Many decisions need to be made when deciding you want to begin LARPing. One of the first choices you will encounter is which game to attend, and more often than not you will have quite a few choices in front of you. A large factor in narrowing down your choices should be the age of the game. This is one of the most important factors that many people overlook but looking at the age of the game can really affect the game play that you will experience.
Listed below are the common pros and cons of a new game compared to an older, more established game. It is up to you to decide which you prefer to have in a game.
New Game (1-3 years old)
- All of the characters are close to each other in level and none are so high that you as a new player feel helpless.
- The plot and story line are not so complicated that you can’t just hop right in and understand the jist of things.
- The staff is fresh and motivated to see their game succeed.
- Low number of players.
- Games are more likely to go under within the first 3 years.
- Due to the new nature of the game the props, decorations and costumes are not up to par because most of the money is going into paying for the camp and keeping the game afloat.
Established Game (3-10+ years old)
- The longer a game runs, the more dedicated the players become, almost taking the game over themselves.
- The history of the town is so colorful and really makes the world created feel real.
- Since the game has been running for years, money has been invested in props, decorations and costumes making the overall look of the game very impressive.
- High number of players.
- Some characters are such high levels that they seem like gods and make you as a newer player feel worthless.
- The staff is tired and is constantly handing off positions to different people, creating confusion.
- It can take multiple events to finally figure out what is going on due to extensive plot and history.
Comments
Great article! I subscribed and sent this to Mel!
Nice article, Tina. That's an element of getting started that I hadn't thought about before - partly because the only really old boffer game out here in SoCal died out and it's player base started up a new one a few years ago, so it's not as much of an issue. It is an issue for some of the long running WoD games in the area, which is part of why new ones spawn a couple times a year.
Love the article. As far as deciding between a new game or an old. I myself would support both. There's nothing more exciting then helping a new game start up or one just started. And help it become a long running game. To getting into an already established game and see teh wonders of how far they have come. It really depends on the person. Back in the day I used to run my own Larp club. Although back then it was called LRP. To working ren fair and being in History recreation. In teh end it depends on which way you want to go. For myself I like doing both. Although theer are really no new larps in my area. Unless I started one up myself.
I would point out that high level players at LARPs can make you feel worthless but a lot of them are really helpful and can be great protection. I have only been at my current LARP for two months but the older players treat me like a younger sibling and encourage me when even when I mess up.
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