Help! Research Paper in progress

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Help! Research Paper in progress

Postby NatalieBarrett » Tue May 04, 2010 9:09 pm

Hey all,

I am a student at Cal State San Marcos and I am writing a research paper on Live Action Role Playing. I tried to meet members of the Escondido chapter at the park in Escondido on Saturday May 1st, but I found out they were all at a Renaissance fair! So in lieu of meeting face to face, I have a few questions.

As an avid video game player, I have always been interested in all things fantasy, and I jumped at the opportunity to learn more about LARPing through this class.

I have prepared a short survey and I would be greatly humbled if anyone and everyone would answer some short questions.

A few short things before the questions:

In my paper, all personal signifiers such as names, locations, and aliases will not be submitted. This is one of the tenets of research, that all persons shall be anonymous. Example in paper: Person A stated, ".....".

Secondly, in no way will the information from the questions be shared with any third party member other than myself and my professor.

Without further ado:

1. How long have you been involved in LARPing?

2. Do you hold a position within your LARP group that holds some sort of responsibility, if so, what? Ex: Treasurer, lore master, rule aficionado, etc.

3. What is your current occupation? (Don't have to be too specific, company names will be omitted). Ex: Manager at a restaurant, unemployed, student, waitress, accountant, fireman, etc.

4. LARPing can sometimes be regarded with skepticism and ridicule to the outside observer. Does this attitude affect your performance or willingness to tell other people, and if so, why?

5. In your opinion, do you think that your role or position within your LARP group translates to your daily life outside of LARPing? And if so, why?


Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions. As previously stated, everything will be anonymous, and please post here, or email me a copy of the answers to

maxn.barrett@yahoo.com

A copy of my final research paper, due Tuesday, May 11th can be obtained upon request, just ask!

My future as an anthropologist (and a student with high grades) rests in your hands,

Natalie Barrett
NatalieBarrett
 
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Re: Help! Research Paper in progress

Postby Styx of Chamonix » Wed May 05, 2010 3:09 pm

NatalieBarrett wrote:As an avid video game player, I have always been interested in all things fantasy, and I jumped at the opportunity to learn more about LARPing through this class.


First I wanted to note: LARP can refer to many different kinds of Live Action Roleplaying, often based off of a tabletop dice-and-paper system. Some people in the LARPing community would not consider Amtgard to be a LARP. Most of us would call it a "boffer" group. Boffer groups are generally groups that put foam around a solid core and then use those as weapons in a system with rules describing how participants are defeated. In that sense, Amtgard is more of a boffer group than a LARP. Its basic rules set supports boffer fighting in what we call a ditch or militia battle.

On the other hand, Amtgard has something only a few boffer groups have: class battles. In this sense I consider Amtgard a LARP based off of Dungeons and Dragons. While it is not officially connected to D&D, the class labels and monsters borrow heavily from the layout of D&D. Class battles involve the basic rules of battle and add on a number of other rules to cover the class of each player, the lives of each player, a magic system, and the objective of any given class battle. This is where I consider Amtgard to be a D&D-based LARP: it has a number of comprehensive rules surrounding combat with character development being something added by the player, whereas Vampire LARPs tend to focus almost entirely on playing a character and less on combat.

NatalieBarrett wrote:I have prepared a short survey and I would be greatly humbled if anyone and everyone would answer some short questions.

A few short things before the questions:

In my paper, all personal signifiers such as names, locations, and aliases will not be submitted. This is one of the tenets of research, that all persons shall be anonymous. Example in paper: Person A stated, ".....".

Secondly, in no way will the information from the questions be shared with any third party member other than myself and my professor.


Awww, I remember having to make surveys that fit IAB standards. It brings back memories.

NatalieBarrett wrote:1. How long have you been involved in LARPing?


I have been involved with Amtgard for about 8 months at this point. My other roleplaying experiences have been strictly tabletop (5 years) and video games (20 if Super Mario Bros. counts).

NatalieBarrett wrote:2. Do you hold a position within your LARP group that holds some sort of responsibility, if so, what? Ex: Treasurer, lore master, rule aficionado, etc.


Yes. I currently hold the title of Monarch. Since we're a Barony, that makes me the Baron. Yes, a Monarch can be a Baron, or a Sheriff is the realm is a Shire. Yes, Amtgard vocab. and logic sometimes don't mesh.

NatalieBarrett wrote:3. What is your current occupation? (Don't have to be too specific, company names will be omitted). Ex: Manager at a restaurant, unemployed, student, waitress, accountant, fireman, etc.


Web Developer

NatalieBarrett wrote:4. LARPing can sometimes be regarded with skepticism and ridicule to the outside observer. Does this attitude affect your performance or willingness to tell other people, and if so, why?


No and no. I realize that it's not everyone's cup of tea, so I keep that in mind when talking about it. But a few people not at all into video games, roleplaying, etc. seem to enjoy hearing about it, so they get to. Those who are politely curious or less get a brief explanation and no more unless they show more enthusiasm.

NatalieBarrett wrote:5. In your opinion, do you think that your role or position within your LARP group translates to your daily life outside of LARPing? And if so, why?


Not really.


And I would be interested to get a copy of your paper.
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