Why do you play NERO?

S

Seattle_Jim

Elite
I am curious as to why people play NERO. I'd like to see people go a little beyond "it's fun". Thank you for your participation.
 
I like NERO because I can do things that have no basis in real life.

For example: I can die multiple times as Alexandros, but in real life I can't. That's why I consider it really funny when somebody jokes with me about Alexandros' death rate. If I got really mad at people every time Alexandros needed a life spell, I would go berserk at someone teasing me about it. But I like to play Alexandros, and while there are indeed times where I get annoyed about a particularly futile death, or feel like I made a huge blunder IG, I can usually just step back and say "Being unconscious for an hour is annoying, but I [as Paul] can stand up any time I like and go to the bathroom."

Not all the time. I fall into that trap too. But enough of the time.

And hey, if a glowing blue bracer appears on my wrist, or I have a short chat with a really important NPC, that makes it a lot of fun. It's nice to know that I can always, always just say "I need a break" and go OOG. I know that me as the player does not have any requirement to be there. And if Alexandros dies because I went OOG and someone ripped up his life tag . . .

Well, that's Alexandros for you.
 
Sorry, the unconsciousness reference is to the lizardmen assaulting the Earth Guild about a year or so ago. I spent the entirety of that battle at 0 body. Apologies for confusing anyone.
 
Ok... there are several reasons why I play Nero.

First of all it's a decent way to get together with friends near and far to enjoy their company and forget about work for a while.

Second I enjoy the excercise... it's a good way for me to push my body to perform better without going to a gym and seeing the same four walls for an hour a day.

Third I sometimes enjoy the in game atmosphere that is engendered... when I get to spend a couple hours talking to someone who's really thought about the character and can have a nice long philosophical conversation IG about IG stuff and feel like I have a better understanding of the game world. I really enjoy that. I also enjoy the feeling of having to use my head, my eyes and my ears to keep my character alive. My character has a lot of stats, but having stats isn't fun if you just walk up and chuck a bunch of 'sit the crap down now' effects at something and didn't have to think at all about where it's coming from or what strategies will help you through this tough moment. I enjoy having to use my environment and tactics and think up battle plans to help my group 'win the day'. Ultimately I don't mind if those plans are foiled by other people thinking quicker or just dumb luck, but I hate it when someone cheeses a solution to the problem I've posed to them and ends up rifting a god/fae/weirdo to come wack me. I'd much prefer it if players did their own dirty work. I also think it's more fun to fight a pc race/class/level/skills type npc than it is to fight a 'monster' npc that may or may not have been power jacked by a staff member. If I run across a gnoll/goblin/kobold then I want them to be just that and not a 'kobold sho kasugi' (which was a joke originally, but got sent out for real because it was in the database).

Last... I like Nero because I enjoy roleplaying games and it is the natural evolution of table topping. I enjoy the mystery, puzzles and difficulty of it all. The good, the bad... ultimately... it all comes down to being able to tell war stories years later.

If I could have plot run in the way I wanted it... plot have limited influence on what the social dynamic of the game is. They would spend more time building mods where people go out and dig up ancient tombs or track a mysterious beast through the forest or just generally solve a problem that exists outside of the 'home base' location. There should be some things that come in and pose a problem to the town, but these should be few and far between. I would also limit 'random crunchies' to being one to four things roaming around the area by themselves and for serious battles you'd be required to get up off your duff and go search for trouble elsewhere.

That's what I like about Nero and would like to see in Nero.

~Mark
 
I play NERO because I like that I can step in to a different world and take a break from Sarah for a while.

I play NERO because I like providing entertainment and fun for other people. This usually brings me joy. Yay euphoria fix.

I wanted to be a marshal at NERO because I have a tendancy to remember inane things like rules and believe that adhering to the rules helps ensure that the most people have an optimum amount of fun.

I play NERO because a lot of the people I know do, and it's nice to do something with a group of people.
 
Why do I play NERO...

I can't sum up as simple an answer for that as I thought perhaps I could...but yes, it is fun, which was its first draw for me past the skeptisim I had entering that ELC full of strange people...took some time actually, no thanks to our good friend social anxiety, but also to just get used to the flow of things, as its really not like anything else ive done before

anyway

I suppose one of the largest reasons was just stated: it really is unlike anything else ive done, and no number of DnD sessions on the weekend could have ever changed that.
I think the seller though is that it really lets me step away from real life for a weekend, as in, really letting my mind just leave Dante for a while and slip into another head of someone similar to me, but deals with very different issues, and still be able to slip back into Dante again if the need would call for it...Eh...Paul said it better. I have a lot fun playing it to, not to mention getting excersize and fresh air whilst. HUGE stress reliever for me, in a world where stress relievers are few and far between.
havn't met all too many people too well OOG, but I've met some, and each are a treat to know

Theres likely more to say on this, but Im feeling long winded as it is

-Dante
 
hmmm...this is tough

1. Because I get to be with friends that dont live by me for the whole weekend. Well at least a little bit of the weekend.

