I think it's a tall order to Define what a LARP is but there are some poor assumptions in your explanation. The idea that the Society isn't a game is a definition of "game" that demeans LARPing. In truth the SCA is an amusement, it doesn't generate
income or progress modern society. It doesn't have an objective and competition but it is play, much in the same sense that LARPs are.

As to the claim that the SCA has no Game Master, that is no more true of the SCA than of AMTGARD or TFA. If you show up at an SCA event out of garb or if your intoxicated or harassing others you will meet the people who steer and structure the experience.

The idea that the SCA is different in that there is no externally driven objective is not accurate. The objective is often less heroic in most cases but SCA folk are there to engage, they carouse or compete or flirt or display their skills with
objectives that are engineered within the event. It may not be a rustic NPC giving them a heroic quest to undertake but bear in mind many LARPS don't feature plots that are driven by the GM or NPCS but rely on conflict or collaboration of the players.
The SCA more closely resembles this model of game.

The bottom line is that the SCA is live and active and those engaging are playing roles, that's all of the letters required. The SCA may not be fond of the comparison or they may claim that their organization predate LARPs but it doesn't change how that
definition applies to them.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

In article <58f51233-0196-45ac-a1ca-cfc5a842aede@googlegroups.com>,
<infernallitigator@gmail.com> wrote:

I think it's a tall order to Define what a LARP is but there are some
poor assumptions in your explanation. The idea that the Society isn't a
game is a definition of "game" that demeans LARPing. In truth the SCA is
an amusement, it doesn't generate income or progress modern society. It >doesn't have an objective and competition but it is play, much in the
same sense that LARPs are.

As to the claim that the SCA has no Game Master, that is no more true of
the SCA than of AMTGARD or TFA. If you show up at an SCA event out of
garb or if your intoxicated or harassing others you will meet the people
who steer and structure the experience.

The idea that the SCA is different in that there is no externally driven >objective is not accurate. The objective is often less heroic in most
cases but SCA folk are there to engage, they carouse or compete or flirt
or display their skills with objectives that are engineered within the
event. It may not be a rustic NPC giving them a heroic quest to
undertake but bear in mind many LARPS don't feature plots that are
driven by the GM or NPCS but rely on conflict or collaboration of the >players. The SCA more closely resembles this model of game.

The bottom line is that the SCA is live and active and those engaging
are playing roles, that's all of the letters required. The SCA may not
be fond of the comparison or they may claim that their organization
predate LARPs but it doesn't change how that definition applies to them.

The post to which you're responding is represented by a pair of
empty parentheses on my newsreader. When was it posted? or are
you replying to an email sent to you alone?



--
Dorothea of Caer-Myrddin Dorothy J. Heydt Vinhold/Mists/West Vallejo, California
PRO DEO ET REGE djheydt at gmail dot com
Should you wish to email me, you'd better use the gmail edress.
Kithrup's all spammy and hotmail's been hacked.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 9/28/2015 6:10 AM, djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) wrote:

In article <58f51233-0196-45ac-a1ca-cfc5a842aede@googlegroups.com>,
<infernallitigator@gmail.com> wrote:

{snip}

The post to which you're responding is represented by a pair of
empty parentheses on my newsreader. When was it posted? or are
you replying to an email sent to you alone?

Checking the headers to infernallitigator's post, I have found out he's replying
to a thread that started in late April 1997, and which ended by very early June 1997.

I didn't even get a pair of empty parentheses - - - just what looks like a post out of the blue.

M'lord infernallitigator, please check the date of a post or thread on Google before you respond to it. Other than Google, I know of no Usenet server that keeps posts past a few months, and certainly not for 18 years. If a subject interests you, you could try creating a new thread on the subject; note, though,
that some matters have been re-re-re-re-re-re-hashed over the years.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)