Of course people who aren't used to this might try to use this to their advantage, in which case, unless they have actual evidence, you greet it with great disbelief and ridicule. [A good example of this is the "He's a girl" scene in Shakespeare In love.] Of course, cleverly forcing a reveal is probably fun for both parties, but it should mark a critical part of the campaign play, not just be used as an opportune advantage of the moment. And of course, there is always the opportunity for bad play to be taken as an example of the character's moral inrectitude. ["Thank you for telling me. Yes. I do know. I've known for a long time," he says drawing the curtains. "And I'm glad you've come to me and no one else. You see, I've secretly loved her for a long time and this allows us to see each other. And now, you loathsome little worm, I shall have to reward you and protect her."]
As I say, it's best to be on stage with your characters and larger than life. Especially with LARPS. The players are your audience as well as your fellow players. Play to them.
As for our favourite albino lupine, the actual situation is a lot more complicated than that, although there is an element of truth, especially for the Masquerade/Redemption phase. On the other hand, I got sick and tired of Champions coming out with a new edition every few years with no actual changes apart from presentation. One of the reasons I look forward to a Harn-like system of integrating electronic rules into one document, so you can buy rule updates and supplements integrate into the base rule system. Sort of like D&D4 with it's DDI web interface, which not only negates the needs for the books but has actually relegated them to being obsolete.