Frequently Asked Questions

There are a few questions we've been asked more than once:

Contributing to the Effort

• You didn't invite me. Can I still contribute?
• I heard about this. Can I contribute?

  Yes, to both. Please look through all the details and let us know you want to be involved.

• I know you and you didn't invite me. Should I be insulted?

  Not in the least. If we tried to verify the latest email address of every LARP author we knew, over all the LARPs we've played in, we'd still be doing that. Our goal was to get this out so people could start creating. Some of our addresses are really old, and they bounced. Some addresses seemed to get caught in spam filters. That's why we're asking people to pass the word along to others.

• Can I pass this along to someone I know?

  Yes. We want compelling Tales in the collection. We don't claim to know more than a small fraction of all the brilliant LARP authors out there, and you probably know many we don't. Please let them know about this!

Tale Content Questions

• Do you have something specific you want me to create?

  We've spelled out the structure of the Journey, along with a few leading questions in each stage. You can take those questions as a cue, or you can create something else entirely. As long as it fits within the technology constraints, on ships that fit into hyperspace, we're excited to see the results of your independent inspiration and brilliance.

  Any questions? Ask us!

• Can I create a bluesheet to summarize my race, world, or region of space?

  This is one more page of reading for a specific Tale, so we're reluctant to do so. Can you squeeze the absolutely essential material into the Tale, even if the Tale creeps on to a second page?

  Several of the existing game pages (the Fleet, the Destination, the Technology, Mechanics, and Runtime) are bluesheets for the game, ready for PDF through the magic of CSS. We need a good reason to add even more — you may have that reason.

  If we get several Tales about a specific topic, such as Three Law Robots, or Robots with a Zeroth Law, we would add a bluesheet for them. The bluesheet would describe the Asimovian Laws of Robotics, as they would be pertinent to more than one Tale.

  If we get several requests for single Tale-specific bluesheets, we can add the bluesheet(s) as pages on the game website. We can ask the players to read the material beforehand. The bluesheet should still be short, because there will be players who don't go over the pages on the website, and will want and need the information at runtime.

  Do you have a better bluesheet solution you can explain to us?

• What can I assume is available in the game environment?

  The answer to this is evolving as the Tales are developed. You should assume:

  • A shared video connection, where individuals can mute themselves or block their camera while remaining in the Tale.
  • A shared chat channel.

  Additionally, we are looking at:

  • Independent chat channels that can connect a subset of the players in a given Tale.
  • A controllable light source, so that the player can be in full light or darkness. Ideally, this light source would be dimmable.

  What else should we consider essential — remembering that we want to keep this easy to set up and run? We will produce a requirements summary for the entirety of the LARP when we reach a critical mass of Tales.

Tale Size Questions

• Why did you pick five for the Tale size?

  We've found this a good, workable size for a Tale, notably in The Tales of Irnh. It works well for players and it works well for a GM running the Tale. Furthermore, this seems to be a technically reasonable size for running across a video chat.

• Can I write a Tale for less than five players?

  Yes, and it would fit in the framework. It would mean one or more players sitting out for a Tale. We'd prefer it if everyone played every Tale, but we've seen some amazing small Tales, so we won't turn them away.

• Can I write a Tale for more than five players?

  Yes, but it will be harder for us to integrate the Tale into the greater whole. Of course, if we get a rush of N player Tales (where N is not 5), then we can rethink our plans. Or split the Tales into two LARPs. Or some other brilliant idea.