The Living Fantasy Realm LARP Rules!

When one walks into a LARP world, there should NOT be a HUGE rulebook to learn. When a person enters the Living Fantasy Realm they get one 4 page pamphlet that covers everything they need to know and one is playing within minutes!

Those of NOBLE BLOOD get an additional pamphlet.

From there one can go around the LARP site and find the various guilds to join such as Fighters and Scouts (they can become Knights and Rangers), Wizards and Priest. There are three pamphlets explaining all of these occupations as well. 

THE RUMORS OF THIEVERY and ASSASSINs (ALSO know as Knaves and Taffers!) Guilds are completely untrue! There is a pamphlet for those rumored occupations (or lack there of) as well!

The default race is human but there is yet another 4 page pamphlet explaining the rules of other races as well as foul monsters. 

With the legal documents there are a total of 8 pamphlets that help someone enter a fantasy world without spending days reading over rulebooks. 

Less Rules=More Fun.

PLEASE REVIEW THESE RULES!

Long ago in ages past there was Shade's LARPLIST, one of the oldest IF not the oldest LARP website on the internet. Since 1990! I Eldrad Wolfsbane was a moderator BUT let's go back to the past!

I had dreamed of LARPing in my area back in the 80s but to no avail as the people around me wouldn't help me form such an organization.  

Then is the late 90s I discovered a rather large LARP group in my area! I had finally found it! Somewhere around there I found SHADE'S LARPLIST.

They were using a simple set of rules  and were playing at a public park.  I instantly stepped in to help with the rules and show them that with a group of their size they could actually buy some land and form a LARP park. I wrote some fantastic rules! They actually converted to them for awhile but the politics continued on.

Sadly the politics of the group and the general unwelcoming leadership drove my clan away. Total power hungry and insecure members of the group's leadership felt threatened that they might not get to run all aspects of the player's lives within the LARP.

I had various failures of “friends” that I will never forgive. I had formed a scenario of an Empire attacking and had gathered a group of 10 or so players to help me attack the group (all for fun). I made them weapons and tabbards and set up the meeting for the surprise attack.

None of them showed on the day of the attack... 

The leader of the Imperial Forces was also another member but the “leadership” was so organized that they did not even know he was there even though I mentioned him by name. He also denied being the leader of the imperial forces out of fear of retaliation. This made me loose so much face that I never recovered.

In my foolish quest to try and find an army to attack the group in a conquest scenario and spread MY SET OF RULES, I accidentally sealed my own doom when I contacted a larger LARP organization in the next city over. I lost the group on October of 99. I found out when I was prepping some land for my first large event.

I won't say who they are but they are actually a LACS not a LARP! This group went all out in trying to recruit our group. I had my set of rules BUT not the might of a huge flashy organization. Even thought their rules were terrible and did not allow for the formation of a LARP Park, the Leadership of the LARP went for that organization and left me in the dust defeated and destroyed.

I warned them on what they would loose by being a part of another set of very badly written rules but the people were swayed by their leadership. They lost a few of their primary members but gained more.

There was also the factor (some say running gag!) that one of the main power players of the group kept getting his persona assassinated  and the new LARP Group's rules had "lives" like a video game and no permanent character death. 

In my sojourn of desolation and sadness I turned to Shade's LARPLIST and continued to form my rules. This is the result of my exposure to the Nordic Theory of LARPing which is simplicity and ease of use.

This battle had also caused great tension on the home front and these people had been unfriendly to my clan members and the rest of my clan were done with most of the group to say the least.

A few times I had the promise of someone adopting my rules but as always the group flaked out or turned to other more complicated rules and broke from their own weight or lack of organization.

These rules as stated before follow the SIMPLE Nordic tradition of LARPing aslo called FEST Style of LARPING! A person can walk onto site and become proficient with the rules in a matter of minutes not hours. 

There are not hundreds of pages of rules in the LFR! The rules are to be printed in fold over booklets, using only one page per section printed out.  

If one has renfest, campsite, or large piece of land, that would be ideal for an LFR Group!

These rules would also be ideal for "Transformitive Festivals" as well and would allow a deeper level of escapism. 

There is no guarantee of success BUT IF you decide to adopt my team's rules and have 5 or more acres of land, then for a small percentage you will have my team's years of planning and expertise to go along with these rules. With our guidance you will be able to create a LARP Park that will break even and possibly make a profit. 

You can also just get together with friend and play in the woods as well.

We have cheap building techniques and plans to form villages and towns. Ways of getting cheap building and repurposed materials.

The rest is up to you.

I hope you enjoy these LARP rules of the Living Fantasy Realm as I have bled and suffered for them for them many years ago.  

SHADESlarplaist Alumni

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/320557741720973/

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO GET THE LIVING FANTASY REALM LARP RULES!

