Fae mien vs. mortal seeming
I've been asked whether players should costume themselves in their kith form or in their mortal seemings. I am going to leave that to you. Obviously not all people playing trolls are going to paint themselves blue and attach a pair of horns, nor would I expect it. But if someone wants to, so much the better! You can assume safely that every player character is part of the Changeling: the Dreaming milieu and can see your kith form easily. So if you have the time, energy, and wherewithal to costume yourself in a way that makes your kith instantly recognizable, then go for it.
The Shining Host rules indicate that changeling players should wear a green ribbon or armband to indicate that they should describe their kith forms to other kithain, enchanted beings, and so forth. In our game we can dispense with this: as I said, the default assumption is that most of the people you will meet in game are changelings. If you meet someone whose costume doesn't give it away, ask them to describe themselves.
There are fairly easy ways, however, to avoid slowing down the game with these descriptions that don't require an enormous costuming budget or a professional-quality makeup job. Some kith are simple enough: a pooka could wear a pair of novelty bunny ears, for instance. A cheesy method I used once when I played a troll in a LARP at Boston University was to photocopy a picture of myself and color the photocopy blue, drawing in the horns with dark crayons. When I was in the presence of characters who could see my fae mien, I pinned the picture to my coat. An even cheesier, but effective way of indicating your kith to other players is to wear a sticky label on your shirt that says, e.g., "SIDHE." Be creative, because costuming is fun and helps create the proper atmosphere, but don't feel you need to go to excessive lengths.
Pookas and Selkies: Think of clever ways to indicate you are in animal form. Crawling around meowing might work, I suppose, but it's hard on the knees, and not everyone can balance a brightly colored ball on the nose while clapping - but if you can, go for it.
In case it needs to be said, although a sword makes a killer addition to knight's costume, no weapon props are allowed. Weapons will be represented by item cards only. Depending on where we end up playing and whether non-players are likely to be in the area, obvious toys MIGHT be permitted as costume pieces ONLY (i.e., they stay holstered/sheathed/hanging from your nose even during combat challenges).
Chimerical creatures
Players of characters with chimerical companions will want some way to indicate to other players that they are looking not only at Bob the Satyr, but also at his giant flying banana named Giacomo. These can be indicated in the same way as your kith form, and then some - a picture of the beastie pinned to your shoulder, a hand puppet or stuffed animal, or a "Hello My Name Is Giacomo the Giant Flying Banana" sticker. I suppose there may be some characters carrying in-game hand puppets or wearing odd name tags of such kind. When in doubt, ask, staying in character as much as possible.
Players of chimerical creatures (there will be some, and of course some NPC chimera) have much the same options. In a very silly one-shot Sabbat LARP last summer, a friend of mine played a giant robot created by techno-mages. To indicate this, he glued a plastic battlemech figure to an old baseball cap. (Alas, Paradox claimed him rather early on.) Chimerical creatures should also wear the green ribbons that the changelings won't be wearing, to indicate that they have even weirder appearances than everyone else, or, in the case of chimera that are otherwise indistinguishable from mundane creatures or even mortals, that nearby changelings should make Kenning challenges.
I myself intend to use a variety of methods to portray chimerical NPCs; perhaps the most convenient will be small cardboard signs with some representation of the critter on front and traits listed on back. Go nuts.
Noble insignia
In the Lunatic Fringe, players wear name tags with their character's name and status traits, so that at a glance everyone can see that that guy there is their old pal the Malkavian primogen Mr. Copley (for instance) whom they have supposedly known for 250 years. This definitely makes it easier to stay in character when you forget someone's character name. If players want to wear name tags in our game, that's fine; I'm not going to mandate it, though. Status, however, is very important to the kithain. I would especially like titled characters to stand out somehow.
So I have borrowed and/or adapted some title insignia from the SCA, modified for cheapness and ease, so that the nobility are instantly recognizable. These few costume elements are not allowed for other characters (unless you're actually trying to provoke the nobility in-game). I will have (quite cheap) extra insignia on hand, but you are encouraged to bring your own, based on the following:
- Squires: a red belt or sash. There will be some red ribbon at the game for those who do not otherwise have a squire belt - but not too much, since I can't think of a single squire at the moment.
- Knights: a white sash. I have a small amount of two-inch-wide white cloth ribbon I found cheap at an Odd Lots in Ohio; Pearl (the art store in Central Square, Cambridge) no doubt has more, and such places are in fact the best place to get all kinds of costume bits cheap, especially insignia.
- Barons: some sort of coronetty thing. In the SCA, a circlet decorated with round stones indicates a baron. We only have one of these individuals so far; I've got some round stones if you want them, Dominic. We'll work something out. ("Magic: The Gathering" Player Alert: those little glass stones you people pay oodles for at game stores can be bought in mass quantities quite cheaply at Pearl.)
- And so forth: Counts and Dukes will have even grander hats. If you're playing one of these, odds are that you're a Narrator or something, and we'll take care of you.
I have a few color copies of the noble Houses' badges from C:tD 2nd edition; these can be cut out and pinned to your sashes, or what have you, if you like.
You are welcome to add other things, of course: spurs, medals or pins to represent Status awards, or whatever makes you happy, so long as it doesn't violate the basic descriptions above. The truth is, faeries can be a pretty gaudy lot.