What is LARP? You ever see all those overweight men and women in a park with what appears to be multicolored swords? That's us! We hit each other and call out numbers and look like idiots. You know the best part? It's really, really fun!
IFGS
What do we do there? Well, it really depends. There are a different styles including high roleplay and high fighting and something in between. Roleplaying can be fun for everyone, and yes even you! Sometimes its fun to mirror something in your life, and sometimes it is fun to just be a troll! Roleplaying lets you do all of these things in a hilarious way. Even when roleplaying with people I despise I always find a way to laugh. Now fighting... I have never met a person who doesn't like to fight with the foam swords. It really is awesome... Beyond words.
Amtgard
Personal Experience I started LARPing when I was... Seven? Eight? I'm not quite sure... I went to a camp to do it and I really didn't know what I was in for. Every year kids would talk about how much they couldn't wait for summer to go on vacation to exotic places like... Florida or Ohio or something... All I waited for was one thing: Camp. In fact, when I went on a trip to Hawaii for the first time at the age of nine I remember crying since I was going to miss two weeks of sword camp! That was two magic items!
At the age of 14 with 16" long hair I was an up-and-coming shaggy hippy. That was when I played IFGS for the first time. IFGS is a live action role playing game that people have been playing for almost thirty years. I forgot what it was like to deal with people with absolutely zero social skills. However, I enjoyed it SO much! These people fought HARD. There were none of those rules to protect the young kids who came to camp. When you got hit it hurt... and it felt good! Oh by the way, we were in character playing for two days straight.
Two years later I am hired by the man who has run this camp since I joined up. Age ten I was practically drooling to go to camp. Seven years later I still am, but now I get paid!
Role Models They pretty much got it right
The Unexpected Let's face it... Being a LARPer carries a particular stigma. I don't blame those people for judging it. Many people involved are completely obsessed and cannot function outside of their little worlds. However, there are also LARPers among you... Don't be alarmed. They sit in your starbucks, they go to your classes, and SOME of them don't even stand out! Honestly, start asking people you know... or think you know. You'd be amazed at how many people have at least once done some sort of LARP or have had interest.
SCA
Wanna Play? Throughout this blog I've posted some YouTube videos. These are just some of the more common LARP organizations throughout the US. (There are FAR more in Europe, particularly in the UK.) If you want to play the best thing to do is just do a google search. Many larger organizations likely have a local chapter, and there might just be a smaller group itching for more members. If you can go to a weapons practice first. A lot of these groups will have one. It's free and you'll get an easing in. Then I'd suggest playing as an NPC. (That's a Non-player character.) It isn't as fun as playing, but it will definitely give you a good preview.
One of the hottest chicks I ever met in my entire life was into this. We were comparing notes between watching korean kids play computer games and running through the forest with a "dagger" yelling out damage points.
Are you familiar with PENNSIC at all? I admit I'm falling asleep and browsed the blog but you should check out the stuff PENNSIC does. They're a 100% "in character" LARP group that gets together now and then.
They do large scale battles based on your geographic location (East and Southeast Coast are a territory called Atlantia in the PENNSIC group) and you vote for a territory "king" and they choose alliances and battles and blah blah. It's a lot of fun, and it's a group that requires you to be in character for the full 2 weeks of the faire. Check it out if you like medieval LARP.
Me? I'm a WW2 Re-enacter so I feel a different kind of thrill. I'll reminisce in the morning after I read the post all the way through. :D
On August 25 2009 11:36 Manifesto7 wrote: One of the hottest chicks I ever met in my entire life was into this. We were comparing notes between watching korean kids play computer games and running through the forest with a "dagger" yelling out damage points.
Well, I certainly hope I encounter someone similar. I've yet to meet a hot larper. :\
As to all the Role Models praise I totally agree! That movie was GREAT and even better if you knew all the larp humor. They really nailed what it is like.
On August 25 2009 11:39 Torenhire wrote: Are you familiar with PENNSIC at all? I admit I'm falling asleep and browsed the blog but you should check out the stuff PENNSIC does. They're a 100% "in character" LARP group that gets together now and then.
They do large scale battles based on your geographic location (East and Southeast Coast are a territory called Atlantia in the PENNSIC group) and you vote for a territory "king" and they choose alliances and battles and blah blah. It's a lot of fun, and it's a group that requires you to be in character for the full 2 weeks of the faire. Check it out if you like medieval LARP.
Me? I'm a WW2 Re-enacter so I feel a different kind of thrill. I'll reminisce in the morning after I read the post all the way through. :D
No, I've never actually heard of PENNSIC. I'll definitely check it out though. This is just more evidence that LARP is much more popular than it seems.
On August 25 2009 11:39 FragKrag wrote: the SCA looks really fun though. I suppose if you don't follow their million rules you get kicked out.
Actually, the rules for SCA are far less than any of the other foam based games I've ever played in. It's pretty much sign a waiver and when you get hit in a body part it goes limp. When you get hit in the chest or the body you die. ggnore
Anyway, it looks awesome and I really wanna try it someday.
That first video had me laughing pretty hard, but that last one just looked like a ton of fun. Give me a suit of armor and a broadsword and I'm down to whale on (or get whaled on by) a bunch of dudes any time. Too bad the closest thing I have to that around where I live is probably civil war reenactments ...
a friend of mine used to go to regularly to NERO events (new england role-playing org). they were pretty lame. i can appreciate the motivation behind larp, but from what i've seen the implementation is pretty lame. d&d is a lot more fun
I was into Belegarth until I was about 19. My twin is still playing though. He's like a co-realm leader now for our area and helps plan the major Belegarth events.
Belegarth has the same foam weapons but it's all about beating the shit out of each other and no role-playing.
There are a bunch of LARPs that are heavy into the roleplaying and not so much on the combat. Lots of fun if you're into high drama, politicking and the like - although, I can understand the appeal to boffing (especially socially) when they ask you "how does combat get resolved?" and you can only reply that you stand around and throw RPS or roll dice or flip coins and act things out step by step. It can be kind of lame, but at the same time it sort of acts as a deterrent towards the whole D&D mindset of 'kill shit if it doesn't cooperate.'
EDIT: After looking at the roleplaying blog, LeperKahn, I wanted to know what your entire LARP background was. My college had an amazing oWoD VtM LARP that I played in (and eventually ran -_-).
Hahaha oh man this does look pretty interesting and the videos were just so nerdy that I couldn't help but laugh. I think it is pretty cool that you do this as a job but I don't think I would have the balls to step out there and battle.... that or the free time for that matter
EPT
I'll reminisce in the morning after I read the post all the way through. :D
