Al's home page - About LARP

Sorry, I can't think of a better way of doing this than a cheesy Q&A style.

LARP - is that some kind of acronym?

Yep. Live Action Role Playing - LARP, or LRP - is basically any game which involves playing the role of an imaginary character, and acting out everything that the character does.

What's that all about then?

It's rather like a play, with all the players playing their characters and interacting. The main difference is that there's no script whatsoever. The characters are free to do whatever they wish, and ad-lib all their lines.

When do people do LARP?

People organise "events", which bring together anything from five to five thousand people. At these events, all players play their characters at the same time, interacting with each other. Events can last from a couple of hours to several days in length.

Is there an audience?

Very rarely. It's not something that people outside can really understand - most of the character interaction is just between a few people, and is only relevant to them.

What's Fantasy LARP?

People do LARP in a whole variety of genres and backgrounds. They might play science fiction characters, characters from Victorian history, cowboys from the wild west - or characters from a medieval fantasy world, with wizards, elves and orcs. Fantasy LARP usually means the latter one - and that's what I do most.

So how does that work?

At events, people dress up as their characters, in quasi-medieval garb. Some people play "fantasy" non-human creatures, such as orcs, elves and dwarves, using make-up and masks to try to make themselves look like their characters. You get wizards in long, flowing robes, and warriors in chainmail and armour.

Are their fights and battles and stuff?

Yes - differences between characters often spill over into fights! And bands of adventurers, out on some noble quest, might be assailed by a group of goblins, desparate for their wealth ...

What, with swords and stuff? Doesn't that hurt?

We use specially manufactured weapons, made from foam with a rigid core. They're usually painted with something like latex, so they can look quite realistic. We can then act out the fights using these weapons, actually hitting your opponents without hurting them.

How do you decide who wins then?

The whole thing is conducted within a framework of rules. These might say, for example, how many times you can be hit with a weapon before you're "killed". Armour might give you an advantage - it depends on the rules.

What happens when you are killed? Are you out of the game?

No - although your character is. You can always create a new character and start again.

Where's your horse? Did you win? Friend or foe? Where's Maid Marian?

None of these are remotely funny things to shout at a group of larpers. Although we may laugh politely so as not to damage your ego.