The Player Roles

Game Masters, or GMs, serve several roles within a game to keep it running smoothly and to ensure everyone is having fun. For large groups, such as for a LARP, these roles can be separated into individual roles to help lighten the burden on any one person.

Narrative Engine

The GM(s) provide the majority of detail in a scene, narrate the outcome and consequences of a PC’s actions, and narrate the actions of creatures, hazards, non-player character (NPCs) and other events. 
They plan and manage the overall plot and events within a story and provide players with opportunities to engage in stories. Even for LARPs with no planned overall plot or NPCs, the GM(s) still assist in creating connective tissue between the backstories of the player characters to create a plot-conductive environment. A GM should always look for opportunities to provide players with plot information and to create moments for their characters to shine.

Within a LARP, GMs may take moments to guide small groups of players through specific scenes outside of the core locations; essentially running a brief and small ttRPG.

For LARPs with multiple narrative GMs, try to avoid overlap with other roles to ensure scene narrations don’t prevent GM availability.

Faction Management

The various factions within a story often have major impacts on a storyline, especially when players belong to, or lead, explicit factions. Explicit points to consider are:

• What factions are involved in the story?
• What do they want and what are they currently trying to do?
• Who’s in what faction and what are their relations to other factions and individuals?

GMs are encouraged to use the Who-knows-Who? and What’s going On? sheets in the tools section to help track different individual and faction interactions

Rules Lawyer and Judicator

This role is for someone who is comfortable with the game’s rules, or their ability to quickly find rules to reference, and trusted to make fair and consistent decisions when nuanced judgements are necessary. They can provide guidance when the narrative and rules collide, and provide a final decision on open disagreements between players. For example, whether or not a player should need to Cut for a specific action

Players are encouraged to provide rules assistance when requested, but ultimately GMs may choose to ignore the rules or make explicit exceptions.

Inventory Management

The GM manages the influx of resources into a game. They confirm character actions made to acquire new resources and provide an appropriate resource in response and reward narrative moments with new rewards. Within a LARP, they may also manage a shop or other location where players can barter coin and resources.

GMs don’t need to manage individual character inventories, but controlling the inflow or resources within a game is tool  to add or release tension. 

Wellness Checkup

Someone who assists and checks on players and game masters throughout the game to see if there are any out of character stress related concerns to be dealt with. Especially important for LARPs with large numbers of people. Some common concerns include (but are not limited to):

• Player vs player out of character conflict
• A GM is unable to keep up with the number of players needing attention
• A GM or player is dealing with high stress / needs a rest
• Personal issues unrelated to the game

For LARPs, GMs should have a rest center away from other players where they can retreat to or have GM-only discussions.

For games with multiple GMs, all GMs should be familiar with the explicit hand signals in the LARP Safety Tools section for quick communication

Movers represent the majority of players within a game. These players generally have a single character they play within the game that has their own goals, motivations, and capabilities. It is through their character’s actions that the group “moves” through the story. These players can focus on their character and character ally goals. Through their character’s actions, movers should attempt to provide opportunities for the GM to provide story/plot information. Although focused on their own characters, movers need to know who the GMs are, how the core game engine works, and the information on their character sheets. Most movers should also have some high-level knowledge about the game’s setting as provided on a Blue Sheet and out-of-character guidelines on how a game will run as provided on a Green Sheet.

Sometimes a player may take a role which helps facilitate and create stories for others, these Catalysts act in roles that facilitate fun for other players and may have more power or information in exchange for less narrative focus or plot armor than a normal player might expect.

Guides (catalyst)

Guides are player characters explicitly interested in advancing the stories of others. They exist to help guide other roleplayers in their pursuit of goals, benign or not. They can help get another player out of a rut, past a puzzle, or introduce them to another player or party that can assist them. Guides have the explicit purpose to help other roleplayers from getting stuck without a sense of direction.

GMs may require Guide characters to have the unique strength and weakness of being unable to share information told to them in secret – any information shared in confidence by another player character. This constraint is to encourage players to reach out to the guide for help without reprisal. 

Because guides may need to help many players, the players will want to avoid getting locked into large or time-consuming scenes that may prevent them from interacting with others.

Patrons (catalyst)

Patrons are the leaders within some of a game’s factions, with higher ranks (0-3) granting more power. Owning a position of power lets them give Orders to characters within the same faction of lower rank. While players that resist an order must surrender a resource, players that fulfill an order are rewarded a resource from the Patron’s supply. (negotiations acceptable)

Patrons are provide another avenue for player characters to acquire resources and new quests as they assist their Patron’s lofty goals. Furthermore, they act in positions of power that other characters may seek to supplant

Patrons often have more abilities than a beginning character, as may befit their rank. However, beyond those abilities, they also have deeper pockets, with an increased resource limit that allows them to more freely use the Order ability. Patrons with Rank 2 have a resource limit of +4 and start with 6 resources. Similarly, Rank 3 patrons have a resource limit of +8 and begin the game with 10 resources.

Due to their in-game role and power, Patrons should be very careful not to abuse game or safety mechanics. They need to acknowledge that other players may vie for their status. As such, players should be comfortable with losing their Patron status if the situation arises.

Fated for Defeat (catalyst)

Characters whereby the player starts the game with the expectation that their character will be defeated/removed by other player characters during the game. These players should join the game with the mindset of “how do I make my defeat fun and interesting for others.” They are ideal for powerful characters and high-ranked patrons, villains or heroes.

Players with a character that is fated for defeat should have a plan of what to do once the character leaves the game, including options such as:

• Having a backup character ready to play
• Switching into a Game Master role
• Non-game related activities for them to follow-up with

Although fated to be defeated, these characters should still have explicit goals they wish to and can accomplish.

Furthermore, antagonists do not need to be villainous. They may act as the “chosen one” that other villainous characters are hoping to extinguish, or a guardian whose death signifies the breach of another ominous threat.