handouts for larpjam

7/26/2019 Handouts for LarpJam

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LarpJam Facilitator Guide

Day Of Checklist LarpJam Packets. One for each group. In each there is:

Cover Sheets, rules page + questions for each round

Technique

Pitch

10 pages of lined scratch paper (or more!)

Pens. As many pens as players, in as many colors as groups.

I have ____ pens in the colors _______, _______, _______,

and _______. Facilitator Guide

(Optional) Facilitator Script

Back up Pitch

Back up Technique

Player Sign-in sheet

Facilitators Credits Tracker sheet

My personal must-haves (water bottle, medication,snack,

assistive technology, fidget item, _______, _______.)

http://bit.ly/LARPjam LarpJam Facilitator Guide page 1
http://bit.ly/LARPjam


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Facilitators Role

Lower the Stakes. People having playful fun are better designers!

Watch the Clock.

Before Play

Get to the play space early.

Get everyone to fill out the Sign-in sheet.

Welcome players as they filter into the space.

Warmup(30 minutes)

1. Introduce LarpJam. Introduce players.

a. name, why youd like to play LarpJam today

2. Give players a birds-eye view of the workshop.

a. Summarize rules in own words, or use the Overview Script.

3. Give the Safety talk. Introduce the Open Door and your communitys

harassment policy. Take care of self. Ask for any accommodations for

disability.

4. Practical information. Tell people where the bathroom is.

5. Double-check that every player has given their name and email on

the sign in sheet.6. Run the players through a few creativity exercises. (15 minutes)

a. Whats Cool about Larp?

i. What is your favorite thing that larp as a medium can do?

What do you imagine it can do?

b. One Word Story

c. Story Orchestra

i. 5 storytellers are assigned genres and tell one story

together. Facilitator directs.7. Call a biobreak (5 minutes)



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Jam (2 hours, 15 minutes)

1. Give a final rules explanation, answering any last questions.

2. Divide players into small groups of equal size, mixing experts and

novices in each group.

3. Give each group different colored pens and a packet.

4. Read the first page of the packet out loud.

5. Groups notate in their packets when each round will conclude (40

minutes in the future), appointing a person for each group to set an

alarm or otherwise keep track of time.

6. Round One: Generate (40 minutes)

a. Check in with each group 10 minutes into the round to remind

them about the Backup Pitch and Technique.

b. Give 10 minute warning before the end of the round.

7. First Exchange. Each group meets at the starting location and passes

on their larp. The larps rotate between the groups in a circular

fashion. No group may have the same larp twice.

8. Groups MAY NOT communicate about the larps they are making.

9. Take a short biobreak. (5 minutes)

10. Have players notate when Round Two will end in their new

packets.11. Round Two: Expand (40 minutes)

12. Second Exchange. Each group meets at the starting location and

passes on their larp. The larps rotate between the groups in a circular

fashion. No group may have the same larp twice.

13. Round Three: Refine (40 minutes)

14. All groups return to the starting area with finished larps.

Conclusion1. Congratulate the players! Call a biobreak. (5 minutes)

2. Give a Birds Eye-View of the Conclusion.

3. Groups summarize each larp for each other, followed by 3-5 minutes

of open discussion per larp. End discussions on larps early. (25

minutes maximum)



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4. Conversations by Area, an informal opportunity for players to talk and

exchange contact information. (10 minutes)

5. Collect all larps and larp notes for digitation.

6. Short debrief

7. (Optional) Collect feedback via feedback forms.

8. Conclude the workshop, hang around for a bit after.



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LarpJamLarpJam is divided into three rounds of writing. The rounds are 40 minutes long.

Round One ends at: Round Two ends at: Round Three ends at:

Goal of PlayCreate playable live action role-playing games.

Principles of Play

Give everyone equal space to talk.

Collaborate.

Design like nobodys watching. Be bold! Take risks.

Preserve the spirit of each larp. Leave it stronger, clearer than when you found it.

How to Design

Build now, polish later.

Make unilateral changes. Do not ask for permission. Do not suggest.

Dont destroy content. A single strikethrough will suffice to remove something.

Like so.

Decision-Making Tools

Use different tools in different situations.

Brainstorm several ideas before choosing a course of action.

Take a vote.

Divide tasks.

Appoint one person the authority on a piece of the design. They take input from

others before making the final decision.

Remember: There is a Back-up Pitch and Technique.

You can get a new Pitch, Technique, or both if you are feeling stuck.

http://bit.ly/LARPjam LarpJam Packet Materials page 1


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Round One: Generate

1. Read this cover sheet out loud.

2. Write your larp on the blank paper in the packet.

3. Fill out this cover sheet before the endof Round One. The second group to develop this larp willuse this sheet to orient themselves.

Remember: There is a Back-up Pitch and Technique.

You can get a new Pitch, Technique, or both if you are feeling stuck.

