First-timer games at Intercon?

[usernamenumber]

Anyone have recs for games at Intercon J that would be good for a first-time larper? Pref no heavy-duty 18+ stuff, either.

Comments

[hanasaseru.livejournal.com]

Well, a friend of mine played Chateau Ennui as one of his first larps and had a great time, but he was also a theater person, and it's a fairly character driven larp. Something to keep in mind is the sort of things the person in question is interested in - if it's a subject matter they really like or that really appeals, some of the "newbie" problems get lessened, I think.

[mllelaurel.livejournal.com]

I haven't played in Collision Imminent myself, but the blurb and what people have told me of it makes it sounds like a good one. Beyond that, I have no idea. Does this person have particular genre/style preferences?

[tpau]

story wars may be good but long.

i woudl avoid sunday games and horde games as they are not representative.

divus ex

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Seconding everything here - Divus Ex was the first game I thought of when I saw the question. It's well-run, medium-sized and medium-length, and takes advantage of known myths and character archetypes that can help make the transition into character easier for someone new to the immersion of live-action RP.

Plus, it's just a fun and well-written game. :)

[nyren.livejournal.com]

Yay, Brad's finally getting into LARPing ^_^ I think you'll like it, from what I know of you, though I'd be careful. Some of the New England LARPers are totally insane.

That said, I happen to think that Collision Imminent, a horde LARP, is a descent newbie-friendly game. Horde games may not be representative of the genre, but first time LARPers often don't know what they enjoy in a character, and getting at least one game where they can try a variety always felt like a Good Thing.

Story Wars is a mashup game. It's a GOOD mashup game, but it's still a mashup game. I wouldn't recommend it for a first time gamer, mostly because my character sheet was 50 pages long. No exaggeration. That may be a bit intimidating. It *was* hilarious and well written though. If you (or, whomever you're posting this for, if it happens for some weird reason to not be you) are a *huge* sci-fi fan, it may still be a good choice because the characters are all recognizable and known personalities.

I strongly disrecommend any of the meta games (GM Space, the Mary Celeste metagame, Pulp Adventures), obviously, and 10 Bad can be bad as well for the same reason (though some games in the previous runs were less meta than others).

Don't know many of these games... The Other Other All Batman Game is really light fun, and may work well. Though I *loved* Last Seder, how newbie friendly a heavy game like that is depends on the newbie.

Uhh, that's all I got ^^;

[darkoni]

It wasn't 50 pages long. It was more like 20.

[mllelaurel.livejournal.com]

The fact that my ears *perked up* at the possibility of extra-long character sheets likely means I'm not a well person. :) But they did. And considering I'll be signing up for Story Wars next Wednesday, that's a good thing.

[nyren.livejournal.com]

Oh, err, oops. I totally misremembered that as a *lot* more. Maybe it was the way I was printing it out? Sorry!

[darkoni]

It would probably depend on how first-time you mean? Is it their first time roleplaying as well, or just larps?

[elenuial.livejournal.com]

I recommend Intercon.Jz whenever it goes up. You get to play four LARPs in four hours, each different in style and execution. It's like a LARPing on speed, and you'll likely get a broad range of possibilities, so you'll be able to see a wide spectrum of what LARP can be like without having to suffer through a 4 hour game you ended up hating when you got there. Plus, all the writers/designers are awesome (and I'm not just saying that because I'm one of them ~_^).

[yunafonfabre.livejournal.com]

I don't know about Intercon, but if someone's REALLY new you can always send them to one of our workshops. ^.^

[pezzonovante.livejournal.com]

What's their roleplay/gameplay experience & preference generally?

[ultimatepsi.livejournal.com]

As most people have said a good first game depends on their experience. If they are coming from theater a role-play heavy game is a better choice, whereas if they are coming from table top gaming, something mechanics heavy with strong goals is going to be a smoother transition. I'm of the opinion that horde games are a good starting point because they let you try characters out. Collision Imminent is an excellent game, and it got me back into LARPing after a mediocre first experience due to poor casting.

[elusiveat.livejournal.com]

Might seem like an odd suggestion, but I think Last Seder might not be an awful idea.

[redfishie.livejournal.com]

i'm actually helping another first time larper pick games - but they are older than 18 - so your post is most timely :)

[usernamenumber.livejournal.com]

My person is over 18 as well, I just figure that a first-game with heavy adult themes could give a person the wrong idea.

[redfishie.livejournal.com]

yeah I hear you on that.