Article:
LARP Plot Tips: Event Teasers

So you've got an epic plotline setup, you've arranged to have all the NPCs you need, and you've got all your props ready. What could go wrong?

Well, no one could show up.

Once you've done your best to make the event as strong as possible, you should be able to do some pimping for your event. Some people prefer to do this by stumping on as many forums as possible. Some people put up rumors for the event. These are both fine, but all they do is tell people about the event and they offer nothing as to the production value of what you're running.

Instead, show them. Do a video teaser for the event.

In the age of the internet, it shouldn't be too difficult to throw a video on youtube and to start linking that to get players jazzed up. Here are some tips for making an event teaser.

Full Costume
Talking about your game or saying that you see an army of orcs is not going to have the same effect as showing them to players. The reason you're doing a video is to get someone pumped up about driving a significant distance to get to your event. Everything in the video should be at peak production value, which means it will be in full costume. Don't skimp.

What You See Is What You Get
Make sure that whatever you put into the video has direct references to things that they will see in game. If you include a sick costume for a badguy, that badguy better show up at the event. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a preview for a movie, and then finding out that the scene you enjoyed in the preview was cut from the theatrical release. If it's in your video, it better be at the event.

Tie In Past Deeds
If players have been shaping the story from event to event, make sure that you put some reference to the things that happened in the previous event. This really amps up the power of the teaser video. Players watching the video feel like they're a part of an interactive story (because they are), rather than just watching a movie.

Video Quality
This is the toughest part - the actual video quality needs to be decent. No one is going to get pumped up by a grainy video where the audio is too quiet to understand. Video recording tech has advanced a ton in the past few years, so it's pretty easy to get good video quality at a reasonable price. As for audio, if you don't have a good microphone, you should think about using bed music or narration with the video to invoke emotions and to explain what's going on. Find some decent editing software and put some time in.