Many situations cannot be acted out by the players, perhaps because
they would be too dangerous, too difficult, too unpleasant, or simply
impossible in the context of a LARP. Those situations are represented
by game mechanics. Important mechanics used in this came include:
- Zone of Control - This concept of distance is used by many
mechanics. ZOC is defined as the distance at which two players can
touch each-other's outstretched fingers.
- Character Badges - Each player wears a badge. This both
allows other players to recognize the person as a player rather than a
non-player, and contains an ID number which can be used for other
mechanics.
- Ability Cards - In general, any ability which allows a
character to break the normal rules or take actions his player cannot
simulate will have an ability card. When using the ability, the
player shows the front of the ability card (which lists the ability's
effect) to anyone affected by the ability.
- Item Cards - Any items not represented by props (and even
some which are) are represented by item cards. Item cards have a
description and an item number, as well as any other information
obvious from an inspection of the item. Item cards are freely
transferrable representing the transferrance of the item. Some items
are bulky, with bulkiness measured in "dots". Each dot of bulkiness
requires a hand to carry, and that hand cannot be used for anything
else while carrying the item.
- Memory Packets - These are designed to give players
information that their characters would remember during the game.
Each will have a trigger listed, which may be a phrase or a number
(badge number, item number, etc). The player should open and read the
memory packet only when they hear the phrase, or see the number.
- Game-Start Packets - One special kind of memory packet is
the Game-Start Packet. A character's sheet describes their general
background and situation, as well as their personality and goals, but
does not describe the immediate situation in which they find
themselves at the start of game. 5 minutes before the game starts,
each player will open and read their game-start packet which describes
the events of those 5 minutes. When the game starts, the players
begin role-playing in the midsts of those events. This allows the
players to feel the same surprise, and make the same snap decisions
and quick judgements that their characters would have to make.
- Martial Combat - Physical combat between characters would
certainly be an undesireable thing to roleplay through corresponding
character action. Instead it is mechanicked by a system based on
rock-paper-scissors. When a character wishes to engage another
character in combat he must enter ZOC of his target and declare
"Martial Attack". The target must then respond within 3 seconds with
"Martial Defense" or be surprised and lose the first round of combat.
The players then play repeated rounds of rock-paper-scissors,
comparing their combat stats and taking damage as appropriate until
one of them falls unconscisous or they both decide to stop fighting.
Combats with more than two characters are also possible.
- Searching - Unconscious or nonresisting characters can be
searched. Since invasive searches of players are a bad idea, the
searching player simply says "I search you" at which point the
searched player should hand over his items.
- Ranged Combat - Ranged combat (such as shooting a
Kill-O-Zap gun) is represented by toy guns which shoot either plastic
discs or plastic darts. The effects to a character when a player is
hit with a disc or dart may vary based on the type of gun, but usually
include unconsciousness. Guns in this game are either Stun guns
(causing only unconsciousness) or Kill-O-Zap guns (causing death if
the victim does not receive medical attention within a time limit).
Characters engaged in martial combat cannot shoot, but other
characters may shoot the combattants. But a defender who already has
a gun drawn may shoot his attacker within the 3 seconds before saying
"Martial Defense". The general rule of thumb is that ranged combat is
just better than martial comat.
- Killing Blow - In general, a character can kill another
trivially if the victim is unconscious or otherwise incapacitated
(bound, etc). This is mechanicked simply by the killer being within
ZOC of his target and saying "Killing Blow 1... 2... 3..." (counting 3
seconds). Anyone within ZOC of the killer or target may prevent the
action by saying "I stop you" during the 3-second count. If nobody
does so, then the target is dead.
- Death - Characters who die are out of the game, though
their body (represented by their namebadge) and items are left behind.
The body is 2-dot bulky if anyone wishes to move it. As long as the
character's death is unknown, the player should be Not Here and avoid
gamespaces, so that other players do not find out about their death.
After the death is known to most of game, the GMs will allow the
player to observe the game, wearing a white headband to indicate that
he is no longer playing.
- Engineering - Some of the key plots in the game rely on
building or repairing specific devices. This is represented by the
engineering mechanic. Any device to be built or repaired must have a
casing, which will specify which parts are needed to build the device.
Parts (often called RTIs - Random Technical Items) are represented
either by item cards or by lego pieces. Some parts may require
special skills to assemble, and some people may have special skills
that allow them to perform assemblies in a different way (substituting
one part for another, for instance). Some characters will begin the
game with parts, or with technical items which can be disassembled for
their component parts. Other parts will begin in the broken pieces of
theh various ships.
- Locked Doors - If doors are locked, they will have a sign
on them saying so. Players should then not pass through the door
unless they can unlock it. Some doors may unlock based on
character-independant events, times, etc, while others may require
passcards (which will have item numbers) to open. Locks can be picked
by those with an appropriate skill, or openned through programming
with appropriate equipment.
- Programming - Some characters have skill with computers.
This allows them to work with the computer systems in game, as well as
openning locked doors (which have electronic security systems).
Computer hacking is represented by a "choose-your-own-adventure"-style
mechanic with multiple packets each requiring the player to choose his
next action determining which packet he will open next. Playing cards
are used in parts of the mechanic to add elements of randomness and
skill.
- The Guide - Several characters are carrying copies of the
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which is a galactic travel guide
full of information, both useful and useless. The Guide will contain
some bits of information useful and relevant to game, hidden among a
far larger volume of interesting, but irrelevant information. Thus,
characters will have difficulty finding the hidden clues without
knowing what to look for (the Guide is alphabetized). Implementing
this depends on the generation of that text, but an online version of
the Guide exists, which can hopefully be adapted for a hardcopy which
would be useable during a game (it being undesireable for players to
have to break character and log in during a game).
- Race - The genetic identity of the characters in game is
represented by a numerical stat, given a greek letter rather than a
name to mask its true function. It is readable by various characters
(mechanicked by asking the other player the value of the stat), each
of whom get differing amounts of information on what the number
actually means.
- Psychlims - To aid in role-playing a character, and to get
across character traits which are hard to make clear in a character
sheet, some characters have psychological limitations. These
psychlims put limitations on how a character can act or what a
character can do, and act as reminders for the player of how he/she
should act to role-play the character appropriately.
- Babel Fish - Many of the characters in game should
logically be speaking different languages, but players will all be
speaking English. This is explained away by the same device that
Douglas Adams uses. They each have a Babel Fish stuck in their ear.
The Babel fish feeds on psychic energy and provides universal
translation services to its wearer. If anyone in game wishes to
remove their Babel Fish they are free to do so, but must role-play not
understanding anyone who does not speak their language from then on.
Marvin, and the Mice are not wearing Babel Fish, but can naturally
understand and speak any language.
Andrew Twyman,
kurgan@mit.edu
Interactive and Non-Linear Narrative,
Spring 1998