The history of LARP is shrouded in mystery. Some say it was inspired by Dream Park. Others suggest it grew out of interactive murder mysteries. Regardless, most will agree that the origins of LARP have less than a few hundred years of history. And the basic truth of the matter is – someone's been doing this much, much longer.

There are, of course, differences. Most traditional theatre draws a fairly distinct line between the players – i.e., characters, members of the story – and the audience – observers to the story that exist behind the invisible 4th wall. In essence, LARP sucks the audience through that 4th wall and onto the stage. Suddenly, all the participants are characters, and characters become the only audience.

Despite these notable differences, there are still many tricks o' the trade that LARPers might borrow from their older cousin, the traditional thespian. As I figure someone should benefit from my four years of torture…er, study, this series of articles will focus on a few of them. However, at the time of this articles' production, most of my old theatre books are in a box at the bottom of a pile of boxes, all of which are very heavy. So we'll be relying on my memory here, with the very real possibility of a follow-up article/apology in the near future.

Since one of my colleagues has already penned a piece on costuming for this Issue, we will focus on one of my other favorite aspects of performance – Characterization.

Inside-Out, or Outside-In?

Back in Acting 101, we learned two basic methods to create or "find" a character. These were simply called Inside-Out characterization and Outside-In characterization. As fate would have it, both of these are pretty much exactly what they sound like.

Inside-Out
Creating a character from the inside out focuses first on the internal processes of the character - the inner workings of the mind, heart, and soul - and how that which can not be seen drives the character's choices and actions. The old line, "What's my motivation?" is very typical of inside-out characterization. The internalist works from the concept that understanding the character's personality is an essential prerequisite to understanding or enacting their behavior.

The actor will try to experience the thoughts and emotions of the character. This can be done both by empathizing with the character based on a similar personal experience, or by visualizing and mentally "playing out" the scenarios in the character's background. Both methods attempt to recreate the personality and feelings resulting from the character's experiences. This is more than borrowing a personal happy thought or tragic memory to make the character fly or weep. To an extent, this method tries to emulate how the person's inner workings and experiences forged the character's mettle into its current form.

Outside-In
Conversely, creating a character from the outside-in places the primary focus on the exterior aspects of the character. Common examples of exterior starting points include costuming, mannerisms, facial expressions, speech patterns, posture, and gestures. (In fact, a quick and easy cheat for character creation on the fly is to pick a distinctive gesture or mannerism that belongs exclusively to that character.)

The externalist works from the concept that it is easier to behave as a different character when responding to external stimuli. Becoming your character in a given scenario is easier with the appropriate external reminders, such as the feel of different clothing, the sound of a different accent, or the appropriate prop. Obviously, suspension of disbelief is easier for all the players if there are fewer aspects of the mutually created reality that the eyes and ears need to imagine.

Research Styles: Environmental Immersion and History

It can perhaps be argued that there are as many different forms of character research as there are characters, but certain methods seem to universally dominate. Both the internalist and the externalist research their characters in similar ways, but with distinctly different goals. For a historical character, period literature and artwork can be invaluable research tools. However, the internalist will try to recreate the ambiance of the setting to get a "feel" for the era, while the externalist will look for specifics in manner of dress, period slang, period influences and events, and possible differences between the common language usage of then and now. And some factors are relevant to both approaches. For example, a female character from a culture or era which looks down on women is likely to have a negative view of herself. In conjunction with this, her stance and speech are likely to be timid and self-effacing.

Another research method commonly employed is immersion in some facsimile of the character's environment. For example, visiting a community or town similar to the environment the character was raised in may help the internalist imagine coming of age in such a place. The same visit would assist the externalist by allowing them to study the mannerisms, speech patterns, and clothing styles of those that already exist in the environment.

No Character is an Island

Of course, these methods are not ivory towers, and most real-world thespians and gamers tend to hodge-podge elements together into a system that works for them. When deciding how much time and effort to put into your characterization for a LARP, it is important to remember several factors, including:

• The type of game being played
• The likelihood of character reoccurrence
• The preferences and standards of the other players and GMs
• The origination of your character (modern reality, history, literature or fantasy)
• The amount of vestment you're willing to put in the character
• That some characters may have physically impossible traits for the player (aliens, magical characters, characters of the opposite sex)
• That your character may be connected to other characters in the game
• The overall goals of the game

Conclusion

LARPing is not theatre, especially because as gamers we have the privilege of helping to create the story. A single person does not create the complete script; rather, the story-writer creates the framework and the players get the chance to bring the story and the characters in it to life. With, of course, the resulting goal that the characters – and, more importantly, the players – get to add a more interesting chapter to their lives.

Getting to know your character, and trying in some way to "see" through their eyes, is a large part of the fun in the game for some players. The method used to meet your character must be a path that the two of you agree upon.