The Living Fantasy Realm LARP Rules

Can't Seem to Make Gaming Happen.

Been down lately. Real down. My main stress release is gaming but that does not seem to ever happen. I also seem to be the only Game master for Fantasy Gaming. Tried to collect a few other Fantasy Game Masters but they have failed to produce (even though many have claimed to be really good game masters.) or don't want to do it. I have tried for years to start an expeditionary campaign of old using Back to the Dungeon RPG which shares the workload between game masters but it never seems to happen.

You know when you are really on target with an adventure or module you write. You know when one is kinda half ass and sucks. Especially if you have been gaming since 81 yet my well written games lack fire. I am getting burnt out as a game master as well.

I can't really explain it other than many of my players are non adventurous adventurers.  I am not a killer GM but they are careful to the point of making the game boring at times.

They take NO chances save a few of the characters. One adventure (one claiming to be one of the best GMs in the world in his younger days) even suggested that the party go back to town because the dungeon was dangerous.  

The party tends to not go the way of the adventure such as exploring a mountain in the distance that has nothing to do with the adventure or is a separate part of the adventure. Even throwing in blocker monsters does not stop the wandering. 

People also don't always show up thus screwing up the continuum.

My terrible schedule also lacks any consideration for life. Around the middle of this year I worked almost 2 months straight then another month. I am about to work almost 4 months straight once again. I am afraid that may gaming group will die. 

Back to the Dungeon V 2.0 Preview

A bit of BRAINSTORMING on what was sucking about BttDRPG as I tried to make an NPC.


It takes to long with all the damn features.





Time to burn it down!


Much of BttDRPG has been a failure.


Why? Well I went away from the roots of the original RPG and made a clunky game for the players.


While playtesting I noticed than most if not ALL of the features of the races and classes were ignored.


By the players and myself.


SO why even have them in the rules? Why not strip them down to their most basic presentation?


SO here I present to you the new STRIPPED down version of the Races in Book I.





2.0 RACES






There are many races some fantastic and some terrible that dwell upon these worlds other than humans. A few of the nonhuman races available for use as player characters are detailed in these rules. The details included in the racial descriptions below is kept to a minimum so that the players and the Game Master can come up with their own versions of the races. Most other details of the character are entirely the decision of the player.






Dwarf


Dwarves are a subterranean race that lives in homes carved deep into the mountains. They are slightly shorter than mankind but wider and stocky. They are know for their long beards (even a few of the Dwarf women), fine drinks, mining, music, art, and warfare against foul humanoids of the underworld.





Halfling


A race of small folk, half the size of mankind, with large hairy feet, that live on comfortable burrow homes. Halflings are know for their love of music, feasting, drinking, and smoking. Haflings tend to dress very well and be quite civilized.






Human


This is exactly like you are and they are considered the base race to create other races from.









Wood Elf





Deep within the ancient primordial forest live the rare wood elves. Elves are the same size as mankind but usually thinner and delicate framed and have pointed ears. They are skilled in warfare, art, magic, and music.






So there you go. Got rid of all of the modifiers, clunky rules, and the BS and just made it a few sentences of description. So what do you think?






So here now are the four basic classes...














3.0 CLASSES






The class descriptions are formatted in the following manner detailed below. There are many more possible classes and players and game masters alike should make up new character classes. These are the four most common classes: Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, and Wizard






Name: The name of the class being described.


Description: A short description of the character class in question.


Hit Points: The Base Hit Points granted by class plus your Constitution modifier. Each additional level it's only the #D roll plus your Con modifier.






CLERIC


A holy warrior and priest who can use all armor and weapons approved by their god. They also cast divine spells.


Hit Points: 8 + 1d8 per level.






FIGHTER


A person skilled in the arts of combat who can use all armors and all weapons.


Hit Points: 10 + 1d10 per level.






ROGUE


Anyone who practices stealth and thievery as well as sneak attacks. Prefers to use lighter Dexterity weapons.


Hit Points: 6 + 1d6 per level.





WIZARD


Anyone who has learned the ways of Magic and how to harness it's power. Armor is not normally worn by Wizards because it interferes with the casting of magic. Wizards prefer to use a dagger, staff, and sword as these can be tools in rituals but can poorly use any weapon.


Hit Points: 6 + 1d6 per level.










Do you really need anymore description? Of course this is the rough draft but compare these descriptions to my 1.7 versions.


Much more simple and much more to the heart and root of what you need in an RPG.






Roll attributes


Just pick a race and class


Roll gold


Buy stuff


Start playing in less than 5 minutes!






Much of the Game Master's sections will stay the same.






WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Expeditionary Campaigns: Final Thoughts...

A set of rules conducive to quick play and ease to create. Stick with one set of rules. Steal ideas from other rules! 

