Let's talk about Staging.

[Levi]

So, you're going to a LARP. You walk in the door, around the corner, and see the way the site is set up.

What kinds of things do you want to see? What makes it work for you?

[Matt-M-McElroy]

That mostly depends on the type of game...

A few props can go a long way toward setting the mood for a particular genre or setting (good costuming helps too).

In my old Vampire game we did not have much room to play (one medium size banquet hall with several tables) so we made each table its own scene. We would add several props to each one.

Old books, a candle or two and this creepy little clear skull for the Tremere.
A couple of tools, a leather jacket hung over the back of a chair and some flyers for a local punk band for the Anarch table.
The Ventrue had some finance magazines and some manilla evelopes with various files regarding ongoing projects.

We also had a large open area and some "blank" tables for other scenes/meetings that needed to happen throughout the game session.

Other games have made use of drapes(sheets) to section off portions of the game area and create the feeling of seperate rooms/scenes.

Regards,

Matt

[Ambrogino]

I find for fantasy games, masking obviously modern things goes a long way. Obviously, you need to keep things like fire extinguishers readily available, but a few tattered throws to chuck over leaflet racks , the tops of tables and cabinets makes a world of difference.

Lighting. Not always possible, but going to a few tablelamps as opposed to a bright overhead flourescent is good.

And whilst it's not what I expect to see walking in the door, willingness to put in the effort for even a small thing not everyone will see makes a world of difference; In a post apocalyptic game last weekend I went into a fallout bunker with 2 other PC's. No other PC was going to see it, as you needed rad suits to go in, and yet the bunker (actually a tunnel complex made from wood set into a hollow in the hill so it appears underground) had been entirely lined in bacofoil, with push-on battery lights every couple of meters or so down the walls. Sounds silly, took hours to do probably, looked amazing when we were down there in the dark.

[elementera]

I look for things that draw me into the theme of the event and for the objects that make it more difficult for me to get into the theme to have been removed.

I am more and more starting to like the "black box" concept more and more as I am exposed to it. It's a great way to enhance mood and theme by covering up objects that are out of place or un-important while enhancing the importance of theme appropriate stuff.

However, I am still a fan of the events I've been to where everything fits the theme and mood of the event. The type of immersion into the world is completely different then the black box concept.

[Merten]

So, you're going to a LARP. You walk in the door, around the corner, and see the way the site is set up.

What kinds of things do you want to see? What makes it work for you?

It depends on what I've been prepared for, but usually I want to see the site to be as exact replica as to what it is supposed to be. Obviously, it never is, but getting as close as it's physically and resource-wise possible is a worthy goal. This is what I'm used to and if the site for some reason should be, say, abstract representation of a place (like, say, a room full of flour (http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/columns/nogood05mar04.html), I'll need to re-arrange something in my brains to adapt. It's entirely possible, but I'm used to physical representations of imagined things.

[Levi]

Okay, in the other thread where I went on at length, I talked about this:

STAGING THAT REINFORCES, DOESN’T DISTRACT, AND SHOWS OFF
The goals for staging should match those for costume. Where possible, staging should have areas that allow players to perform all the basic functions of pageantry – a main space with an eye-catching place for making an entrance. It should also allow for people to spread out and cluster in smaller groups as needed. It should show off the setting where possible – with props or furniture pieces, and the like. Where that isn’t possible, it should avoid distractions – control of lighting, placing sheets over out of place elements, and the like are all useful ways to get at these things.

Now, from what I'm getting here:

Matt-M-McElroy, you're basically running along with something very much like that, and it seems to be working for you. Is that right? Or are there notable differences?

elementera; you've said that the two "types of immersion" are different. Could you expand on how they're different?

Merten, you seem pretty strongly into the actual-representation side of things. Does that extend to abstract representations? If foam or prop swords weren't available for an event, say, would you prefer that people simply mime them, or would you prefer if they were represented universally by, say, wooden sticks of the right length painted black (or some other very simple abstract)?

Ambrogino, to me, what you've related sounds like you've seen games that went a long ways in both direction (reinforcing the setting and not-distracting); and you've noted that games that make an effort to have some place that goes really far into reinforcing the setting can provide some really awesome moments. Or is there more to it than that?

[Merten]

Merten, you seem pretty strongly into the actual-representation side of things. Does that extend to abstract representations? If foam or prop swords weren't available for an event, say, would you prefer that people simply mime them, or would you prefer if they were represented universally by, say, wooden sticks of the right length painted black (or some other very simple abstract)?

I am; in fact, I'd prefer replica or steel swords over foam stuff. Painted wooden sticks would be fine, as long as they even remotely look like swords.

Staging and propping are two of the foremost things why I'm not really intrested in fantasy live-action roleplaying; it's so painfull to set up, both as a player and especially as organiser.

[Ambrogino]

Ambrogino, to me, what you've related sounds like you've seen games that went a long ways in both direction (reinforcing the setting and not-distracting); and you've noted that games that make an effort to have some place that goes really far into reinforcing the setting can provide some really awesome moments. Or is there more to it than that?

That's pretty much it on the head, yeah. Not-distracting as a minimum, but many of my best stories are when someone went above-and beyond on the reinforcement and everything else fell into place from then on.

Edit: English

[elementera]

elementera; you've said that the two "types of immersion" are different. Could you expand on how they're different?

I can sure try.

The Black Box type of immersion leaves the general backdrop of the theme and mood to the imagination of the player while focusing in on the most important or available details while at the same time removing any out of place or theme/mood ruining objects. It is in many cases easier/less expensive to accomplish for the average LARP group.

The Full Dress type of immersion enhances the theme and mood of an event by filling in the general backdrop and foreground pieces of the event. Items that are out of place or are theme/mood ruining are generally removed or occasionally masked. This is a much more difficult/expensive type of immersion and it usually requires a great number of props, costumes, and a theme/mood appropriate location.

Take for example a scene where the players find themselves in a ruined temple surrounded by a forest.

Black Box: The event team could use stacks of chairs with black sheets wrapped around them and lengths of ivy draped on them to represent the columns of the temple with a table draped with a black sheet and "ritual items" strewn across the top. The Organizer could then describe the scene within the temple while stressing the ruined columns and the blasted altar.

Full Dress: The event team creates stryofoam columns and an altar which they set up in a clearing in a nearby campground for the event. They decorate the columns so that they appear ruined and old. On the alter they place the "ritual items" and add whatever personal touches they want.

[angelsorayama]

Oddly, I too am gravitating toward a black box setting. It provides a cost effective way to give a non-distracting setting that can be enhanced by a few simple props rather than having to fund an elaborate set up.

Not to say that elaborate set ups don't have their appeal. Could be that I am thinking partially with my pocketbook. ;)

It also gives a setting that can be altered at will, swiftly and easily. And spotlights, for dramatic moments that may want to be accentuated.

Angel