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How to Create a Vampire LARP

White Wolf was the first game system to translate its tabletop role-playing game into a live-action game. Live-action role playing, or LARP, substitutes "rock, paper, scissors" for rolling dice, and players simply say the words they want their characters to utter to instead of telling someone what those words are. Players act like improv performers, acting out their characters' actions in a play without a script and guided by the storyteller. The best and most prolific LARPs are based on White Wolf's best known game, Vampire: The Masquerade.

Things You'll Need

Laws of the Night
Character sheets
Props

Instructions

- 1
  Find some players. Improv-theater troupes and players of the tabletop version of Vampire:The Masquerade are likely candidates. Many tabletop gamers view LARPers as a little strange, so you may have to work at convincing old-school gamers to participate in a game that doesn't have dice.
- 2
  Create an interesting storyline with a very basic plot. Many LARP games are largely based on character interaction, and the storyteller is not required to do much promoting. However, having a backup plan for the characters to follow--especially one that forces players to interact with one another--is absolutely necessary. Good options for the first game can include having the characters choose a "prince" (the vampire who will lead the city) or having them solve a mystery. This is also an occasion for the storyteller to explain why all these vampires are in one place.
- 3
  Help the players create characters. LARP characters are more streamlined than tabletop characters, with fewer stats and skills. Either have characters premade for your players to choose from, or expect to spend about 1 hour explaining the character-creation process and helping players craft their characters.
- 4
  Learn the hand signs. As this is live action, you will occassionally need a sign to indicate that your character is doing something that you personally cannot do, like obfuscate. (Obfuscate is the vampiric ability to hide invisibly in the shadows.) There are also signs to indicate when you are speaking in a different language so not everyone can understand you, and when you are astrally projecting. Perhaps most importantly, there is a sign to indicate when you are out of character. This can be necessary when you have a question for the storyteller or when you need to go to the bathroom.
- 5
  Be consistent. Treat players fairly and get them excited about the game. Unlike most other games, a good LARP requires active participation from the players. The more active they are, the better the story is told and the more that story is their own.

Role Playing Games