Crestfallen Update - Blog: Crestfallen LARP Approved Project Design Guide
Crestfallen Staff has just published the following essay (read it online here):
Crestfallen LARP Approved Project Design Guide
Photo by Şevval Karataş: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-people-woman-portrait-15369762/
Overview
The Crafting section of the rulebook discusses Approved Project Design Cards being required for crafting items other than Basic Build items (untagged). These cards must be approved to make sure they fit the genre of the game, they are balanced with other items in the system, and meet the standards put forth in the crafting section of the rules. To do this, the card is reviewed with staff in a barter style of discussion to ensure the use of the item is clear and the costs are fair. This helps to ensure that players are treated fairly and are aware of their progress regarding the creation of items outside of events and reduces problems during events themselves.
This document is a review of how the barter process should work and some items to consider for the creation of an Approved Project Design Card.
Important Notes
A character may only work on one Approved Project Design Card at a time. A character may only work on a new design when they completes their Approved Project Design Card or sends confirmation that they are discarding work on the current card and moving to a new design.
Crestfallen LARP may review any and all Approved Project Design Cards and Items created from these designs at any time. Upon review, Crestfallen LARP may request or require a change in the cost or abilities of these cards. Reviews may occur due to player feedback, loopholes, or other unforeseen circumstances. Reviews such as these should be rare and will normally be held during the yearly meeting to allow the attendees to have a say in the matter. We will always try our best to maintain the integrity of an attendees/characters work in and out of game and be transparent about the reason for the review and changes.
Starting Questions
These are some basic questions that should be thought about before starting work on an Approved Project Design Card.
- What Crafting Skill is this design for? Alchemy, Enchanting, Forging, Technology, and/or Surgery
- What is the Physical Representation for the design? Examples include Weapons, Ammunition, Potion Vials, Wands, Scrolls, Tools, Buildings, Food, Furniture, Armor, Decoration, Jewelry, Body, Creature, etc. There is no set list of possible Physical Representations, because we do not wish to limit players creativity. We may veto a physical representation if it seems inappropriate or breaks genre.
- What is the durability for the created item/effect? Crafting Augmentation may have a durability of 8 to 16, Crafting Mastery may have a durability of 16 to 32 (Unlimited is possible), Crafting Technology may have a durability of 16 to 32 (no unlimited), Experimental Surgery lasts until the limb that it targeted is destroyed or the character dies.
- What is the tentative resource cost to create this item/effect? At a minimum the design requires 1 basic resource per durability and a number of common resources of the appropriate type based on how powerful the effect may be. These costs may increase or decrease based upon other factor regarding the item such as answers to other questions found here.
- What does this item/effect do? Does the item just last longer than Basic Build items? Does the item/effect reduce a time limit or duration? Does the item/effect mimic a spell or skill? Does the item/effect change a characters roleplay (acting)? There is no set list for this because it would limit the players creativity. Important note: This cannot create a new condition or call during combat.
- What limitations does the item/effect have? Does the item/effect take a long time to activate? Does it have a incantation like a spell (all items/effects that mimic spells must have an incantation but other items/effects also can)? Does the item/effect have a specific counted action required? Is the item/effect limited to a particular lineage or person to use it? May the item/effect only be used against a particular lineage or person? Does the item/effect use Resources, Leaves, or Essence to fuel them? Does the item/effect work once per day, once per day per character, work all day/event for anyone who uses it?
Story
Crestfallen LARP wants to have our mechanics and our story work together, so are there reasons why a character would create this item/effect? Often times innovation is very personal and brought on by problems that occur to a character along their journey. Characters and Players should be proud of their in game creations and want to share them with others.
Initial Email
Once a player has an idea of what they would like to create and why, we ask them to email us answers to the following questions. Feel free to copy and paste this into the email to ensure you hit all points. The email should be titled as listed below and include answers or thoughts to the points listed. At this time, please send all emails regarding Approved Project Design Cards to CrestfallenLARP@gmail.com
Title - “Crestfallen LARP - Approved Project Design Card - Character Name, Player Number”.