2. Because I can go and kill people without getting into trouble. Well at least if I am sneaky enough.

This is so hard...I have no idea. But I <3 NERO its da-bomb!!
 
I enjoy NERO because it's a break from homework and studying!! It's an oppurtunity to make amazing clothes (just wait til you see kitty's armor in June) and have crazy fun. I also enjoy meeting people in game that I don't know so well out of game. There's no previous dynamic between whoever and me, so it's a purely in character meeting. A very cool thing.

I enjoy playing my characters. They are very different and dynamic characters with entirely different goals in life and roles in the world they came from and live in.

One thing I enjoy the most and don't see nearlly enough of is when characters sit and talk for hours about their lives. Even if it's all fiction. Talking about your past IG is an EXCELLENT way to develop your character. Just make sure you don't contradict your background or personality too much!

I enjoy being on plot because I have a chance to see behind the scenes. And even if I get run ragged, it's a great experience. I think the best part about it is seeing a 5 page long "what I liked about this event" list. That's REALLY gratifying!!! Thank you all for your kind words!

Lastly, I enjoy NERO because it's a breath of COLD COLD COLD RAINY fresh air. Total immersal in cold and wet for a weekend. Good friends, HOT food (thank you so much kelly) and getting to play all sorts of fun things that I'd never get a chance to normally.

Becca
 
Actually, Mark spelled out the prime reasons I LARP quite well. Thanks, Mark ;)

About the only thing I can add to what he said is this: The roleplaying in a LARP is simply *more* than you can get in a non-live action game. More serious, more feeling, more more more. I can get into a character and do things that I'd never be able to do in "real life", and what's more important is that I can feel that I'm really doing them -- tabletop just doesn't do it much for me anymore. It's not that my imagination has weakened, but that my expectations have grown.

NOTE PLEASE that the reasons above (Mark's and my addition) are reasons why I LARP, not why I play NERO specifically. Since the question DOES ask "Why do you play NERO" (although I think the real question was meant to be "Why do you LARP"), I figured I'd toss this last paragraph in. I play NERO for one reason and one reason only: There is a sizable chapter nearby that runs good games regularly. Quite frankly I think the NERO rulesystem sucks, and I think that NERO Alliance is not good for the evolution of the game (not that NERO International is any better), but NERO Seattle runs the best LARP in the area, and that's why I'm here. If the same people were running a different system, I'd be playing that. Don't want to turn this into a rant about NERO though so I'll leave it at that :)

-Bryan
 
Polare Lissenstine said:
Since the question DOES ask "Why do you play NERO" (although I think the real question was meant to be "Why do you LARP"),...

-Bryan
Click to expand...

I actually meant why do people play NERO.


And thanks. :)
 
I play Nero because it was the first larp i ever participated in, and i met a lot of really cool people there. people i still have a lot of fun interacting with ig and oog. i love people's "war stories" and all the creativity i see people put into the game and their characters. it's so fun to hear of an adventure or character that is incredibly creative and well acted.

i love the acting. it's so fun to have an accent and be ridiculous. i can do things in game i can't in real life. ie. magic, beat people, plot death and destruction, etc. and the costumes! i've always loved dressing up. i always want a new excuse to costume. ^_^

and to some extent, it's fun to be able to get new skills and build up my character. it's kinda a project to work on. for years and years.

not to mention nero is addicting. if i didnt' go i might have some sort of withdrawal.. (kidding)

-Carmen
 
Thanks for the clarifier, Jim, on NERO vs LARPing.

I'd have to say that I play NERO for a couple of reasons:

1) Its what all the cool kids are doing. Well, not really. But its what a few of my friends are playing, so I play it to hang out with them. People will go through hoops to play NERO that they will not go through to just hang out for a weekend and play other games. I've invited numerous people down and up to Portland to just "hang out" and see what comes of the weekend, and thus far, no one has (which brings up other questions), but that may change soon enough. I wish I was heading up for the holiday fun in a week, but due to my current driver's license situation, I can't feasibly make it.

2) I've been playing for 14-15 years now. I don't have to learn a new system and feel lost playing this one, or have any "catch-up" needed.

3) Travelling is fun. I like occasionally being able to go to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, etc.
 
Initially, NERO began as a Fahter/daughter (who was invited by her friends) deal.
Since that time, It has evolved into much more. I actually get excited about upcoming events. Prior to the September event, it was crunchy, cruncy, crunchy. Even then I tried to get a break from Monster Camp. When there was down time, I'd dress as a peasant and wonder into the tavern. Some rp was had. When plot created EVAD more RP was had. I felt more involved, thus I enjoyed it more.

