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LARP Pocket Players Guide
 LARP
Pocket Players Guide
Company: Interactivities Ink, Ltd.
Authors: Mike Young, and John Kilgallon
Reviewed by: Shade
Added: February 28, 2002
Overview: The LARP Pocket Players Guide is a supplement for the Rules
to Live By System. This 48 page guide can literally be placed inside your
pocket. But does this little book going to be enough for the players?
Presentation: The Players Guide basically condenses the rules for
Rules to Live By (RTLB). It is meant to be a reference, but not a source. You
still need to have the RTLB book (and to a lesser extent, RTLB: Supernatural - depending
on your game). It combines the information from these two books. I have felt Supernatural was overkill for players. It provided new rules that players
needed. However, Supernatural is really a guide for the Gamemaster, and the
information provided was basically "fluff" in the eyes of a player (at
least to me). Pocket Guide is the bridge that really helps "merge" the
Supernatural rules with the core rules for players. What I like about the Pocket
Players Guide is the format, explaining ways to get ready for a game and telling
the players what to do when the game ends. I enjoy reading the sections on
"Preparing for the Game" and "What to Do if You\'re Not Having a Good
Time". I think
all LARP games should have something written up to be given to the players
before they start the game. What a great idea! Besides being a reference for the
RTLB rules, the Guide also states that the Guide is to be used as a
notebook during the game where you can jot down all the people you meet and
information you find in the game. Unfortunately, this is where the Pocket Guide
needs some work on. In the back of the Guide are some quick
reference charts and guidelines that you can go to during the game. This
is information that should be in a "notebook". Unfortunately the portion
where you can write in-game information is separated from the quick references.
This make what I call the notebook section a bit disjointed. Also there are
sections that pertain to any Live Action Role Playing game that are highlighted gray
through out the guide. Sometimes it is a bit difficult to distinguish those
parts.
Overall, I think RTLB players will find this guide invaluable.
If you do not use the RTLB rules, should you get the Guide? It depends.
LARP Pocket Players Guide is a great concept. A lot of first time players sometimes get overwhelmed when
the do their first LARP game or event. Handing them the core rulebook can be a
bit intimidating. The Guide gives players a sense that they can easily jump into
a RTLB game. However, I would have to say, if you do not use the RTLB rules, you
might not find the majority of the information useful. I would like to say that
there are tidbits here and there of great advice in the Guide for any LARP game.
Heck, for $6.00, it might be worth it to just read through it.
Summary: I really recommend RTLB players to get the Guide, especially
if they are new to a game. It allows the rules to be easily accessible, as
oppose to lugging around the two RTLB books. It is easy to find the information
you need. Interactivities Ink. did an excellent job in laying out what to do
through a cycle of a LARP game.
You can get more information on the LARP Pocket Player\'s Guide at http://www.interactivitiesink.com
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