Item Name:
Item Description:
Crafting Type:
Character Name:
Character Number:
Resource Point Cost:
Durability:
Effect:
Limitations:
Story:
Additional Thoughts:
Barter
Once we receive the initial email, we will do our best to promptly respond to confirm receipt of the request. Players should receive confirmation within 3 business days from the date of sending. If a player has not received confirmation within this time frame, please resend and contact any possible staff member via discord, messenger or email to ensure receipt. Sometimes things can fall through the cracks, but we never intend to ignore a request.
Following confirmation, staff will review the suggested items. At this point staff may accept the design as requested, suggest minor changes to costs or effects, make major changes giving the player a few new options to choose from that fit into a similar style, or veto the item outright (very rare).
Minor Changes
This response usually shows that the player has a good understanding of the Crafting system and its balance. The response will notate the minor changes to the player. If the player accepts the minor changes, the design will be approved and the character will be able to create the design at an event as determined between the player and staff.
Major Changes
This response is intended to show the player ways to create the items/effects they want but with big changes that help to balance out their power. With these changes, the staff will attach two to four possible items/effects that have been balanced to fit within the system. These may change the resource costs, durability, or limitations in different ways to show the player options that are available to them. If the player accepts one of the possible item/effects that staff has prepared, then the design will be approved and the character will be able to create the design at an event as determined between the player and staff. If the players does not approve any of the possible items/effects, they may then send two to four options back to staff to review. This bartering will occur until both parties reach an agreement, the attendee gives up on the item and starts a new design, or staff informs the attendee that the item is vetoed due to no possible agreement.
Veto
This response occurs when an item is not appropriate to the Crestfallen LARP genre, attendee and staff cannot come to a fair and reasonable agreement regarding an item, or an item seems impossible to balance within the game system. A veto is very rare and all veto designs will be recorded and brough up at the yearly review meeting. If a majority of the attendees feel the veto was not appropriate, the barter regarding the item will be reopened (regardless of if the player/character has started a new design), and include 2 additional staff members. We never want players to feel that they are not respected and will always do our part to ensure transparency is available.
APPROVAL!
Regardless of how long it took, the design is now approved via email. At this point the player and staff will discuss an appropriate time for the design to be created. Players may wish to have the design to happen as soon as possible or at a plot appropriate time to help build drama. Plot may request the design to be delayed if an upcoming event is too close to produce the tag, if there is a more appropriate time for the design to be unveiled, or if there is a plot reason why the design could not be completed during the next event. Once the event date that the design can be made is chosen, plot will generate the tag and have it available for the character. The character must spend 30 minutes of roleplay (acting out testing using the appropriate craft) to create the design. Please note: Once a design is approved, a attendee/character may begin work on their next design, even if the tag for the current one has not been acquired by the character.
Example
During the Crestfallen LARP playtest there were a number of issues with the sleep condition. The players decided that they needed to create a way to wake someone from the sleep condition quickly. The idea of “Smelling Salts” was instantly discussed. The item would be alchemical in nature and use a typical potion vial as a rep. As the item would be an Augmented item, it would have 8 durability and because sleep is a powerful condition to overcome it was determined that 4 common alchemy resources would also be required. Normally 8 alchemy resources would be required to get rid of a condition instantly, but it was suggested that the Smelling Salts would be waved under the characters nose for 3 seconds and the call would then be “Remove Sleep”. Due to the additional time taken to act out the use of the item, the cost for alchemy resources was reduced to 4. Each use would use one durability, causing the item to become useless after 8 uses. Note: Even if an item loses all of its durability, it doesn’t mean the item is useless! Characters that have the Maintenance skill may use the remnants of an item to refill or reforge an item that has lost its durability or been destroyed. A character with this skill may restore its base durability for half of the material cost of making a brand new item (Rounded Down)
Helpful?
So hopefully this guide is helpful. The system itself is wide open for players to explore. We wanted to allow players to have the joy of making something new and groundbreaking that may shape the way the world grows or how plot develops. Most time crafting in games is limited to a list of things that gets old and stale or has a few overpowered things that everyone crafts and ignores the rest. We may make mistakes along the way, but we hope the players are along for the journey.