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What kind of playing style is your larp making your players play? Is the natural way to interact in information about the game through talking, – such as character descriptions or through physical action and body language? There events that are many ways going to adjust the playing style in your game happen – through secret for the characters, through workshops, through scenography design players or through simply telling can anyone read it? Is it actively facilitated that you share secrets before the game start? Transparency can make it easier for players what style you want. A physical playing style might be more thrillingto help each other play and create a stronger drama, letting but it will ruin any surprises for the players immerse more through using all . There are also intermediate possibilities where there are secrets for some of their sensesthe players, but a more verbal game might be easier not all, or where the players themselves choose what to involve new players in, as well as being more realistic in many settingsreveal. What kind of playing style are you aiming for?
==Fader 3: Scenography==''Organizer vs. player''
''360Who creates the characters? Do the organizers write them? Do the players? Or maybe they are created together during a pre-degree illusion vsgame workshop? Combinations of these are also possible; for example, where the organizers create the characters, but the players develop them during a workshop before the larp. Player-created characters might make the players more attached to the characters and relieves the organizers of some of the work. On the other hand, organizer-created characters might make it easier to create a setting and fiction coherent with your vision. modeling''
How does your larp look? Do you aim for a 360-degree illusion, where everything the players see around them is part of the larp? Or do you use a minimalist approach, playing in a black box or something similar, imagining the surroundings of the characters and modeling the setting by letting something represent something else?
Are there secrets outside Some organizers consider their job done when the larp has started; then, they leave everything in the hands of the players. Others influence the game? in different ways as it goes along. Are you an active or a passive game master when the character descriptions secret for the other playersgame has started, or can anyone read them, so that the players know the secrets of the other characters beforehandduring ''runtime''? The first approach Game mastering might make it easier for players to help each other play, to create a stronger drama, but also be of course it will ruin any real surprises for different sorts: the discrete ones, like sending instructed players – but not into the characters. There are also intermediate possibilities in which there are secrets for some of game, or the other playersextremely intrusive ones, but not all, or where like stopping the game and instructing the players themselves choose what to revealdo a scene again differently. What will make the strongest impact on your game?
==Fader 5: Character creation responsibility==''Collaborativity vs. competivity''
''Organizer vsWhat motivates the players in your game? Having something to win or a goal to obtain, be it individually or collectively, can be an easy way to motivate players, especially for beginners. This is the competition approach. On the other hand, you often get more interesting stories and stronger player'' experiences when the players collaborate – for example, by deliberately getting their characters into trouble, i.e. [[playing to lose]].
Who creates the characters for the game? Do the organizers write them? Do the players write them themselves? Or maybe they’re created together during a pre-game workshop? Combinations of these are also possible, where for example the organizers creates the characters, but the players continues evolving them during a workshop or in groups before the larp. Organizer created characters might make it easier to create a coherent setting and fiction, but player created characters might let the players share the organizer burden as well as let them attach more to the characters they’ve created themselves.
==Fader 6: Player motivation==''Playability vs. plausibility''
''Competitive vsLarpwrights often have to consider the tradeoff between playability and plausibility. When making a historical game, for example, having a female factory owner might be highly implausible. However, it might be very playable – creating lots of interesting drama and intrigues for the players to use in the larp. In most games, you leave out the characters that have nothing to contribute to the drama, even though it would be plausible to have them there. Sometimes, you make unlikely twists to make the outcome of a story unpredictable. How true will you be to your setting? A plausible story might be a requirement for players to believe and immerse into the fiction. But, the players also need drama and often the least plausible setups create the most drama. collaborative''
What is the goal of the players in your game? Fulfilling some plot described in their character description? Winning? Immerse as much as possible into his or her character? Or creating the most interesting story together with the other players? Having the players motivated by obtaining some goal or winning is often considered a “gamist” approach, while “immersionist” or “narrativist” approaches is found on the other end of the scale, where the story or the characters are most important. There are many tools that you can use to introduce any of these player motivations in your game, for example clear plots for the characters or different sorts of competitive elements. These will influence the players´ motivation and feelings of achievement when taking part in your larp. What should motivate the players in your game?
==Fader 7: Meta-techniques==''Close to home vs. differentiation''
''Intrusive vsDo you use elements from the players’ real lives in the game (close to home), or do you deliberately try to create a barrier or distance (differentiation) between the character and player? Using the players’ own experiences or background might create a stronger emotional experience, but also has its downsides: making the game less larp and more reality. discrete''It can divert focus from the story and the emotions the story creates to the emotions the players bring with them into the game. Taken to the extreme, you might have the players play themselves, just in an alternative setting. Are you willing to lessen the player-character divide? * [[Bleed]]
[[Meta-technique|Metatechniques]] are techniques for giving information to the players, but not the characters, during the game. Examples will be given during the summer school, but can for example be secret monologues that are held during the larp. The players can hear these, the characters cannot, but nonetheless, they can be an aid for creating stronger drama. Metatechniques may of course be turned completely off (although this is rare). If they’re used in a game, they might be intrusive or discreet. Examples of intrusive metatechniques are techniques that forces all other play to stop while it takes part, while more discrete techniques might for example be having access to a special room where players can go to act out scenes from the past or the future. Will metatechniques fit with your larp? If so, will you use discrete or intrusive ones?
