Time-scales
ONE OFF
This is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a one off game, there are no follow up games, and it doesn’t form part of any wider story arc. One-offs will generally last over the space of an evening / day / weekend, and the story will start and conclude over the course of this period
Character driven games are difficult to run as one-offs as the players have not really had much of a chance to develop and experiment with their characters so are unsure of the motivations. Linear or “open linear” are usually the best formats for one off.
You will need to have characters for each person (either pre-generate for the players, or allow them to create their own characters)
One-offs are good in that there are no repercussions from your actions. If your character does something wrong then at the end of the night it’s all over. The drawback is that part of the fun of roleplaying is watching your character grow and develop, and this element is missing from One-offs. If you are thinking of LRP’ing with the same group of people each time, they will almost certainly want some degree of continuation
I’ve found that one offs are good for
i) To test the water: The players can do a one off game to see if they like your game. If they do and want to play more, then you can arrange it. This is useful if you want to run an unusual genre or even game system
ii) Play test: If youre writing your own rules, then you’ll need to play test
iii) Variety : If you’ve already got your game going, run one off specials to give your players chance to do something different. I.e. if you’re normally running a Vampire game, try running a one off Sabbat game, featuring some of the characters that have been seen in the normal Camarilla game
iv) As an introduction: If you already have the idea for a campaign game that you wish to run, it’s sometimes useful to run a one off as a prelude to the main campaign. Think of it like the starting sequence of a James Bond film, before the opening credits. Its not really part of the main film, but it provides some clues about what will happen, and gets you introduced to some of the characters
CAMPAIGN
Campaigns are quite simply a series of one-offs that are a continuation of each other. It’s the soap opera of LRP. What ever happens in one game affects future games. If you sell your soul to Satan in your first game, don’t be surprised in 6 months later he comes to collect.
Campaigns are probably the most common form of LRP, the majority of groups will operate on this basis. As LRP groups generally have the same people coming along each session a Campaign allows them to develop their own relationships with each other, to make friends / enemies and to put into action the plots and schemes that would take more than a matter of hours to accomplish
They are also good for the organisers. Not only will the players become more and more absorbed with their characters, but the freedom to plot encourages them to “make their own destinies”. Rather than you having to script plot-lines for people, they will quite often start something that their character wishes to accomplish and will set off to do it. In some styles of play this is not to be encouraged too much, but often a players own actions can provide a useful diversion from the main storylines, add a personal touch to the game and give the organisers a little break from having to write too much
A campaign game will be ongoing and although it takes less planning for each individual event, the overall effort required is probably greater than for a One-off. You need to provide your players with the opportunity to advance their characters. You will often need to write a much more extensive world background, as players will want to metaphorically “explore” the world you have created for them. You will also need to keep a close eye on what happens at each game and looks at the implications for the next game and for the game world as a whole
Players tend to be happier with Campaigns too as the feel a greater sense of achievement by overcoming long term adversity. After 6 months of battling the demon Carabas, the player will be relieved one its all over. The feelings would not be the same if they spent only 2 hours fighting their infernal foe.
PERMANENT TIME IN
So called because you are permanently playing your character (or at least during set times / days etc). Rather than a bunch of people converging together at a certain time each month to LRP, a PTI game uses the concept that the players have their characters and it is up to them to create their own meetings.
PTI games generally only lend themselves to urban settings. To try to get someone to get in character / costume and head to the woods to meet you for a 5 minute chat is difficult, and telephones in Darak-Gul’s Dwarven fort are generally not that common
PTI games have the bonus of long term games in that the players get the chance to develop their characters over a period of time, and given the lack of “outside influence” are generally more free to do as they want. This can have drawbacks though players may be unavailable or unwilling to meet with other players, NPCs may not be available and so on. Real-life commitments often get in the way of LRP ones. A careful line also needs to be drawn as to when a player is playing and when they are not. A romantic dinner for two to celebrate your anniversary with your spouse can turn into a disaster zone with the addition of 3 blokes, in ski masks with large water pistols.
You also need to do a lot more preparation and record keeping if you are thinking of running a PTI game. You need to know who has done what, who has said what to whom and so on. As the players are all meeting at different times in different places it is impractical for you to be present at every liaison
Furthermore you also need players who are trustworthy and experienced enough to cope with most situations if there isn’t a referee to help.
You also need committed players, who are prepared to be a little flexible in order to help the game run more smoothly. If you need someone to NPC on a certain night then they must be committed enough to do the part even if they are feeling a “bit tired”. You also need player to inform you of what they’ve been doing on a regular basis
Some one off games can be PTIs. I.e. a weekend when you are in character all the time. These games are not really PTI’s as they have a limited time-span. Really they are long one-offs, or part of a campaign
PTI’s are very often character driven. It is the interactions between the PC’s that makes them work. With a few NPCs to spice up the story, it can work fabulously with plotlines and schemes converging on each other for season finales. If Campigns are soap operas, the a PTI is “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”
This is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a one off game, there are no follow up games, and it doesn’t form part of any wider story arc. One-offs will generally last over the space of an evening / day / weekend, and the story will start and conclude over the course of this period
Character driven games are difficult to run as one-offs as the players have not really had much of a chance to develop and experiment with their characters so are unsure of the motivations. Linear or “open linear” are usually the best formats for one off.
