New Players

Hello! Sorry if this is an odd way of doing things, but this post is on behalf of a group of six incoming newbies-- we'll be joining all together and none of us has any LARP experience, so we figured it would be simplest to compile our introductions/questions here. We're all friends of Jeremy Shwarz (Kanas Whisperwood), who finally managed to convince us all to join. We're very excited to play, and he's very excited for the referral build.

We've gotten a lot of help with building characters and other basic information, so we don't have too many questions. The amount of stuff to remember is a little overwhelming, but we're hoping to pick up on it once we start playing! Our group consists of four dark elves (a brute, a healer, a swashbuckler, and a psion (the one posting this)), a Celt cavalier, and a Kormyrian torturer.

We did have some questions for now, if that's okay. Since a lot of us are makeup heavy, we were wondering how people typically handle NPC shifts while playing races with lots of makeup, since it can take awhile to get it on and off. Also, as far as spell-packets go, what size do people normally use? I was told about 5" was right, but judging by the shocked reaction I got at the sight of them this is actually too big. I'm hoping I can still return them and get the right size, so if anybody knows the proper measurements that would be very helpful!

Anyway, sorry for the rambling post. We're all very excited (if a little nervous) for February, and look forward to meeting everyone there!

PS: we have prepared an obscene amount of socks for the weekend.

Hey and welcome!

The rulebook can definitely be a bit overwhelming and will take a little bit of time to absorb. If you're ever unsure of a skill that is used, you can simply call a "Clarify" and the person who used the skill will be happy to explain just how they blew you up :)

I recommend trying for first shift if you're makeup-heavy. It tends to fill up fast, however, and conflicts with the New Player mod. If you take a shift mid-game, make sure you're makeup-free before you report for duty.

Here's the rules excerpt on spell packets:

Spell Packets
Spell packets are bags of cloth, either sewn or tied shut, that are filled with bird seed, rice, dried beans, or other material that is safe to throw at someone. A spell packet should be large enough that it cannot easily enter someone's eye socket when thrown, and felt when it hits, but not so large (or heavy, or dense) that it will leave a welt when it hits.

Spell packets are the caster's equivalent to a physrep for a sword or arrows – it is the caster's responsibility to carry them, and if they are out, they cannot cast ranged spells (unless they have a skill or other ability that allows them to without the use of a Spell Packet). Spell packets may NOT be collected during a hold – this would be analogous to a warrior picking up a disarmed sword during a hold.

Spell packets should be made from environmentally friendly material, as they are often lost in the woods when used. It is recommended that you use brightly colored fabric to be able to easily spot and recover them.

A proper, safe spell packet should be packed loosely enough that it should not bounce when it hits someone, but rather fall dead. I use about 1-2 tablespoons of birdseed in a 6" square of cloth (Guessing this is what was intended when you were told 5".) and tie it with cotton string. Fully Gaia-Friendly. Also, there is no such thing as having too many spell packets.

Velius wrote: Hey and welcome!

I recommend trying for first shift if you're makeup-heavy. It tends to fill up fast, however, and conflicts with the New Player mod. If you take a shift mid-game, make sure you're makeup-free before you report for duty.

Another good suggestion is the last shift, on Sunday. Your makeup will have partially come off by then anyway, and you can get up, take a shower to clean off (or even just scrub off the makeup) and then go NPC, rolling out to the end of the game.

Thank you both very much! We're probably going to try for the last shift, because we'd really love to go to the new player mod and that sounds like it'll work out perfectly if we can do it.

And thank you for the spell packet clarification! That explains the confusion about the sizing (oops), so I'll start gathering up cloth and birdseed asap to make a hefty pile of proper packets.

Hello~

I'm one of the members of this group (the dark elf healer), so I figured I would also post here. I don't have particular questions at the moment, but I'm sure that some will eventually come up.

Since you guys are doing makeup heavy character the best suggestion I can give is bring baby wipes and other products to make sure you can clean off the makeup easier at the end of the event and before npcing

Hey, my name is Conor and I'm a New Player Marshal.

A lot of people have answered your questions.

Drew hit the nail on the head in terms of your question.



Make up heavy races should try first or last, otherwise you need to be human for NPC and then change back into your make up heavy race, which can take a long time. However, speaking as a Logistics Marshal who helps with NPC shifts sometimes, last shift fills up really quickly, so get to Logistics early if you want that shift. (also that shift I believe has 4-5 slots before it is filled so keep that in mind)

As far as the spell packets, Drew is correct again. The 5 inches are the tied packets, if you're trying to make sewn packets(which hold up much better) they vary in size but are usually 2x2 or a 5x2 cloth folded in half and sewn shut. It's up to you.


If you have any other questions, feel free to post it here or send me a private message.

Ser Renaith McKraegar wrote: Drew hit the nail on the head in terms of your question.

Remember, bring extra socks. Bring all the socks.

Thank you everyone for your advice! (And the beautiful Jack Sparrow picture.) All the spell packet information has been very helpful; I'll probably try to go for sewn packets so they're a little more durable, so thanks so much for the sizing information. Now I can make some that aren't ridiculous! (Oops.)

We will bring so many socks. Perhaps too many socks. Though can there really be such a thing?

Kylie Underwood wrote: We will bring so many socks. Perhaps too many socks. Though can there really be such a thing?

Nope!



-Jeff

I'm one of the nerds Jeremy plays league of legends with so I'm sure i have spoken to one or two of you briefly. If you need any help feel free to approach me! I'm not a marshal but I am a newer player so a lot of the stuff you will be doing I may also be doing. If you guys have any questions in game I can help you find the appropriate marshal to answer the question.

Hello to you all. I'm Sean, and I am looking forward to seeing you all. always glad to see another Celt as well.