Often What kind of communication style does your larp encourage? Is the natural way to interact in larp the game through talking, or through physical action and body language? Communication style can be adjusted through the characters, through workshops, through scenography design, you’ll encounter or through simply telling the trade off between playability and plausibilityplayers what you want. When making a historical gameA physical communication style might be more thrilling, for exampleletting the players immerse more through using all of their senses, having but a female factory owner is highly implausible. However, it more verbal game might be very playable – creating lots of interesting drama for the easier to involve new players to use in the larp, as well as being more realistic in many settings. How will you trade off playability versus plausibility?
Some organizers consider their job done when How does your larp represent the larp has started – it’s then in reality of the players´ hands. Others influence setting? Is realism your goal? Or do you use abstract or even surrealistic elements to focus on the game in different ways as it goes along. This game mastering might be feeling and atmosphere of different sorts: the discrete ones, like sending instructed players into setting or to highlight a particular aspect of the game, or ? If the extremely intrusive ones like stopping goal of the game and instructing is to create the players atmosphere of a prison camp, you might do this in two ways: by trying to simulate an actual prison camp or by using abstract or surreal elements to do a scene again – differentlycreate the feeling of one. What fits with your idea?
Do you use elements from the players´ real lives in the game, or do you deliberately try [[Meta-technique]]s are techniques for giving information to create a barrier or distance between the character and player? Using the players own experiences or background might create a stronger experience, but also has its downsides: Making not the characters, during the game. Examples can be “inner” [[monologues]] that are played out during the larp less larp and more reality. Taken to The players can hear these, the extremecharacters cannot, you might have the players play themselvesbut nonetheless, just in they can be an alternative settingaid for creating stronger drama. Are you willing to lessen the playerIf meta-character divide? Or techniques are used in a game, they might be intrusive or discrete. Examples of intrusive meta-techniques are techniques that force all other players to stop while it just do happens, while a more harm discrete technique might be, for example, having access to your game when you don’t have a special room where players can go to act out scenes from the past or the future. This fader illustrates the combination of the cushion amount of meta-techniques used and their degree of this divide?intrusiveness.* [[Meta-technique]]
==Fader 11: Player pressure==''Hardcore vs. pretense''
''Pressure There are some things in larp that are difficult to play out. Hunger, violence, sleep deprivation, drinking, sex and drug use might be examples. If you want to include these elements in your game, how do you do it? Do you put the pressure on the players (as well as the characters by using with hardcore) vs. methods such as real alcohol, real food deprivation, and waking people at night? Do you shelter the players from the pressure on the characters (pretense)''by using replacements like boffer swords, fake alcohol, and telling the players to pretend to be hungry or sleep deprived? Hungry players will, of course, feel what it is like to be hungry, but their ability to role-play and enjoy other aspects of the game might be hampered.
There are some things in larp that might be hard to play out. Hunger, violence, sleep deprivation, drinking, sex and drug abuse might be examples. If you want to include these elements in your game, how do you do it? Do you put the pressure on the players as well as the characters by using real alcohol, real food deprivation and waking people at night, or do you put the pressure on the characters only by using replacements like boffer swords, padded alcohol and telling the players to pretend to be hungry or sleep deprived? Hungry players will of course feel what it is like to be hungry, but their ability to roleplay and enjoy other aspects of the game might be hampered. Where will you put the pressure in your game?=Open Framework=
==The cost Some possible faders that have been discussed, for example in the Knutepunkt 2013 book article is* Representation of complexity and the restrictions time (Chronology)* Player freedom (Sand box vs. railroading)* Random elements* Degree of the faders==pervasiveness
Getting to know =Video Presentation=Video presentation about all of this, you might be eager to try out it all, manipulating and adjusting all the faders to your heart’s content. This might be a bad idea – and it might not even be possible. If you push all the faders on a sound equalizer all the way to the top, the only thing that happens is that the sound quality gets worse. The same thing might happen when you over-adjust the faders of the Mixing Desk of larp with [[Martin Eckhoff Andresen]] from [[Nordic Larp. When all the faders are adjusted, you might dilute the effect of the most important parts of your larp. Think about when to adjust a fader, and when to leave in a more neutral positionTalks]] [[2013]].
Also, fader adjustment might place restrictions on other fader choices. Making a larp with only player created characters might force you to use minimalist scenography, simply because you have no idea what characters the players will create. Pushing the metatechniques-fader all the way to intrusive might make it impossible to have a goal of 360-degree illusion, since the metatechniques will breach the illusion, and so forth.{{#ev:youtube|fprp4bPTbaw}}
Fixed capitalization.
