LARP Radio: Cutting Room

A Slice from teh Interview with Jen
http://media.libsyn.com/media/larpradio/Interview_Cut_1.mp3
It's a funny few seconds.


James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: Interview #4 and #5

LARP Radio Interview #4 and #5 from the White Tower Gaming Convention.mp3

The Shnotes:

I clipped Jens interview short by a few seconds in editing. The interview was over I just didn’t get the thank you in.

NERO-Wheeling Association of Role-playing

White Tower Gaming Convention

Galactic Conquest Development Team (No website yet)
The Galactic Conquest RPG/CCG/TCS is still in Beta Testing.

Exiles LARP (Can’t find a working link)

NERO-Middle Tennessee (The chapter with the cave event)



Promos:
Bears Grove

All Games Considered

Dragons Landing Inn

Misfit Brew

Creative Commons 2.5 License




James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: White Tower Gaming Con

Con Pixs
The LARP Radio Podcasting Rig



Warhammer 40K


More Warhammer 40K






James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: White Tower Gaming Convention

May 27th I'll be at the Blaskovich Community Center in Triadelphia West Virginia sometime around noon Saturday for the White Tower Gaming Convention. LARP Radio will be Podcasting the Con until five or six that night. It's not a huge Con or even a large one but it's still fun. So if your near Wheeling, West Virginia stop by for the White Tower Gaming Convention. I should have the Con episode up by Tuesday afternoon.

James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: Geography

Getting hits this month around the world.


James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: Book Review

The Book of the Sword, by Sir Richard F. Burton

Sir Richard Burton (1821-1890) a British military officer in the mid 1800, is considered one of the first ethnologists documenting Afghan, and north Indian culture. Other writings include exploration, a travel diary as the first white-man to enter Mecca and Medina; searching the sources of the Nile river, and the American West. Burton is also a noted linguist translating the original edition of the Arabian Knights.

In 1884 the original addition of the Book of the Sword was published in England. The first half of this writing covers the history of weapons from prehistory to the iron age. The middle is an explanation as to what is a sword, edge and point. This was necessary with the verity of weapons that were covered in the history. It is also where Burton explains the modern swords. At the time of Burton’s writing this is the cavalry saber and English small sword. The third part of the book looks at swords by culture after the start of the Iron Age. Ending with Imperial Roman weapons. The text seems incomplete without a second volume.

Burtons writing style is easy if a bit long winded. For a hundred and twenty year old book the information is very relevant from understanding swords and weapons in alternate cultures. LARPer should be able to find ideas for weapons not normally seen in LARPs. Tabletop roleplayers can find the sections detail production and smelting to add to the historic detail to any game.




James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: Save the Internet!

James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: Video Day

Burn the Tavern!



James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: June Events

NERO-WAR
June 2-4
Lewis Arboretum
Fenton's Crossing
2-Day


June 23-25
Camp Giscowheco
Galavast
2-Day

Click for more



Age of Valor
June 17, 2006Feast of St. Jobaheld by Mike Leoncavallo, and Brian Bardell


Amtgard
June 18-22
Rakis XIII / Olympiad XIII
Where: Cripple Creek, CO
Group: Iron Mountains (Interkingdom)
Contact: olympiad@ironmountains.org or war@ironmountains.org or cultural@ironmountains.org
Info: This year the Iron Mountains will be hosting Amtgard's

Olympiad. Think you are the best come prove it.
June 27-29
Goblin Wars IV
Where: 43224 Harlem Rd Galena, Oh
Group: Barony of Blackfire Pass
Contact: GoblinWars@yahoo.com


Belegarth
ARMAGEDDON V
June 11-18
Forrest Glenn Preserve in Danville, IL


Circle of Swords
June 3rd Monthly Gaming Days Inn: Butler, PA (Butler Room)


Dagorhir
Ragnarok XXI
June 18-25, 2006 at Spring Valley Campground in Cambridge, Ohio (Hosted by Dagorhir!)


