I first
learned of LARPs when I came across a flyer for a NERO event in the
early 1990s. Although I was curious, nearly a decade passed before I
attended my first Live Action Roleplaying Game. It was there that I
heard tales of NERO games past... and rumors that a glorious new day
was dawning for this gaming organization.
Joseph Valenti, President
of NERO International, has honored us by taking some time from his busy
schedule to answer some questions regarding NERO: Past, Present and
Future.
THOR: Greetings Joseph,
I am honored to be interviewing you. NERO, your brainchild, has become
quite a phenomenon...
JOSEPH:
Thank you Thor! Honestly, I feel honored that you’re interested
in NERO, and to be interviewed by you. NERO was not originally my brainchild;
it was that of Ford Ivey – the Father of Live Action Role Playing
in America. It was Ford Ivey who dedicated himself to supporting the
growth of live action role playing games, in the form of NERO, for more
than 10 years. Ford solicited and gained the support of a dozen business
operations and game operations personnel (creative writers) to help
him build his dream. They certainly did an excellent job under his management.
Phenomenon seems like a strong word –
but I do have strong goals, dreams if you will, for live adventures
in America and Canada. We will realize successful integration into North
American society as legitimate businesses. Live Adventures will be considered
a phenomenon if and when the industry is accepted by the masses and
moves into a momentum phase, but not any sooner. I hope to propel the
industry into that momentum phase
THOR:
How did you first become involved with Live Action Role Playing Games?
JOSEPH:
Well Thor, I started participating in Live Action Role Playing when
I was a bit younger, back in the year 1991. My friends all showed me
the small advertisement in Dragon Magazine that advertised the NERO
Game. After receiving the NERO Rule Book and reading it thoroughly –
about 10 times - I trekked up to Massachusetts with my very close friends,
Dan Cunneen and Keith Franz, to experience our very first live adventure
event. I co-owned a home with my best friend Dan at the time, in northern
New Jersey, so the trek was over 4.5 hours. The event was a blast and
I have always gone back.
THOR:
What led to the creation of NERO?
JOSEPH:
From what I understand Thor, Ford Ivey, a Game Store Owner in Boston
MA area, attended a live role playing event at one of his friends who
had seen it in the European market. Ford began running ‘weekend
in the woods’ live adventure events in the area within a year,
realizing that his customers would enjoy trying to survive a period
in the woods being hunted by, or hunting, monsters. He started promoting
it from his game store for about 6 months, which led to more than 150
attendees at his first event. Soon thereafter, Ford asked a dozen of
his closest friends and customers to lead projects that expanded the
game beyond defeating mythological creatures in the woods and ‘surviving’
the event. And so NERO was developed.
THOR:
How is NERO different from other LARPs?
JOSEPH:
That is a tough question. NERO, under my guidance, has developed beyond
a group of individuals who enjoy running mystery adventures for their
friends. NERO is a conglomerate of business focused individuals who
not only enjoy entertaining others, but also providing quality customer
service. We operate live adventure games that are specifically geared
to entertain.
The NERO Office promotes the entertainment
of customers and appropriate behavior from its representatives at all
times. We actively discourage favoritism.
We believe that if you try hard to make yourself
look good, if you make an effort with your costuming, and if you play
the game right, you will succeed at NERO. You must make an effort to
look good, know the rules, and be respectful to other members. However,
if you come to the event with the expectations that the staff is here
just for you, that the other players are less important than you, or
that the staff will cater to your every whim and demand, we will give
you back your money and send you home.
The NERO Office has instituted corporate
governance. We provide to licensees, policies and guidebooks on how
to operate a live adventure business, an enjoyable as well as an entertaining
game, and how to market the business.
The NERO Office actively promotes its NERO
Chapters, locally and nationally, through the internet via nerolarp.com,
and through convention attendance at major conventions in America including
Arisia, DragonCon, Origins, GenCon Indy, DexCon, etc.
NERO Members can play the same game character
in every one of the NERO Chapters, creating a legend about their characters
efforts, successes and failures over a period of time and in multiple
places, not only the local chapter..
NERO Members can bring all character possessions
including Silver, Gold and Platinum pieces, Production Items like Potions
and Scrolls, and Magic Items and Formal Magic Components (part of the
ingredients to create a magic item), to any of the other NERO Chapters
as well.
THOR:
I was very much impressed by the NERO rulebook, it is clearly a labor
of love and obviously the distilled result of many years of LARPing...
JOSEPH: Thank you for the
compliment. The NERO® Rule Book© is a solid set of rules created
by the very finest of people. Many incredibly talented people have placed
numerous hours into its creation and subsequent editions. We are very
proud to have them working with us and appreciative of their efforts.