[[File:Mixing_desk_of_larpMixing desk of larp.png|right|thumb|The Mixing Desk of Larp from the version 4, revised after revised after [[Larpwriter Summer School 2012]] [[2014]]]]'''''The Mixing Desk of Larp''' is a framework for organizing your thoughts about larp design. Look at it as a pedagogical tool more than a theory of larp design– it is an aid in visualizing the most important design choices a larpwright makes.''
When you design a larp, there are plenty of parameters you can adjust. These parameters will obviously have impact on the larp you're designing. The main idea of the Mixing Desk of Larp is that being a larpwright or larp organizer is like being a technician controlling the lights or the sound of a concert or theatre performance. At his disposal, the technician has an array of faders, increasing or decreasing the amount of lights of different colors, the volume of specific sound frequencies or similar. All these faders can be adjusted up or down, adjusting the amount of whatever they're controlling and affecting the performance.
In the same way, a larp designer can adjust the faders of the Mixing Desk of Larp, changing the larp they’re designing. You can increase the level of transparency, add a pinch of metatechniquesmeta-techniques, change the responsibility for the character creation process or introduce abstract elements to enhance a special atmosphere in the larp. All these adjustments will have effects on the game you’re organizing, and adjusting these faders can help you reach your design goal for the larp.
The goal of the Mixing Desk of Larp is to provide a framework for organizing thought about how the changes in these parameters will affect a larp, and what position of the faders are suitable for what larp. An important goal is also to recognize that there are “default positions” for these faders that will influence your larp, even if you don’t make any specific choices about them. These default positions can differ depending on larp group, community or traditions. Being aware of ones own default positions is an important goal of the Mixing Desk framework.
=History=
The first iteration of The Mixing Desk of Larp was created for [[The Larpwriter Summer School]] 2012. It was made by a crew of the summer school with many coming from [[Fantasiforbundet]], Education center POST and [[LajvVerkstaden]].
For the [[Knutepunkt-books]] for [[Knutepunkt 2013]] the article ''The Mixing Desk of Larp'' was written by [[Martin Nielsen]] and [[Martin Eckhoff Andresen]] was written with updated names and descriptions. =The fadersFaders=
Of course, there are endless numbers of faders that could possibly have been adjusted on the Mixing Desk of Larp. Here are some of the most important parameters that can be adjusted when making a larp. The ambition is that other larpwriters will add their own faders and remove the ones they don’t find fruitful when using this framework.
==Fader 1: Playing styleOpenness==
''Physical Transparency vs. verbalsecrecy''
==Fader 2: RepresentationScenography==
''Abstraction 360-degree illusion vs. realismminimalism''
How do does your larp represent the reality in the settinglook? Do you use abstract elements to focus on aim for a [[360º]], where everything the feeling and atmosphere players see around them is part of the setting, or is realism your goallarp? If the goal of the game is to create the atmosphere of Or do you use a prison campminimalist approach, where you might do this in two ways: By trying to recreate an actual prison camp, or by using abstract, surrealist elements only pay attention to re-create the paranoid feeling of not knowing if it’s day or night or what will happen next that some prisoners have reported after months in a camp. What will fit for your larp?* [[360º]]
==Character Creation Responsibility==
==Fader 4: OpennessRuntime Game Mastering==
''Transparency Active vs. secrecypassive''
==Story Engine==
==Loyalty to Setting==
==Bleed-in==
==Fader 8: PlausibilityCommunication Style==
''Playability Physical vs. plausibilityverbal''
==Fader 9: Game master styleRepresentation of Theme==
''Active Abstraction vs. passivesimulation''
==Fader 10: BleedMeta-intechniques==
''Designing close to home Intrusive vs. differentiationdiscrete''
==Player Pressure==
The Mixing Desk of Larp is a work in progress. It’s a pedagogical tool aimed for presenting and structuring some of the most important design choices of larp in a convenient form. There are plenty of other faders that could be part of the Mixing Desk, and the framework is open to extensions.
=Source=
* [http://larpschool.blogspot.no/p/programme.html Programme for Larpwriter Summer School 2012] =External Links=* [http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkcfpOLbv_dr2SI2iZk6Dnz9v30oLeCaU Filmed fader-talks from the Larpwriter Summer School 2013]* [http://larpschool.blogspot.no/p/resources.html Filmed fader-talks from the Larpwriter Summer School 2012]* [http://nordiclarp.org/mixing_desk_of_larp.psd Photoshop File for editing your own Mixing Desk]* [https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/24803335/The%20Mixing%20Desk%20of%20Larp.pdf The article about the Mixing Desk from the 2013 Knutepunkt-book]
[[categoryCategory:Concepts|Mixing Desk of Larp, The]]
