User Blog:
LARP Plot Tip: Plot for Every Alignment

LARP, unlike table-top gaming, generally has several groups or "teams" of players that work together in a single world. Each group tends to have a different outlook on the world. As a game master, you often have a way you want the story to go. The problem is that it's not always up to you. You are providing a service to people who are paying you to come to this event, and it's not appropriate to force people to play your game the way you want them to play it.

The point is that not every character is good and not every character will do the right thing. As plot, you need to respect that. You need to be prepared for characters to screw with plot and you need to roll with it. The worst thing you can do is ignore the choices characters make.

I remember a PRO event (Nero Intl.) I went to which had a plot to release a super-powerful genie by trapping a smaller genie in a bottle. Due to some differences between my group and the nobles of the town, we ended up warning the smaller genie that he was to be captured and he fled. Normally, this would have messed up the plotline, but plot rolled with us and started a set of intricate rituals that could be used to put him in the bottle even without his presence. Later, when we destroyed one of the components for the ritual, they accepted that we stopped that plotline and ran with another one.

The plot team at this event did exactly what they should have to deal with our actions. The result is that I am still talking about it 8 years after it happened. That is what you want as a member of plot.

Here are some tips that make you better able to cope with giving characters a choice in modules.

1. Make reversable modules
Sometimes a module will have two opposing groups fighting and you fully expect the players to side with the good guys. Try preparing a version of the module where the players side with the bad guys instead.

By being prepared with cards and treasure for both outcomes, you can give the evil characters an evil module without any extra wait. They will be able to tell that you had them in mind, making the game more personal and making them more likely to return to your game.