Article:
LARP Plot Tips: Envelope Clues

One of the key principles to a successful LARP is that every player feels useful. For people with skill IG and OOG, this is pretty simple to accomplish. The problem is that characters that lack fighting skills and new players often feel overwhelmed at plot that doesn't help them feel useful.

The best way to make people feel useful is to give them a unique piece of information that they can either divulge to other players or keep to themselves. The biggest issue plot teams run into is a way of delivering that information in a private way.

One way is to allow players to ask questions based on their skills/backgrounds before the module, but the answers are generally public, so the player has no way to withold that information. Another way is to have a marshal walking around giving information to various players, but this normally slows down gameplay and can be very tedious. There is a better way.

Give the players "Envelope Clues."

Envelope Clues are a way of providing information to individuals in real time, based on what they know. Place envelopes around the module area, each with a prerequisite on them. If a player fulfill's the prerequisite, they are allowed to open the envelope and read the contents. Obviously, the prerequisite should tie in with the information provided on the clue inside.

Here are some ideas for prerequisites you can use for an envelope.

Class/Race
The most obvious way to limit who can read envelopes is by picking specific classes, races, or skills, should your game use those. It makes sense that someone playing a dryad or ranger would be able to identify something odd with the flora and fauna in the area. Likewise, a fighter might be able to identify if a large scale battle took place in the forest. Try and spread these envelopes out amongst the various races and classes in your game, so that everyone has a chance to use them.

Specialized Skill
Some games allow for characters to specialize in knoweledge skills. This is a great way to provide extra information on enemies to those players during battle. If you know someone will identify something during a module, you can give them the envelope before-hand and let them know when they can open it up. Forcing the player to work through the information in real time adds another element to combat, making things more exciting.