Misunderstand

First off let me say I am sorry this was supposed to become a bimonthly thing, but then I broke gamer code and got a job! But I have finally gotten settled into the grove and found time to start this experiment again.
Leadership, this is the topic this week. What makes a leader? Are leaders born? Can you train some one? I am not asking what makes a good leader or a great leader just what makes a person a leader? It not that complicated to be a leader, all you must do is point in a direction and use a strong voice to command the people you want to move, and they will. That will make you a leader, yes it’s that simple. We aren’t talking about being a good leader just a leader for good or ill. Why is this important? Well because all Role playing games need them, someone has to lead the party in its dungeon crawl, someone has to be the leader of the vampire coterie and I the bigger games someone has to be king prince or what other title is there.
When player refuse to become leaders NPC’s have to be made to lead. Sometimes this is good as it allows the GM/ST to direct the player along the plot lines, but most of the time it is bad for the NPC to lead.
Let’s talk LARP for those that don’t know what LARP is it stands for Live Action Role Play. In other words instead of sitting around a table you stand up dress up and pretend you are that sheet in front of you. Sometimes you use Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide who wins a challenge some people keep the dice and even cards can be used. Other than that LARP is a Table top game, the major difference is that LARPs tend to be larger than table tops with their number in the low teens all the way to the fifties on a good night.
We will focus on the smaller end LARPs. These types are the focus of leadership failures. Most gamers are use to the GM/ST doing all the work. Well that’s a problem players need to step up and be in the leading roles of the game, not only is it fun. But it’s the right thing to do, we play a game to have fun and having the NPCs doing everything can’t and isn’t fun.
Now why most gamers fail to become leaders is they don’t want to fail, who does, I mean we play the games these fantasies to escape real life for a little bit not fail. That fear is what keep us from claiming the power, so we just play along until the GM/ST finally gets tired of being everybody at once and either ends the game in a giant emo fit or just strokes out from NPC overload.
Stop being afraid to take power, stop it right now. If you are playing in a game where you are strong enough to grab power then do so, this is a fantasy and in our fantasies we are suppose to be Knight with shining amour, Vampires, Werewolves or whatever flavor you prefer. These things are not shy, the Vampires are not the Douche bag in a tree with nice hair that sparkles when the sun hits them, the Werewolves are not some sexy Eskimo clan they are hard core killers. So be one embody you sheet and if there is a single lick of leadership on that piece of paper you need to step up and claim whatever you can get your hands on.
Let me tell a story about a Toreador in the old World of Darkness. He drove car and painted them as well, on top of that this Tore was the Scourge…wait for those that don’t know what a Toreador is they are the arties ones and normal shun combat skills for social ones. And a Scourge well that person that has a license to kill if you make him mad. So here is a Character way outside the social norm, The Prince of the City a NPC at the time tells the court, that’s the players, to go forth and kill the bad guys. No one does a thing, but this Toreador steps up and hands the keys to one of his cars to another player and tells the player to go out and prove himself, this player rounds up some people and promptly get him and three others killed. That was leadership at work the Toreador was playing leader now was it good leadership, hell no he use power to kill people, but it was leadership none the less. We don’t have to be good leaders or great leaders, just lead have fun with it abuse your power control your minion. Rules with an iron first or rule because everyone loves you just rule one way or the other you might just find you like to be a leader. You might find the mantel fits your shoulders quiet well.
Bottom line folks we play these games to come out of our shells to be what we can’t in real life. So stop being yourself in game and being something else be who you can’t be because after all you’re pretending you’re not any way.