this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2010
58 points (74% like it)
89 up votes 31 down votes
all 108 comments

st_gulik 27 points28 points 1 month ago[-]

Nerd on Nerd violence is never cool.

How about talking to them like pcmn suggests. Talk to their GM and see if you can do a surprise attack on them. It can be a lot of fun! :)

Convince him to let you be all way overpowered (You all have True Faith at like 7 or something) and just murder the heck out of the vampires with your Puritanical Love for Jebus (and your stakes and torches). Then after they're all dead, the GM tells lets them in on the joke and you should invite them all out for drinks.

PaxChaosium 12 points13 points 1 month ago[-]

Nerd on Nerd violence is never cool.

I want this t-shirt.

pcmn 2 points3 points 1 month ago[-]

I like the way you think, sir.

pcmn 62 points63 points 1 month ago[-]

Okay, let me make a suggestion: Find out if they're cool.

Because seriously, if they're cool, and they have a sense of humor, it could be a fun thing, for them and for you.

Otherwise, you're just being a dick to people who are already at the lowest rung of the roleplaying ladder; that's like playing a prank on a kid with a mental handicap; it's just not funny.

evilnight 23 points24 points 1 month ago[-]

bubblequinn 2 points3 points 1 month ago[-]

Holy crap that is epic

evilnight 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

I saw them opening for Clutch. Good stuff. The drummer in particular impressed me, he's no tapper.

TheJollyLlama875 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

That sounds like the best line up ever.

evilnight 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

The 3rd band that night was Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band. That show was pretty epic.

TheJollyLlama875 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

Sounds like. Wish I was there.

Ziaix 15 points16 points 1 month ago[-]

I agree. This is an awesome idea, but could end up with you guys being total dicks to them.

I suggest meeting them first (not to tell them what you planned), but just so it's not a bunch of strangers attacking them.

pseudo310 8 points9 points 1 month ago[-]

There's a roleplaying ladder? I heard about this ten years ago but since then everyone I know has grown up and we're friends with LARPers, tabletop gamers, miniature gamers, etc. and nobody looks down on anybody.

pcmn 8 points9 points 1 month ago[-]

Yeah, unfortunately. In my mind, it comes from people feeling slightly ashamed of their own geekiness, and finding people to feel better than. "Well, at least I'm not as geeky as him!"

It's bullshit, really. It's like bullying in middleschool.

Quady 1 point2 points 1 month ago[-]

For more info, see the Geek Hierarchy

Antimuffin 2 points3 points 1 month ago[-]

The thing is, the Geek Hierarchy is hilarious, but that's because it's a joke. It's a commentary on how people who are fucking geeky look down on anyone even slightly geekier than they are because....well, because everyone looks down on them. It's not supposed to be a guide on who you can be a dick to.

pcmn 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

Thanks! I had been thinking of that, but just didn't go to the effort of finding it.

HeirToPendragon 2 points3 points 1 month ago[-]

Actually, so long as you asked, our ST would allow it completely. He'd make you character sheets and run through all of it.

roikuro 5 points6 points 1 month ago[-]

It doesn't sound like he wants to PLAY in the LARP. It sounds like he just wants to fuck with the people playing in the LARP.

pcmn 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

Yeah, that's what I got, too.

lovesmasher -4 points-3 points 1 month ago[-]

LARPers are WAY above historical gamers and they're way above historical reenactors.

lovesmasher 1 point2 points 1 month ago[-]

If historical gamers had feelings, I'd think I hurt some. Seriously people, if you've ever been in a game store and watched a smelly 40 year old throw up the heil Hitler just because he's doing well with his little tanks, you'd see my point.

xilban 15 points16 points 1 month ago[-]

As a former vampire larper, definitely talk to their GM, and do not bring any physical weapons including burning torches. That could be seen as assault on their end, and you spend the night talking to the cops. Work with them, and you both should have a good time.

khudgins 19 points20 points 1 month ago[-]

If you want to do that, you'd really want to contact their storyteller committee and get briefed on their rules. The're probably using the Cam rules, which means rock-paper-scissors and trait bidding for conflict resolution, and if you come after them with even simulated weapons, the players really won't know what to do.

Working with their storytellers will wind up awesomely fun, though. Talk to them and give it a shot.

