I'm sorry to say it like this but the system as you've written it doesn't appeal to me.  I think its too complicated and too difficult to implement into a LARP setting.  I'm also not sure about music having magical/almost magical properties (this coming from someone that considers themselves a bit of a musician).  At this point we definitely don't need to add another class (we'd have to figure out the math to balance out every other skill in the game for minstrel, too).  I do like the idea of a Minstrel/Bard College that gives path of sound to spellcasters and natural sound effects to non-spellcasters.  I think they should be allowed to wield weapons, though, and the college shouldn't be limited to just rogues and theurges (Maybe make a Minstrel college for Mage, Paladin, and Theurge that gets Path of Sound and another path, then the Bard College for Warriors, Rogues, Rangers, and Monks that gets natural Sound).

In short, though, I think that Minstrel/Bard would probably work better as a trade skill since it is a job that most anybody can do if they put in the time and effort.  I think it would probably be more appealing that way, too.

As for almost magical properties this is a fantasy game with magic for one, for two it can be used as it states in the page to inspire or create dread into your enemies, so that could just be a mechanic for what acts like magic but is closer to filling someone with emotion so their adrenaline kicks in or puts fear into the enemies because of this loud sound making it seem like there is more power on your side of the field. For historical references true bards did not have weapons because they believed that their music would keep people joyful and/or keep unwanted people from harming them, because they are a person with no weapons and are harmless. As for the complexity of it, it is only as complex as you make it out to be, for people who play rogues with multiple things like training to be an assassin, alchemist, or an escapist there is just as much complex stuff in that as there is in Minstrel, or theuges for they can pull off magic along with that. There was mention of keep track of distance of the radius, what do we do with wall spells? Most of the time the players are able to keep up with the bounders of walls and even if it is marked people still run into it occasionally. As for the stamina/mana effect people do that all the time with the stamina chart, not only that but there are some spells that also have an X mana application to them. Being that it is only music does not make it a poor class, there is also the other other charts (it will mostly relate best with the rogue skills) that can give it some more flavor if you so choose to do so. Balancing the math on all the other skills in the game just takes time, and if your willing to put in the time then there is no problem. Please keep commenting so we can get a good dicussion out of this.

Considering that Music is mostly what they are about, not to mention that their variations have different effects that can add plus body, temp damage, and allowing healing effects to be more efficient. They have what a Minstrel should be able to do, play music, support players, they can still fight with their instrument for damage if they want, and if this isn't your cup of tea then don't play it. As for the mechanics, this allows for the player to choose if they want to have a stronger effect, or more effects at the start, and unlike any other class this one actually applies a constant effect as they play along with an area to empower players or harm opponents. Mage spells are 95% of the time ONE target, and have to keep spending the mana for more people. Warriors skills are 90% of the time ONE target. Minstrels are the only characters with the efficiency to have this unique effect while beating someone with an instrument at the same time. Please add discussion to this topic as Errata is upon us.

You say that radius doesn't work but there hasn't been this style of system played yet. If you say it can't work then your not willing to try it is what it seems like you are saying. As for the Radius, players are intelligent enough to know about where 10 feet is, and can fight accordingly to those mechanics. Call will probably be "5 feet radius Healing x2" and after the player stops playing "effect lasts 30 minutes". Echo gives the players affected by the effect buff for a time, instead of it being instant. The intsrument should NOT need to be flawless as long as it looks like it and still meets the requirements as a boffa should, also again with the breaking of a real world instrument this is a game, try to not associate every detail with real life circumstance. Also instead of making a statement "this needlessly complicates" please actually gives a reason why it does. And if you suggest a change give a mechanic so it can be decided on. Please keep responding to the post to make more dicussion on the topic.

I agree with the one skill akin to monks idea. You could even have different schools to learn skills from for further differentiation of characters. I don't like having to buy different skills for range, effect, duration, etc. It reduces character variety because they have to spend all their points on the same skills and have few to none left over.
As for people being intelligent enough to know 10 feet, in a fight some of our players have trouble remembering their own effects and abilities, let alone those of another character.

Yes, you do need to remember your character. It is not however your job to remember some other characters AOE aura that does thing that are not done by any other effect as seen thus far in the game.

Unlike a mage though there isn't a representation of for where the effect is happening. A mage has a packet, the bard may have world effect or a 1' diameter. I would say that's a little harder to judge.

Jon, if you read the write-up you will see that every class has a listed character point cost for the skills and there is absolutely no mention of it being restricted to a particular class.  Also, the other vote we had on this besides attempting to beta test the idea was that we did not want to introduce another class to the game so there will be no minstrel class and the cost chart will be as presented at the end of the document.