THOR:
Joseph, I love the 'actively seek adventure' attitude it promotes. Many
people let life pass them by...
JOSEPH:
I agree Thor. In life, and in Games, we have to reach out and go for
what we want. We hear it while growing up, when we are adults, and even
after we retire. You want something; you have got to work for it.
In live adventure role playing, the cast
will move among the players, as characters themselves, dropping hints
and clues to the mystery through conversation and interaction. The actor
has a fair amount of leeway in the role and knows what they must do,
or say, to help the players figure out what they need to do to solve
the challenge. The players must determine ways to extract as much vital
information as possible during the interaction. If they are not aggressive
enough, they might let the chance slip them by. If they are too aggressive,
the person might become aware of just that, and possibly clam up or
flee the scene when you are not looking!
THOR: What's the deal with the Hawley-Smoot
Tariff? Muninn and I live near Hawley...
JOSEPH:
Wow. You took me by surprise with this one. This was the tariff created
years and years ago by a couple of politicians called Hawley and Smoot
during the depression. The increased tariff was placed on merchandise
imported from other countries. The result was the opposite of what was
expected. Instead of getting more money from imported goods, America
received fewer imports, less income, and other countries put more tariffs
on imported American goods.
THOR: What is the lure of
NERO? What attracts people?
JOSEPH:
There are so many different reasons that people join NERO and attend
live adventure games. There are those who enjoy writing the mysteries
and those that enjoy directing the cast who volunteer their time to
help make the theatrical production a success while enjoying themselves.
There are people who enjoy playing one or more roles each weekend, interacting
with the players to give them the hints and clues they need to solve
the mystery. There are those who enjoy the excitement and the exercise
of playing mythological creatures all weekend long, being defeated by
the players hundreds and hundreds of times throughout.
NERO, as an organization,
offers individuals the opportunity to escape from the pressure and stress
of real life by playing a game. Live Action Role Playing is a form of
escapism that allows people to become something they have not been,
and are not in real life - the opportunity to act out their fantasy
adventures as a Hero or Villain. It allows them to do things they cannot
do in real life. Individuals can steal like a thief, be treated like
a leader, defeat enemies of the country, become a well known and powerful
merchant, horde silver and gold, tell stories or play game in the tavern
all day long, guard and protect those who are weaker than they, practice
their acting techniques, be accepted by peers for their geek-i-ness,
be appreciated and complimented by their elders, feel the sense of accomplishment
that comes with defeating and adversary, solving a mystery, helping
to run a theatrical production, and so much more. So, instead of being
an accountant, a doctor, a computer engineer, a car salesperson, or
a deli counter person - this weekend I become - the Noble Knight from
the Kingdom of Evendarr who leads his noble court into an epic battle
against a dreaded enemy – Karaxus The Krazed!
THOR:
What keeps them playing? Why do they remain with NERO?
JOSEPH:
People come to NERO because they are interested in the storylines that
they are involved in, because they enjoy operating theatrical productions,
because they want to hang out with friends who enjoy the same hobby,
because they want to be the hero or villain, because the staff and fellow
members work hard to make everyone feel like they are wanted and appreciated,
and because they can “Be All They Can’t Be”.
I would like to think that NERO Members remain
with for all the above reasons, and because of the strengths and charisma
of the individuals who comprise each NERO Chapter. Because they know
that NERO, as a company, and as individuals, care about the quality
of the production, and the entertainment given and received. And finally,
because of the ability to travel with the same character and all your
treasure anywhere in the country and be recognized as a great hero or
villain.
THOR:
How can interested individuals get involved with NERO activities?
JOSEPH: Well Thor, the NERO
LARP internet site, at www.NeroLarp.com , has a wealth of information
on it for the prospect. There is specifically a New to NERO Tour on
the page to present an overview of NERO. Then, by reviewing each of
the buttons on the internet site, interested persons will learn all
about NERO. Individuals can become members too.
If interest and curiosity grows, the individuals
can go to their local Game Store and purchase the NERO® Rule Book©
8th Edition. If the local store doesn’t yet carry the book (call
and ask if they have it), you can order one directly from the www.NeroLarp.com
site with your credit card or via paypal.
THOR:
Joseph, I understand that in addition to playing fantasy heroes, participants
can play NPC monsters and villains...
JOSEPH:
Absolutely. Most NERO chapters operate using volunteers from within
the membership base. These volunteers are generally called NPC’s.
All NERO Members have the option of attending events as a Non Player
Character (NPC). Some chapters operate with a dedicated staff for one
or more years, some chapters have guest event directors that bring their
teams to help run, and some chapters have paid consultants that help
to manage and direct the business and game.
