Ready, Fire, Aim: The Perils of Poor Planning in LARP
Some games have a real issue with planning, and it often comes down to aiming after they’ve already taken their shot. This approach leaves the game broken, unfixable, and full of angry people. There is a common quote: “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail,” and it is very apparent that this is exactly what happens in some LARPs. In this article, I’m going to discuss why LARPs often fail to plan and the avoidable issues that arise from it.
“Build it and they will come” is a famous quote from Field of Dreams. Many people who want to create a LARP are dreamers; they can envision a world full of monsters, heroes, villains, and fantastical creatures. This is great, but it can prove tricky to bring into reality. It is a massive undertaking to run a LARP, and people often overlook how much work it actually is. They don’t take the time to think about the logistics: planning a story that arcs over multiple events, costuming, props, site registration, rule systems, and so forth. Sometimes the dream becomes a nightmare when one is faced with the reality of the to-do list required to make a successful game happen.
Game runners often buckle under the pressure when faced with the reality of the workload. This frequently results in the game shutting down or the runners refusing help because they don’t want to admit they were unprepared and cannot do it alone. Some try to cover for their lack of preparation by making wild promises they know they can’t keep, or conversely, by saying nothing at all which leads to a dull game that no one wants to play.
How can this be avoided?
You need a plan before you run a game or seriously get involved in a project like this. You need to take time to think about why you are doing this. You must ensure that you are getting something out of it; otherwise, you will start resenting the game because of the time and effort it demands. You also need to audit your resources: figure out how much time, energy, and money you have to put into this venture. If you don’t have the necessary resources, where are you going to get them to keep your game going?
It’s like building a tower. You need a blueprint before you start, or the tower will be in serious jeopardy of falling over. You need to identify every task that must be completed. I suggest contacting others who have run games to ask about their experiences; this will give you a better idea of what you are in for. You also have to prepare to make this game special and unique so you can compete with other games in the market. As the years go by, you will need to improve your game, so you must plan for that growth as well.
It is of the utmost importance to plan things out in advance before you decide, “Hey, I’m going to run this LARP.” You need to do this so you don’t get overwhelmed, burn out, and end up hating this hobby. If you don’t plan, you risk running a game that falls apart and goes down in flames, creating issues that make your players hate the hobby, too. It is better to plan ahead; during that process, you might realize this isn’t for you, or that you can’t do it by yourself and need help. Remember, LARP is a lot of work, but with a little planning, it is much easier to manage.
