Finally I’m done with the practicalities of being Live Rep. I decided to post one final message to the refs, after consultation with the Jellicle and DS Luke, this is what I came up with:
I’m about to leave this conversation so a couple of things before I go.
First I want to say Thankyou for letting me be Live Rep over the past year. I joined LURPS as a solely tabletop girl and then I was all about horror & investigation but didn’t really fancy that latex weapon stuff, now – well I’ll try anything once. LURPS has given me an immense grounding in all types of LARP and I’ve tried to cement that within the society during the last year. I have always viewed roleplay as an Artform and as collaborators who I’ve been able to work with and/or facilitate I’ve really enjoyed the work we’ve put out over this last year.
I have felt incredibly proud to hear various people at Future’s End, on the Empire crew team and some LT plot regulars speak really well of Lancaster in terms of producing reliable, safe crew who can be depended on to throw themselves into what’s given. I’m not responsible for that, that’s about us having done and continuing to do regular larp safely. That’s down to you guys as well as the people who taught you to ref.
As refs it’s easy to go to extremes, to be incredibly high when a game goes well and very down when it doesn’t. Talking about games that you’ve poured your life and soul into can be really hard but that’s what has made and continues to make LURPS LARP scene one of the richest and most creative centres of university LARP in the U.K. And we genuinely are in terms of game types, regularity, experimentation and turn-out.
There is a balance to be struck between drawing on the experience of old LURPS and challenging orthodoxy (challenge it! Challenge it! Or at least know why it’s there). Talk LARP, talk games and system and setting!
Thanks to working with you guys I know that you can run a game having written it at 3am that morning whilst drunk and have it go well – because if everyone gets what you’re doing, if there’s good communication between npcs, refs and players, the game will flow.
I mean ideally don’t do the 3am thing but keep talking, keep discussing your differing viewpoints because that’s how you improve even the finest crafted games. It’s always worth listening to those who disagree with you, because you listen and then discover why your way is/isn’t working for your game.
We are doing so well for LARP as a society, and that’s larp of all types, once again thankyou and one last request to keep talking to your fellow refs, reflect on your art, know your intention and keep doing your damnedest to put out your stories.