Running a LARP

[Tallaroo]

I've seen a lot of people posting about building game stores or game publishing companies, but is anyone interested in or does anyone have experience running a fantasy live action game (of the boffer sword type) for profit? My brother and I just started a LARP in Southern Mississippi/Louisiana and I was wondering if anyone had any good ideas for advertising and recruiting. We have a strong player base right now (word is out to at least 100 gamers, we have 44 characters created, and 32 people came to our first 1-day event on April 7th), but next year we'd like to add more chapters and we need marketing ideas. We're already listed with several larp lists online, and we will start running scenarios at conventions in a few months. Besides those venues, what would make you want to come out and play a LARP for a weekend?

[Crayne]

Have you started a company? If you haven't, I'd check out the possibilities for doing so and paricularly the tax ramifications if you don't start a company to host your LARPs.

In the end, the LARP I helped create ended up as a non-profit foundation rather than a company, simply because when all was said and done no one had the time or the money to keep it operating as a company. Leaving it completely in the hands of individuals (i.e. making money without a company) was too risky tax-wise.

On the marketing question:

- Look at where other LARPs are advertising and start from there. Especially the Camarilla (or whatever it's called now) and the larger re-enactment/LARP groups in the US like the SCA and the IFGS (if they still exist that is).

- A lot of LARPers stroll around in the same social circles (which tend to overlap sort of everywhere), so word-of-mouth is your strongest asset. Make sure you run events that are to the liking of your player base and they will automatically tell their friends and so on.

- Work conventions like madmen. Have a booth where, beside all the interesting paraphanelia and customed folks, people can actually talk to a "normal" person and can see what it's all about (make sure to bring along lots of photos, edited for suitability, and/or a videotape, once again edited for content). Spend some money on this, because if it looks like a shamble, no one will take it seriously.

- Make sure you have an up-to-date website that is easily accessible (a short, relevant domainname can help quite a bit)and host a few forums where people can talk IC between events (to certain rules of course) and discuss matters OOC.

Hope this helps you a bit...

Crayne

PS The LARP I helped create is at http://www.emphebion.org (the site is in Dutch though, so don't expect to be able to make much sense of it *smile*) I attached a pic here for good measure. :)

[nobledragonuk]

I can probably help here I was part of a group running a Larp for a number of years.

Rule one never run it as a friends only type game or rely on word of mouth you will end up running at a loss.

If you intend to start running a Larp, you will need several things, the most important is Insurance, both accidental and third party, in case on of your players injures or kills someone, or breaks or damages property. You also need waiver in case of trouble and a medical questionnaire – a good example of a waiver would be
http://www.shades-of-night.com/lrps/

A medical questionnaire gives details of a persons medical history (Medical conditions i.e. epilepsy) and anything they are allergic to, as well as consent in case they need medical help and are unconscious, this may sound worrying but it happens, more then one player has run into a tree and knocked then selves out. (lol).

Bank accounts, the best advice here is to set up a club and or community account, this makes who holds the money easier and it helps with things like tax’s as you are non profit making, (best way to go) you funnel all the money back into the events.

Setting up a community account, means that you need several people to help run it.

So you need a Chairperson, Assistant Chairperson, Treasurer, Secretary, One or two Games Masters (depends on what type of system you are running), Quarter master. These are your key people then you will have probably one or two rules lawyers or such who are there to deal with any queries.

Financial books are we found best done with a simple approach in mind, we had, single entry of in and out on a page, email for better details.
This means that money can be tracked.

It’s a lot of work to set up but it is worth it.

Kit, No one expects you to have mass’s of masks and kit, so don’t start small, not every bush contains an ork, Humans are usually more dominant so use em. The simple application of face paint is great for different effects.
Having costume like reversible tabards or cloaks can be great for quick changes. You may have friends or parents or friend’s relatives that can whip up costume for you.
If you lean equipment out do it on a loan basis, so weapons may be loaned out on a $10/20 fee, with they get back if the weapon is in good nick, same goes for costume, other wise people do trash your stuff, even if they don’t mean to.

Have structured events, a detailed world, and decent adventures, this means that the people running the adventures need to work on their worlds and coordinate with their counterparts who may also be running adventures in other parts of the same worlds. A split like this allows for two people to run events, and have it impact on more people. Also helps split the work.

Adventures 2hrly, 1 day events and 48 hour events, these are optional, if you are lucky to find sites that offer decent wooden accommodation, (Scout sites are great) use em. When approaching make sure you have lots of info, you look smart and are willing to negotiate, scout centres and such often have gaps when they are not used these are the best times to go for. If you do go for day or longer events make sure you plan ahead, have catering, and think about what you are after. Also remember that cost is important. Offer two types of gaming costs this would be a monster who can get to play cheaply and players who pay more to be the hero’s. Monsters often are new to the hobby or enjoy playing monsters, and other clubs or visa verse that may offer to do your monstering for you may approach you.
A good set of walkie-talkies is also useful. So is a person with some medical experience or first aid experience, and a couple of good first aid kits, one carried by the person leading the players and one by the monsters.

Advertisement, you need loads and it’s worth working this out before hand.
Websites are great, as you can offer detailed information to people at a glance, also remember to add info for people on where and who you are as well as a copy of your rules, probably a rules lite variant, to offer a little flavour. A decent forum is also a good idea as players can interact with each other and this can lead to between events being set up.
If anyone has a digital cam make use of it get lots of decent pics that show what your upto.

Have decent looking posters and flyers, you can get 4 flyers to a standard A4 sheet of paper, have website, email address, and basic info on em. Also have details of who and what you are. Posters, you need to get the, Who, What and When on and try not to over fill. Always be friendly to other groups running in the area and try to find out when they run so you don’t over flow with their events, this can lead to one group being dominant and forcing the other to close.

Make sure you get a good loyal customer base, you need about a min of thirty people to run smoothly, generally speaking
Designing stationary may sound odd, but if you have a company logo, and name then it gives your groups a sense of unity and makes everything you do and send look professional. A decent printer will do this theirs no need to start spending thousands on a printing company.

Hold regular meeting, with members and committee members so that you know where the company is going, even if you are just init for the fun run it like a company will help. If you have a club chequebook make sure it needs two signatures.

Rules, we did a A4 (American legal size page) Folder, with a cover insert, then printed off, the rules in sections on different colour pages, for each section, this allows the rules to be printed off cheaply and cost efficiently, and means that they can be read through easier.

This is a basic a simplistic offering of what we did, but it should help some, if you need any more help feel free to get in touch.

mathew.adlard@ntlworld.com