[_vamp]

I want to know your tips for dressing up and portraying a Nosferatu in both oWoD and nWoD.

In new World of Darkness what could one do to make people believe you actually have a scary demeanor, or do you think that a note saying "I'm scary" is enough?

In old WoD, should you go all-out with masks and make-up? Is people who just have a black skiing mask over their heads bad players?

What is your experiences of the Nosferatu clan in MET?

[Tuesday]

A note or tag is ALWAYS bad, and is never good enough. Being creepy isn't hard with a little conscious effort - at worst, just examine your least favourite gamers and act like them. They're usually plenty creepy, as anyone they've ever been attracted to can attest.

Just little things, like unfocusing your eyes, holding your head slightly off-kilter, holding your arms slightly away from your body, and moving your body rather than just an arm or a leg can make you seem very "off".

As for the masks and makeup: the more you look like your character, the better. If your character wears a ski mask and so you do too, awesome. If you want to go with full makeup and masks, very cool. Even if you just put a bulky costume on and act creepy without makeup, that's a damn sight better than a tag.

[serial_experiments]

Anything (And I do mean *anything*) is better than a tag.
Always seek the best characterization possible.

[SwordOfSutekh]

In old WoD, should you go all-out with masks and make-up? Is people who just have a black skiing mask over their heads bad players?

It really depends on the venue.

If you are playing on private property, then you should make at least a minimal effort. Even if you are wearing a skiing mask, you can apply make-up around the eyes for some nice effects.

If you are playing on borrowed space, however, then you might wish to avoid make-up. It might not be difficult for an outsider to become concerned with the individual dressed as a "demon" lurking around the outside of the local church.

General rule of thumb - consult your Storyteller.

[Tuesday]

Anything (And I do mean *anything*) is better than a tag.

In fact, going with *nothing* and just letting people guess you're a Nos through context is better than a tag.

Tags suck.

Not having a tag is ALWAYS better than having a tag.

[jadedeath]

I want to know your tips for dressing up and portraying a Nosferatu in both oWoD and nWoD.

In new World of Darkness what could one do to make people believe you actually have a scary demeanor, or do you think that a note saying "I'm scary" is enough?

In old WoD, should you go all-out with masks and make-up? Is people who just have a black skiing mask over their heads bad players?

What is your experiences of the Nosferatu clan in MET?

in the oWoD game that I ran I had a fairly regular NPC named Ralph an information gatherer that I had a tradition of grabbing many pieces of clothing and wearing them all at the same time... wrapping jeans around my neck as a scarf... putting on sweaters on only one sleeve... as many as I could get the better and staying as low to the ground as possible... playing up a back deformity and hobo type appearance...

as for nWoD it depends on your deformity... alot of the deformities in the game that I'm playing in now are announced at the beginning of the game... it's up to the players from that point on to roleplay the deformity...

Logan

[Morrigan]

For normal night-to-night larping I tend to go with the "do nothing" approach, assuming that the Nosferatu in question has enough Obfuscate to use Mask of a Thousand Faces. The other players aren't seeing your real face.

For special games, such as cons, I've had fun. The last big one I played I made a last-minute effort for - I turned my decade-old cassock inside out so I was wrapped in a mass of loose threads, patches and flaps. I have a pair of cheap black gloves with glow-in-the-dark skulls on the back. And I dropped my (long) hair over my face to mostly conceal it, scowled lots and hunched over. It worked, and it was pretty easy to do. Ended up winning a Lucita (in)action figure for my portrayal

[zenten]

If you are playing on borrowed space, however, then you might wish to avoid make-up. It might not be difficult for an outsider to become concerned with the individual dressed as a "demon" lurking around the outside of the local church.

Then the game shouldn't have any nosferatu at all, since in game they would be spotted.

[Tuesday]

#1: Players don't have Obfuscate.
#2: Games don't always "happen" where the players are.

[SwordOfSutekh]

Exactly.

There are certain sacrifices that have to be made as considerations to the general public, because not everyone in the area can be informed of the event. The police might be quite upset to find out they were called to the area on account of a role-playing game and you run the risk of losing your venue.

[LadyHydralisk]

I've not played a Nosferatu yet, as I've only been playing a year this month. (Yes I decided to give it another go after my previous storyteller booted out the troublemakers )

The only reason I don't play is that I am not that experienced with grotesque makeup.