HeirToPendragon 1 point2 points 1 month ago[-]

Cam doesn't use RPS except in the oWoD. The new Requiem game uses a die system. White Wolf recently allowed oWoD back into play for the Cam, but I doubt that's what the OP walked in on.

However, it could be OWBN players.

st_gulik 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

You don't know though. In Phoenix there are more oWoD games then nWoD games that are active and have been for 10+ years. There's one game that's been running for almost 15 years.

HeirToPendragon 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

I've read the rules for the RPS method, and I find them horrid.

st_gulik 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

I do too, but the card drawing system is my bitch and I'm mediocre at card tricks. While it is simply insanely too easy for people like my friend John who's insanely good with slight of hand.

NOW, we don't do it, in fact, we've told GMs that we can do card tricks and have them carry our cards for us so as to not give us even the appearance or what might the chance for someone else to complain about our abilities.

Wherein' with RPS, at best I know you're more likely to throw rock if your a base noob, or if you're slightly aware of the game you'll want to throw paper to beat rock, unless you're aware that I've played a lot of RPS so you're likely to throw scissors. Wherein' if and when I deduce that I watch your hand on the throw and throw sideways rock, sideways paper which can convert to scissors easily and basically millisecond cheat you out of whatever you throw.

So both systems have major flaws. Which is why you go to a system like something where you spend your points to determine who has privilege vs. a throw or draw system.

HeirToPendragon 1 point2 points 1 month ago[-]

I have a RPS die in the off chance I ever play an NPC for an ST. I refuse to actually play RPS in the off chance that the other person is fast enough to cheat.

Also, we use a d10 in requiem.

lollerkeet 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

I was once in a tabletop Werewolf game that used the RPS rules (there were a lot of players). It works better than you'd expect.

the8thbit 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

The're probably using the Cam rules, which means rock-paper-scissors and trait bidding for conflict resolution, and if you come after them with even simulated weapons, the players really won't know what to do.

What do you mean? I played Vampire a little a couple years ago with the RPS system, and we used all sorts of weapons.

khudgins 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

Official camarilla groups are a bit squeamish about realistic weapon props. Some are more open with it, but for most it's a no-no.

synoptyc 5 points6 points 1 month ago[-]

Talk to the Storyteller. For all you know there's already a Sabbat/Garou/Hunter/etc. raid coming down on their heads that night. They might need some extra NPCs.

ODSTSpooky 10 points11 points 1 month ago[-]

As an ST myself, with numerous ex-military members in my coterie, I can guarantee that lit torches and prop weapons in the heat of the moment would not go over well with my group. Someone would get hurt, though truthfully with fire involved I can't guarantee it would only be on your side.

This sounds like a supremely stupid idea unless you coordinate it with their ST - but that doesn't sound like what you want to do.

Also, all you folks saying that LARPers are the lowest rung of the roleplaying ladder - fuck you. We get up and act, you sit on your ass around a table and roll some dice. We all enjoy the hobby one way or another - LARPers just enjoy a more interactive form of engaging the story. There is no ladder, we're all geeks and nerds for being in this hobby, end story.

pcmn 4 points5 points 1 month ago[-]

Hey, Spooky, I want to explain my earlier "lowest rung" comment, so you know I'm not actually a huge asshole.

Personally, I don't have any problem with LARPers...hell, I was a Rennie for a while, and we're right down there on the social ladder with you. But you cannot deny that, among Tabletoppers and :shudder: Wargammers, that LARPers have an...unfortunate reputation. It sucks, and it's totally undeserved, but it exists.

My off-hand remark was trying to say something like, "Come on, these guys already get enough crap for the way they enjoy themselves. Don't antagonize them further."

Sorry about the offense.

ODSTSpooky 3 points4 points 1 month ago[-]

I appreciate the explanation of the remark, and it definitely lowers my ire quite a bit.

I admit that I've never encountered the stigma or reputation amongst gamers here in Cali, so when I encounter it online it gets my hackles up. Seems like there's a lot more folks who LARP out here, no idea why, but there are. I've only run a handful of oWoD tabletops versus the tons of LARP sessions I've run, all over LA.

Offense forgiven and forgotten, water under the bridge.

arkanus 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

I have gamed in California. I also have played to a degree in all three groups that I am about to describe. With that being said there certainly is a spectrum of gamers from those that are most "normal"(as defined as having interests and traits similar to the general populace) and those that are less "normal".

