Midway - an ongoing LARP

evilrobotshane · 24-08-2010 2:10pm #1

This isn't pure airsoft, but it'll have airsoft in it and I know it's of interest to some folks here. The idea for this came when the writer, Nick, played an extra in an airsoft sort-of-milsim and was impressed by the quality of play, role-playing, and scheming that people engaged in. He's been writing great and innovative LARPs for years and years and I have every confidence that this'll be tons of fun.

The rules will be a bit more complicated than an airsoft milsim, there'll be extremely limited ammo (like, one real-cap magazine each) due to the post-apocalyptic setting, some folks won't have guns at all (player's choice) and there'll be imitation swords and stuff as well as guns. Combat will be limited and often be an optional way of resolving differences if negotiating doesn't work. There'll be lots of interacting with the other players and with characters played by the acting staff in-character (LARPing, you might say).

The first game especially is going to be heavy on talk and light on fighting, so I wouldn't want anybody turning up and being disappointed because they thought they were going to get to brap for five hours. However, if you'd be interested in using your head to think of different ways around problems and getting immersed in the shoes of someone in a post-apocalyptic future, this'll be well worth checking out.

Here's the blurb for the first event (there'll be more, as an ongoing story), followed by the main game announcement from Nick.

Event I - "Come Together Right Now" - Friday 3rd September
Location: HRTA, Ballyboughal, Swords
Time: 6pm - 11pm

Cost: €15.00

Settlers from Haven and Erin's Point gather in the ruins of the suburb known as Midway, looking to create both a home and a waypoint for traders travelling between the two larger towns. But where will the balance of power lie - will the disparate group be able to sustain itself in the wilderness, and will they be able to live together in peace?

(Note - this event is our first. It is likely to be more "talky" than action-based and will focus on character interaction between those present. Everyone will be finding their feet with a new rules set and a new environment, so don't worry if you'll be a little late, or your costume isn't perfect yet; you'll still be welcome!)

"The End happened many years ago - outside of living memory; the last great war, the one to end all wars. The cities were destroyed and only a handful in a thousand people survived. The time since has been a time of recovery, of slow rebuilding once the suffering began to ease.

Two settlements - Haven and Erin's Point have found each other and began a trading relationship, but the route between the two is fraught with danger and is far from safe. And so a small group of pioneers have left Haven and Erin’s Point, arranging to meet together and forge something new - a waypoint of sorts where traders can rest in safety before continuing their journies. There will be hardships and there will be pain - there will be those who will see the new village as a ripe fruit for the picking, and there is always the threat of the environment and disease, not to mention the fact that the alliance between Haven and Erin’s Point is a shaky one. But on the edge of the Green Belt there is profit to be made, a reputation to be generated, a home to be built.

Welcome to Midway. Welcome to the Beginning."

I'd like to announce a new ongoing live-action game that I'll be kicking off this year. It's a hybrid game using both latex replica weapons and airsoft guns for combat resolution, and the first two events will run in Dublin in September, on the 3rd and the 24th. We're running at least the first two events at Hit-And-Run Tactical Assault (HRTA) airsoft out in Swords (www.hrta.ie) and we've a good relationship with the folk there.

For more details please go visit our webpage at https://sites.google.com/site/midwaylrp or contact me directly at kshandr (at) gmail (dot) com. Our webpage will continue to be updated over the coming fortnight with things like a FAQ, additional rules, location information and directions, and also some dodgy photos of yours truly to suggest costuming ideas.

I'd really love to see you there - this sort of thing succeeds or fails based on the people that attend. If you come along I'll put on the best damned show I can.

Nick.

thermo · 24-08-2010 9:48pm

so how little is little by way of shooting?

tadcan · 24-08-2010 11:57pm

I would say their will be little and maybe even no shooting. As shane has said this is not a milsim event. This is about roleplaying a character in a world. The big difference is that there will be no re-spawn once your character is killed.

As is normal in larp's if you lose a character then you have to make another one. All the information, conversations etc you new as that character apart from what is publicly known is not usable with the new character. You can then change costume, join a new side etc. Its a more fluid type of game.

As a larper this really excites me. Don't think of it as a mil-sim, think of it as a world-sim.

Drachnien · 25-08-2010 7:58am

W00t, Arrive back from LT Larp event on tuesday morning and have this on friday, Win!

see you there Tad,

thermo · 25-08-2010 8:10am

tadcan wrote: »

I would say their will be little and maybe even no shooting. As shane has said this is not a milsim event. This is about roleplaying a character in a world. The big difference is that there will be no re-spawn once your character is killed.