But why do I like it?

1) JP it extremely entertaining.
2) Where else can you see a Hobbling run around in his underwear?
3) It gives me an opportunity to argue with that dam elf.
4) I can beat on people an not have to worry about a police use of force inquiry. :) (kidding, no of those compliants were ever founded)
5) Where else are you going to go to see all the interesting costumes and characters? Shane, Bond and Dave in DRAG :eek: , Biata's, Gypsies, Barbarians, Hobblings and Sarrs. (Drwarfs too)(And various Scavengers)
6) I get high praise for my cooking.
7) I really enjoy the 4-5 hour drives. (Okay, maybe not that much)
8) Pretty decent people. :cool:
 
Why? For the experience of "yet another LARP"

I've played for as long as JP has, roughly 15+ years. I've built and played in 3, played in 3 *others* that I'd been invited to/stumbled across, and generally have fun.

I like to contrast and compare, see what's the same (relatively) and what's *not* the same.

Then there's the people. Tons and tons of you gamer-freaks are out there, and don't even know it :cool: No, really, it's always nice to find a whole slew of fresh faces, but not have to worry about fitting in. After all, once a gamer geek, always a gamer geek, right?

I could name a few folks here....in fact, I will....that I have a good time with (note..these are names of the toppa my head, so don't get your undies in a bunch if you're not mentioned)

Sara
Dan
Kelly/Evad
Bond
Nate
Shane
Rainey (Jeff R)....
and anybody who's part of "The Coffee Club"...

I can't come up with any more right off the bat... sorry...

anyway..yeah. that's it.

Spoone :p
 
I play Nero because they won't let me not play. (help me!)

Seriously, though.

I think the main thing that keeps me coming to NERO is the people. While some of them annoy me on more than one occasion over any given weekend, it's usually an OK sort of annoyance based more on the fact that they just wouldn't go squishy when I workewd so hard to set up much squshiness for them.

And the plotting. The stories behind what we have going are very intricate in most cases. You guys see the end product of sometimes months of preparation of the characters, the setting, the time-line, the mods... of course you then completely turn everything on its head and make us sramble around because you just did the one thing we didn't count on anyway...

Oh, and if I can make a request? More screams of the innocent on Friday night. It really gets plot in the mood ;)
 
If the same people were running a different system, I'd be playing that. Don't want to turn this into a rant about NERO though so I'll leave it at that
Click to expand...

and things like that. That is definitely one of the reasons I keep coming back.
 
Why NERO?

Why I LARP is mainly because it is boffing, and I enjoy the exercise. Some of the other activities I found myself trying over the past few years include kendo, sky-diving, rock climbing, and listening to loud heavy metal. Basically, I'm a hopeless adrenaline junkie, and boffing in any form feeds that urge just fine.

As it has been pointed out, role-playing games give the opportunity to do things you normally couldn't. Possibly my favorite NPC to play is a troll, because the roleplaying is as important as the combat. Belligerently shouting "BLAAAARG! XASH EAT HEART OF ENEMY!!!" and charging at random people would yield somewhat worse results than returning to monster camp for a new card, if I did that at, say, work.

One final thing: I am getting into costuming. Not like Becca is by a long way, but ever since the day that she and Carmen convinced me to dress up as a Team Rocket character for Sakura Con, I realized I had fun dressing up as and role-playing eccentric, unusual characters. Wait till you see next year's S-Con costume! Pardon me for being ambitious, but if all goes well, I indend to WAY outdo this year's Princess Bride costume by a good margin!
Similarly, rummaging through Monster Camp's stash trying to piece together a troll or a toy soldier has a similar effect on me.
 
I just do it cuz I find Mark dead sexy in the gypsy duds.

I remember being a boy and playing with stick swords, enough medival fantasy movies or swashbuckling movies will do that. Short form I grew up on the whole schtick until one fateful day I was in a bad neighborhood some kids I barely knew opened thier trenchcoat revealing a pack of funny shaped dice and said "first hit is free"

Now there has always been a very physical side to my nature; fights, sports you name it... couple that with the gaming side and it creates a symmetry that draws me to live gaming.

Damn 300 Spartans anyway.
 
1. I love running around in the cold in a vest.

2. Yelling is fun.

3. I can get away from being the bastard I am and get to be a nice guy for a while, even if that means threatening to eat people.

4. Good Company
 
i have played nero only once so far, but i'm totally in love with it!
y?
being able to get out of the city area and ppl for a bit is great
being away from cultural crap
having the chance to be someone/something else along with other ppl who experience it all with you
the whole 'dying' act(npc's)hehe
good excersize and big stress relief!!!
ok, who can't like getting to dress up? :)
 
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