Life Action Role-Play

[FavouredEnemy]

What's with all the vampire talk? I'm not precisely 'in' on the larping scene, but I have two friends who are, and neither of them ever mention vampires. Vampires sure don't come up in D&D (although they're in the book), and I doubt they will any time soon.

One really well selling series of games is produced by World of Darkness, an all encompassing setting of a variety of degrees of angst. Vampire: the Masquerade (or ':the Requiem' now) is one of their best selling and longest running games. They have a world-wide organisation dedicated to international plots in the world, and it's quite popular.

I run a twice-weekly larp based out of the University of York science fiction and fantasy society. I have a lot of fun with it.

As with any hobby that attracts nerds, it can attract socially-inept people. Larp, as opposed to table-top, is a much more socially interactive game, and as such, can be a lot harder to get into, enjoy, and stick with. I'm really lucky in that when I was at York Uni, a fantastic larp system was set up by socially-ept people, who cultivated a supportive, friendly atmosphere for first time larpers. It ended last summer after four years, and I was one of the people left who decided we'd carry on that tradition.

I'm really glad to hear that there are other good, enjoyable larps out there. I've pretty much only heard about terrible ones, and I live in fear (and, admittedly, hope) that our system is one of the best out there.

Our players enjoy it, anyway, and that's the important bit.

 

[PhoenixFlame]

Man. Maybe I'm just lucky with regards to the roleplaying group that's on my campus (University of Illinois). The Vampire: the Masquerade LARP that runs here is extremely laid back and fun, and pretty much everyone is super nice and well-adjusted.

Ding! I'm from Illinois, Chicago to be exact.

I dunno. Maybe it's something in the water or somesuch.

And absolutely, "well-adjusted" doesn't mean "not fanboy". It just means that they're aware mostly of the social cues and norms - in more layman's terms, they're not anti-social and can handle themselves in a party or a bar without seeming out of place.

LARP isn't my thing. But it'd be going too far to hate on it because it's just something people do, just like any other hobby.

 

[Girlysprite]

well if you wouldn't touch anything that has a chance of freaks in them...lock yourself in a box and never come out again. I think if Im having kids, Id send em to a kid larp when they are old enough. I think they'd find it lovely, and teaches some great things about trust, communication and team work.

For the record, I know of only one vampire larp, and that one isn't even gothic.

 

[Fire Daemon]

The only time I've ever larped is when I might have been be playing a game of Warhammer and I start acting like a Skaven Warlord after I wipe out a unit for Great Swords with 3 slave units (ahhh good memories) but that was just for around 30 seconds and I usually just used it to to psych out my opponent.
Frankly I think LARP'ers are kinda strange and scary.
Like someone said "there is an age limit when it become inappropriate". Although this reminds me of a funny argument I had with a friend over DnD (I've never played).
Me:can have you pets in DnD
friend: Yes
Me:Ok I pick up the rock and name it pebbles, pebbles is now my pet rock.
Friend:Why the hell why have you got a rock
me:Its my pet
friend:you can't have a rock as a pet
me:what if i enchanted it
friend:ehhh well I suppose
mek I enchant pebbles
Friend: so what have you enchanted it with
me:its on fire, I put my enchanted flame rock pebbles in my pocket
friend:You can't put a burning rock in your pocket
meh ok, I enchant it with frost
friend:*sigh* I cast stone to flesh on pebbles, he is now a blob of flesh
me...p...pebbles
friend:HA
me:I cast Flesh to stone on pebble then, HA
friend:You can't do that
me:why not?
friend:You don't know that spell
me:awwww.......I throw pebbles away.


It was funny for us, but on lookers must have thought we were crazy. I suppose that people who take LARPing seriously would have it a million times worse.

 

[Lance Icarus]

Man. Maybe I'm just lucky with regards to the roleplaying group that's on my campus (University of Illinois). The Vampire: the Masquerade LARP that runs here is extremely laid back and fun, and pretty much everyone is super nice and well-adjusted.