Like is normal in larp's if you lose a character then you have to make another one. All the information, conversations etc you new as that character apart from what is publicly known is not usable with the new character. You can then change costume, join a new side etc. Its a more fluid type of game.

As a larper this really excites me. Don't think of it as a mil-sim, think of it as a world-sim.

thanks mate, maybe ill give it a miss, does not really sound like my cup of tea.

tadcan · 25-08-2010 8:58am

thermo wrote: »

thanks mate, maybe ill give it a miss, does not really sound like my cup of tea.

As other people maybe thinking something similar I'll say this. At the milsim events there was roleplaying just with the way the game was written. The word wasn't used, but all the none talking actions people did in is roleplaying.

In the first part of the game a tense ceasefire held as the sweetwater gang tried to get the other gang to trade/drink, not fight.

A gang of young players decide to 'torture' the trader to find out where the main base is to raid it.

The boss of the two opposing gangs and the mercenaries had deals that were made broken and changed. As each side looked on trying to figure out what was going on.

The fighters in the sweetwater steel money from the chest, as a protest at not being paid.

All these things and more are roleplaying, a term that people who where there might not have described themselves as doing being unfamiliar with the term. The main difference here is that death has a more final in game consequence, so fighting will be more an action of last resort.

thermo · 25-08-2010 9:32am

tadcan wrote: »

As other people maybe thinking something similar I'll say this. At the milsim events there was roleplaying just with the way the game was written. The word wasn't used, but all the none talking actions people did in is roleplaying.

In the first part of the game a tense ceasefire held as the sweetwater gang tried to get the other gang to trade/drink, not fight.

A gang of young players decide to 'torture' the trader to find out where the main base is to raid it.

The boss of the two opposing gangs and the mercenaries had deals that were made broken and changed. As each side looked on trying to figure out what was going on.

The fighters in the sweetwater steel money from the chest, as a protest at not being paid.

All these things and more are roleplaying, a term that people who where there might not have described themselves as doing being unfamiliar with the term. The main difference here is that death has a more final in game consequence, so fighting will be more an action of last resort.

dont get me wrong im not knocking the LARP game, its just not my cup of tea.
ive played mil-sim games with some elements of larping, i just dont want to play a larp game with some elements of airsoft/mil-sim. each to their own and i hope the event goes well for those involved!

gerrowadat · 25-08-2010 9:37am

I'd be all over this were it not the evening I'm driving to wales for sennybridge. If this is an ongoing thing I am all over this like the proverbial cheap suit.

OzCam · 25-08-2010 12:18pm

Very interesting. I've added it to the events calendars.

I'd love to drop by and watch, but as Dave said, that's the evening we're going to Senny.

Patrick 1 · 25-08-2010 8:46pm

Why am i only seventeen?
This sounds like it could be great craic, especially if future scenarios last over nights, or even weekends.

r0n0c · 25-08-2010 9:26pm

I'd be interested in giving this a shot, shame I cant make the first one though.

Hivemind187 · 25-08-2010 9:45pm

I would be up for this if I wasnt completely bogged down with other things.

Fair play to Shane and Nick - trust me I know from experience that Huggin's is a demon of a writer.

MerryDespot · 25-08-2010 10:20pm

tadcan wrote: »

In the first part of the game a tense ceasefire held as the sweetwater gang tried to get the other gang to trade/drink, not fight.

That was awesome actually - that feeling that we weren't exactly sure what was going to kick off. Obviously, as a milsim game, it was going to kick off eventually. But until then the tension was epic... With this it seems that you can't be guaranteed that any shooting will kick off - which is just like a full day of that wtf is happening feeling - which would be outstanding.

I'm afraid I'll be in Lithuania for the 3rd but I will try to make subsequent games.

extremetaz · 26-08-2010 11:10am

this has EPIC potential!!

silverhare · 26-08-2010 11:42am

Sounds like something I, and a few friends of mine could get into. LARP without the magic

Sounds a little steampunk to me, I may have just the outfit...

Tommyboy71 · 26-08-2010 11:47am

This sounds like it could be a bit of fun. However as it falls on my Friday evening shift I am not going to be able to go. Best of luck with it lads. I look forward to hearing how it goes.

