Camarilla Focused LARP: what Clans?

[Sergeant Brother]

I’ll be starting up a new vampire LARP with a friend of mine in a gaming store just opening up. We were going to make this a Camarilla LARP or at least Camarilla centric, depending on the number of players. I likely won’t know many of the people playing in this LARP to start with so I’m not sure what to expect in terms of editions and setting. I haven’t done anything LARP related in years, way before V5.

I’m wondering what setting (with regard to editions) and which Clans to include as options. The simplest would be to stick to the traditional 7 Camarilla Clans and make the setting largely based in older editions. I have always liked the idea of including the Tzimisce and Lasombra into the Camarilla, so that is something I am considering too. Now with V5, we have Brujah and Gangrel out of the Camarilla but have the Assamites and potentially some Lasombra, maybe the potential for other Clans.

Does anybody have any ideas or suggestions about this or what they would want in a LARP?

[elmerg]

What system are you going to be using? If you're using the By Night Studios system, you don't have to really leave anything out, just give 'unusual' Clans a higher Rarity cost, which makes them spend Merit points (which are limited in the BNS system) to play Weird Shit. If you're using Laws or something else, and don't want it to be limited in that way, I'd just go with the standard Camarilla plus any you feel make sense for your timeline. Banu Haqim added in if it's from about 2010 onward, for example and some low numbers of Lasombra if you feel like it's good for your game.

As far as the Brujah and Gangrel, remember that they aren't 100% out. There is a majority gone, so Brujah and Gangrel will be rarer in V5's time period. But they aren't gone completely.

[Black Fox]

Do what the local fan base (your members and perspective members) wants. I know there are a lot of traditional setting supporters out there, but I also know I can't gauge the support of the new V5 setting relative to the old. Maybe nowadays there are more V5 fans.

Since you may not know that initially, I would initially begin with the traditional Cam 7 clans (plus Caitiff), but also allow Lasombra anti-tribu. The based on feedback and interest, be willing to have the events of V5 happen offstage in a few game sessions with the potential to add new clans later and allow your PCs to decide what to do in your city.

Sticking with the Cam 7 ensures the most popular clans are represented. And since Anarchs are often included in Cam games, it'll be easy to keep any existing Brujah or Gangrel PCs if they want to follow them as Anarchs out of the Cam, but still play the game.

[Baaldam]

Do what the local fan base (your members and perspective members) wants. I know there are a lot of traditional setting supporters out there, but I also know I can't gauge the support of the new V5 setting relative to the old. Maybe nowadays there are more V5 fans.

Since you may not know that initially, I would initially begin with the traditional Cam 7 clans (plus Caitiff), but also allow Lasombra anti-tribu. The based on feedback and interest, be willing to have the events of V5 happen offstage in a few game sessions with the potential to add new clans later and allow your PCs to decide what to do in your city.

Sticking with the Cam 7 ensures the most popular clans are represented. And since Anarchs are often included in Cam games, it'll be easy to keep any existing Brujah or Gangrel PCs if they want to follow them as Anarchs out of the Cam, but still play the game.

This works nicely for a start, while also leaving room open for the STs and other people involved with running the LARP to flesh out the game's city setting and chronology in whichever way most appeal to the parts involved, be it ignoring some parts of metaplot while bringing in others or throwing your own weird extras (Caine from Bloodlines is the "Caine" from Berlin by Night, still undead and kicking and an unofficial Anathema; part of the city's Nosferatu are actually cadaverous Cappadocian Infitiores, or any other crazy curveball of one's preference) into the mix.

[pang4]

I want to make a case for the Syndrome rule:
"When everyone is super, no one will be."

I would suggest you stick to 7 or fewer clans. If you're on V5, taht would be Ventrue, Toreador, Tremere, Banu Haqim, Lasombra, Malkavian, and Nosferatu. You could strip it down even more, and remove both Lasombra and BanuHaqim.
What I want to stress is that you need to establish what is "normal" in the world, before you can go outside it. A true brujah is a lot more exciting and mystical if nobody has ever seen one, as opposed to if one walks around Elysium every night.

I would also add, how many players are you expecting? Each clan needs to have 3-4 players each, or they will not feel like clans for the players. Work backwards from there. Expecting 15 players? Allow 4-5 clans. Expecting 50? Allow for 8-9.

[Ragged Robin]

I'd stick with the core 7 initially with lasombra and assamite as a supplemtry later option once the setting is established. Ignore v5 fluff where possible since ironically it isn't very larp relevant.