From my experience the most normal group are light board game players (risk, settlers, diplomacy), followed by war gamers(40k, battletech), then pen and paper (DnD) and finally the live action games (SCA, vampire).

ODSTSpooky 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

I regularly game in Cali, and run nothing but LARP. At our local gaming store, I find no shortage of recruits who are interested in joining. I've never encountered this spectrum of normal vs less normal that you speak of, nor do I know anyone who has.

arkanus -1 points0 points 1 month ago[-]

Go to a convention. Walk into the board game room and notice the average weight of the participant, their general apparel, the presence of body odor, if their marital status is normal for their age(30+ married) and after speaking to them their level of professional accomplishment (40 year old CPA as opposed to 40 year old pizza delivery boy).

Now walk into a pen and paper room and a LARP room. Make your same observations. While these are very crude measurements, if you were to do this I think that you would find statistically significant differences between these populations.

Of course if you were to compare these same stats as opposed to the average person walking down the street you would find that all three groups deviate in statistically significant ways from the norm.

These are obviously just my personal observations, but pcmn seems to agree as well. I have also heard other gamers voice these same observations, though typically only in private conversations.

Edit: Just to clarify there is nothing wrong with LARPing and in fact if I was near your group I may even be interested given the right circumstances. I just don't ignore true statements even if they are offensive to myself or a group that I may be part of.

ODSTSpooky 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

See, I must have been lucky, as I've never met a socially-maladjusted LARPer. I've met my fair share of asshole tabletoppers, but not enough to sway my opinion of them as all around good people. I'm not ignoring a 'true' statement, simply stating that I think it's BS based off of anecdotal experience, which is of course countered by you tryig to prove your own points based on anecdotal experience. I say we call it quits - I'll hold my opinion and you hold yours.

HeirToPendragon 6 points7 points 1 month ago* [-]

If you did this to our game, you would probably get the shit kicked out of you. Our domain coordinator once went to prison for a year stabbing a man about 25 times, we have an ex-SOCOM sniper who isn't allowed to talk about most of his previous job experience, a man that weighs over 350 pounds but moves like a fucking train, and more.

roikuro 4 points5 points 1 month ago[-]

I was just thinking the same thing. If somebody busted into my RPG group (not LARP, just tabletop) they'd be contending with 4 ex-military, 2 NY cops, and a host of other pissed off people. Especially if it were unannounced and they were wielding weapons... I can't imagine that going well for them.

lovesmasher 3 points4 points 1 month ago[-]

I've got you beat: I DM for my lawyer.

HeirToPendragon 1 point2 points 1 month ago[-]

Oh... oh dude I'm so sorry.

roikuro 1 point2 points 1 month ago[-]

One of my players is a lawyer in the local DA's office.

lollerkeet 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

Does he play paladins all the time?

roikuro 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

Nah man. Shit... he plays all sorts of characters.

dlpwillywonka 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

A lawful good lawyer? Seems iffy.

davvblack 3 points4 points 1 month ago[-]

That's ok, I brought my internet tough guy laser.

illusio 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

That group sounds familiar. Do (did) you perchance play Dragon Crest?

HeirToPendragon -1 points0 points 1 month ago[-]

No idea. I'm only 1.5 years with this group. We're the Cincinnati Camarilla.

Pendin 6 points7 points 1 month ago[-]

I saw you make one response so far in this whole thread, despite the majority of people suggesting you go about this in a more gamer friendly way, i think you are just looking to be mean. Imagine someone coming in to sabotage your game, how cool would that be exactly? Cautionary tale, I was playing a more physical type of game akin to the SCA and some kids thought it would be funny to shoot at us with paint balls. A couple of younger guys took off into the woods where they were hiding and pretty much kicked the shit out of them, and took their guns too.

gmale9000 [S] -1 points0 points 1 month ago[-]

Cautionary tale, I was playing a more physical type of game akin to the SCA and some kids thought it would be funny to shoot at us with paint balls.

That's not at all what I was thinking. It's all be in character. Maybe "attack" isn't quite the right word. We'll be in character during it, and I imagine we'll confuse or scare them. And if it gets "dangerous" for my PCs, we'll shout about how the undead is too great, and retreat!