Ayrtonf7 · 26-08-2010 4:10pm

Ill be there

Will need to get the night of work...but it will be done

xzenopredator · 26-08-2010 5:44pm

ooooh...sounds like something id enjoy

ill try and be there for it :pac:

OzCam · 26-08-2010 8:20pm

extremetaz wrote: »

this has EPIC potential!!

It's about time someone came up with something to tempt you out of retirement. Welcome back.

r0n0c · 27-08-2010 3:44pm

just wondering..... the latest legislation regarding swords, how does it affect larp swords?

Hivemind187 · 28-08-2010 1:31pm

r0n0c wrote: »

just wondering..... the latest legislation regarding swords, how does it affect larp swords?

It doesnt.

Just dont wander around in public with any armament-shaped object on display.

Seriously.

tadcan · 29-08-2010 9:35am

On a roleplaying forum some folks are talking about characters for the game. Arranging some groups before hand would give you a better idea of what will happen at the game.

http://www.irishgaming.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=19

Puding · 29-08-2010 9:42am

sounds interesting and sounds like a great opportunity embrace my passion for stalker at the same time

unfortunately i will be off in sennybridge this weekend

tadcan · 02-09-2010 4:42pm

While its been quite here. Preparation is underway among the roleplayers who are attending. Hoping that we get a good mix of airsofters as well.

r0n0c · 02-09-2010 5:20pm

whats the story with rules? I assume anyone with an aeg will also be allowed a sword/axe/etc?

tadcan · 02-09-2010 6:51pm

Its a bit different. To be able to use and have a gun you have to buy the skill with the points allocated. Each player has six points. a pistol and shotgun is one point and a assault/rifle is 3 points. Using larp foam weapons also cost one point each. They are broken down into blunt (baseball bat type), sharp (sword), knife. Skills like first aid and surgery are also available.

You can have a look at the rules here https://sites.google.com/site/midwaylrp

evilrobotshane · 03-09-2010 11:33pm

That was a success! Great fun, a very good start to the proceedings. The two factions met up and got into the process of hammering out a new town, with clashes over differing points of view. The capture of a would-be thief caused some ructions over how he should have been dealt with but time will tell if beating the tar out of him and setting him free sent the right message or not.

The next episode's happening on Friday the 24th.

Many thanks to Paul from HRTA for, yet again, not being afraid to open up the site to try something new.

tadcan · 03-09-2010 11:54pm

Absolutely agree, a very good game. People were a mix of roleplayers and those who do roleplaying and airsoft. Each person was from one of two places, but there was a nice mix of characters. So that when the political people were arguing about how to argue (as people from both side put it) then the fighters could bitch about it while on guard.

This was just a small test game to get off the ground. Later their will be more combat and higher stakes, with lots more for airsofters to get involved in. Like be bandits that attack or such like.

thermo · 04-09-2010 4:40pm

any photo's???

tadcan · 05-09-2010 10:40am

I had a pic taken in of me in costume. Otherwise I didn't see any cameras around. I think people were to busy figuring out the new game. Next time I'll try and take some.

thegogz · 06-09-2010 10:19am

I did take some photos, I'll upload them somewhere and link them when I get a chance.

They're fairly limited as Tad said as we were more interested in getting to grips with the rules/game mechanics.

TheDoc · 06-09-2010 11:12am

Pity I missed the first one due to senny, will be interested in attending a future one

tadcan · 06-09-2010 11:07pm

The next game is on 24 sept, hope to see you there.

https://sites.google.com/site/midwaylrp/events

gerrowadat · 07-09-2010 9:35pm

Goddamnit, the weekend of my brother's wedding. I am doomed to never attend this :-/

TheDoc · 07-09-2010 9:42pm

Hopefully work permitting ill be there

tadcan · 24-09-2010 12:00pm

Its a bit late, but the next event is tonight.

Stonewolf · 26-09-2010 6:37pm

It was a good game on Saturday, more combat than the first one. I saw at least one camera on the day so there's probably some photos somewhere.

Stonewolf · 30-11-2010 4:44pm

The fourth game in this series is on Friday the 10th in the evening at HRTA and costs 15 eurobucks for anyone who is interested in trying it out (less for people willing to play opfor).

Tommyboy71 · 06-12-2010 4:44pm

Might see if I can get to this. Trying to arrange the Friday night off anyway.

Midway - an ongoing LARP

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