Becoming the Concept

The very first role playing game I was a part of was in 1979 when a group of us got the Dungeons and Dragons rules set and started from scratch. I can sort of remember the excitement of those first games, after having rolled our stats we set off to explore. The very first night of our adventure the bard of the party failed a listening check and was killed by sneaky goblins before warning the party as to their attack- his dying scream woke us up and we fought off the bastards with no more loses. We buried our friend at the side of the road with a marker- "Here lies Balrick (or whatever his name was). A good friend. He wasn't much use."

That player didn't come back to the game for several months.

Coming into this game I have an established character and a lot of background history from various games. I am molding this into the next chapter of the character's life as he grows for Bicolline. There will be some changes due to game system differences but for the most part he is the same Thorwald loved and/or hated in five states and three games. If I were to build a brand new character for Bicolline they would probably be very similar to the one I have now.

Biccoline is a game system that allows the player to do whatever it is they could normally do in real life- a novel concept in role play games, really. I am limited to what I can do physically and so this does narrow down what my character can do. I am a fighter by trade and have been a fighter in game since that very first D&D session. I have almost always been human and a cynic. I am sure that says more about me that it does my character however it does bring a fact of role play to the fore... It is easier to pretend to be someone who you really are.

That is to say you can role play yourself better that trying to role play a completely different character type. It's hard to get out of your comfort zone and be a totally different personality for an extended time period. Usually you just fall back into the personality that you are.

Saying this, you have to accept who you are and be happy with that. That in itself is a difficult chore for many people and why we spend so much money on therapy. It does of course offer a challenge to players in playing against personality type but given Bicolline is for a week straight I would hazard a guess that most do not do this. They play a character comfortable to themselves and very much like themselves in both positive and negative ways.

ANY-way... this post isn't going to be about the psychological aspects of becoming the concept of your character- as interesting as that may be- but more along the lines of creatively developing your character from scratch.

I've said before I usually start by sketching out what I want to be. For Bicoline I've lifted Thorwald out of his NERO LARP game and set him into this world.

Physically Thorwald is mostly the same guy. Because of the rules in Bico he wears a little less armor (for mobility) and a bit more weapons (spears v. sword and board)

The armor is the same, Mail hauberk with long sleeves and split skirt, padded gambeson and leather breast armor. Really the leather is for visual effect only. It offers no protection in the rules but dammit... it looks cool. A fur shoulder cape is also simply for looks. Leg armor is splint plates and I wear my normal combat boots. The helmet is a copy from the Movie "Beowulf and Grendel" I got ten years ago. It was the very first piece of "Nordic" armor I bought and is my favorite helm of all that I own. The tunic and trousers I wear are simple.

Over the years Thorwald has fought with a round shield, sword and axe. He will be fighting with a spear for the most part next year, however he'll still have his small weapons about him. I'll probably sling my shield over my back for protection and when the fight gets close drop the spear and use shield and sword.

When I plan ahead for Bicolline I think about my day to day life. I sketched a quick picture of my camping arrangements on my character development sheet to sort out my thoughts. My cot and beadroll are against the side of the tent, a couple of small wooden chests are near with my gear- a small armor stand to hold the mail and helmet, sword and axe and shield. A small carpet to stand on and a small stool. You can see my notes in the corner of the page listing things I'll need to do to complete the concept. It helps me to prioritize my work during the coming year. I can work in my shop to build the chests during the winter, for example. The costuming needs to come first so I can work out the bugs during local LARP game play.

The wooden chests are going to be build from pine and are a very simple 6 board chest design. There are plans all over the internet and I want to build a few that look like this:

I think about a 2 foot by 3 foot size would work fine. They will hold most of my clothing and gear. I also plan on a small rough-tote to slide under my cot for other out of game items.  The carving will take all winter (even if I cheat with my Dremel ) and will be a fun project. I know that I want to bring a couple of game boards as well- Chess and Kings table and maybe Nine Man Morris as well. I have made several such boards over the years from scraps of plywood. They help pass the time in camp and are a fun way to be period while meeting people.

Now- having sketched out what I want to look like and how I want to camp I start putting into motion what I need to do over the next eleven months.

Sept- Nov: Costuming completed. Armor and weapons completed.

Fighting kit:

1. Tunic and trousers- done.

2. Gambeson- working. all items on hand

3. Boots- done.

4. Sword, axe, shield, dagger- done.

5. Spear- working. all items on hand.

6. Armor- Mail, working to shorten sleeves, Coat- done. Greaves-done, Leather jack- working- all items on hand, helmet- done.

Hero kit:

1. Nordic dress: Tunic- working, Trousers- done, shoes- done., Hat- working- Concept done., Cape- working- items on hand.

2. Burgundian dress: Doublet- done, Shirt- done, Hose- done, shoes, done. Accessories- done.

Nov- Feb Camp and Living

Camp:

1. Bedroll- sleeping bag, padding, wool blankets- done.

2. Wooden Chests- Hardware on order, wood to be ordered. Plans done.

3) Ground cloth- not started

4) Candles and lanterns- done, on hand

5) Armor Stand- One on hand- need to build smaller travel stand.

6) Mess kit- done.

7) Game Boards- 1 done. 2 not started. Game pieces on hand.

8) Other camp items- not thought of yet.

March- May trying it all out. Any other crap.

What else am I missing and what works vs what doesn't.

From June to August when I arrive at Bicolline I should have well tested gear and equipment that works.  Well... at least that's the concept.

Now I need to think about my physical work out plan and becoming the better (physically) player...