This document discusses techniques and philosophies of larp design over the past few decades. It begins by asking how to design better larps and discussing early brute force designs from the 1990s. It then covers the evolution of larp theory models like GNS and developments in simulation, interaction codes, and casting systems. Key concepts are discussed such as incentives, conflicts, puzzles, and the idea that larps are chaotic systems that can be guided. Case studies of different larps are also briefly mentioned. The document advocates blending techniques and considering character clarity, activity, and connectivity in design.

1. Eirik Fatland, Spillerom 2015:
Laivdesign* 101
Boffer in the park 2009 Photo: Li Xin
* eller: manipulasjon for kunst og morro.

2. “Så - hvordan kan vi ble bedre til å lage laiv?”
- Petter Bøckmann, Knutepunkt 1997

3. 18 år, 30+ bøker, 500+ laiver senere...

4. “VI” vet INGENTING

5. SKINNER : DÅRLIG

6. MANIPULASJON : BRA

7. OBJEKTET, og BEGRENSINGEN for ALL LAIVSKAPING

8. “Skape en fortelling, med andre”
“Overgå egne grenser”
“Få nok plot”
“Lære om meg selv”
“Denne rollen var umulig å spille”
“Denne laiven sugde fordi den var så dårlig designet”
HVAVIL SPILLERNE?

9. “Skape en fortelling, med andre”
“Overgå egne grenser”
“Få nok plot”
“Lære om meg selv”
“Denne rollen var umulig å spille”
“Denne laiven sugde fordi den var så dårlig designet”
“Jeg gjorde det for det var HELT SAKLIG for rollen”
HVAVIL SPILLERNE?

11. I BEGYNNELSEN SÅVAR DET...

12. BRUTE FORCE LARP DESIGN
Makthierarkier på kollisjonskurs + skjulte historier + Mer er Mer!
(å spille for å vinne)
I BEGYNNELSEN ...
Kybergenesis 1997 Photo: Britta Bergersen

13. PROBLEMENE MED BFLD
PLOT-TOG SOM KJØRER AV SKINNENE
SJEFEN MONOPOLISERER PLOTTET
DE BESTE OPPLEVELSENE HAR IKKE STRATEGISKVERDI
...
HVEM ER JEG?

14. VISJON!
Illustration: © 2014 Shelly ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ at Sketchport.com Licensed under CC-BY.
(midt på 90-tallet)

15. Pregame, Jenny Drakenlind. From the Nordic Larp Book Play, Daniel Hallbygård From the Nordic Larp Book
ABSOLUT SIMULERING
(1994,TRENNE BYAR)

16. SKJEBNE!
(1996/97)

17. The gamist:
Jeg vil konkurrere!
The dramatist:
Draaaaama!
The simulationist:
Troverdighet!
The Three-fold Model / GSD
(rec.games.frp.advocacy,1998)

18. I hereby submit to the rules of the Vow of Chastity, as developed by Dogma 99,
1. It is forbidden to create action by writing it into the past history of a
character or the event.
2. There shall be no "main plot". (The story of the event must be made for
each players character, not the whole).
3. No character shall only be a supporting part.
4. All secrecy is forbidden. (Any participant who so desires shall in
advance be shown all documents that pertain to the event).
5. After the event has begun, the playwrights are not allowed to influence
it. (Any use of staging and ad hoc organiser roles is forbidden).
6. Superficial action is forbidden. (The playwrights may not in any way
plan or encourage the use or threat of violence as part of the event)
7. LARPs inspired by table-top role-playing games are not accepted.
8. No object shall be used to represent another object. (all things shall be
what they appear to be)
9. Game mechanics are forbidden. (rules to simulate for instance the use
of violence or supernatural abilities are not permitted)
10. The playwrights shall be held accountable for the whole of their work.
1. When playing a character and immersing myself in it, my foremost goal shall be to simulate what happens inside
the character's head, and how it affects his behavior. Hollow pretence I leave for the actors.
2. I shall use no non-diegetic (out-of-game world) methods (such as background music or unrelated off-game
comments) while playing, if there is any other way to play the situation. (E.g. unless the game material specifically
says otherwise, when the character hits, I hit.) If I think I see something like this in a game, I will assume them to
be diegetic methods, and that my character experiences them exactly as I do, unless the game master has
instructed me otherwise. (It remains the game master's duty, however, to make sure I know what level of physical
and mental safety and suspension of disbelief is in use in the game.)
3. I shall learn and understand the character's person by building the self image, personality, world view and other
things that make it an individual from the subconscious outwards (i.e. not via manners or such). I expect others to
do the same.
4. When attempting to look and act like the character, I shall avoid stage acting. I am aware that I and my character
might have different ways of speech, manners or other outward features, without them forcing me, the player, to
over-act or otherwise call for undue attention.
5. I shall immerse myself in the game with the assumption that if a character or other game element seems out of
place in the world or in the game - such as comical, over-acted or badly played - it is still a part of the world, not a
stupid idea the player had.
6. If forced to improvise or add to my character during the game, my first and foremost goal shall be to do this by
thinking about the big picture I have of the character and the game world, not trying to add surface dramatics or
theatre methods. While playing, I will focus on immersing myself in my own character, not trying to improve the
gaming experience of other players. I will try to be true to my character without trying to spot a story-line which I
should act out. I accept the fact that as a player my part is to see only a small part of the whole.
7. I shall assume that the game master has told me everything I need to know about the game world, and what he
wants his players to know about larping. I shall not attempt to use any general larping conventions in any one
game, but the exact conditions given to me by the game master: if for example the off-game sign has been defined
to be something, I will not substitute anything for it.

