Multiform

A Multiform is an Australian style of gaming which mixes larp and tabletop roleplaying techniques. The Australian Convention Roleplaying Glossary defined it as:

A gaming style (e.g Memory, Sundowners, Past Tense, Lifelines) that moves away from a seated tabletop to allow players to explore body language, scene construction and basic theatrical technique. Players act and move as if 'on stage". Multiforming places much emphasis on team trust and mutual storytelling, and provides time and freedom for players to explore characters, interrelationships and situations. John Hughes describes a generic Multiform as, 'locking five characters in a room and turning up the heat'. Multiforming is an Australian innovation usually associated with Systemless Gaming.

A discussion on Story Games emphasised the "tabletop standing up" nature of multiform - there is "minimal or no use of props and a reliance on the players' imagination to create the game world within the play space" and the play space will represent different locations depending on the scene.

Other types of multiform may combine tabletop and larp sessions within a single long game, or incorporate wargaming elements into a larp.

See Also

• Megagames - While multiforms have a more consistent emphasis on the roleplaying aspects of blended game formats compared to Megagames, there can be similarities between experiences of these different types of games, and elements of their design. Megagames are typically more likely to be longer stand-alone day events, compared to Multiforms which are linked to the culture of conventions and three-hour game slots.