I Can't Believe I'm Doing This

[ladysprite]

I still remember my first LARP, incredibly clearly. I remember how much fun it was, and how excited I was to discover a new hobby, and I remember the promises I made to myself. I promised myself that I would keep playing for as long as it was fun, and that I would learn how to be a good player, and I promised that I would never, ever, ever actually become one of those crazy people who actually write the games.

I'm a lousy writer. I'm terrible at plot, and worse at interconnections. I don't have fun with it. I have fun playing. I think I may have actually stated that I'd rather eat glass than write a game.

In fifteen years, I never broke that promise. Until now.

I had an idea. Well, I had the idea a long time ago, to be honest. And, not being a writer, I did my best to drop the idea around friends that *are* writers, but none of them seemed to pick it up and run with it. And, unlike most of my mediocre ideas, this one never really faded.

Then, not too long ago, another friend mentioned an idea to me. An idea that was remarkably similar to mine. And before I could nail my big mouth shut, details started spilling out. And one thing led to another, and in no time at all it was clear that there was a game sitting there, hollering to be written, and that it wasn't going to shut up and that noone else was going to write it.

And so, jadasc and I have started writing Desperadoes Under the Eaves - a LARP based on the works of Warren Zevon. It's crazy, it's ridiculous, and it scares the crap out of me, but... the characters are there, and the more we look, the more we realize it was obviously meant to be.

Did I mention that this scares me to no end? I've never written anything beyond short essays before. I've never even run a tabletop game. I have no idea of how to write a game, or how to balance a game, or how to plot something. I know nothing about game design, or pacing, or mechanics. I am a clueless babe in the woods, and I'm terrified that this is going to suck, and I'm counting on the genius of Mr. Zevon and the skills of my cowriter to carry this off while I bask in reflected glory, but.... I can't stop now.

We'll be bidding it for Intercon H, or at least I think we hope to. So, all my larp-author friends, please be patient if I come to you in hysterics pleading for guidance. And, y'know, come play. I think it'll be fun. Just be gentle with me if it stinks.....

Comments

Wonderful news

[crash-mccormick.livejournal.com]

Feel free to ask me and I suspect any of the rest who fall into that category.

[laurion]

Very cool. Good luck. Let me know if I can help.

Good ideas will inspire the words to flow on their own.

No one piece of text need be more than a page or two in length, three or four at most, so don't stress that you won't be able to spin a thread long enough. It's how the threads weave together that matters, not the length of any one.


It will be work. It will be hard. It will not run according to any vision or plan you have. That's not a flaw with your vision or your game, it's just the fact that players will always do something unexpected.

[mermaidlady]

I'll play that game.

[baron-saturday.livejournal.com]

And so will I. Can I be The Envoy?

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Hmm... we'll see. :)

I'm just glad that people are starting to talk about characters other than the werewolves....

[the-smith-e.livejournal.com]

Warren really didn't like that song, but I suppose you knew that. He once used it as a lead in to an Alanis Morrisette joke at a concert in a small venue.

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

Don't try to write as many words as jducoeur!

[jducoeur]

No, that needs to be strengthened: try to write *fewer* words than I do. I've intellectually accepted that 12-page character sheets are usually A Bad Idea, but so far I'm only mezza-mezza at stopping myself.

Anyway: I'm glad to see you trying your hand at this -- I think you're a talented writer, and likely to do well. I'm happy to help as needed and wanted...

[kindred-999.livejournal.com]

Hey, I'll help you as I can... and since you've already promised to help me with running Void Stalkers, you can get an idea on the run-GM side of things... :-)

[tikva.livejournal.com]

ROLAND THE HEADLESS THOMPSON GUNNER!

Oh my God. Must play this game.

[divalion.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a cool idea!

This may not seem comforting on the surface, but trust me, it's meant to be-- even if your game sucks, hard and long, not only will you get over it and maybe even write again, but you'll find that gamers in general are very forgiving of new writers and will not tell you to go away and never write again. =)

(It's when you keep doing the same stupid shit that annoys players over and over again and defiantly acting like you're perfect that people start to get pissed off for real.)

There was a lot in my first game that sucked big time. It took me a long time to get over the incredible shame I felt about that. But I did, and I even wrote again, and it wasn't perfect but people mostly liked it, and I learned stuff, lather rinse repeat.

You'll get cut extra slack from fellow writers. NO ONE who has ever written a game has gotten through it without rueful tales of printers blowing up or days with no sleep or players who stormed out of game or a beloved mechanic that utterly, utterly failed. Everyone's been there so they'll hug you and nod knowingly and perhaps tell you their most embarrassing 'I was a dumb newbie' story so you don't feel as bad. Even the most highly reputed writers have at some time written something that stank on hot ice.

And if they didn't, they weren't trying very hard. ;-)

I mean, of course, your game is gonna ROCK and everyone is gonna love it and tell you how amazing you are and sing your praises to the four corners of the earth.

But if the experience is in any way less than that perfect, there's a whole community full of writers waiting to buy you a drink and slap you on the back for earning your stripes on the field. (that might have been a really mixed metaphor. It's late.)

Go you for trying something new and pushing past your comfort zone! That's an awesome thing to do and I am cheering you on. =)

Games that Suck Hard and Long

[interactivearts.livejournal.com]

Let me pass along a thought here. There's a feeling I think among new writers that it's sort of "hit or miss" whether a game sucks or not, or that it's based on talent as a writer. "If I write brilliantly my game will be good, and if I don't it will suck."

Really that's sort of like people who think that car races or medical cures are a matter of luck. In fact they're a matter of a series of following certain principles.

That can be very intimidating to new writers because they think "I don't have that design knowledge" or don't even know that it isn't a crap shoot.

