LARP Cliques
December 31, 2009The holidays are almost done and I have to admit I’m happy. From Halloween to New Year’s it just seems so hectic! Both on you and your wallet! It will be nice to just relax and get back into the normal swing of things.
One of my recent blogs on Alltern8 is about LARP Cliques! As with any social group cliques happen and I decided to look deeper into the different cliques that can be found at a LARP. The first LARP I ever attended was practically ALL mean cliques, it was so close to turning me off from LARPing. Thankfully I left and decided to give LARPing another chance. The next LARP I attended was clique free at the time due to it being so new. I enjoyed that while it lasted but ended up leaving once again as the cliques began to form. I’m currently enjoying a game that is clique free and I hope it stays that way.
Article: Avoiding the LARP Killer: Cliques
Attending any LARP for the first time you begin to experience nervousness. Excitement. Fear. And some of us? An anxious panic that doesn’t abide until you are comfortable in a circle of bodies that you can disappear in to. It is like sucking your thumb, or carrying around your blankie. Not good for us but we need it all the same.
Those very safety circles are what usually cause the most trouble at any social gathering with numerous people; summer camps, any sort of class, parties, LARPs etc. These circles are also known as cliques.
Ahhh cliques… how I despised them in high school, college and now they are following me still in LARPs. Let me explain to you that I’ve attended multiple LARPs over the years and at some of these LARPs the cliques are either painfully obvious, you have to look for the cliques to find them, OR there are no cliques to be heard of. I want you to understand that clique drama does not happen at some to most LARPs but if you do encounter them my hopes are that you are aware of what is going on and you can still escape unscathed.
Cliques are usually easy to spot. Large groups of people that generally look alike, share interests, views, purposes, or patterns of behavior can be the beginnings of a clique. They’ll usually have an elitist attitude and keep to themselves. Being a social type of gathering, cliques will throw a kink into the flow things at any LARP.
The staff of a LARP needs to constantly be on the look out for cliques and head them off before they are completely established. That is, if the staff even cares about their game or if they are just in it for the money. And a staff that cares about the game is a staff that you want to be supporting each month.
Once again you are new and have a clean slate… use this to your advantage, learn as much as you can about everyone and look deep into yourself. Alright, alright. I know that sounds cheesy but I mean it, really ask yourself early on what you want to accomplish in the game so you can preplan and not stick your foot in your mouth. Do you want to be good, neutral or evil?
To continue reading about the types of cliques you will see at a LARP please click here!