I don't know, it's a crap shoot, but I'm banking on funny.

Kattastrophe 3 points4 points 1 month ago[-]

Actual burning torches is an awful idea.

If someone showed up at my gaming group like that, I'd probably be pissed and a little scared.

bluejack404 4 points5 points 1 month ago[-]

Yeah. My first thought when someone comes at me with a burning torch is, "Holy shit, are they trying to kill us?"

Kattastrophe 1 point2 points 1 month ago[-]

It sounds like you have experience with this.

bluejack404 0 points1 point 28 days ago[-]

As a matter of fact... >.>

p9504178 5 points6 points 1 month ago[-]

I'm guessing you were drunk when you planned/wrote this. Tell us all about your new criminal record after this stunt, please.

mcherm 6 points7 points 1 month ago[-]

Do check with the GM/Storyteller first. And stop back by to tell us about it afterward!

Antimuffin 5 points6 points 1 month ago[-]

How would you feel if you were playing a game and a bunch of jocks came and crashed your party for no reason other than they thought they were cooler than you because your interests differed?

Seriously, LARP isn't some freakish thing. What you're planning sounds douchey. Please reconsider.

Makiyivka 11 points12 points 1 month ago[-]

I'm honestly not sure how this could go well. At best you ruin someone else's fun for no other reason than you want to be a jackass.

robinrising 3 points4 points 1 month ago[-]

If you and your friends are really just looking to be tasered and arrested I'm sure that there are easier/quicker ways to accomplish this than running around a university campus with weapons and lit torches. You may have a difficult time coming up with one quite so guaranteed of success, however...

RomeoWhiskey 7 points8 points 1 month ago[-]

if these LARPers have any sense of humor they will find this hilarious. I presume you're planning to do it during one of their sessions?

gmale9000 [S] 2 points3 points 1 month ago[-]

Yes. Another idea someone in my group came up with was for one of us to join their game as a "ghoul" and find out more about their game and/or where they plan so we can lure them into a trap.

EDIT: If they're LARPing politics, I can imagine us bursting into like a conference room in the SUB to make our assault.

Keali 11 points12 points 1 month ago[-]

You don't seem to have told them anything about your plans. You should do that. If anyone came at me with burning torches there would be damages.

dorkboat 8 points9 points 1 month ago[-]

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Keali 4 points5 points 1 month ago[-]

This Spanish Inquisition is setting itself up for some serious fail. It's sounds like it could be fun, but they really should ask if it's ok before doing anything.

davvblack 2 points3 points 1 month ago[-]

Holy shit, this is so almost sequitur. The most relevant I have ever seen this comment.

Tezcatlan 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

I think having your own agent in the game is your best bet. You can find out what's going on and assess their sense of humour. Even if they're not recruiting, having someone approach the ST and asking what's going on, buying them a drink (as a 'wannabe ST') and asking for tips would help.

Go on, you know you want to roll those 'Subterfuge' dice.

tirpen 4 points5 points 1 month ago[-]

Don't. Ruining the fun for other gamers just for your own lulz puts you right into 4chan territory.

They probably have lots of things planned out for the session already that your stunt will fuck up.

darwin2500 5 points6 points 1 month ago[-]

Some advice, they're almost certainly playing Vampire: The Masquerade, which is set in modern times. If you want to fit in and be really cool, play as a more modern lynching party- you know, bible-thumping good-ol'boys from an evangelical tent ministry or something something. Then they can actually incorporate it as a real event within the framework of the game.

Also, don't know if this would ruin it for you or not, but htere are probably 1-3 people who are the 'storytellers', ie GM's. If you talk to them, you can coordinate the whole thing so that it works out and they actually go with it instead of getting pissed and leaving, but it would still be a total surprise to all the players. Up to you, whether you care about total surprise or having it be chill.

phrakture 2 points3 points 1 month ago[-]

Learn their signs and things. There are various hand forms for powers. Play along.

We did this at GenCon once. A bunch of us acted like zombies and invaded. One GM flipped the fuck out, screaming for security, called the police and all that. Another, however, loved it. Everyone played along. They even led us inside a lobby area and locked the doors on the whole group of about 80 of us. Vampire LARPers trapped us!

pcmn 1 point2 points 1 month ago[-]

I must ask: Will you be there this year?

phrakture 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

Yes. But I was not in charge of the zombie march. It was also back in Milwaukee... I haven't seen anything like it since.

pcmn 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

So...GenCon or Milwaukee?

