LARP Musings
I haven't been able to attend an OWBN game in several months, for a couple of reasons, mostly school and WoW, which I simply prioritize higher. I am still on the Vite-OOC list and some Nosferatu clan lists
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That isn't "realist" it is "surrealist" at best. That is Robert Downey, Jr. in Tropic Thunder.
Even if you like that, it doesn't solve the fundamental problem. Warning, I am rambling here.
My point is that if we go with the standard model: "Nobody but me can control whether my PC is intimidated, afraid, or socially motivated in any way" then the only option to escalate a stalemate is essentially to kill someone.
Premise: Nick's PC wants to scare Abi's PC.
So, if I understand your version of "Realist LARP" the only way this works is if you decide its cool if your PC is scared, or the better option, Nick actually scares Abi IRL?
That is unacceptable to me as a Game Mechanic. To me that is like playing Checkers and saying that if you actually want to Jump any of my pieces, you also have to beat me in an Arm Wrestling match. For sure, that is a game, but it ain't checkers.
I have no way of scaring your PC without your cooperation, because fictional entities do not have emotional responses on their own, only those that the Player imparts. To scare you, as a Player is overkill and potentially unethical. At the Player level, we are collaborators, I am not supposed to be emotionally abusing you :-p
What we need is a game mechanic to resolve our conflict... How do we decide if my PC can scare your PC, even if you as a Player don't want to be scared?
Existing MET LARP rules have two options, use of the Intimidation Ability in a standard Social Challenge, or use of Supernatural Disciplines like Presence.
For the former, 99% of people ignore Standard Social challenge mechanics, for a variety of reasons. Many of which I agree with, because the underlying system is sucky. But in theory, the MET RAW allow me to challenge you with a Social Challenge and the Intimidate Ability, to scare you. The RAW however, do not offer any guidance as to how the results are played out other than "OK you are Intimidated."
So most people rely on the latter - Disciplines. I can choose to Dread Gaze you, as that has a defined mechanic. You get scared and run away. That would SEEM to answer our premise, as long as I have Dread Gaze... But in practice it does not!
Abi's PC (or anyone really, 9 times out of 10) doesn't internalize those results. you don't say "Oh, I was intimidated and scared by Nick's PC, so he frightens me!" You say "That motherfucker used powers of the blood on me!" and likely seek retribution. Either by going after me, complaining to Harpies, etc.
So, even though my PC may have made yours run away, the fundamental premise has not been satisfied. I cannot, under any circumstances, make your PC actually "afraid" of mine, unless you as a player, agree to it.
This is a serious problem. Not so serious that people can't play and have fun, but I believe is the reason why OWBN LARP becomes so polarized. Everyone either all loves each other, or just kills them with a Boot Squad of overwhelming force, with no RP or story involved.
As PCs reach the power and wonk level where it takes even a dedicated and capable Boot Squad like 4 hours to kill a powerful PC, people don't even want to be bothered doing that anymore... Since half the time it gets reversed on appeal anyway :-p
And we are left with the only meaningful conflict being OOC arguments :-p
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