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Fleshing the Skeleton

Learn how to empower players to develop their characters without risking the integrity of the game. Discover methods to balance structure with personalization and guide players in fleshing out their character skeletons effectively.

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Fleshing the Skeleton

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  1. Fleshing the Skeleton How to empower players to make characters their own, without the risk of ‘breaking the larp’

  2. Character creation responsibility • Created by the larpwright • ... ? • Created by the player

  3. Skeletons • Designer provides enough structure to make sure that the characters are balanced and will fit together • Player has enough space to be able to personalize the character • Players choose, or are assigned, a skeleton • Give them tools to put flesh upon it

  4. Questions to ask yourself • What do you need to define? • What can you afford to leave open? • Where can you give freedom without risk?

  5. Real Men example T_______ [choose name] The Showman [character concept] Your secret fear (unknown even to yourself): ”I’m worthless”. This compels you to perform and prove yourself constantly. Your fantasy is fame, success and adulation. The impossible dream is that your ordinariness will be accepted

  6. And the questions: • What’s your name? • Where are you from? (A specific place eg. Ealing, or a general description of the type of place eg. a small East Midlands town.) • How do you spend your time (working, training, studying, unemployed, etc)? • What do you want to achieve with that? • Are you in a relationship at the moment? • How do you feel about that? • Do you believe in something larger and more mysterious than yourself? (Be it a religion or something else.)

  7. List of choices • Alien dignitary, android servant, bartender, counsellor, red-shirted security officer, xenobiologist, etc (Delta Sector Helter Skelter) • Provides comforting safety for players • Indicates the flavour of the larp

  8. Things to think about • Questions specific to theme and setting • Allow players to play close to or far from home • Questions to prompt thoughts and feelings • Physical tasks as questions (‘walk as your character’) • Collaboration and relationships

  9. Conclusion • Designers: don’t be afraid to surrender control where you don’t need it • Players: don’t be afraid to use your creativity where the design gives you space to do so • “Rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty”

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