Also: We should organize a GenCon Redditor meet-up for this year.

PiR8_Rob 1 point2 points 1 month ago[-]

Suggestions? Yeah, grow the fuck up. Don't just spring this on them and act like a bunch of douche bags crashing a party. Also, think about this seriously, someone could get hurt. Then not only will be an asshole, but you'll be an asshole in jail.

dapperdave 1 point2 points 1 month ago[-]

Why do you want to do this?

clever_name 1 point2 points 1 month ago* [-]

cough cough so what university do you go to again?

Charlie24601 1 point2 points 1 month ago[-]

Just FYI, I'm guessing this LARP is actually a 'world of darkness'/White Wolf LARP. They don't use any weapons or anything (just rock/paper/scissors) and thus if you start pelting them with nerf crossbows and guns, they might just get pissed off.

Then again, if you're just trolling the nerds, that might be your goal.

jackmama 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

Vampire LARP does not work like that. If anything they'll probably just sneer and act as if you are bigger nerds than them.

SomnambulicSojourner -2 points-1 points 1 month ago[-]

Get Nerf Crossbows (if they still make them) and paint them to look more realistic.

pcmn 2 points3 points 1 month ago[-]

Don't paint them, though; you don't want to run afoul of the law.

silverdrake3 1 point2 points 1 month ago[-]

Some groups (especially school-sponsored ones) won't even allow nerf crossbows. Check with the university first.

SomnambulicSojourner 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

Meh... what kind of Puritan Witchhunters would they be if they let little things like technicalities and school policy get in the way of their righteous vengeance?

maverickjs 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

Oh this is going to end well :-D

cracker_jack 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

This could go amazingly, or could go like knocking over a kid in a wheelchair. Sure, it's funny and you'll get a laugh but you had to go for the easy kill first?

[deleted] -2 points-1 points 1 month ago[-]

awesome! bring holy water too.

Wilksy -2 points-1 points 1 month ago[-]

This is crazy enough to be amusing, whether a success or failure. I'm not sure how to define those categories.

dorkboat -3 points-2 points 1 month ago[-]

I did once run by a big masquerade group that meets late night on campus at my school where I used to work nights (TESC)

I ran by wearing my full leather duster, and started imitating dual revolver style, shouting headshot, headshot, monsterkill!

while I was running from the awkwardness, one of the largest, stinkiest vampires asked 'Are you serious?' to which I replied "I played hunter! I've got 5 in dexterity and 4 in firearms! You're all dead!" and then fled home.

roikuro 5 points6 points 1 month ago[-]

5 in Dex and 4 In Firearms? Man you coulda had more dice if you had gone for a 5 in firearms with specialties and then take ambidextrous and gunslinger and enough dots in strength to wield heavy pistols one handed without the damage penalties. Don't forget taking dots in any of the fighting styles that might help in the situation... like from the "Dogs of War" book.

xilban 3 points4 points 1 month ago[-]

Upvoted since I understood and agree.

roikuro 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

I'm glad somebody understood what I was just saying. There are better things to do with 25XP.

xilban 1 point2 points 1 month ago[-]

I larped masquerade for about a year, and ran my own DA vamp game for a couple years. I have way too many books.

roikuro 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

I have so many books that I use stacks of them to hold up other books.

HeirToPendragon 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

Upvoted... so I can have it as saved information for my next character.

roikuro 0 points1 point 1 month ago[-]

If you ever want help turning a NWoD character into a murder machine... I've got a bunch of combos like that worked out.

Indyhouse -4 points-3 points 1 month ago[-]

Of course you will record such actions onto some sort of video capture device, right?

kadeity -3 points-2 points 1 month ago[-]

spraypaint some Nerf Maverick's Silver. They are Nerf revolvers that like 12$ and would be perfect for this.

PanTardovski -3 points-2 points 1 month ago[-]

"What is 'the definition of lulzy'?" "That is correct." "I'll take 'From Under A Burned Bridge' for $600, Alex."

SomnambulicSojourner -3 points-2 points 1 month ago[-]

This will be awesome and epic. Film that shit and put up a link here, so we can all enjoy it.