Huh... I guess they just ported the TT rules, using VtM as a model? I coulda sworn I'd seen a digest-sized Werewolf MET book, though. Oh, well. I know for sure about Hunter and Mage (have them on my book shelf).
They did make oMET books based on the oWoD RPGs. So you might be thinking of Laws of the Wild (Werewolf), Laws of Ascension (Mage) and Laws of the Hunt (Hunter).
So, the books on your shelf might be based on the previous edition of Mind's Eye Theatre.
There have not been conversions for the nWoD Werewolf, Changeling, Promethean, Hunter or Geist games.
That is the entirety of the "new" MET system books. The Camarilla has some in-house conversions of Forsaken, Lost and apparently coming soon, Geist that are part of the global chronicle. These conversions are not available for sale and you have to be a member of the Cam to get access to them I think.
-Matt
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That is the entirety of the "new" MET system books. The Camarilla has some in-house conversions of Forsaken, Lost and apparently coming soon, Geist that are part of the global chronicle. These conversions are not available for sale and you have to be a member of the Cam to get access to them I think.
-Matt
If the conversions are the addendums listed by the MST and US NST (or an affiliates head ST) anyone can access them, Cam or not. Granted the information won't make near as much sense (if any sense at all) unless you're in the Cam, however it's there.
DISCLAIMER: This post is the opinion of the author (US_LRPer a.k.a. Amber). This is by no means endorsed by any other party be it an organization or individual. Some people may find the following remarks and/or generalizations offending. By reading this work you agree not to hold the author responsible for any anger, angst, drama, or any other bitter, angry, and rash feelings or actions that may follow after reading said opinion. By reading this post you have agreed to this statement.
Most of the stuff I've read about "Pervasive" games, and the blurring of IC/OC spaces, and the impact of technology, seem to be coming from the EU. I'm not aware of as much of that coming from the US, and if there is, please let me know because I'm fascinated by stuff coming out of the European scene.
Most of the stuff I've read about "Pervasive" games, and the blurring of IC/OC spaces, and the impact of technology, seem to be coming from the EU. I'm not aware of as much of that coming from the US, and if there is, please let me know because I'm fascinated by stuff coming out of the European scene.
The EU (and I feel the Nordic countries in particular) are much more involved in this style gaming that the US at this time. This does not mean that there aren't movements in the US to encourage this kind of gaming, but it's in its early infancy here in the States.
I have a friend who wants to run a street theater game that boarders on the edges of a pervasive game (given that he wants to utilize certain technologies within the game) and definitely is a blurring of the IC/OOC space, however he's yet to launch it (I keep poking him about getting the game going).
DISCLAIMER: This post is the opinion of the author (US_LRPer a.k.a. Amber). This is by no means endorsed by any other party be it an organization or individual. Some people may find the following remarks and/or generalizations offending. By reading this work you agree not to hold the author responsible for any anger, angst, drama, or any other bitter, angry, and rash feelings or actions that may follow after reading said opinion. By reading this post you have agreed to this statement.
The EU (and I feel the Nordic countries in particular) are much more involved in [persistent games than] the US at this time. This does not mean that there aren't movements in the US to encourage this kind of gaming, but it's in its early infancy here in the States.
I wouldn't say infancy so much as on hiatus or sleeping, or perhaps in another conversation space than ours (more likely).
The first "LARP" I ever played was a pretty massive Assassin Game which ran 24/7. I think the TAG phenomenon began in the US around, oh, 1980-ish? We played various sized games, off an on, irregularly, through college (that would be until 1993, for me).
The only MET group with which I've played (1995-8-ish) was persistent, though MOST of the gaming happened at the weekly "gathers." But it was 24/7, real-time and included IC message boards and IC mail and IC meetings at times other than the gathering.
More recently, a group in my area (and I) tried to launch a persistent MET game to run 24/7 across most of downtown Durham, NC (the "main game space," where if you were there, you were IC) but it never quite kicked off: we got through planning and plot and working with local publicans... then lost steam.
As far as I'm concerned, persistence (I don't like pervasive--no LARP is really pervasive: would you play it in the middle of the local police station or hospital?) is just a game toggle; and it's one that makes a LOT of sense in modern games, given the ubiquity of the Internet, email, cell phones, etc. No reason you can't run a game 24/7, even if the "main event" each week involves scheduling, a venue, a lot of GM support, etc.
And... where did ARGs first crop up? San Francisco, if my sources online are correct.... Not that, you know, America deserves any credit for doing anything innovative, God forbid.
Since we are talking "future" I have info on local LARP in SETexas.
Seems the local Cam chapter is still kicking. I found one of there flyers at my FLGS yesterday. Graet news. Though I don't play anymore I would hate to see LARP vanish from the area.
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Most of the stuff I've read about "Pervasive" games, and the blurring of IC/OC spaces, and the impact of technology, seem to be coming from the EU. I'm not aware of as much of that coming from the US, and if there is, please let me know because I'm fascinated by stuff coming out of the European scene.
