Rhydian: Created page with "In order to participate in a larp, players take on the role of characters within a story or environment. Sometimes, those characters are created by the players prior to the game, or improvised on the spot. '''Pre-written characters''' refer to when the characters have specifically been created by the GM or writer, to instruct players how they should act within the game in order to create an intended narrative experience and stay In-character during the..."

2026-04-30T02:08:55Z

Created page with "In order to participate in a larp, players take on the role of characters within a story or environment. Sometimes, those characters are created by the players prior to the game, or improvised on the spot. '''Pre-written characters''' refer to when the characters have specifically been created by the GM or writer, to instruct players how they should act within the game in order to create an intended narrative experience and stay In-character during the..."

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In order to participate in a larp, players take on the role of characters within a story or environment. Sometimes, those characters are created by the players prior to the game, or improvised on the spot. '''Pre-written characters''' refer to when the characters have specifically been created by the [[Gamemaster|GM]] or writer, to instruct players how they should act within the game in order to create an intended narrative experience and stay [[In-character]] during the event.

The advantage of pre-written characters is that they are considered to give the organisers more control over what happens in the game; though some writers prefer instead to invite players into the experience of writing characters in some way, to obtain more buy-in from players on what that creative goal is.<ref>Aliaksandra Franskevich (n.d.) [https://gamewrap.interactiveliterature.org/vol2/collaboratively-written-characters/ Collaboratively Written Characters], blog post. Retrieved 30th April 2026.</ref>

Pre-written elements can vary in length and detail. They may include backstory, motivations, skills and abilities, alliances, or any other details considered relevant to the player's portrayal of that character. These will typically all be included on the [[Character sheet]]. They may also have pre-prepared [[Character packet]]s with objects tied to their written information, or that provide more information about the character and who they are through creative use of ephemera.

==Example games==
* [[An Ecumenical Matter]]
* [[Moonshine]]
* [[Final Voyage of the Mary Celeste]]

==See also==
* [[Character sheet]]
* [[Character packet]]
* [[Blue sheet]]
* [[Theatre-style]] game types most often use pre-written characters; including freeforms, jeepforms, chamber larps and others.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [https://www.nordiclarp.org/wiki/Pre-written_characters Pre-written characters] on the Nordic Larp Wiki

[[Category:Glossary]]

Pre-written characters - Revision history