Extremely confused

[captaincraystel]

I have roleplayed before online in groups (like yahoo groups). But on this website there are character sheets to "hand out" to the players? I know I must sound completely stupid...but...that obviously means that the roleplaying is in real-life, right? I've been trying to figure startrek roleplaying out for months...because I've roleplayed on a forum (startrek) but it is NOTHING like the roleplaying info here. Could someone...perhaps...explain it to me in english? The more I read, the more confused I become. Thankyou...

[Cochrane]

This form of roleplaying takes the form of books you can buy at comic stores and other stores, like Dungeons and Dragons. A group of people sit around and tell eachother what their character does. A narrator (referee, gamemaster, referee) runs everything except the characters played by the other people. You made me think about Live Action roleplaying. This does not exist for star trek, unless it did for FASA or Prime Directive, but it might be a good idea for Decipher.

[Cochrane]

Actually, I've heard Star Trek LARP has been done at conventions, but I'm curious if Decipher might produce a book for it sometime.

[captaincraystel]

I understand now (more or less) although...I'm not sure if I'd like that. Obviously you find it fun? I lost you though when you got to "live action". I'm not very familiar with these terms. By "life action" do you mean...like re-enactments? Where everyone has a character and everything is just about as real as live? Kind of like the sca?

PS: Why are books needed for the roleplaying? Sorry if I'm sounding completely dumb...

[Cochrane]

What I've seen of LARP, people run around , tell eachother what they're doing, and make hand motions. But this was years ago when the players and I were about 12. It didn't seem to require anything being written down.

I myself haven't done much actual playing of roleplaying games, but I enjoy the reference books written for the games. I also enjoy creating aliens, planets, and such using the game systems.

Another thing about roleplaying games is you role dice to determine whether you succed at your actions.

The books contain rules to make the game flow better and fairly.

[captaincraystel]

I see. Well, I think for now I will stick to roleplaying in my own unique way on my own...unique new forum. lol. Much easier (well, in my opinion, others find it more difficult). I also roleplayed a harry potter type thing (it was based on wizardry...and related to harry potter but took place at a different wizardry school) that was on a forum. Alot less complicated.

[redwood973]

I am totaly lost as to how one would do an RPG my e-mail. No one to interact with? No dice? Ok how do you know if anything worked or failed with out dice?

[Dan Gurden]

Well, a freeform game is always based far more on imagination and writing ability. With no rules or skill tests to fall back on, it becomes the duty of the Soryteller and Player to describe their actions...

It is usually assumed that Starfleet will eventually overcome, just as it does on the shows. But the important feature is the route they will take, relying solely on the imagination of the players.

On the whole they tend to read like soap operas with the tiniest minutae of life detailed, a factor that (unfortunatly) has remained with my own USS Venture since its freeform days... This is usually because combat with no rules is often a little more difficult, while simaltaneously being easier... Odd.

Unfortunatly, there is nothing stopping characters from going... Odd. I have personaly witness a brand new character suddenly develop powers of invisibility and Section 31 contacts mid-post with no prior warning given to the narrator...

Also failure is often never forthcoming, leading to characters far more flawless than those on the shows. While some players are happy to leave the action response to the Narrator, others always assume success and write reams of pages as the new ensign single handedly saves the day before anyone else can opst a response... (OK, a slight exaderation here... )

However, when a good group gels, and the descriptiive posts are flowing, what follows reads like a good book, with no possible way of skipping to the end to read the last page first!

[Lt Cmdr Matt]

I like Free form "Simm" games aswell. As a played you have to have self control and not want to do everything right, you need to be able to screw up and things like that. A few months ago my character was trying to rescue someone, I was under orders, and a mine went off. He ended up losing an arm and I thought it was bad, I roleplayed what he thought. In the end he is more fun to RP because of his disability.

[pathstrider]

Okay... LARP. I'm involved in about 4 or 5 different systems. Most are fantasy-mediveal but a few are futristic (No star trek yet though...)

The worst ones, and I'm think White Wolf here, use complete non contact and ridiculous resolution systems (sicsors-paper-stone for example) as well as limited phys reping (i.e. someone wears a tag stating what they're wearing - naff)

The best are use limited contact (Foam and latex weapons) and simple resolution systems (Though a lot of refs are needed for gunfights), as well as what-you-see-is-what you get.

Overall, it's great fun. Nothing compares to running around in chainmail - or being terrified on a night adventure when a glowing monster (We have a very good props guy) comes round the corner and you know you're going to die....

Or runing in through a gunfight and actually feeling the terror. I'd say LARPing at it's best removes the 'step away' you usually have from the experience, and by dint of that, your character.

later days!

Mark

[Cptn. Taggart]

Never played LARP. Not that I never would, but I don't usually like how the conflict resolution systems sound. I am a good ole fashioned Book, pencil and dice RPGer. Been doing that since i was in the fourth grade when I was ten. Doesn't really matter now. All games are becoming Roll Playing Games instead of Role Playing Games.

[pathstrider]

Never played LARP. Not that I never would, but I don't usually like how the conflict resolution systems sound

Admitedly, in the ones I play in, you have to good at LARP fighting OOC to be good IC. However, I'm mediocore at best and I don't have too many problems.

later days!

Mark