Well, you must have missed the panel that was done at the Intercon I's pre-conference. The focus admittedly discussing the similarities between the two narrative forms (LARPs and ARGs)
I'm considering doing a sequel to last year's panel focusing on more of a workshop / practicum, so that people can see techniques used (and consider them for their project or campaign).
I think one of the reasons that you see more pervasive style games in Europe versus here is that in the US, the creative drivers tend to congregate in the US ARG scene, so there is a learning curve that a typical LARP design team would need to pick up.
Also, I have seen this far too often for my liking, but there tends to be a knee-jerk reaction in the US LARP community to non-person to person (or Live) interactions, which I don't understand because pervasive techniques are more about enabling your _GMs_ to craft an expansive gamespace without having to have a cast of 1000s.
I wouldn't say infancy so much as on hiatus or sleeping, or perhaps in another conversation space than ours (more likely).
There is a group in Lamar, Missouri (MadhatterrGames) which is doing something similar to what you described in the persistent MET game.
What's interesting about it is that their fee structure allows you to participate in either just the online part or the Live _and_ online part.
Quote:
Originally Posted by David Artman
As far as I'm concerned, persistence (I don't like pervasive--no LARP is really pervasive: would you play it in the middle of the local police station or hospital?) is just a game toggle; and it's one that makes a LOT of sense in modern games, given the ubiquity of the Internet, email, cell phones, etc. No reason you can't run a game 24/7, even if the "main event" each week involves scheduling, a venue, a lot of GM support, etc.
I'll agree on your description of persistent. I will note though that Pervasive is used to define games that occur in Real Time _and_ Real Space.
Or to paraphrase the Matrix: "Realize that there is _no_ gamespace"
In other words, if the Ventrue are holding their clan meeting at Club X, the Brujah might organize their rally at the Commons before storming Club X.
Both Club X and the Commons are real places and there will be non-participants there.
One of the things I wish groups would consider doing more is setting up "fake" websites for the organizations they have in their game such as Newspapers, a podcast Radio station, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by David Artman
And... where did ARGs first crop up? San Francisco, if my sources online are correct.... Not that, you know, America deserves any credit for doing anything innovative, God forbid.
You must be talking about DreadNot.
If you're talking about the game that brought ARGs onto the scene, then home would be Redmond and the people that created "The Beast" (aka the ARG affiliated with the movie A.I.)
Dreadnot may have set the foundation, The Beast built the house (and the driveway).
I think one of the reasons that you see more pervasive style games in Europe versus here is that in the US, the creative drivers tend to congregate in the US ARG scene, so there is a learning curve that a typical LARP design team would need to pick up.
Could you expand more on this or point to a good discussion of this? I'm fascinated by this.
Could you expand more on this or point to a good discussion of this? I'm fascinated by this.
Jeremiah
Since I'm not aware of any good discussions (yet), I'll expand a bit more with an anecdote and some of the hurdles that one encounters when moving to a more pervasive (rather than persistent) style.
On the IGDA ARG SIG mailing list, there was a debate about "what is ARG". In the midst of the debate, (iirc) Markus Montola and I discussed back and forth some of the definitional issues that plague ARGs specifically.
Why I bring this up is that Markus is reasonably well-known in LARP circles, but our discussion on pervasive gaming is taking place on a mailing list organized by the International Game Developers Association (whose focus tends toward computer/video gaming).
I expect that the simplest answer as to why the creative drivers of pervasive gaming in the US are in the "ARG" scene, is that:
ARGs are still a relative new "play"-form (geared more toward pervasive play) and a fair number of them (here) are funded as aspects of viral or guerrilla marketing campaigns, particularly for Video Games or Movies/TV.
(Some of the prominent individuals in that scene come from places such as Disney, Microsoft, game publishers, or marketing firms.)
Pervasive style of play poses a few issues:
As a form of play, you have to grasp that the story is no longer "told" as it is "experienced" since it happens in the Real World and in Real Time. GMs can't call a "time stop" (unless you somehow got yourself a Hogwarts Time-Turner )
With no defined gamespace, as a team, you'll be required to track creative "assets", meaning that you'll need to coordinate not just NPCs, but e-mails, phone calls, text messages, and any other method of communication with your players (as well as the timeline for "events"). Further, you'll also need to track player information such as mobile phones, e-mail addresses, etc., just to be able to communicate to your players.
Flexibility needs to be designed in the game. With your players in the "wild", any plot needs to be adaptable to instantaneous changes.
Think of movies that you have watched where you go "You know this movie could have ended in 15 minutes if that particular action had taken place". That's what you should expect in a pervasive style.
My hypothesis is that:
These are issues that those in the ARG scene are acquainted with, because a number of them are coming from an industry (Advertising or Computer/Video Gaming) where tracking and managing assets is how you produce any type of experience (or game) to some degree.
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