The only Vampire LARP I know about in Washington (namely Seattle) is actually a cover for a weekly biting orgy. When you're warned by a man wearing a tail and a fur mask not to go upstairs because "the vampire guys are freaks", you know something messed up is going on.

 

[Girlysprite]

So, to take the inappropiate idea further, DnD is inappropiate too right? People making up fairy tales...

Not that I think it is, but I'm trying to put the argument into perspective.

 

[Copter400]

I don't know much about LARPing. So I'm just gonna let Dr. McNinja speak for me.

http://drmcninja.com/page.php?pageNum=22&issue=9

 

[Girlysprite]

Necro, every genre has its idiots. Some genres have more then others. But your description sounds much like what I am doing...except we have foam weapons. Some of us don't like to break legs

 

[Girlysprite]

The trick is to keep your hobby a bit to yourself. For example, I larp in areas that have been hired and more or less closed off for the events. We ignore passerby's and don't pull them into our play. And you wouldn't tell a chick about you DnD paladin if you try to pick her up from a bar right? Except if you really know she is into DnD. And of course, I know that larp and DnD isn't a thing for everyone. Some people just won't like it. I respect that, as long they can respect that I larp

The 'idiots' mentioned before fail at it. They try to push other people into their play, even if those people are reluctant or even don't want to. They look down on others that do not participate. And that is the problem I guess.

 

[TSED]

My mind is way too inhibitive to do it. I kind of think it's creepy in the "why would you do that I would never do that eep" way, but then again, I have the same feeling at people that go to bars and get drunk.

I have no real problem with it (or drinking), unless the people begin having that classic "I cannot tell reality from fantasy" problem.

 

[The Great Zegrool]

Larping would be painful, imagine the guy that brings a genuine iron longsword to play.

And to you guys that may complain about my necroing:

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU USE THE SEARCH BAR!

 

[Lono Shrugged]

When I was about 14 I saw my first larpers. I was into Warhammer 40k at my first gaming convention and I saw these two fat bald guys fighting with foam lightsabers. All the role players looked down on us because we played with "toys" while they studied the deep culture of drinking pernod, (calling it absinthe) and trying to score the one mentally damaged girl in the group by pretending they are possessed. While shouting in high pitched nerdy tones about "casting Obfusimacate"

Obviously I looked up to them.

But the day I saw those fat guys fighting CONVINCED they were as cool as Darth Maul the prospective gamer and mayhap larper died in me....

A few years later I was in a new place and a bit isolated so I tried to recall the Halycon days of yore, by joining a larp, role playing game on the twin draws of: "It's like improb theatre" and "She's really messed up, her parents abused her terribly" I stood around trying to mingle and I failed horribly.(It was some kind of political vampire stuff) We all went to the pub later where everyone got plastered and shouted embarassingly about vampires and warlocks or something. I tried talking to the girl about Wiccaism and how I believe people are "sexually restrained in today's society" and how "most guys I know put their own pleasure first", but no dice and she left with the guy with cutter marks on his arm who is on Lithium.

So I don't like LARPing

 

[PhiMed]

There's nothing wrong with LARPing, if you're 6 years old. There are just some things that kids can do that adults can't if they want to be taken seriously.

If I saw a guy playing in the dirt, fingerpainting big blobs and claiming it's a dog, or playing in a sandbox with action figures, I would think it was a little weird.

I see no reason to change that stance when I see a bunch of guys running around with sticks with duct tape on them, saying, "Nuh Uhhh!!! I killed you!"

 

[snow]

Can't say I have ever Larped, I've made movies, was an extra in a major feature film, RPed in games, but Larping was something I could never pull myself together to try. Sure it could definitely help improve my acting skills seeing as how I'd be constantly acting out a character, but there's just something about it that makes me turn a 360 and moonwalk away...

[small] Hope no one minds me borrowing a joke from a different thread... I usually don't make a habit of that so it'll be a once and done thing[/small]