Title:

Concept:

Tone:

Our design goal for this larp:

What is the core activity of this larp for characters?

What is the core activity of this larp for players?

What excites you the most about the setting?

Unanswered Questions:

Reading Instructions for the next group:


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Round Two: Expand


2. Expand the larp from the notes the previous group provided.

3. Fill out this cover sheet before the endof Round Two. The third group to develop this larp will usethis sheet to orient themselves.

Title:

Concept:

Our design goal for this larp:

What is this larps core theme?

What expansion have you made to help the larp deliver on its core theme?

Unanswered Questions:

Is this larp playable yet? Yes

No

Reading Instructions for the next group:


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Round Three: Refine


2. Refine the larp from the notes the previous group provided.

3. Fill out this cover sheet before the endof Round Three. You will use this information to introducethe larp to the other groups during the Critique.

Title:

Concept:

Core Theme:

What type of person will fit this larp well?

What refinement have you made to help other types of people fit this larp well?

What kind of introductory workshop or ending debrief does this larp need?

What parts of this larp should be playtested?

Summarize the mechanics in a few sentences:

Briefly summarize the changes that have been made to this larp since Round One:

Is this larp playable yet?

Yes

No


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LarpJam Overview Script

Today in LarpJam we are going to write playable larps in small groupsreally fast.

The tool youll be given to help you do this are these packets. Inside

each one is a Pitch and a Technique. The Pitch is a short piece of

machine-generated text that your larp must be about. It is some bizarre

sentence fragment, so youll actively interpret it to inspire your larp. The

Technique is a larp rule drawn from the international larp community that

your larp must include.

When we are ready to play youll be divided into groups of 2 to 4people. When I say go your group will open their packet and youll write

furiously. After only 40 minutes I call a halt and you pass your larp to the

next group, who then has 40 minutes to unilaterally expand it. After 40

more minutes there is one more trade where you will refine someone elses

larp. By the end of 2 hours you will have had a hand in writing three larps,

and well get back together to share what each larp has become.

Theres one other very important detail I want you to know about:

When you hand your larp to the next group, you are forbidden from telling

them anything about what they will find inside your packet. Your writing

must stand on its own.

Finally, after LarpJam is over people can continue to develop the

larps they made here today. If a larp gets developed further, everyone who

contributes to it today gets credited in it.

Today at LarpJam we are going to do introductory stuff like this

including a few creativity exercises, write larps for two hours, and conclude

with sharing our larps and making plans for developing them further.

http://bit.ly/LARPjam LarpJam v2


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LarpJam Sign-in

Write how you want to be credited for your contributions to this LarpJam.Include your email as well, so I can send you the finished Jam after we

play.

PLEASE PRINT NAMEANDEMAIL LEGIBLY

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

http://bit.ly/LARPjam LarpJam v2


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LarpJam Credits TrackerGroup 1 starts with packet _________________. The members are:

Group 2 starts with packet _________________. The members are:




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LarpJam is a process for creating larps in a short period of time with a collaborative process.

The larps that the group produces are the collective property of anyone who worked on them.

As such, any further development of a larp must credit LarpJam and the people who contributed

to it, who are listed below. Anyone who attended the workshop may develop a larp further, even

if they didnt personally work on a particular larp. Its awesome if you develop a larp further!

Any participant or group of participants may develop any larp further and discuss it publicly,

provided they have the permission of the first group to have worked on that larp, who are listed

as Creators below. This right of first use is held by the Creator group for three months from the

date of the workshop. After three months, any participant or group of participants may develop a

larp further and discuss it publicly they need no permission from anyone to do so.

The following materials were created on MONTH DAY YEAR in an event organized by

PERSON ORGANIZER, in partnership with CONVENTION OR HOSTING ORGANIZATION.

The following larps were created using LarpJam by Jon Cole

LARP ONE Created by:

PERSON ALPHA

PERSON BRAVO

PERSON CHARLIE

LARP ONE Secondary Design by:

PERSON DELTA

PERSON ECHOPERSON FOXTROT

PERSON GOLF

PERSON HOTEL

PERSON INDIA

PERSON JULIET

LARP TWO Created by:

PERSON DELTA

PERSON ECHO

PERSON FOXTROT

PERSON GOLF

LARP TWO Secondary Design by:

PERSON ALPHA

PERSON BRAVO

PERSON CHARLIE
http://bit.ly/LARPjamhttp://bit.ly/LARPjam


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PERSON HOTEL

PERSON INDIA

PERSON JULIET

LARP THREE Created by:

PERSON HOTELPERSON INDIA

PERSON JULIET

LARP THREE Secondary Design by:

PERSON ALPHA

PERSON BRAVO

PERSON CHARLIE

PERSON DELTA

PERSON ECHO

PERSON FOXTROTPERSON GOLF

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