Editorial Could Hardcore Be More Hardcore?

[Dorf]

Wow, I must have missed some really long thread about LARPing in the past. Unless you are actually physically acting out something while you are playing the game it is not LARPing in my opinion. If you are just imagining it in your head that is still just Role Playing.

In paper and pens games I may decide my new character likes to get his drink on and party alot. Because I have decided this and have my character act that way during game session I am not LARPing. Therefore if a person in Oblivion always strips his character down to his shorts before he sleeps at an INN, that is not LARPing. That is role playing.

I have a character in one of my friend's campaign that will never go to a public dinner without being fully armed and armored. It was because twice in his past he, and the group, were ambushed by baddies during these dinners. Once captured and stripped of all posessions. Therefore, being the paranoid sort, but mostly because my character has a very large ego and hates the humiliation of being caught with his shorts down, refuses to unarm or unarmor during dinner events. It makes for comedic moments and adds to the gaming experience.

Just because you don't have real humans to react to your behavior in a single player game doesn't make it LARPing. Now... if you act out your characters actions or needs while you play the game... well that is LARPing.

LIGHTNING BOLT!

 

[Xor]

That's our definition of LARPing here. It's probably not the best word to describe it, but whatever.

Basically, going out of your way to "role play" in single player games by doing things that the game doesn't react to like taking your armor off in Oblivion before sleeping. It's stupid.

In tabletop or real LARPing, people are there to react to your actions. The gameworld cannot react to anything beyond what it was programmed to.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

[Of course if he IS using mods to increase this, then why the need for a stopwatch? He's larping. Pretending.

No HUD = no "you gotta eat / drink" warnings popping up on the corner of the screen. Since he can't feel the character getting hungry or thirsty, he uses the stopwatch to regulate his needs (of course, the stopwatch is just anal-retentive-ing it, since I imagine just remembering to drink / eat every now and then would be enough). disregard that, I suck cocks. I don't know how frequent his needs are on the mod he's using. Maybe he does need a stopwatch (so he won't go through his supplies in a minute, out of fear).

 

[Andyman Messiah]

In paper and pens games I may decide my new character likes to get his drink on and party alot. Because I have decided this and have my character act that way during game session I am not LARPing. Therefore if a person in Oblivion always strips his character down to his shorts before he sleeps at an INN, that is not LARPing. That is role playing.

No, it is not. That's mental. In pen and paper games, there are other people present to react to your drinking and partying and stripping. If there's nobody but yourself to react to your actions then it's all in your imagination and thus not role-playing. It is a cause with no other effect than insane self-gratification and in its essence it is the very same as downloading one of the house mods from the Nexus site and pretend to live in it. (Which sadly a lot of people do.)

edit: By the way, I've found that the concept of LARPing varies a lot. Most seem to follow manuscripts (i.e. acting) and some seem content with running around in the woods and point their wooden swords at each other. I'm sure there's improvised LARPing as well. Either way it's all stupid because there's very little role-playing, cause and effect, choice and consequence, that goes on in these events. Hahaha, I kill you, is not role-playing. That's Diablo.


Clockwork: Objection! The article clearly states that he disabled the HUD after he had experimented with the increased food/drink requirements!

 

[Xor]

Most "LARPing" events I've been to have been excuses for people to hit each other with foam weapons. There's no roleplaying going on, but that isn't the point of the events.

Some LARPs actually do have role playing and those are fine too, as long as there are other people for you to role play with.

The shit that goes on in oblivion is like playing with fucking dolls. It's something most people grow out of before they turn 10. FFS.

 

[Dorf]

Isn't there one part in Oblivion where if you murder someone (the first time) a Dark Brotherhood member shows up to invite you to join them? (I never played that story line in Oblivion) If you strip your character before sleeping in that single instance it could have an effect in the game. Otherwise I agree its rather silly but I can't personally call it LARPing unless you strip to your underwear in front of the computer also. In which case all hot gamer chicks should do this and stream their web cameras, but since they don't exist this is moot.

 

[OminousBlueDot]

Clockwork Knight, ctrl + F "mod" on 'Match word only'.

He's implemented these restrictions on pen-and-paper/in his mind, seperate from the game (aside from disabling the HUD).

Really, wouldn't you love a character that uses statistics for calorie consumption, BMI, and percentages of bodyfat to muscle ratios to determine the performance and requirements for adequate nourisment within the actual mechanics of Fallout New Vegas? (As I'm guessing he did -- if he didn't then he fails at nerderizing.)

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Well, still isn't much different from soloing a game by killing your party and refusing to raise them - the restriction is only in your mind. He said his intention was to just to make the hardcore mode harder - it's a challenge. Refusing to raise your dead party is also just a challenge, unless you make up a reason for avoiding it (my characters don't believe in life after death).

Also, it didnt even last long enough to lol about it.

After about an hour of play, I could care less about paying attention to my food and water schedule. It was a repetitive bore and did nothing to heighten the frantic scrounging I had anticipated. Instead, beyond foolhardy attempts to exaggerate scavenging, I found one decision in particular had become a maddening thing to adhere to. I hadn’t even considered its impact and, in fact, it was nothing but a last-minute suggestion from my roommate.

 

[Andyman Messiah]

Isn't there one part in Oblivion where if you murder someone (the first time) a Dark Brotherhood member shows up to invite you to join them? (I never played that story line in Oblivion) If you strip your character before sleeping in that single instance it could have an effect in the game.

That would work but then we're talking about easter eggs, something most developers doesn't seem particularly into if they're not in plain view. At best you'll get, as an example, graffiti concerning past protagonists (GTA4). Stuff that's easy to find but won't affect anything. In Oblivion they put all their jokes in one basket, some cat guy who runs around. Nobody would take their time to record a line or two "by the heavens, put on some pants!" or "by the heavens, those are some great legs!"

Otherwise I agree its rather silly but I can't personally call it LARPing unless you strip to your underwear in front of the computer also.

I can almost guarantee that most of the guys and gals that download house mods are already playing games in their underwear.

In which case all hot gamer chicks should do this and stream their web cameras, but since they don't exist this is moot.

We have plenty of hot gamer chicks on the Codex. You really should ask around.

 

[Konjad]

In which case all hot gamer chicks should do this and stream their web cameras, but since they don't exist this is moot.

We have plenty of hot gamer chicks on the Codex. You really should ask around.