In the LARP/TTRP debate - I play in all three types of games that have been discussed, and some that haven't.
All three? Yep, what Erik was talking about as LARP is different to what Sandy and Nick are talking about. I play both, and treat them as two
For the record, here is Australia, or at least in my circle, the terminology seems to be -
freeform - what Nick and Sandy call LARPing - roleplaying based around a a large number of people furiously interacting. It can be rules light, or have a fair few, but it usually has pretty limited rules compared to an RPG. Generally abstract combat rules. Tends to be run in a location that is simple and open, allowing everybody to spend lots of time interacting rather than moving between locations. Most of the ones I have been involved in have been run in one big room over 2 to 4 hours.
LARP - the rubber swords brigade. We have a pretty fledgling scene here in Perth. The essential difference is that you have padded weapons and you are expected to use them to resolve combat by attacking each other. Of course, the fact that the combat is there and is expected tends to mean that the scenarios focus around combat a lot more. Generally run in a location of maximum verisimilitude.
So, even if you don't adopt this terminology, please be aware of the difference and make it clear which one you mean.
Which one is better? I prefer freeform to LARP. Certainly in Australia freeforming is a lot bigger. But a lot depends on your local gaming scene. And they have very different aims and very different types of scenario.
For that matter, the 'catharsis' small freeform roleplay as run by people like John Hughes, a form which doesn't appear to have made it out of the Australian east coast as a regular thing (I'm a West Australian), is almost another form in itself, with its emphasis on much more emotional confrontation, and a much more internal to the character focus. Superficially it is similar to freeforming, but as an experience it is very different. I have very limited experience here (just Johns 'Musik of the Spears' at RQ Con DU), and the experience was not entirely satisfying, but it certainly made me want to find out some more.
Is either better than TTRP? To be honest, part of the reason I dislike LARP is a lot of the scenarios seem to be like the worst of TTRP. Reasonably linear plots with clear good guys and monsters. But that may be just the situation here, it sounds like Erik group has a lot more balanced view. But still, a lot of the pure imagination and clever background that I love from TTRP seems to disappear into a sort of D&D like generic fantasy universe. But then again, I've known truly great D&D games. I'm sure the potential is there in LARP as well. And there are things that the LARP crowd enjoy, that is part of the fun for them, that simply doesn't interest me (armour building, for example).
While freeforming can do things that TTRP can't do easily - such as play out a very complex political situation fully, for example. I also find that the abstraction of most freeforms allows you to play with situations that would be impossible in LARPing, such as commanding armies, while
Is freeforming better than TTRPing? To be honest, I think freeforming with a complex surrounding world would be more fun than TTRPing. However, I'm lucky to play in a freeform once every three months, and that often only lasts as long as one of my weekly TTRPing sessions. And due to the effort involved, those freeforms are generally written by different people, and have very little to do with one another. Because of that, many of the best parts of TTRPing simply will never occur in those freeforms. For me, many of the best parts of TTRPing are the long campaign changes, the characters whose beliefs gradually change, who grow, fit in. The old enemies who resurface after months of absence. The tensions between PC mind sets that gradually emerge.
Also, TTRP has the strength that literally anything can happen. There are no bounds of set or casting or danger to worry about - the Bolivian army can teleport in, the players can dangle from the guard rail of flying warcraft thousands of feet above the ground, etc. Whereas in LARP, you are very restricted by casting and set (it sounds like in Eriks group, you simply must work with existing buildings and all your inhabitants must be close enough to human that makeup can make it work - an enormous restriction), and in freeforming, you are restricted to very minimal interaction with the environment, and most of the same casting problems as LARP.
But look - lets get one thing straight. This is mostly directed at Doyle - no one thinks LARP or TTRP or freeforming or whatever is the one true way. Amongst Glorantha fans, there is an enormous overlap between all of these. No one is saying one should be developed at the expense of the other. All the freeform fans who have spoken here are also notable contributors to the TTRP gaming form as well. I happen to think there are some aspects of Glorantha best enjoyed through the large rough and tumble of a large freeform, and others that are best with a GM guided TTRP, or even some which are best explored using board games (I still think Dragon Pass and Nomad Gods are a worthwhile part of the Glorantha experience). There are other forms as well that defy these categories. For example, Wyrms Footprints has the Sartar High Council stuff from Greg, which might be described as TTLARP, or tabletop freeforming. I may well do a similar thing with my players for the Pavis city council later.
There are some gaming forms that might not adapt well to Glorantha - - a Gloranthan rubber swords LARP experience would be pretty hard to do convincingly, a Gloranthan collectible card game is perhaps to scary to contemplate. But I think the new forms of gaming enriches the gaming hobby, and I think every new Gloranthan experience created makes Glorantha greater. Just remember that in the end, Glorantha is not simply about any of them, and none of the forms we push it into is as important as the initial creative act. If anything is the most important way of experiencing Glorantha, it is now the stuff that has no direct gaming connection, the fiction, the discussions, the background material.
Cheers
David
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