I can virtually guarantee that your game won't suck if you don't do a couple of things, which I honestly doubt you'd be likely to do.

1) Don't be overly ambitious. Write good solid characters of a length that you've seen before. A few games fail because the writers really don't write much, but remember that quality is more important than quantity. You've already halfway won, by picking a subject matter that is strongly suggestive and requires less exposition than say "my new fantasy world with complex politics nobody has ever seen before."

2) Don't be very reliant on mechanics. Most games that "suck" go bust over scenario or mechanical complexities. A very good, very experienced, GM can send a game onto the rocks on those issues. Point to a game at Intercon that has crashed in recent years, and I'll show you some underlying mechanical problem.

3) Remember what you enjoy as a player and write to that. Some people may dislike what you write, but that's a matter of style. Be true to yourself. Don't try to be enormously clever or do something tricky your first time out.

If you do those things, the chance that your game will suck is about 5%, and the chance that it will be pretty good is about 95%

You'll do fine!

Re: Games that Suck Hard and Long

[jadasc.livejournal.com]

Don't be very reliant on mechanics.

*nod* I have some, but not many, in mind.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Thank you - hearing this really helps. Honestly, the thing that's making me feel most confident about this experiment is the number of friends I have to stand next to me, listen as I go, and be there for me to dissect things with afterwards.... :)

[leanne-opaskar.livejournal.com]

I remember you mentioning this! I think even in person. (: You *have* been holding onto that idea for a while.

Well, here's hoping that I might be relocated to Boston by Intercon H. (; Because you know I want to play in it, right?

[redfishie.livejournal.com]

go you!

[ausir.livejournal.com]

When the Muse calls a tune, God forbid you sit out the dance.

Anything you need, just ask.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Thanks. If you're going to be at Brassy's, I may haul you off at some point Sunday for a sanity-check on some ideas....

[meranthi.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know the feeling. That feeling of sheer terror... Feel free to ask questions, though I'm prolly not the best person to ask. :)

[the-smith-e.livejournal.com]

Crap! But I don't come to Boston cons. WARREN!!!!!!!!

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Of course, if you did come we'd make sure to give you a phenomenal character....

And it's far enough away to plan in advance.

And we're really nice folks, and there's cool touristing to do around the city if you come up early, and we really need players that know and love the music....

*big innocent eyes*

[dornbeast.livejournal.com]

(If you say you have cookies, that's just plain dirty pool.)

[evcelt.livejournal.com]

You did in the past. Why not make an exception?

Heh, heh, I knew this idea would get to you. ;-)

[flowing-dancer.livejournal.com]

I've had things where the Muse smacked me upside the head and said "You WILL write this." The only correct response is "Yes, ma'am." Do it, go back, polish it, then let others rip it apart with suggestions, consider the suggestions, polish again, and then look at what you've got.

Good luck.

I was certain there was a cat in that bag yesterday.

[jadasc.livejournal.com]

So we can talk about it openly? Swell. ;)

Re: I was certain there was a cat in that bag yesterday.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Sorry - I didn't even stop to think about whether you'd want to keep this quiet. I was just babbling.

Should I not have said anything? :(

Re: I was certain there was a cat in that bag yesterday.

[jadasc.livejournal.com]

I've never worked with you before on a creative project like this, so I don't know whether you prefer to keep things under wraps or to get people excited as soon as possible. I'm always afraid of having to eat my words later, so I don't tend to promote early. On the other hand, since you've mentioned it, I've put up a similar post in my own journal. We're in this together. :)

Re: I was certain there was a cat in that bag yesterday.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

I wasn't trying to get people excited; I just tend to talk about stuff that's on my mind unless I have a specific reason not to.

There's also the fact that, by making a public commitment, I'm setting up counters to my own quitter tendencies. Now I can't back out. :)

[evcelt.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a cool idea, hope I can make it to H...

[interactivearts.livejournal.com]

I know it can be a bit intimidating, but there's really not too much to be scared about...

1) GMing is in most ways more about having sense than being a brilliant writer. Just write good stuff you'd enjoy playing, with a slight bow to stuff you know other folks enjoy but are only so-so on.

2) You've played enough that you're more experienced than many people who run LARP. You've got good sense and are a good player, and that's good experience.

3) You'll have plenty of good players who will want to make the material work and make the game good. It's at an Intercon, so that's going to almost guarantee a decent cross-section of experienced players.

4) Great source material - 'nuff said.

My biggest piece of advice...

Don't get bogged down. Remember that you do have to produce stuff, so make a list early on. If one thing isn't working out, or you feel blocked on it, make yourself go and write something else for a while. Likewise, don't let any disagreements or uncertainties in one area stop you from moving ahead in others.

Honestly though, I think it's great you're producing something. Being a good player is a really noble goal, but it's also great to get a chance to give back some of what you've learned, and you will whether you realize it or not.

[interactivearts.livejournal.com]

You also headlined today's column...no pressure :)

http://larpwriting.livejournal.com/63746.html

*goggle*

[jadasc.livejournal.com]

Well, isn't that something? ;)

[jadasc.livejournal.com]

What's your schedule look like for the upcoming? I'd be happy to set up another breakfast, or we might put an evening aside.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

This weekend is Right Out - yesterday was a big SCA performance that had been eating my brain, and today is mostly being spent recovering from that, taking care of chores and errands that had been building up in the meantime, and mentally regrouping.

Next weekend, though, I think I'm free either Saturday afternoon/evening or Sunday morning....

[jadasc.livejournal.com]

Was thinking more about the weekdays than the weekends, since my schedule makes them easy. This weekend is busy for me as well; either of the days and times you mentioned are okay for me so far in the coming weekend.