The practice of creating Live Action Role Playing games (LARPs) is one of the oldest forms of game design, but simultaneously one of the least studied by those outside of its community. As a result, standards and even terms tend to be flexible and fluid, more commonly used to illustrate an individual creator's idea than to develop a rigorous system of definitions. That isn't necessarily a problem, there's no inherent flaw in one person calling themself a LARP designer and another person using the admittedly prettier term of Larpwright (the Initialism LARP is slowly converting to the word Larp in various sub-communities, but the author is choosing to be a curmudgeon and sticking to the old way). The problems only arise when the lack of consistency creates a lack of clarity. With that in mind, this article is a brief breakdown of the roles involved in building and running a successful LARP. This is not a one-size-fits-all list, your LARP team may look very different from ours, with different responsibilities grouped according to different priorities. However, if you're interested in running your own LARP and don't know how to get started, or if you're just reading other articles on this site and trying to differentiate the various roles we use, then this article may just be what you need. At Spectacle Ink, we formally describe six roles with regard to creating and running LARPs. ## Roles ### Designers **LARP Designers create the systems by which the game operates**. These systems may be simple negotiation guidelines, complex, simulationist mechanics, or anything in-between. Designers are often, but not always, the ones who originated the idea for that LARP. As well, designers are usually writers. They may not create all (or even most) of the characters or plot points, but the creation of systems cannot be fully divorced from the creation of fiction, which means that designers will almost always do at least a bit of double-duty as writers. ### Writers **LARP Writers create the narratives by which the game proceeds.** These narratives may be interpersonal dramas, grand epics, slapstick farces, or anything else the writer can imagine. Writers are often also LARP Designers, though it is common in [[The Philadelphian School of LARP|the Philadelphian School]] for writers and designers to be separate, with designers crafting the overall world and writers filling it in with lore and characters. In a LARP with no in-game mechanics (a LARP with no safety mechanics should be avoided at any cost), there may only be a writer working without any designers. ### Editors **LARP Editors ensure the game meets standards of quality, clarity, playability, and sensitivity.** These standards are always evolving, but good editors are always working to evolve with them. Editors are often designers or writers who have worked on similar projects or who have a particular area of specialty (e.g., copy-editing, sensitivity reading, etc.). ### Artists **LARP Artists create original art and set pieces for a LARP.** Artists are often, but not always, also producers. These individuals are skilled in one or more media (painting, digital art, costuming, etc.) and work with producers, writers, and designers to ensure that the game space properly evokes the intended moods, themes, and imagery. Artists are one of the most overlooked components of building a successful LARP. But, along with producers, artists are often the major factor separating professional LARP organizations from amateur ones. ### Facilitators **LARP Facilitators run the event itself, managing players, overseeing disputes, and guiding events in planned directions if necessary.** Facilitators tend to work in teams, with only the smallest or most self-organizing games being run by a lone facilitator. In most cases, the facilitator team shares members with the design and writing teams, but this is not universal. Artists and Producers are sometimes also facilitators, but given that all three roles have significant day-of responsibilities which are likely to conflict, this is relatively uncommon. ### Producers **LARP Producers handle the logistics of running a LARP.** This role is by far the broadest and most inconsistently implemented, with some organizations having dedicated logistics staff and others sharing those duties among the core team. Producers may be artists, writers, or designers, or they may simply be laborers working under direction to hang up backdrops, move furniture, lay out props, and perform other discrete set-up tasks. As well, producers secure sites, collect fees, manage sign-in, and otherwise handle the out-of-game tasks necessary for a smooth and successful operation. At Spectacle Ink, we also assign each project an Executive Producer, a person who takes on overall accountability for the success or failure of the project in exchange for significant control and authority. *Author: [[Joseph Perry]]* *© Copyright 2023 Spectacle Ink. All rights reserved.*