19. The gamist:
Jeg vil ha utfordring! Jeg vil
kunne vinne!
The narrativist:
Fortelling! Fortelling nå!
(also: premise)
Simulationist:
Jeg vil utforske en internt
sammenhengende verden!
GNS-modellen (Edwards, 2001-)

20. The gamist:
Jeg vil konkurrere!
The dramatist:
Draaaaaama!
The immersionist:
Troverdighet!
The Three-way Model / GSI (Petter Bøckmann, 2003)
Nå lever jeg
meg inn, altså!

21. THE 360° ILLUSION
1942 (2000). Photo: Britta Bergersen
Koljonen, 2006

22. CASTING
Trad.
Norskinger & Finner
SYSTEMISK
2001-
FORHANDLING
Trad.
Dansker & Svensker
TRE STRATEGIER FOR Å UTSTYRE SPILLERE MED ROLLER

23. Larp is Chaos
Larp is ChaosLarp is ChaosLarp is ChaosLarp is Chaos
Larp is ChaosLarp is Chaos
Montola 2004

24. Larp is Chaos
Larp is ChaosLarp is ChaosLarp is ChaosLarp is Chaos
Larp is ChaosLarp is Chaos
Montola 2004
Men...
Attractors!
Dissipative!
Integrative!
emergence

25. INSENTIVER!
KONFLIKTER!
PUSLESPILL!
TRIGGERE!
INSENTIV-VEV!
LINEÆRE / FORGRENEDE OG KAOSVEV!
“Incentives as tools of larp dramaturgy” - Fatland 2005
Hvordan får du greier til å skje på laiv?

26. INTERAKSJONSKODER!
(FATLAND 2006)

27. INTERAKSJONSKODER!
(FATLAND 2006)

28. ALIBI TO PLAY
Photo: CC-AT-NC-ND 2014 DeviantArt user RainSmile

29. BLANDA UPP!
(EN STILLA MIDDAG, 2007)

30. Simuleringsregler
Hva gjør du når du ikke
kan gjøre det på årntli?
Meta-techniques
Regler som lar deg uttrykke deg
på måter som ikke er
realistiske*
* IKKE EN DEFINISJON!
Metateknikker

32. 32
BLACK BOX LAIVING
2010ish

33. Aspects of a playable character
(FATLAND 2010)
CLARITY:
I feel confident about how to play this character.
ACTIVITY:
My character provides me with things to do at the larp.
CONNECTIVITY:
My character has a place in the group / society.

34. source: Johanna Koljonens brain

36. Image: Puppeli @ DeviantArt, CC-BY-SA 3.0 2014

37. Image: Puppeli @ DeviantArt, CC-BY-SA 3.0 2014
fightflee

38. Image: Puppeli @ DeviantArt, CC-BY-SA 3.0 2014
fight
flee

39. Image: Puppeli @ DeviantArt, CC-BY-SA 3.0 2014
hug
toast
boast
grunt
fight
flee

40. affordances:
Perceivable possibilities for action
(norsk: handlingsmuligheter)
Source: James J. Gibson / Don Norman

41. STEERING : ÅRETS ORD!

42. BONUS : ELEMENTS OF LARP DESIGN

48. CASE
AMTGARD

49. CASE
MELLAN HIMMEL OCH HAV

50. CASE
WHITE DEATH

51. Compound
& Holistic

52. A Knutebook Larp Design Reader*
• “Building Dramatics”by Susanne Gräslund
• Everything by Eirik Fatland
• Everything by Troels Barkholt-Sprangsbo
• Selected Works by J. Tuomas Harviainen
• All the larp reports
• ...
• Everything Else
* based on a flawed memory of a napkin I might have dreamt about

53. http://larpschool.blogspot.dk/p/resources.html