I think that I would enjoy the role so much though. I have thought about getting a cowl so my face is not seen. Sometimes the hidden face is scarier than the guy with a gremlin mask.

All three of our Nosferatu are plain clothes and without makeup. The first night I played I called one a Malkavian, because he was acting very strange. I was surprised when other players corrected me.

I mean, why play a Nos if you don't want to get into the part? To me it is imperative that I completely fulfill the role to the best of my ability.

It doesn't bother me that other players don't want to dress the part, but it does effect the gameplay. When I am acting and dressing like a scary Brujah, people take me very seriously. I don't need to roll for presence!

I think Nos have the potential to be the scariest and most powerful players simply on the basis of the attire and makeup they can don during a game.

Again, why bother with LARP if you don't treat it like the improv theatre it is?

I know our Prince, a Nos in a modified OWOD storyline, although he doesn't use makeup he does behave like a sewer rat, wringing his hands and hunching over, shifting his eyes. He would look fantastic in dressup and makeup.

This post has been edited by LadyHydralisk: 11 July 2006 - 04:49 PM

[Glacialis]

If you ever play a NWoD Nos and one that doesn't have a physical deformity, there are a tremendous number of things that can be done to make the character creepy without making them ugly.

[zenten]

One good place to start is to study some of the more creepy gamers you know

[serial_experiments]

If you ever play a NWoD Nos and one that doesn't have a physical deformity, there are a tremendous number of things that can be done to make the character creepy without making them ugly.

Here's a list... Divided by senses!

SMELL:
a) Carry something with a strong, disgusting scent. And a Gas Mask or oxygen tank, for your own good.
b) Hang around with a simple costume for a couple of days at the local fish shop. And don't bathe the day before and the day of the LARP. (To get used to the smell, and to acquire it!)
c) Mix stuff at home. Some herbal teas have a strong smell, and combined with other things can give off a strong, disgusting scent. I have yet to try this method, but some friends who have a penchant for experimenting with home things told me about this.

HEARING:
a) Find a way to get small, thin speakers within your costume, and an ipod (Shuffle or nano). Put it on a low volume, enough for a person who is close to you to hear it. Put the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack on repeat (For added effect, just the monster and industrial noises). Twitch for added effect.
b) Ventriloquy. Talking to someone who doesn't move their lips can be pretty unnerving. Sure, you just assume, in game, that they'might be using ventriloquy... But when the other guy never, EVER speaks through his lips... It's no longer too nice.

VISUAL:
a) Makeup can work really well. Particularly when you use it in original ways (i.e. not always the face!)
b) Learn to twitch. Practice it. Love it. Use sparingly, but with good timing.
c) Prosthetics. Not the ones you find in all run-of-the-mill joke shop. If you can make them yourself, it's better (There are various online tutorials around... If I can find one later, I'll post it)
d) Use light shoes. Walk really silently. Preferably behind someone who hasn't noticed you (Haha! I'm an expert at this one!)
e) Buy long-sleeved clothes (Thift shops FTW) one or two sixes bigger than yours. Stuff them with small bags of whatever you can find (I like crumpled paper, it sounds CRUNCHY) tied together with a string. Put the string around your neck, and the bags in your arms. The right size should make you look deformed enough.
f) If you want something for your legs, e) can do, though it is harder.
g) There's this fake peeling skin recipe made of oatmeal another friend found. It looks disturbingly cool, particularly when you mix it with other things.

[zenten]

I'd avoid the smell one for various reasons. One is that certain scents can cause problems in other players, and that the goal is to make the characters uncomfortable, not to make the players not want to come to game.

[serial_experiments]

I'd avoid the smell one for various reasons.  One is that certain scents can cause problems in other players, and that the goal is to make the characters uncomfortable, not to make the players not want to come to game.

That wasn't meant to be a too serious suggestion.
I'm sorry if it came out that way.

I posted it mainly due to the "Start by the gamers you know" phrase (Not that I know many gamers like that, mind you). I have seen QUITE some people whose body odor was so strong they left a lingering, malicious stench that made everyone uncomfortable. At conventions, mostly. I'm talking guys with shirts two sizes too small, who look like they haven't bathed in at least three days, and whose smell indicates that they probably work in the vicinity of raw meat of any kind...

Ugh...

[_vamp]

I just remembered something now, after 4 months. A good friend of mine played an awesome Nosferatu at a LARP: It wasn't as much the overall costume as one simple detail: His hands. He had painted liquid silicon (I think) over his hands and when it dried it formed a rubber hue over his hands which made them feel like they were made of plastic. Then he would walk around the larp pulling off a piece of his hand and leaving it at tables. Wonderful

Don't try it at home unless you know how to use it and the effect it will have on your hands.

