NERO or Dagorhir?

[The Grey Elf]

So I have a few friends involved with Dagorhir. I've done PRO (the Pittsburgh branch of NERO) waaaaaaaay back when it first started (I was one of the original, now long-forgotten players).

The way I see it is thus: NERO has a LOT more to offer in the way of role playing, quests, and the type of live action D&D experience one might look for, while Dagorhir is mostly about staying in character while beating the shit out of people with foam swords.

NERO's rules seem more complete, with better (read: more complex and individualized) combat, and rules for magic. Characters seem more "fleshed out" as well, with stats, hit points, skills, etc, and armor is more varied: leather is not the same as plate.

On the other hand, Dagorhir seems a more close-knit community and its members seem FAR less whiny about matters of "you hit too hard," or "your weapon is too heavy."

Both seem to suffer from the issue of people not getting to know each other in their real-world identities outside the game.

I'm curious: anyone here had experiences with both groups? What's your preference, and why?

[pawsplay]

NERO is all right... I played a game. Frankly, I'd rather do tabletop.

I can't speak for Dagorhir specifically, but I'm a longtime player of Amtgard, which is one of Dagorhir's illegitimate children. Amtgard is a very fun, tight-knit group somewhat plagued by factionalism. And people do know each other out of game.

[The Grey Elf]

Bueller? Bueller?

[pawsplay]

To be honest, I don't think there's a ton of boffer jocks on here.

[NERO Aeon]

I don't have experience with Amtgard or Dagorhir, but I am definately a boffer larp person over non-boffer larps. I still go out to roleplay, and I know a heck of a lot of people on an out of game basis. Some of this might be because I run a chapter - but I try to put as much energy as I can into getting to know the people, and not just the characters or what I see in game.

I don't mind the concept of playing a 'paintball' or 'capture the flag' style boffer larp - but if I had my choice I'd rather go off and roleplay. As a counter point, I think that strife is paramount in a game, and that non-boffer games may have the roleplay that I'm looking for, but certainly not the action.

I think that anyone looking to give a system a try should attempt to play at a few different locations, with different people. This isn't always easy to do, but I know that many NERO Chapters run with the same rules but the flavour of the game is completely different. I have also found the same with MET games that I have been involved with; I can't see how it's different for Amtgard or Dagorhir.

[Theodore Sign]

Thing is, is that they are vastly different types of games. A better comparison would be Dagorhir vs. the SCA.

Hell, I tend to think that Boffer LARPS are as distinct from Salon LARPs as both are from tabletop.

[The Grey Elf]

Thing is, is that they are vastly different types of games. A better comparison would be Dagorhir vs. the SCA.

Hell, I tend to think that Boffer LARPS are as distinct from Salon LARPs as both are from tabletop.

I would agree with you, except that the folks I know in Dagorhir positively blanch at comparisons to the SCA. They consider themselves more akin to NERO than to the SCA, because to them the fantasy elements are paramount, while the SCA focuses far more strongly upon realism (at one point here in Pittsburgh about 12 years ago or so, a local SCA chapter was foolishly even using live steel. Amazingly, nobody got seriously hurt).

[Theodore Sign]

Isn't Dagorhir a battle game, as opposed to a character-driven RPG like NERO? To me that seems like a much bigger difference then the so-called "hard-core" factor of the SCA. Though I agree that those guys can be a bit nuts.

[The Grey Elf]

Isn't Dagorhir a battle game, as opposed to a character-driven RPG like NERO? To me that seems like a much bigger difference then the so-called "hard-core" factor of the SCA. Though I agree that those guys can be a bit nuts.

I don't know, cuz I'm not actually in either group, currently. But that's what I've been told. I know the local Dagorhir chapter actually did a crossover event with NERO (I still hear how the NERO people cried that a girl from Dagorhir hit too hard).