Have Some Class

"For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function." Romans 12:4

As I pondered recruiting for my new LARP group, I realized that having a class system has certain advantages. If we are recruiting D&D players, having classes makes the game more relatable. But one of the drawbacks of Amtgard was that its class system seemed very unbalanced and overly complicated. I've long been considering ways to simplify yet still have classes. In fact, the first draft of Elzwehn included a system where each class had 1 to 2 abilities with no levels (to make it newbie friendly).

Recently, another idea has been rattling in my mind. In a way, it is an even simpler system, but it provides some flexibility.

Classes

There are only 3 broad classes:

• Fighter - the front-line warriors. They tend to specialize in melee, but can use missile weapons. They would include standard fighters, barbarians, and monks.
• Sneak - they primarily rely on stealth and surprise, although they can mix it up in melee. Often they use missile weapons. Rogues, assassins, and scouts would fit into this classification.
• Caster - users of magic, whether arcane or divine.

Skills

Each class would have a pool of skills available to it. Players can choose the skills that match their character conception. For example, we could have a Fight After Death skill available to fighters. If a player wants to be a barbarian, he/she could be a fighter with the Fight After Death skill.

How many skills does a player get? That's to be determined, but I would keep it small.

Arms and Armor

We could limit armor by class. For examples, casters cannot wear armor, sneaks can wear light, and fighters are allowed heavy.

Similarly, we can limit weapons. For example, casters may be limited to staffs and blue weapons.

Perhaps we can allow armor and weapon upgrades as a skill, e.g., casters could purchase use of light armor.

Levels

I'm ambivalent about levels. It significantly disadvantages new players when they play with more experienced LARPers. Yet leveling up is a powerful incentive. Perhaps we could include a simple leveling system that allows players to buy one skill per level. Something to think about.

Anyway, just some random thoughts.