Cam survival tips

[davywavy]

Davids Cam survival guide.

So, so, many people seem to bitch about the Cam. It’s astonishing, really, that people should let a hobby get in the way of actually enjoying their spare time.
Happily, I seem to have found a system that lets me enjoy myself without letting it get to me (actually, they're applicable to most forms of gaming). This took a long time, and was largely achieved by the year the evil goblins stole from my life, but a few tips that I’ve picked up over the years are:

1) The presiding ref is always right. Don’t complain because you don’t like their calls; just don’t go to their games any more. Go elsewhere where you trust the ref instead. “But he made a dodgy call and my PC died!” is not a reason to go through the arbitration procedure, it’s a reason not to go back to their game.
2) If playing a character in a certain way is damaging your relationships with people in real life, try playing in a different way. Friendships are more important than in-game ‘success’. “It’s what my character would do” is a shit way to justify acting like a wanker to your mates, and they won’t thank you for it.
3) IRC is a shocking waste of good time that could be more constructively spent in the pub or indulging in auto-erotic behaviour.
4) Don’t bother learning the rules; it will take you a long time, and will not repay the investment. Spending several days learning rules that will affect 15 minutes of your life over the next year is not a healthy way to spend your time; in addition there will always be someone at any game who will know them far better than you ever can – and it will probably be Tim Edwards, who I’ve always found to be fairly impartial - so ask them if you aren’t sure of anything.
5) If you want something done and you can’t be bothered to do it yourself, don’t hold your breath waiting for it to happen.
6) If there’s people you don’t like, just don’t game with them. Avoid them where possible, and if that prove unachievable, politely explain that you don’t like them and you’d be grateful if they didn’t interact with you again. If they’re so much of a tit as to ignore this and pursue their IC intentions towards you, then consider yourself justified in your belief and chalk it up to experience.
7) Good jokes are more important than XP.
8) In fact, good jokes are more important than pretty much anything.
9) Most officers – in fact most of the society at large – will not be as intelligent as you, and their ideas of what makes for good rules and a good game will be patently wrong and contradictory to your own. If this gets intolerable, then leave. If it is not intolerable, then I advise you not to worry about it. (This rule applies to everyone from their own POV, and is not solely applicable to myself, just in case you were wondering.)
10) Any player who justifies their actions on the basis that their character is a psychopath, but who did not demonstrate any indications of mental disorder before they had a couple of topped out combat disciplines and max traits, is probably a player to avoid.
11) Nobody short of Chrisopher Lee is capable of realistically portraying an ancient being of phenomenal power, and anyone claiming otherwise (especially claiming that *they* can) is opening themself to mockery.


Anyone else got any tips they'd like to add?

Comments

[jonnyargles.livejournal.com]

11) John Neville makes a pretty good stab at it, too.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Who?

[jonnyargles.livejournal.com]

http://us.imdb.com/Name?Neville,+John

Great at playing authoritarian monolithic characters.

Speaking of John Neville...

[applez.livejournal.com]

This film looks interesting...

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/28/movies/28SPID.html?8hpib

(ousfg, flyingmonkey)

'Spider' by Cronenberg.

[omentide.livejournal.com]

On point 5:

If such people DID hold their breath etc., it might improve the genepool.

[bringeroflight.livejournal.com]

4) Don’t bother learning the rules . . .in addition there will always be someone at any game who will know them far better than you ever can – and it will probably be Tim Edwards

You know you've been doing too much Cam when . . .

. . . you're name checked in LJs as THE example of a walking rule book.

And "any game" is horribly close to the truth most of the time as well...

[blue-cat.livejournal.com]

12) *ST's & *DC's are trying to enjoy themselves too. Recognise that they are not there simply to allow you to play your cheese monkey in the manner you wish. If in doubt see rules (1)+(9). Don't piss them off so much that they would prefer to stand down - someone has to do the damn job!

[inskauldrak.livejournal.com]

"3) IRC is a shocking waste of good time that could be more constructively spent in the pub or indulging in auto-erotic behaviour."

- when you're desparate for calls mid-turn, remember that your ST is probably indulging in auto-erotic behaviour and so can't always get beck to you instantly.

Ye gods...

[lanfykins.livejournal.com]

...how much auto-erotic behaviour do you engage in, man? ;)

</cheap shot>

[nevecat.livejournal.com]

4) Don’t bother learning the rules; it will take you a long time, and will not repay the investment. Spending several days learning rules that will affect 15 minutes of your life over the next year is not a healthy way to spend your time; in addition there will always be someone at any game who will know them far better than you ever can – and it will probably be Tim Edwards, who I’ve always found to be fairly impartial - so ask them if you aren’t sure of anything.

