Armed

Here's a subsystem you can add to non-combat larps with 10 or fewer players. Although it seems like it just adds combat to the game, what it really does is play with the idea of consent and bullying by adding the threat of player elimination to the atmosphere of the game. In other words, it changes the mood of the game and the negotiations between players by adding a subtext of potential violence.

You need:

A larp that doesn't already involve combat or player elimination10 or fewer players, preferably 3-6.Toy weapons, enough for half of the players. I prefer toy guns that make noise when fired.1 coin

Setup:

Starting here, read these rules aloud to the other players. Read all of this section and the following section, How to Play. Before playing, players take turns flipping the coin. Start with the oldest or tallest player. On a heads, you get one of the weapons. When you run out of weapons to hand out or when everyone has flipped the coin once, move on to playing the game.

How to Play:

Play the game as normal. However, at anytime after the first ten minutes of play, any character with a weapon may attack another character. To attack, aim your weapon at the other player and announce that you are attacking. Other players around you should pause and watch what you are doing. You now flip the coin. On heads, you hit. On tails, you miss. If you hit, flip the coin again. On tails, you injure the character. This has no mechanical affect, but the player of the injured character will probably assign some affect to his character in the story. On heads, you kill the character. That character is no longer part of the larp. That player should sit out the rest of the game. (This may break some games. Feel free to adjust the rules on the fly.)Play of the game then resumes as normal. After you have used your weapon, you must wait at least 10 minutes before you use it again. If you ever miss twice against the same person, give that player your weapon. Their character has disarmed your character. If a character is ever injured twice, that character is dead.