[zenten]

Don't try it at home unless you know how to use it and the effect it will have on your hands.

Also be sure to clean it up after game.

[Shaith]

This is what I get for not checking the MET forum more often, posting in a rather old thread. (;

In V:tM larp, Nosferatu have -always- been my "standby" clan to portray, specifically because they're lovely to costume for, and they are common in Camarilla settings, which are the most commonly run scenario. Samedi, Harbringers, Tzimisce, Gangrel etc. (All of which I've done differing varieties of makeup fx for, some pretty extensive) of course also fit this bill, but again, play allowances come up more often with them (The Gangrel too, due to a tendency against Obfuscate and people going but nutty about *gasp* a Gangrel showing physical deformity).

My tips:

1) Liquid Latex, Toilet Paper, Press on Nails, Super Sculpey, Eye Liner, Fake Hair and cheap makeup (even watercolors) are your best friend. Using nothing more than these I've made everything from realistic convoluted bat noses, massive fanged maws, facial tendrils (though finger condoms help with these), a complete mummified death rictus, rows of horns, extensive decay fx, two inch talons, insectile/reptilian muzzles, scales and similar. A pity I only have pics of a couple of these.

None took much latex either, a 1 oz bottle can go a long way to making a long lasting piece, usually with much left over if you just apply a coat or two over the glued on TP. These sorts of things tend to require a lot of patience to create, but if you have -any- sculpting skill, they aren't difficult, just time consuming. The results can be pretty spectacular considering how cheap any of these are.

Eye liner alone works great for strange designs, highlighting lines, creases or a creepy sick look and more without anything else beyond a little smudging and blending. Also work grey for fake tattoos, arcane symbology or breaking up the face with strange designs and best yet, easy to wash off. Using red or bluish eyeliner pencils or lip highlighters do very well for vein traceries as well, which can also push the kind of sickly undead look for the more subtle Nos.

Super Sculpley itself is easy to use, and creating talons, horns and similar to use (just requiring a bit of latex on the back to stick on along with some TP there and to add a little support) isn't hard. They also work great for making tusks and teeth for over-the-mouth pieces. Heck, for those with the talent to sculpt well, it's easy to make custom jewelry with as well for a unique prop-piece or 10.

Press on Nails in of themselves help deviating ones hands from the norm as well as making excellent teeth for the before-mentioned over-the-mouth pieces. Just take a pair of nail clippers to them to shape as you see fit, from pointed, to cracked, ragged or simply long.

False hair can easily be glued on with Latex to make beards, extra body and facial hair to normal or strange places, as well as making prosthetics more eerie. If applied with enough latex it can even be reusable.

One thing I would do is test liquid latex on ones skin for a few hours on a small before going hog wild. Some people are allergic to latex being in contact (so those who are, definitely avoid it), and a lot of cheaper Liquid Latex uses an ammonia base which can be harsh on sensitive skin, especially if on for hours and hours. Even the sorts that don't use an ammonia base can dry out the skin (and dear G-d, avoid getting it in your hair, eyebrows etc.)

2) Colored Contact lenses make a big impact for simply being a little odd or creepy, to very odd and monstrous if combined with other FX. The only issue with these is they can be expensive, not everyone can wear them and they can take some getting used to. There are cheap dailies available, however, that work fine for changing your eye color for a game with only a few bucks down the drain. Small costume pieces, but they make some of the most impact. These and eyeliner highlights (either, or both) actually help some of the most for the undeformed, eerie Requiem Nos. It's a physical adjustment, but subtle enough to promote that frightening vibe they give without looking truly inhuman, especially if they highlight the whites of your eyes and you stare.

3) As mentioned earlier, clothing of variable sizes and stuffed works excellent for adjusting your body profile. Using rolled up towels or similar in the right places in a sleeve, you can actually make your limbs look -very- bent, even broken or jointed at odd places.

4) As mentioned earlier as well, defocussing your eyes, staring and similar work very well, as well as a "loping" gait. Moving in a predatory fashion, or paying mind to try to "smooth" out your movements as if they were measured etc. also help promote this, the only difficult part of any of these is remembering to maintain them for the games duration.

[_vamp]

Wow! Very good!

Did you say pictures?