Hey there
First I'm no magician player ^^
But, as much as anyone, I appreciate a good ritual and I love the atmosphere it brings to a game.
I've been playing LARP for about 20 years now and I've seen my share and participated in a few ritials. Bad ones and good ones.
For me, what seperated the good ones, from the bad, wasn't always the way they had been prepared and/or what was spoke or sung to make them work. Mostly it was the intensity with which the participating players "played" their part. And by "playing" I mead how much passion and conviction they placed into the rite they were celebrating.
The standart "Vivat-Rituals", mostly are boring because they don't get to you as a player.
Those rituals that actually "worked" for me, where those that grabbed me by the collar and yanked me into the action. I was pulled in, sucked into the rythm and passion that the participants poured into its completition.
For me everything depends on, how "seriously" the charakters take the ritual.
And by that I don't mean that the players should belive it'll truly work on some mystical level, of course not.
I mean that they roles should do just that.
If my character belives a ritual has to, must, and will work, then I'll do everything in my power to make it work, within the confines of the world I'm currently playing in.
For most of us modern folks, letting go of disbelive and our natural scepticism of the mystical isn't that easy. Even in a world of make belive, such as LARP.
This is, at least as far as I can see, one of the reasons people are leery of rituals in LARP.
People don't like to realy let go of belives and act out belives completely different then their own.
But If they do, the results are amazing and atomspheric beyond belive.
Even if its an impromptu rite, held on the spot by some lone adventurers in need of mystical help.
As everything else in LARP and Fantasy Roleplaying as a whole, it all depends on a certain suspension of disbelive. Which can only be accomplished by everyone participating in a manner most fitting to the setting and his or her role.
My most intense imperssion came to me completely unexpected and left me deeply impressed, by how much effort and passion the players had poured into it.
In 2011 my character had just been beaten to near death by a Phobosar and had survived the ordeal of being stiched back together by some healers and alchemists in an emergency field operation. As he was stumbling back to his camp, someone grabbed him and with the simple words:
"We need you for a ritual."
hauled him by the scruff into a large tent, filled to bursting with people. It was hot and humid insinde, it stank of incense, fire and people sweating.
"But what am I supposed to do?" I asked, still hurting from my unfortunate enqunter before and totally confused.
"Call to Aqua, that's all you need to do.", was all I got as advice.
I was thrust to the ground and kneeling I looked around me and found some few others sitting and chanting in various languages to their respective elements. Everyone seemed to have their own way of doing it, so I decied to do the same and begann reciting a prayer I had come up with some days before.
Now the amazing thing was, someone begann to beat a drumm and over a short time everyone fell into its rhythm and our voices became something like a low murmurring chant by themselves. In time with the beat of the drumm, which slowly got more and more intense untill all of us were finally nearly screaming our lungs out.
Then someone was dragged into the middle of the circle we formed and alchemists and doctors begann cutting away at horrible wounds the guy had obviously suffered before. (They used latex applications and fake blood to GREAT effect!)
Others crowded into the tent to watch the ordeal and it became more and more suffocatingly hot and stuffed inside. But we never stopped chanting. I was sweating rivers by then.
Finally someone brought forth a great mace and the fallen warrior grabbed it and after a few moments held it aloft triumphantly from the crowd of people gathered about his person. With a great roar he got up and strode through the press of people.
As he left the tent a cheer went up and people hugged and laughed.
I still wasn't exactly sure what we had just done.
Then I heard somone shout that the person healed had been a very important man from the fire camp.
All my char. received was a pat on the back and a "Well done." from somone in the crowd.
But still, it had been my most intense LARP ritual ever, because of the way all of us participating in it worked together to "make it work" and to make it a great experience for everyone. I'll never forget it in my life
For me the most important thing in a ritual is this "will to make it work", for everyone.
Everyone involved must work to this end. There is no opting out. Everyone must improvise to his/her best ability and it WILL be a success!
I'm sure of it.
CU
SaM