Darkon
June 9-11, 2006 Reunion Farm Campout (Hosted by Nurgle) June 25, 2006 Burtonsville Armorless/Classless/Shieldless Battle (a Triumvirate Meeting will be held)


Endless Adventures Larp
June 3 tba day adventure
June 17 tba campout


King's Gate
June 30th - July 2nd, 2006: King's Gate (A. H. Stevens State Park)


Laire
June 01, 2006 Registration: June Event Registration Closes
June 09, 2006 Event: June Event Begins at Camp Sacajawea
June 29, 2006 Registration: July Event Registration Closes


Legends of Roleplaying
Spring 3rd Event 2006 2006-06-16 (future) In-game


NERO Alliance
June 2, 3, 4
New Jersey: To Be Announced (Weekend)
Seattle: "The Boiling Sea" (Weekend)

June 9, 10, 11
Minnesota: "All For a Dark Elf's Honor (Kulgroth's Revenge, Part II)" (Weekend)
Traverse City: To be Announced (Weekend)


NERO International
June 2006
2 - 4
NERO Avendale

09 - 11
NERO Aeon (Windsor)
Boston (War of Ages)
ARGO (PA)
NERO Chicago IL
Metro DC

16 - 18
NB Canada
Chronicles (So. IL)
VALOR (VA)
Midwest (IL)

23 - 25
EMPIRE (CO)
MASS (Ravenholt)

30 - 02
NB Canada
NERO Aeon (London)
NERO Chicago IL
Chronicles (So. IL)


SOLAR
Shadowmoor
June 9-12 - 4 day festival Camp York, King's Mountain

Cerroneth
June 2006
Dates: 2-4th
Location: Camp Special


Xanodria
Medieval Fantasy10 June 2006Blue Mountain Campground, Hamburg PA


James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: Ad Bot Attack

LARP Radio has had a Bot Attack that dropped advertising links in the comments. Now please understand I pimp my podcast on any site or forum I can find. But I only post once and keep the comments to something relevant. If there is not a name attached to the comment please don't click the link. I'm bitter like that.

Zorntok who posted a legitimate comment has two websites give them a look.

http://zorntok.livejournal.com/

http://skunkclan.org/index.htm



James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: Competition?

A LARPs Competition?

I personally don’t believe LARPs should be in competition with each other. The market is small, but working together is better than beating each other up. With the exclusion of Memorial day and Labor day most LARPs of the same type can avoid booking events on the same weekend. Competition should be in the plot, the fun of the event spread by word of mouth.

If LARPs should not compete with each other who is the competition. Grab a TV Guide or a TV Week from the newspaper and look over your competitions program schedule. A Wheeling Association of Roleplaying 2 day event runs Friday night to Sunday morning. Up to seven hours the first day 10pm to 4am, then plot shuts down until 10am. Day two runs 10am Saturday to 4am Sunday, for nineteen hours. This is a total twenty six hours of game play over two days. In that time there are to days of prime time programming and Saturday morning cartoons that the player must be willing to miss to play NERO.

Looking at the TV Week for this week I find that the event would have competed with the following:
Dateline NBC, a Doctor Phil Special, That 70’s Show, Stargate SG-1, Star Trek: TNG, and Team America. This is just a quick look at 7pm when players would be go to or checking into the event. Television and Radio should be openly hostile to LARPing. At 8pm we are out getting fresh air, exercise and adventure instead of sitting in front of the tube watching their advertising. Plot has to be written and preformed better than Buffy, Star Trek, or Galactic to pull players into the chapter.



James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: Interview #3

Back from Lumberton with another field interview.
LARP_Radio_Interview_3.mp3


Shnotes:

Wheeling Association of Roleplaying

The Bear’s Grove Podcast

Dragon’s Landing Inn

Misfit Brew




James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: Video Day

We're back from Lumberton Shire and editing audio for the next interview.




James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: Comments

I’m getting a lot on one time traffic. Please post a comment on what you were looking for durring your search. More Podcast or Blog?


James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: Rumors for Lumberton Shire

As you are traveling to the Lumberton Outpost you hear the following..

I heard that the Baron has a new Squire. I wonder how long this one will last?

The new Count is looking for a bride.

Bein' at the outpost and all this time of year, look out for dangerous plants. Ya' know bein' in the woods and all.

An army of trolls is lurking in the woods to the south.

I think Jr. is the cause behind Jonathon's disappearance. He has been too happy lately.

Diemetrius Mordan has used secret mind powers on the Baron so he can use the lowlands to start a zoo.

Viscount Slake is missing, again.

An elven caravan was ambushed, they lost a special enchanted sword to the raiders.

Connor, the head of the farmers in Asbury, has been missing. He hasn't returned from the hunting trip he went on before the last market day.

Hoblings really don't like pie. They just use them to smuggle illegal stuff.

King Aug has recruited those unhappy with Stonegate to help in his war.

The new count is having the festival to recruit forces for an army

The green meanies are coming!!! The Green Meanies Are Coming!!! THE GREEN MEANINES ARE COMING!!!

The marriage of Christo and Daisy is one of convenience.

Lately I've seen more and more people with cat like features. Boy they sure do multiply quickly. I wonder if some of them are related to Dame Au'brianna?

