I've seen this "No Contact" rule in a lot of games where I still experienced casual conversational touching. I think it depends a lot on whether the LARPers involved are new and if they're comfortable with each other. Experience or preexisting relationships short-circuit people's discomfort and worry that they'll upset others.
I tend not to touch people I don't know in my normal day to day life, but as I've played more and more LARPs I've become comfortable adopting touching policies that match the characters and their relationships (whether they be neutral, huggy, or standoffish, I think most characters have a range of how they want to touch the other characters, just like most people). I also feel less anxious around other experienced LARPers or just people I know. I can be more sure that if I misjudge their desire/willingness to touch there won't be hard feelings OOC. (I'm a socially cautious person, so it's not like I go around groping people in-game! ;)
To some degree I think how ok I am with touch is always in a relationship with trust (although obviously I know other people's starting norms vary). The social contract of LARPing makes me more trusting of those around me. They aren't just random yahoos off the street. ;)
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Date: 2012-03-15 04:04 pm (UTC)I tend not to touch people I don't know in my normal day to day life, but as I've played more and more LARPs I've become comfortable adopting touching policies that match the characters and their relationships (whether they be neutral, huggy, or standoffish, I think most characters have a range of how they want to touch the other characters, just like most people). I also feel less anxious around other experienced LARPers or just people I know. I can be more sure that if I misjudge their desire/willingness to touch there won't be hard feelings OOC. (I'm a socially cautious person, so it's not like I go around groping people in-game! ;)
To some degree I think how ok I am with touch is always in a relationship with trust (although obviously I know other people's starting norms vary). The social contract of LARPing makes me more trusting of those around me. They aren't just random yahoos off the street. ;)