After a year or so of regular LARPing, around that time when you're really feeling settled in your character and plot at your favorite camp, it's time to start thinking about volunteerism. If you enjoy LARP, one of the best possible things you can do is give your time to your game in the form of NPCing or staffing. Nearly all LARPs run on volunteer labor, and it's really crucial to understand that if you want to play an awesome game, you need to make an awesome game. Donations are fantastic and absolutely important, but a camp with a thousand dollars of donated goods and two NPCs might not be as thankful for your bulk order of printer paper as you hope they will.
I
began NPCing during my second year of play, and last year I became a
staff member at a We Are Roleplayers camp. This year I will be filling a
head of staff role there, and I've been thinking a lot about how to
make myself and my team the most valuable group of NPCs we can possibly
be. There are a few principles of NPC/Staffing at LARP events that I
think are important to remember.
No, wait, there's just one, but it covers everything you need to know about volunteering at a LARP.
Are
you ready for this? It's going to get complicated. There will be
sub-points and maybe even bulleted lists (I'm not sure, I'm still
writing it), and lots of explanation, but there is one single, solitary
phrase that will tell you everything you need to know about how to NPC or staff a LARP event.
Here it goes.
Be ready. It's coming up right here. I'm going to put it in bold and even underline it so you don't miss it.
Just play it cool, guys.