Mysterious sounds have been heard around Zeke's burnt down brothel.

Crazy Carl keeps screaming about seeing sparkly people everywhere.

Fires can be seen on the edge of the darkness all through the night.

Old Samuel says he saw one of 'em green fires burnin' and when he went to check it out the next mornin' he found three of his cows busted up every bone broken...welll so he says.

Signs have been seen around the outpost stating, "Don't do anything stupid today!"

Mommy, when can we return to our house? Dear, not until the nobles get rid of Pit. I'm sure they won't fail the people.



I don't have secret mind powers.

James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: Book Review

I was going to review the 48 Laws of Power, by Greene, but the Dragons Landing did just that in Episode 41. And they did it well. So I’m going to review something odd, actually three books. The Tiger’s Way, Phantom Soldier, and Tactics of the Crescent Moon, all by H. John Poole.

Poole is a retired Marine that served in Vietnam and was heavily involved in training. These three books outline military tactics; Phantom Soldier covers the enemies of the United States during the cold war era. Tactics of the Crescent Moon is a more contemporary on, jihadist tactics. The Tiger’s Way is a combination of research from the other two books in how train U.S. soldiers to fight like our enemies.

None of these books are secret, only nitch research that would normally be hard to find. How to use them in a LARP setting?

Understanding light infantry tactics is key to banditry.

Being able to talk intelligently on tactics as an NPC military officer.

Finding ways to send in NPC crunchies (NPC cannon fodder) that is different from the same old way.

Organize heavy hitting, hunter killer teams, say a Death Knight, Gas Rogue, Boomchuck Mage, and two shield bearers covering the death knight. Keep it tight, follow the DK’s lead and roll the town.

Poole’s writing tend to be very detailed but repetitive. One of the two, Phantom Warrior or the Tiger’s Way could be excluded from the list with no real loss of information. I found the writing style easy and fast.

Regardless of the type of LARP or RPG your playing, Poole will be useful to the diligent student. I found Tactics of the Crescent Moon was the most interesting of the books.












James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: Video Day

I've been lax in my writing, both blogging and fiction. Hopefully this week will be better.
Curse you Red Alert Two.

James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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LARP Radio: Dispense Justice.

The Right to Bare Arms and Dispense Justice.
LARPs like NERO have in game economies, and if there is an economy there must be a government. Being a medieval game there is a Kingdom. If anyone wants to try and take over the Kingdom go ahead and try. This fits to the open nature of the game.

Every government has a need to enforce laws. This is where the Knights come in to the game. Knights exist at three levels of government; Kingdom, County and Baronial. Only the King, a Count or a Baron can have knights. Other nobles even the Princes are excluded from having their own knights. The knights have authority written in the laws of the kingdom. Bare arms and dispense justice is the single greatest power.

The knights of Lumberton Shire have the power of life and death over anyone in the Shire. Failure to obey an order and the knight could cut that person down without trial. I’ve never seen this happen, but it’s in the Shire book of law. With this power comes respectability.

There is a Code of Chivalry that all Knights must follow:
Thou shall respect the weak and thou shall constitute thyself the defender of them.
Thou shall love the country in which thou hast sworn fealty.
Thou shall not recoil before the enemy.
Thou shall make war against evil without cessation.
Thou shall scrupulously perform thy noble duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of the land.
Thou shall never lie and thou shall remain faithful to thy word.
Thou shall be generous and thou shall give freely to everyone.
Thou shall be everywhere and always the champion of the right and good against injustice and Evil.

Also:
A Knight will not use poisons or blade effects that act as poisons. Knights will take a vow of poverty that will begin when they squire. A Knight takes the responsibility for the actions of his squire.

Any knight that violates the Code could stand before a board of inquiry made up of knights. Knights also serve at the pleasure of Nobles. More over as an adventure role-playing game the Knights must go out and protect. There is just enough plot going on that a Knight can find someone to help.

Knighthood is for any young man or woman who looks to be something more than themselves, to walk the path of honor and shoulder responsibility far beyond their years. Sans the risk of military service.

The Barons and Counts that do not keep a tight reign over their knights do a disservice to the game. A youth should be challenged, not cut lose to run pirate over the land. The Squires of Lumberton Shire are required to keep their sword and shield at hand at al times. The Barron offers a reward for both. Squires must memorize the Code of Chivalry, and be able to recite it while being attacked.

Of all the positive In-Game elements at NERO the Knights are by far the most positive. To have standards and hold people to them. LARPs should require a system for consequences to peoples actions. In this case Evil will win if the good do nothing.


James Bortmas
“Expecting Waylay”

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