THOR:
What can we look forward to, NERO-wise, in the months ahead?
JOSEPH:
NERO has a dozen short term projects in motion. Here are a few highlights
of what we are planning in the months ahead.
NERO will be attending the Origins Awards
Convention put on by The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) on June
29 to July 3, 2005 in Columbus Ohio. At the Origins Convention this
year, we have scheduled foam Sword Fighting Competitions, a Medieval
Adventurers Tavern, and Medieval Live Adventures.
The Sword Fighting Competitions is a new
program that NERO is implementing this year and will be fully nationwide
next year – running at all the major conventions in America. The
competitions include a recognition program whereby wins and losses of
the participants in the competitions are tracked and posted on the web
site. An accompanying prize points system has been developed to allow
participants to collect prize points for participation and wins, and
to then select a prize from those available in the prize point showcase.
The spectacular 1000 person tournament will
have thirty two 32-person tournaments and a final showdown between the
32 winners of those tournaments to see who is the champion of the first,
largest, and the most spectacular 1024-person sword fighting tournament
operated in America. All entrants will win a prize as will each of the
first prize winners of the thirty two tournaments, and first, second,
and third place of the final tournament. There will also dozens of 32-person
tournaments for individuals to enter and also the opportunity to defeat
NERO Sword Fighting Champions. The award ceremony will be held Saturday
night, at an after dinner party, in one of the grand ballrooms.
The Medieval Adventurers Tavern is a place
where individuals can experience the different cultures found in the
NERO Live Adventure Game. The tavern will draw attendees into a fantastic
environment made to look, and feel, like a medieval-style tavern (No
Alcohol). Attendees can approach any of the tables that interest them,
relax and converse with others about anything, including Live Adventures
to be found.
The Medieval Live Adventures will allow individuals
the opportunity to solve mysteries and be the hero, defeating mythological
beasts with swords and sorcery, and collecting treasure such as gold,
silver, and magical items along the way. Individuals can experience
a small version of the mysteries that are found at NERO Events nationwide.
NERO® is in the process of creating a
video, ‘how to fight with a latex foam sword, for use at a NERO
Live Adventure event. We will be making this video readily available
via the internet and as NERO® Rule Book© inserts.
We recently accepted a request by the German
LARP Company, Live Adventure e.V., to lead a contingency from America
to the German LARP Game, Conquest of Mythodea 2005 (Mythodea.de), from
August 10-14, 2005.
THOR:
Wow! What glorious future will unfold with NERO in the years ahead?
JOSEPH:
NERO has a tremendous number of long term projects in motion and additional
projects planned in the future that will continue to propel the company
and its local chapters into the forefront of the live adventure industry.
We are preparing for the release of over
15 publications, over a 2 year period, including the Tyrran World Cosmology©,
a dozen Race Handbooks, an Artificers Compendium, beginning June 2005.
We are expanding our reach through game store
retailer programs, in-store demonstrations, and other incentives that
develop win/win partnerships with Game Stores.
We are hosting a gigantic country-wide live
adventure event that will take place in Illinois, in July of 2006, in
which we are inviting all other Live Action Role Playing groups and
companies to participate in as Game Masters and as players. We have
many very interesting ideas on how to unite those companies under one
umbrella for a truly awesome live adventure event.
The NERO Club Programs™ are increasing
in popularity. We are focused on creating Live Adventure Clubs™
centered on Game Stores and NERO Chapters across the nation, NERO College
Clubs™ at collegiate institutions and NERO Military Clubs™
at military bases around the world, which empower Live Adventurers to
coordinate small events among themselves.
We are in the process of purchasing a permanent
facility, to be located centrally between NYC and Albany in the New
York State. Though this is not an easy task, we hope to have the facility
available for use by end of first quarter year 2006.
THOR: Thank you Joseph.
You are successfully actualizing a mighty vision with NERO! Do you have
any advice for others wishing to manifest their own dreams?
JOSEPH:
You are very welcome Thor! I look forward to materializing my dreams
for NERO. Realizing ones dreams never come easy, unless you have serious
resources at your disposal, and even then it does not guarantee success.
Share your vision with all of your staff. Surround yourself with employees
and staff who believe in your vision. Remember to stick with the plan
you created for achieving your goals. Do not overextend yourself when
a few major successes appear. Being in charge won’t be easy and
you won’t please everyone all of the ime, but there is no substitution
for respectful treatment of staff and customers. Listen to what your
advisors have to say, and don’t be afraid to make decisions based
on their words of wisdom. It is ok to be wrong, and ok to admit when
you are wrong.
CONTACT INFO: http://www.nerolarp.com/Business/StaffContact.htm
