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Prodigal
 
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Sarah (8/9/2008)
One thing I find useful is to think about the character's hair or. I find that really helps set characters apart, but I get the impression some LRPers dont actually think about it and just use their default hairstyle. There's a lot you can do with long hair to convey things about character, plaits and ribbons for dandies, mad hair for mad characters, loose for barbarian types, and so on. Shorter hair has less flexibility but mousse and coloured sprays or gels can achieve much. Then of course there's wigs and hairpieces. I was *extremely* happy with what I achieved with hair falls (and hours of plaiting) for the last Waypoint. I shave my head for purely practical, out of character reasons. I've tried wearing a wig while roleplaying, but dislike it intensely. I do often play tough guys however, characters who are professional soldiers, so the practical look is appropriate. Surrounded by long-haired male larpers, I sometimes look around me and think in character... "I've probably got the least lice of anyone here..." 
-- -- --
Eos: Manius Shard. Green and gold shiny healy thing.
Shadow Wars: Johnny Hyper, Hack the Planet!
Odyssey: Was Prince Ramekhet IV, of the line of Nectanebo etc etc; now Quintus Antoninus, sentimental fool err... philosopher of Rome.
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Champion
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I like to , but don't always manage it, to get my costume to say something about the character. Also I have had costume change over time to reflect things which are going on with a character.
For Example in Stargate my character Dr Kibble started out as a civilian scientist with no idea about guns, military procedure and so forth and was 'grabbed' for the very first event as had stumbled on to something he didn't know. So I turned up in a suit I think, I was issued with combats but failed to wear them most of the time to start with.
As the games went on and he got more competent on that side of things he started wearing more practical clothing and his wardrobe expanded to include both khaki and black combat gear as well as his science clothing though he still had old habits such as wearing sandles and espadrils at times as well as his infamous hat.
In Alone I was playing an ex-american military Reporter so I had various reporter gear but also a military jacket I wore and some old service badges which told you a little about him.
At sinergy we played a Trauma team so wanted medical with military so wore white paper suits with full combat gear over the top.
Though I also do it IC as well I have had characters to decide to dress in a certain way to give a specific impression to people they are wanting to give IC.
Tom J
PD: Comte Delano
Forum at http://millen.freeforums.org/index.php or www.mill-en.orgr
wiki at http://millen.wetpaint.com/
SG: Dr Kibble,
EOS: Alfgeir Bergson, Raggard Elder
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Initiate
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Last Login: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 2:25 AM
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Costume is hugely important to my sense of character. My LT character has been kicking about for years, and every single item of clothing, every accessory has a story and a meaning attached to it, right down to the shape and colour. The costume has evolved alongside the character, and very little is left of it's original incarnation, but I'm still recognisably the same character. Once the hat goes on, and I can look down and be reminded of all that accumulated history in my own costume, slipping into character is remarkably easy. Likewise with my PD character, even though I've not been playing him for as long; the costume I wore to my first event was already intimately tied into the character's background, and it's changed to reflect major events in the character's life - he went out and bought a new hat in celebration of a specific event, for example, so the hat always reminds me/him of that celebration.
Dressing up isn't the most important thing about larping for me, but it is important for developing a sense of character, and for communicating that to other people (even if they don't know the stories behind the clothes and accessories, there's still a visual impact from which they can begin making assumptions). If I started a new character who wore generic black leather armour, it would feel like a blank slate to me, and I'd struggle defining his personality. Once I did start defining his personality, you'd see that reflected in the costume as time went by.
LT: Lester Starcraft
PD: Marcus Shadwicke
RL: Steve
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Initiate
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Last Login: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 4:13 PM
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I always find that a character costume helps with defining the character personailty. Even in modern life people define themselves through the clothes they wear, it defines social groups and the like. I also find that the feel of the clothing helps with basic characteristic that come out. For example for one character I had my costume made so the clothes meant that I had to have a straight back at all times, it helped to define the type of personallity I was trying to portray.
I meant 7 furies not 7 furries
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Apprentice
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When I first started my costume was 'what I could get hold of' but even then it influenced the character I was playing, I think.
Pretty soon I was designing the kit as character ideas came to me and they would 'advertise' the character. My first real Shards character was a voodoo Witch Dr, but 'cause I wanted him to be more approachable and 'fun' I moved toward flamboyent beads and a tan, suede, tassled jacket. I purposely avoided black in everything but my 'skull' face paint.
Even when I play a character who wears a uniform I try to set some other identity on it.
I'm currently playing a Knight in a fantasy system and yes long hair is a norm, I myself had a ponytail for many years but for this guy I wanted straight, serious and scary so I sourced the most intimidating helmet I could find (for when I actually get to wear it) and in the meantime I sport a short, practical haircut and have dyed it the depest Black I can find.
One day I'll design a character around the tattoo I got to commemorate the birth of my son (it's a celtic armband).
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Conan 3:16 "Crush Your Enemies,"
"See Them Driven Before You"
"And To Hear The Lamentations Of The Women!"
FnH - Errant Anthony Tiberius Drakenfist of the Ithronian Black Order
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Heroic Knight
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... a guy in a lab coat is probably a scientist...
But the clothing must also suit the situation. I always found it really weird for scientist characters to still be in his lab coat when he's allegedly sitting in the pub off duty.
I remember back when I was a fresher and was clothing a character from things in the armoury (a cupboard of kit the society loans out to its members to larp in) and even then, the leather coat and ratty belt meant something to characterisation. It wasn't very profound a statement. It was something along the lines of "this is a sellsword who's not had a good run recently", but that's still a statement.
I put on my characterisation with my costume - my current character in Maelstrom isn't "there" until his shoulder holsters go on. Then he's "residing in the physrep." Stalks around a lot in the background too, when i'm writing his IC letters.
I know a lovely woman who has to put on a headscarf before she can write her IC letters.
_________
The Costume Mercenary's blog: shiny costumes and incessant rambling about them
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Heroic Knight
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for M&M i, and i think a lot of the players both male and female put a lot of time and effort into their costume to make it just right for the character, although this is sometimes disproportional to how much effort the character would put in themselves. since Regency was a time of quickly changing fashion, and fashion was importnant to higher classes, what the characters are wearing really says a lot about them, and it's not an unconcious subtle hint either. It will be talked about, and may even apear i gossip sheets!
Trying to conciously look dishevelled is difficult, and OC caring about costume and IC barely aware that you are even wearing clothes is a tricky one.
PD - ??
DUTT - ref
M&M - Hrabina Naczelnik, Irena Radziwill, Ordynat Radziowie, The Szlachta Seirota (yes that is one person. go go Polish nobility).
RL - Soph
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