The one sensible adaption I'd make to this would be that while it's not worth *learning* all the rules, it's worth learning where to find the info you're likely to need. I think it's actually something along these lines that is what you will get as a definition of 'clue' from computer geeks:- it's not *what* you know/can do - it's the knowledge & flexibility required to be able to add to that knowledge/skills pool when required.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Once again though, there'll be someone at any given game with the rulebook as well :)

[lanfykins.livejournal.com]

Indeed.

And if it's Laws of the Wild Revised, it'll take then ten sodding minutes to find anything in it.

[chrisvenus]

And then will probably get left behind in the room by the ADST... :)

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

12) There are more things to discuss in life than RP when you're not at a game. No - really!

Applause!

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Like certain people down the pub on Tuesdays...

[blue-cat.livejournal.com]

so true! I twice a week with friends outside of LARP and we do try enforce a No-Cam policy, esp as DST C/A, DST Garou plus other players do these TTRP - but each has 1 player that doesn't Cam - watch their eyes _glaze_!

[ex-boog351.livejournal.com]

Remember that it is just a game and not to take things too seriously. Building too strong an attachment to the character, his/her power and influence will mean you can get a bit miffed when things don’t go your own way and may be a bit unhealthy.

I have been to Greenwich 3 or 4 times, and found the best way to have fun is to play a character who you can justify being there and why they would be prepared to join in and what they are looking for. I haven’t worried too much about being evil or powerful, how much XP or skills I have (I am new – I will learn :p) but just tried to join in with a good ripping yarn.

My main tip: make sure you character survives – buy the ST drinks .

Hmmm

[(Anonymous)]

1. Isn't true and they're not always possible to avoid.
2. True.
3. Not always. When you're isolated it's very useful.
4. Always better to be informed, be it in life or in art. Know your rights. Just remember they're not necessarily the be all and end all.
5. True. But you also need the opportunity as well as the will.
6. Not always possible to avoid.
7. Not always. Joking often destroys carefully crafted mood and fucks up a game for lots of people.
8. See above.
9. Problem is, they fuck it up for everyone and there have been times when the majority view is definately against what's been done.
10. True.
11. Decide actions as a group, it takes longer (as elder decisions should) and is usually more cunning.

G

Re: Hmmm

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

1. Isn't true and they're not always possible to avoid.

Disagree; it's the same with TT gaming - if you don't want to agree with the Refs calls, find another game.

5. True. But you also need the opportunity as well as the will.
You can create your own opporuntity; it will take longer and be harder work. At that point, the cost/benefit analysis comes into it.

Re: Hmmm

[(Anonymous)]

You can't escapea shit TT ref if it's the only game in town.

You may have a great local game but find the regional and national levels at fault.

You can't avoid them.

It's not as cut and dried as you make out.

You can try to avoid contact, but it's not always possible.

G

Re: Hmmm

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I think it's as easy as you let it be; conflict pursues the conflicting, peace pursues the peaceful, and all that eastern nonsense.

Re: Hmmm

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

3. Not always. When you're isolated it's very useful.


So is auto-erotic behaviour...

Not really...

[grigori.livejournal.com]

1) In theory, I agree with you, but in function I do not. If you are talking about those rule calls where no one can definativly point out a right answer (say when .02 seconds of flipping to page XX would resolve the quandry...which gets back to number 4 below) then yeah, the ref is right at his presiding game. If it is an independent larp, then the flavor and what is allowed is also completely in the refs hands. But when dealing with an organiyation that resolves around characters moving back and forth between venues, the situation becomes completely different. The presiding ref is only right if/while he is behaving in a manner pursuent to both the rules and the spirit of the game. If some wanker wants to run a game in an International organization that is completely contrary to everything else set down in both rule books and source books, then no, he is not right (say, he allows Highlanders and Jedi to mix it up with Vampires). And if the person running the game makes dodgy rules calls against people, especially if motivated by personal self-aggrandizment, then he is just wrong, pure and plainly wrong. That is when the arbitration procedure is most needed. What else is the arbitration porcedure for then, if not to deal with those who make the community worse off? Your, "just don't play" works fine if you have no emotional ties or interests in said group, but if that is the game your friends play in, and you want to game with them, you are kind of stuck. Also, that passive attitude, allowing those in power to get away with flagrant abuses, is what makes so much of the Cam suck.

4) I can't help but completely disagree with this. If you are playing a game, then why don't you learn the rules? Rules are what seperate a game from five year olds playing cops and robbers. STs cannot be everywhere, nor can people you trust (as evidenced in the fact that several of your rules are predicated on the notion of avoidance, one can assume you end up in places where you do not trust the other gamers). If you followed your rule out to its logical conclusion, then no one would know the rules, and then the cheezy monkey types could do anything they wanted. Hell, by logical extention, you would end up with people who did not know their Tome, their constitution, or what recourses they had to work with should a bunch of wankers get in charge. Kinda like last time I was there... and that wasn't good for anybody. Furthermore, if you do not want to bother reading about the game you are supposed to enjoy playing, then why are you playing it?