You will need to have characters for each person (either pre-generate for the players, or allow them to create their own characters)
One-offs are good in that there are no repercussions from your actions. If your character does something wrong then at the end of the night it’s all over. The drawback is that part of the fun of roleplaying is watching your character grow and develop, and this element is missing from One-offs. If you are thinking of LRP’ing with the same group of people each time, they will almost certainly want some degree of continuation
I’ve found that one offs are good for
i) To test the water: The players can do a one off game to see if they like your game. If they do and want to play more, then you can arrange it. This is useful if you want to run an unusual genre or even game system
ii) Play test: If youre writing your own rules, then you’ll need to play test
iii) Variety : If you’ve already got your game going, run one off specials to give your players chance to do something different. I.e. if you’re normally running a Vampire game, try running a one off Sabbat game, featuring some of the characters that have been seen in the normal Camarilla game
iv) As an introduction: If you already have the idea for a campaign game that you wish to run, it’s sometimes useful to run a one off as a prelude to the main campaign. Think of it like the starting sequence of a James Bond film, before the opening credits. Its not really part of the main film, but it provides some clues about what will happen, and gets you introduced to some of the characters
CAMPAIGN
Campaigns are quite simply a series of one-offs that are a continuation of each other. It’s the soap opera of LRP. What ever happens in one game affects future games. If you sell your soul to Satan in your first game, don’t be surprised in 6 months later he comes to collect.
Campaigns are probably the most common form of LRP, the majority of groups will operate on this basis. As LRP groups generally have the same people coming along each session a Campaign allows them to develop their own relationships with each other, to make friends / enemies and to put into action the plots and schemes that would take more than a matter of hours to accomplish
They are also good for the organisers. Not only will the players become more and more absorbed with their characters, but the freedom to plot encourages them to “make their own destinies”. Rather than you having to script plot-lines for people, they will quite often start something that their character wishes to accomplish and will set off to do it. In some styles of play this is not to be encouraged too much, but often a players own actions can provide a useful diversion from the main storylines, add a personal touch to the game and give the organisers a little break from having to write too much
A campaign game will be ongoing and although it takes less planning for each individual event, the overall effort required is probably greater than for a One-off. You need to provide your players with the opportunity to advance their characters. You will often need to write a much more extensive world background, as players will want to metaphorically “explore” the world you have created for them. You will also need to keep a close eye on what happens at each game and looks at the implications for the next game and for the game world as a whole
Players tend to be happier with Campaigns too as the feel a greater sense of achievement by overcoming long term adversity. After 6 months of battling the demon Carabas, the player will be relieved one its all over. The feelings would not be the same if they spent only 2 hours fighting their infernal foe.
PERMANENT TIME IN
So called because you are permanently playing your character (or at least during set times / days etc). Rather than a bunch of people converging together at a certain time each month to LRP, a PTI game uses the concept that the players have their characters and it is up to them to create their own meetings.
PTI games generally only lend themselves to urban settings. To try to get someone to get in character / costume and head to the woods to meet you for a 5 minute chat is difficult, and telephones in Darak-Gul’s Dwarven fort are generally not that common
PTI games have the bonus of long term games in that the players get the chance to develop their characters over a period of time, and given the lack of “outside influence” are generally more free to do as they want. This can have drawbacks though players may be unavailable or unwilling to meet with other players, NPCs may not be available and so on. Real-life commitments often get in the way of LRP ones. A careful line also needs to be drawn as to when a player is playing and when they are not. A romantic dinner for two to celebrate your anniversary with your spouse can turn into a disaster zone with the addition of 3 blokes, in ski masks with large water pistols.
You also need to do a lot more preparation and record keeping if you are thinking of running a PTI game. You need to know who has done what, who has said what to whom and so on. As the players are all meeting at different times in different places it is impractical for you to be present at every liaison
Furthermore you also need players who are trustworthy and experienced enough to cope with most situations if there isn’t a referee to help.
You also need committed players, who are prepared to be a little flexible in order to help the game run more smoothly. If you need someone to NPC on a certain night then they must be committed enough to do the part even if they are feeling a “bit tired”. You also need player to inform you of what they’ve been doing on a regular basis
Some one off games can be PTIs. I.e. a weekend when you are in character all the time. These games are not really PTI’s as they have a limited time-span. Really they are long one-offs, or part of a campaign
PTI’s are very often character driven. It is the interactions between the PC’s that makes them work. With a few NPCs to spice up the story, it can work fabulously with plotlines and schemes converging on each other for season finales. If Campigns are soap operas, the a PTI is “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”