What I am talking about is simple.  Many of the modern sets of rules, even though great in their own way, would crush an Expeditionary Campaigns such as the one we are suggesting. The reason so many groups became so large is the rules themselves were so simple that they could facilitate such huge growth. Notice that there are huge societies today with huge numbers but due to the rules, mostly the publishing company releases the adventures. Is this the main factor that the huge multiple game master and huge player groups don't happen anymore? 

My rules Back to the Dungeon RPG were written with the Expeditionary Campaign in mind. Check them out if you have not. 





Plans for economics and politics.

Have the groups form economic and political intrigues between each other. Another group could be sabotaging the wheat and dairy production, not for war but for economic takeover of the industry and to gain power over another nation without a drop of spilled blood.  Does the kingdom upstream have the right to dam up the river to flood his crops each year? Why are hunters from the next kingdom hunting in our nation's forest? If characters of are royal blood make one character in another group heir to the king IF the current character of noble blood in the other group dies.  






Plans for warfare!

When the talking fails and the victims of economic schemes become tired of victimization, war occurs. Make the wars good and deadly. Make them suck. Make things precious destroyed. Many times wars in the past took place in a battlefield and there were rules of engagement. This may or not be the case. 

Back to the Dugeon RPG All in One Rulebook, Refomatted, Still is Rough Form

Well I have done a little bit of editing on BttDRPG. Reformatted it into a larger print and put it on a one document form. 

The BttDRPG has turned out far better than I thought. 

We have been play testing it on and off and the spellcasters don't seem to be overpowered with my spellpoint version. I may have to weaken the spells a bit. 

The class "ROLL a 20 and cool stuff happens" satisfied the modern gamers and the old school gamers as well.  In fact that has been the most well received aspect of BttDRPG.

It seems that many of the issues that the old schoolers had with the older versions of the game have been satisfied. 

Class/Race Restrictions

Level Limits

Worthless Low Level Spell Casters 

All poisons being instant Death

Non Unified Mechanic

Rather Complicated Attribute Bonuses in the Advanced Version

Old Schoolisms I won't be getting rid of and New Schoolims I won't be adding...

 Easy to die if you are foolhardy

You WON'T HAVE to know the rules to play

You won't have to learn large amounts of rules to Game Master

The Six Attributes 

The Basic Bonuses

Ability to totally customize your world

Ability to personalize your Character

No Skill List only a background story

No Feats ever

Game Master Fiat

I may have another person Game Mastering my game in a few weeks AND I may also gain an editor as well.

It is a slow process but I don't have a schedule.

What I hope to achieve is a (local) large group(s), sharing the same setting, multiple GMs, large pool of players, and possibly an old school type zine news letter. Kinda like what happened with the Ryth Chronicles.

Streamlining Back to the Dungeon RPG

Streamlining Back to the Dungeon RPG

"Behold! I have brought you here from beyond! SO when I look at your game Eldrad it just looks alien. It does not say Back to the Dungeon to me because of the different races and classes! Now die!"

"So what should I do? I know I am going to put "other races and classes" in a appendix at the end of the document!"

"Your game evokes the dawn of Role Playing games in it's simplicity. The original had an innocence so it could get away with being a disorganized mess. You have no such excuse and will not be allowed quarter! Your game can be a bridge between styles but as always there will be those who will never give your game a try. So go DIE!"

"Ah ha! That is already the plan! But I have no schedule!"

"Keep on keeping on or DIE!"

"Thank you oh great one!"

Some more rantings about CFRPG

The CFRPG is going really well. Editing is happening in spurts in DnD Charlie's life. Far more than I could do being CUT OFF from a full computer and the internet and having severe ADD.

I was having some deep gaming thoughts while trying to cope with work the other day. Agree or disagree with this philosophizing.

Old School = Less Rules but with More Restrictions
New School = More Rules but with Less Restrictions

We all know the More and Less part of the Rules.

What many players DON'T like are the Old School restrictions. Like what? For example in many Retroclones Elves can't be rangers or druids? Why? They live in the freaking woods. It would seem natural that they would be able to be rangers and druids but these restrictions are held onto and in my opinion need to be written out of the next generation of Simulacrums.

Damn these sacred cows!

For many new players the cat is out of the bag on races being able to play the class they want. Every time I pull out an Old School game and start explaining the restrictions of what class each race can play the "this sucks!" face comes out and they just don't play.

This is with new and old players alike. Level limits do the same thing. They chase away players and can't really be explained without forcing the story.

Now I understand that a DM could force his story to explain the rules but that restricts in a small way some of the stories freedom and the player's fun. Now it may not restrict it at first but when your demi-human goes down every time due to lack of hit points and progresses so slow that the player gets bored and gives up because he is not having fun anymore what then?

I want as many race and character options as I can get to be able to play what I want but without the game ever getting rules heavy and I really think the CFRPG has done this very well.

