Hamming it up: Yes or no?

[Levi]

At LARP events, most of us would most prefer to see good drama, interesting situations, and cool character development. But, hey, it doesn't always work out that way.

If a player can't turn out the good drama, would you rather see them being quiet and trying to find interesting things to do that aren't really dramatic...

...Or would you rather see them "ham it up", overact, push for big scenes and overblown emotion?

And why is that your preference?

[magustrate]

If a player can't make good drama I would prefer them to be quiet and pursue something else. I would like them to find good drama, or quiet drama.

In the game I used to play in when people couldn't find drama they immediately tried to pick a fight with anyone or anything, bogging down the entire night of gaming. The time continum is majorly screwed up when half the PCs are in a 5 minute in game combat (which is three hours of real time) and the other half is trying to pursue good drama and politics. Very annoying when you drive six hours to game.

This could be just my former group though.

[Craig Oxbrow]

And for the first time in the history of this subforum, I have to say "it depends". :D It depends, in this case, on the kind of game the organisers are aiming for... and the kind of game I'm in the mood for.

But for myself as a player, I find acting up to be more fun than quiet Method realism.

[Requiem_17_23]

Ham it up.

Well, preferably go Method but get into situations where your overwrought emotions are natural. In our game last night, I had a PC actually scream and curl up in a ball at a perfectly ordinary request, because it was the one thing that she couldn't handle. It was completely unfeigned.

But yes. I'd rather over-the-top drama than no drama. At worst like a soap opera, but with better acting and setting.

[angelicmadrigal]

I personally am all about characters vs. personal struggles rather than external ones. Though I've been in the situation where my character (through dealing with her own issues) becomes an atagonist.

Most of my characters have pretty serious issues. For example my Force Adept in a Star Wars LARP had severe burn scars over her arms, legs, torso, and abdomen as a tribal punishment for having her powers. So she was fairly ashamed and pretty insular about things. She ended up losing light side points fairly quickly just from reacting to other people. She eneded up being a quasi-antagonist and getting shot in the back by a bounty hunter hired by one of the Jedi players. I never saw THAT coming. Let's just say it caused a lot of problems YOu know how pissy people get when you gack the only Healer. :p

[angelsorayama]

Hnmmm... I can't vote. I think both have their place. Most of the time, I think I'd prefer quiet but every once in a while overblown seems to be appropriate.

[Illithidbix]

'"THE LOUDER YOU SHOUT! THE BETTER YOU ROLEPLAY!"

An in joke amoungst my local LARP croud, I think some players can get a tad overdramatic with all their characters at times (some don't quite seem to ever get the hang of internalising), but really LARP relies upon socail interaction, and that can sometimes be hard to do if you're just being quiet and not doing anything (esp if something interesting is actually going on).

Also, LARP is meant to be fun, and whilst playing quiet characters can be fun (esp the type who keep their hands on their sword hilt at all times and glare at people for looking sinful) it can easily lead to the player being uninvolved and bored.

[Allison Wonderland]

And for the first time in the history of this subforum, I have to say "it depends". :D It depends, in this case, on the kind of game the organisers are aiming for... and the kind of game I'm in the mood for.
I was going to say that! :p
But for myself as a player, I find acting up to be more fun than quiet Method realism.
...Whereas I'm the opposite. It's enough for me to just sit around being in character. (Which is why I tend to 'avoid plot' as a player - a habit I know is frustrating for the STs.)

[Merten]

I'll settle to the "it depends"-camp as well, though the initial answer is the quiet one. If the theme of the game supports overblown drama then hell yeah, that's what should happen. It if doesen't, the quiet. There's usually some kind of theme and setting written into the game and the characters - if it's, say, "realistic" regarding the setting and the setting is not about pulp action, overblown drama would piss upon the setting integrity.

For me, integrity comes first, even if it means sitting in the corner and being apathetic. I get the kicks for being someone else in someplace else, not from hyperactive sosiodrama - though it can be fun as well.

[tetsujin28]

The former. But it's very, very difficult to pull off.

[Wulf Corbett]

The LARPS I take part in involve hundreds of people. There's plenty of room for every sort of roleplay, all at once. If you don't like one sort, there will be another a few yards away...

Wulf

[Ketra]

I, personally, find hamming it up to be more interesting than characters quietly going about their business. If I want deep immersion and mellow RP, frankly, I'll use a MUSH. Tabletop and LARPs are more or less slathered in the "good time with my buddies" vibe.

The LARPs I'm in are usually one-shot PvP affairs, with more emphasis than usual put on getting a mechanic-backed "win". Hence, there's a good deal of people slipping around corners to hatch plots, people sneaking off to find and loot the MacGuffin, etc etc. Characters are often treated more or less as wrappers for a set of mechanical abilities by the players, which is fine, since the people who are focusing on winning more than RPing don't do it in a manner that supresses RP.

What this means is that a lot of the RP that does happen has a really high 'tounge in cheek' quotient. Hamming it up is a way to break up the quiet mechanics-based tension (which is enjoyable in its own right, but variety is always good) with a bit of goofing off. And then sometimes someone gets shot by a dart gun, and there is wailing and gnashing of teeth and more dart gun fire. And darts are fun.

[NERO Aeon]

I think that there is a medium between the two suggestions. I think that players should follow their character concepts; there are characters who are quite and brooding, or just quiet and there are characters who over react to everything which easliy provide over dramatization.

Some settings do not take well to non-atmosphereic roleplay, which could be detrimental to play if someone acted out of tune with their setting.

Over all, I think I would vote 'no' to "hamming it up," because that denotes the idea of reacting to something more then your character would.