Some things dance the fine line between what can and should be done at LARP. You see, on one hand, we're supposed to be acting out as our character, and what we do is what they do. However, there are often things that your character might be interested in doing, but you simply can't represent it easily.
For example, picking locks. Sure, you can put a cheap lock on a mod and ask a player to actually pick it. That's fine. But what about an elaborate lock system with many tumblers and possible fake outs. There's almost no way that your run of the mill Larper is going to be able to pull that off with run of the mill Larp tools. So you can try and do some dexterity puzzles.
Or what about an intricate ritual? You could simply say that someone has to do so and so for 15 minutes. But honestly, that gets pretty boring, considering the player really knows he's not actually casting a spell (although the atmosphere and depth of the situation can help that). So, in order to make it skill based, throw a puzzle (or puzzles) that determine the length.
So it's clear that there is a time and a place for puzzles. But at the same time, each puzzle used to represent something else ends up breaking the immersion of the game, because instead of working a complex lock, everyone sees you play operation. Or instead of a ritual, you're doing mazes or whatever.
So if you're going to be running puzzles, remember these tips.
1. Keep it Similar
There are lots of puzzles. Some require intellect, some require deep analysis, some require dexterity, some require cleverness, and others require plain old luck. When picking a puzzle to represent an activity, try and pick a puzzle that falls in line with what you're doing. A thief picking a lock should almost always be performing some kind of dexterity puzzle, while an introspective mage shouldn't have to put a bunch of wooden pieces together to form a cube. Try and pick a puzzle that fits the IG activity.
2. Remove Anachronistic Elements
While Operation makes for a great dexterity puzzle, the big red and the dude with the glowy nose most likely don't fit the genre. Try and do whatever you can to remove/disguise any modern elements. Applying some layers of an earthy tone paint can go a long way to save immersion.
3. Don't be Afraid to Take it Off-Board
What I mean by this, is you don't have to put the puzzle on the module every time. Sure, with locks and such it makes sense. But if players have to translate some kind of runes to get a password to open a door, you can give them the stuff to translate ahead of time. As the commentors at Collabnarration said, the standard deviation for someone doing a puzzle on the spot is huge, and you can find yourself victim of a module that is drastically longer or shorter than intended. So for things that require a lot of busywork or have a high variability of time to solve, see if there's any way to feed it to the players early. This also helps create the Zero NPC moment.
I personally love puzzles, but I know not everyone agrees. How do you feel about puzzles in your Larp? What awesome puzzles have you used/seen?
For example, picking locks. Sure, you can put a cheap lock on a mod and ask a player to actually pick it. That's fine. But what about an elaborate lock system with many tumblers and possible fake outs. There's almost no way that your run of the mill Larper is going to be able to pull that off with run of the mill Larp tools. So you can try and do some dexterity puzzles.
Or what about an intricate ritual? You could simply say that someone has to do so and so for 15 minutes. But honestly, that gets pretty boring, considering the player really knows he's not actually casting a spell (although the atmosphere and depth of the situation can help that). So, in order to make it skill based, throw a puzzle (or puzzles) that determine the length.
So it's clear that there is a time and a place for puzzles. But at the same time, each puzzle used to represent something else ends up breaking the immersion of the game, because instead of working a complex lock, everyone sees you play operation. Or instead of a ritual, you're doing mazes or whatever.
So if you're going to be running puzzles, remember these tips.
1. Keep it Similar
There are lots of puzzles. Some require intellect, some require deep analysis, some require dexterity, some require cleverness, and others require plain old luck. When picking a puzzle to represent an activity, try and pick a puzzle that falls in line with what you're doing. A thief picking a lock should almost always be performing some kind of dexterity puzzle, while an introspective mage shouldn't have to put a bunch of wooden pieces together to form a cube. Try and pick a puzzle that fits the IG activity.
2. Remove Anachronistic Elements
While Operation makes for a great dexterity puzzle, the big red and the dude with the glowy nose most likely don't fit the genre. Try and do whatever you can to remove/disguise any modern elements. Applying some layers of an earthy tone paint can go a long way to save immersion.
3. Don't be Afraid to Take it Off-Board
What I mean by this, is you don't have to put the puzzle on the module every time. Sure, with locks and such it makes sense. But if players have to translate some kind of runes to get a password to open a door, you can give them the stuff to translate ahead of time. As the commentors at Collabnarration said, the standard deviation for someone doing a puzzle on the spot is huge, and you can find yourself victim of a module that is drastically longer or shorter than intended. So for things that require a lot of busywork or have a high variability of time to solve, see if there's any way to feed it to the players early. This also helps create the Zero NPC moment.
I personally love puzzles, but I know not everyone agrees. How do you feel about puzzles in your Larp? What awesome puzzles have you used/seen?
I love puzzles! Mods with puzzles are my favorite! I think that they spice up the usual combat, which can get old after a while. I've seen lots of puzzles, although it's been a while.
ReplyDeleteI've seen Simon Says used for locks.
I've also seen a combat/puzzle mod where each Monster had a shape on it (they were crunchy skeletons), and each floor tile also had a shape on it. You had to kill the monster on the correct shape or it would stand back up on a 3-count or something.
I've also seen some that were kind of like puzzles, but had many different possible outcomes. I remember watching players try to throw a helmet across a chasm in attempt to find a way across. It was pretty entertaining.