Illustrated Guide Teaches Dos and Don'ts of LARPing

[Ultrajoe]

If any LARP'ers make it into this thread and reside in Southern NSW, send me a PM. While It will be fun to simply play along for a bit, I also need to try it out for research purposes. I can supply my own sense of fun and lust for glory, will need to borrow fancy hat.

 

[BobisOnlyBob]

Would I be right in saying, "only in America"? 'cos I am pretty sure if anybody in the UK, outside of a theater group, would never have to piss again. (due to people taking the piss out of them so hard, incase you didn't get that)

Just seems like an American thing to me, no offense to anybody of course.

You crazy? UK has Maelstrom and Lorien Trust, and multiple large LARPer groups at a number of universities. Norwich has one that runs high-combat weekly.

The top post is about what we call "LARP", as in padded-weapon-combat roleplay.

There's also Isles of Darkness, a UK-wide group running many dozens of games a year of Vampire, Mage, Changeling and Werewolf - indoor Live Games, that use no physical combat, but lots of costuming and conversation-driven roleplay. Combat in that is resolved with dice or cards, like tabletop. They're all based on the World of Darkness tabletop setting, adapted to use live acting. We run those in Norwich too.

Finally, the UK re-enactors - I know the least about these guys - are fairly prolific across the country, and they're pretty into their realistic armour and other kit. I know at least one guy who goes to it.

The UK is crazy for for all three (or more!) kinds of live game. I myself run Zombie LARP, a bi-annual indoor NERF game, taking the high-action of outdoor fantasy LARP into a modern indoor setting screaming and covered in delicious fake blood. A group of my friends are setting up a Fallout/STALKER themed airsoft-based LARP.

LARPs also insanely popular in Scandinavia. But you'd have to ask a Swede, Dane or Norweigian for info on that.

I'd try it for kicks, but I wouldn't take it seriously like talking in "Ye Olde English" or actually getting too far into character or anything.

Most of my local lot don't bother. We're more likely to use our local accents and play them up a bit for laughs occasionally. We're also more likely to sound like London cockneys than ye olde English. Some people get quite into character, others are just there for fighting. The serious roleplay is for the big regional events like Maelstrom - we're just a gang of lads and lasses who meet up on campus every Sunday, then wander off onto the fields to beat eachother senseless with padded sticks. There's a bit of storytelling and a big meta-plot thing that the refs keep organized, but it's utterly optional.

 

[Lexodus]

Missed the biggest DON'T of all:

DON'T: LARP. You look pretty damn stupid, standing there in a field in a glorified dressing gown, yelling 'Fireball' at each other.

I'm kidding, of course. Some people don't like mages, and find plenty of other ways to embarrass themselves... ();
But then again, if there's one thing you can say about the human race, it's that people will never run out of ways to make themselves look ridiculous.

Why is LARP ridiculous? They like it, and enjoy themselves. It's like paintball, but not ruined by your drunk uncle who has Vietnam flashbacks while shooting you and your friends in the nips.

To be fair, you just highlighted why I don't go paintballing.

Fine then, it's more like horse shoes, but it's not ruined by your drunk uncle who has Vietnam flash backs, and had one after he heard "Almost only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades", thus causing him to lob it randomly and putting you in the hosptial for the rest of Memorial Day.

Is that some kind of American thing? It sounds kind of silly.

 

[Bretty]

I am sorry, but since I watched that video about the kid shouting 'LIGHTNING!!' I have lost all seriousness for LARPers.

The SCA makes more sense to me.

Yes and no. The problem in the comparison is that they're not really different takes on the same concept, or competing ideas, they're completely different concept.

The biggest comparative strength of the SCA (its realism) is also sometimes its drawback. Even when I'm putting on a persona, or in combat, or doing any other task, it's still me (the individual) doing it, rather than my character.

But, RPGs are (at least on some level) about escapism. I'm not playing myself, I'm playing a wizard with superpowers, or a samurai.

The best way I can encapsulate this is with a direct comparison in the realm of combat.

LARPG: I swing a padded weapon at someone, hitting him/her somewhere on the torso, then pause while we determine the results. I cast a spell, and the results are determined mechanically. The results are determined by my character's skill, speed, and strength (or whatever other attributes are important to the conflict).

SCA: I put on a shit-ton of armor, and swing a sword made of ratan (kind of like bamboo, but thicker and harder) at someone. The results are determined by my skill, speed and strength. I personally have to be better than my opponent to win. Or I do fencing, but the concept is much the same (swap "swing" for "trust", "sword" for "some form of fencing blade", and "ratan" for "steel")

The difference is in whether there's any dissociation/fantasy involved. The big benefit of the SCA stuff is that it encourages you to actually get better. If I want to be more influential in the SCA, I need to work on my courtly manners, my talents, and making friends. If I want to be better at combat in the SCA, I need to practice hard, get more in shape, and learn the proper techniques. But, again, the escapism there is (and I say this with love and respect for the SCA) essentially playing house. I'm not really pretending to be someone else, just myself in different clothes and doing special events.

The escapism of an LARP (or any RPG) is more along the lines of "not being myself for a few hours". There have to be mechanics (like, yes, shouting "lightning"), otherwise you lose the escapism of it.

Very well written reply 8)

For me it is the self improvement that I love, and sometimes the recognition that this brings. I don't even play house well but it is very important that you do, as you say.

I love RPGs but the transition doesn't come from my imagination to real life. It is just not for me. I am a Scot living in Canada anyway so I don't usually have to even pretend to be anyone. But that is neither here nor there.

Each to their own I guess 8)

 

[Blimey]

I went to a LARP battle once, simply to spectate. I was a little scared when there was a greasy-haired gothic fellow asking me if I wanted to see his battle hammer.

 

[Iron Lightning]

Hehe, I used to LARP a bit when I was a kid. It was kinda fun, but I really sucked at it.

 

[FavouredEnemy]

You crazy? UK has Maelstrom and Lorien Trust, and multiple large LARPer groups at a number of universities. Norwich has one that runs high-combat weekly.

I run the twice-weekly York Uni larp. That's also in the UK.

With regards to all the comments on 'looking ridiculous' - you only ever look ridiculous, or silly, or whatever, if there are people around who aren't a part of the same group as you. If everyone's larping, no one looks ridiculous.