Most of all it's easy to run and easy to play. Fast flowing and large combats are very manageable by Player and GM alike.

The CFRPG will be know as a Neo-Clone as it it's going to be somewhat a Retroclone but with many of the modern options. Most of all it will be easy to run and easy to play! Easy to make a character in about five minutes.

I know the purpose of the retro-clones were to be able to recapture the Old School Style of gaming but so many of the ridiculous restrictions restrict the fun while so much of the New School Style's huge multiple volume rules you have to stop and look up or can't play without computer cut and paste assistance restrict the fun as well.

Now I don't stand here upon a hill poking bears with sticks challenging the powers that be I just have my opinion formed from my observations of what is going on with gaming here lately.

Oh did I also mention that there are plans to have a published version of CFRPG but like many of the clones out there I plan to give it away for free as well. Not only that the books will be in a format to print them out yourselves and put a cardboard cover on it making it look very close to the size and style of the LBBs.

There may even be a small business opportunity in printing them out yourself as well.

BLAH

Due to lack of time interest and drive I am putting CFRPG on the backburner and just working with LL/AEC for now and my setting. When I get a good few weeks off with money in the bank I may sit back and finish...or...start and stop on it again.

Writing a game is hard...

If any of you in the Yahoo Group want to work on the skeleton that I have feel free to do so. For the love of god someone please correct my grammar and layout.

My non-Perfect RPG

Well I finished my races, classes, spells, equipment, monsters, and NOT treasure.

Monsters ah Monsters, they are just mostly 3 stats. AC HD and Move with a brief description of damage and the monster.

After spells, Treasure Tables really suck. Have not made any yet. Oh how I dread.

I mean my spells are still only BARELY described hoping that GM Fiat and judgement will make the final decision.

The best part of the game is GM Fiat. The GM not the rules are the ultimate judge in this game. The other part is the GM not the players need to learn the rules. The players will just play their characters and have fun.

I also made the game to be played FAST! I decided on using the BASIC style of initiative.

It works.

It works with HUGE combats.

The game should be easy to run most of all and allow the GM to tell a story with fast action and deep story. EASY to run!

Hope to playtest this 4th of July with my Pathfinder Group as I am running out of patience with PFRPG.

I hope to start a spark and let it burn. This is not going to be another Simulacrum but a hybrid of old and new.

I hope that I can get comments good or bad to let me make this into a great RPG. I know that there will be many disagreement from those who have their own ideas but I have been gaming for 30 years and I know what makes a great game despite the intent of other designers.

No one purposely designs a game bad they just don't think of the practicality of their rules all the way through.

The Old School stuff I left out was Level Limits, Racial Limits, Weapon vs Armor Restrictions, and other stuff...

New School I left out Skills, Feats, Whole Page Monster Stat Blocks, Stupid Huge Hit Point Amounts, Level Adjustments and many other things.

Well been drinking and got to get ready for bed and work.

TARGA Controversy and the OSR.

TARGA Controversy and the OSR.

As an almost libertarian (in belief but not in the party) and almost anarchist I never want the freedom of speech and expression of another held back as long as I know what their content of information is.

The poster of the "I Hit With My Axe" did nothing maliciously. He posted what he felt was TARGA worth news. The short film was from the Blog "DnD with porn stars".

http://dndwithpornstars.blogspot.com/

They seem like sweet cool girls and from the short snippets seem to really be gaming.

http://traditionalgaming.wordpress.com/

A few people were surprised by the content and dropped out of TARGA.

My suggestion (and there will be no more discussion with this) is invite back the people that quit and promise to post a warning on any possible adult content BUT for the most part try and keep TARGA growing and out of controversy.

I live in South West Louisiana and did suffer through the D&D Inquisition of the 80s. We don't need that to happen again but at the same time we don't need to dumb down and edit OUR games for the approval of others who HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH GAMING lest we have another 2nd edition AD&D!

TARGA is a great thing and this needs to first be made whole then this situation moved on from.

Raven's Keep

RAVEN"S KEEP

She is a city that is build upon the ruins of another. No Dwarf woulds do such a thing but the wellspring in the center of the city that flows water as if from the elemental plane of water itself feeds all things in the area an makes them green. The ruins below will give you grief for we warned ye of the goblins and kobolds but we were called stubby little busybodies. Well we will make money off of our steel and will desert your foolish asses when it is unsafe. A city of 8000 or more people. I say more than 8000 cause there are many coming from the east escaping the war with the Zezusalonians. Most for work on farms and in the city. A small few are adventurers wanting the gold that lies in these ruined lands. I hope they stir up not the foul things that lay quiet forgetting how evil and powerful they be. Humans have a tendency to stir up ancient and foul beast who end up being a huge problems that we dwarves have to take care of. Stupid humans always wanting to fight for expansion when you can't make what you got at home perfect.