LARP: Live Action Roleplay

[DrSmurrie]

Hey you guys,

Especially because Kjell requested it after my post of myself in my samourai armour at the "Show your Face" thread I have descided to make a thread with an introduction to the world of LARP.

What is this "LARP"-thingy precisely, Smurrie?

Well LARP, or Live Action Roleplay, is a hobby where you go to LARP events where you play a character much like in reenactment together with tens to hundreds or even thousands of other people. These characters are given life by combining improvisation theatre, interaction with the other participants/NPC's and mostly coordinated medieval fighting. Ofcourse our characters wouldn't be their characters without the proper equipment: Plate armour, chainmails, medieval clothing, latex weapons and so on all give form to our characters. Because these costumes cost quite much and the hobby is taken very seriously the avarage players are between 25 - 45 years old. This is how we act our way through medieval or fantastical stories and scenarios written by the crew of an event in which our actions aren't predetermined.

Wait Smurrie, your actions AREN'T predetermined?!

Nope! While our characters might be limited to class descriptions and skills, like "Druid's can only cast nature magic" or "Fighter can fight with any weapon" or "Thief's can go invisible" or "Paladin's are the only class that can smite", given in the rulebook of an event everything else we do on a roleplay level is ours to choose! Ofcourse there'll be consequences as well to that both for us, other players and the scenario. Or there could be consequences for later editions of that same event. On the other hand, in most LARP's your character will level up or grow in some way after each participated event and your skills, hitpoints, spells might become more or better. So perhaps you'll be able to face the consequences of your actions in a next event.

Okay okay, but can you give us an example Smurrie?

Ofcourse, I'll give you one that actually happened on the event "Ring of Doom", a Fantasy LARP, together with photos. I was a Non-Player Character so played roles to give the scenario and world form. This means I played monsters ranging from Orcs to Skavens but a humble merchant or canny thief as well. In any case players don't know the scenario and the crew doesn't know how the players will react to it. On Ring Of Doom the scenario was more or less like this and my friends fuc.. erhm.. "overturned" the whole scenario:

There was a powerful Beholder who had locked the players in an illusionary world. My best friends were playing a High Elf Healer, a Wood Elf Ranger and High Elf Paladin as protection for the Healer. They were the only elves on the event. After a while they found out that there was a powerful DARK ELF Sorcerer captured there with them that knew the ONLY WAY to escape the illusion. For this he needed the blood of a the purest being there: the High Elf. Ofcourse my friends the Elves didn't want to work together so they attacked the Dark Elf. But as the world was an illusion he came back to life later. In the end they "accepted" the help and in groups the were led through a dungeon (a real one, fully decorated with people coming through walls) to the point where they could escape the illusion. My friends the Elves were in the first group of 5 groups or so. When they arrived at the end the Dark Elf said that this place with a bowl of lava (or something like that) was the gate out of the illusion but it could also be deadly. So what did the Elves unexpectedly do? THEY PUSHED THE DARK ELF IN IT!

This meant that the thing would normally break ruining the gate and the Dark Elf would die meaning that all other groups would never escape from the illusion as it would collapse. This would've meant the end for the entire event. Everyone DIES! New characters for everyone, new story entirely!

So what happened? First of all the crew and scenario writers stopped the game (this is called a "TIME STOP") and all went: "YOU DID WHAT!?" and then they had to start improvising for an hour on how they would put this right so they could in a way make the scenario continue for everyone. All the NPC's needed rebriefing of their roles and positions and we lost quite some time but it was EPIC ROLEPLAY from my friends!

Whoa Smurrie, that's all really cool but what we actually want to see is videos and photos!

I thought you'd never ask! Here are some photos and/or videos of me and friends on various LARP events I've done so far, I'll try to keep what I show varied but limited:

1) CONQUEST OF MYTHODEA
This is the LARGEST AND MOST EPIC LARP event in the world: Number of participants: 8000! It goes on for a WHOLE WEEK! I'm in a group of Elite Mercenaries who are actually convicts who have gotten their execution suspended in exchange for their service in the Mercenary band: The Flaming Eagles. If at whatever point during your work for the Flaming Eagles you fail to be of use your execution will be put in action right there and then. My character is a Ronin samourai who has slain his master and is now also living on loaned time in the Flaming Eagles.

VIDEOS: MUST SEE (You can even skip the rest of the thread afterwards)

The Road To Mythodea - Teaser Conquest 2013 - English
Doubt in Your Heart - Teaser Conquest 2013 - English
I am ADAMANT - Teaser Conquest 2013 - English
The Final Seal - Conquest Trailer 2013 - English
Conquest of Mythodea 2014 Trailer - German

My best friend's Minotaur costume, me in samourai armor and my in game godfather Dominicus and the whole group.


2) Ring Of Doom
This a local Belgian event of which I talked in my example story. I here present you the photo's of the beholder, my friends as elves and me as Orc and Skavens.



3) Endtimes
This is something entirely different than the above since it's not medieval or fantasy, it's a Zombie Apocalypse LARP event! And it was one of the toughest events I've been to since it was survival, survival and dying after a few hours in the first night. The event took place in an empty World War I and II bunker with hundreds of meters of dark underground passageways and we went as Soviet Russians! xD I'm the one with the authentic Soviet HAZMAT suit on and the huge wrench. This Soviet group was a pretty dangerous combination with the group that went as a S.W.A.T. team, for obvious political reasons. ;p

Somewhat silly video of the event





4) Aether

Yet another and new event here in Belgium is Aether, it's a Steampunk live that plays in 1913 of our history but history has taken a few different turns here and there. The First World War has already happened and it was the Russians who invaded Europe entirely. Oh and almost all technology is still steam-based, duh! This was very very political LARP for me as I am a City Council member in that event. That AND I'm actually working for the Venetian Maffia and the Russian ambassador. PLUS we kinda created an Irish Pub incl. underground boxing and Burlesque dancing with the "Irish Airship crew" a.k.a. Airship pirates ;p The second event was last weekend on a castle in the Champaign region of France! So very very neat! I'm the one to the left with the orange coat, brown top hat and giant cigar ;p



CHECK THIS ALBUM FOR THE MOST BEAUTIFUL IMPRESSIONS! DO IT!

5) Some other costumes of me or a friend:

From left to right; An inquisitor as interpretated by a friend of mine (Yes, this is the same person playing the faggy High Elf in Ring Of Doom), then a dwarf character (Again the same friend) and than you have ME in a Plague Doctor costume. On the second row you have me as a Dwarf and next to it a photo of Aether.



Well that's it, question are welcome ofcourse!
I know it's a ridiculously large thread but it was a good distraction for me as I'm going through some troubled times.
LARP helps me throw away frustration and I hope you find some of this impressive!

Keep on Roleplaying!

Smurrie

[xAeroX]

Nice Thread very intersting to read it !

[Bouhbouh]

yes ! nice job Smurries, i learn some things !!

[Mimus]

Oh its lovely, Smurr.

Ive always wanted to do LARP, but unfortunately its rather expensive, time-consuming and..yeah. Lig doesnt like it :P

All I could do was going to a middle-age market from time to time and have some costumery if my friend comes to berlin^^

[DrSmurrie]

Well Mimus,

On the expensive topic of this subject:
Before I started LARP'ing, 2,5 years ago, I lived in Peru for a year and that took all my money away.
I've done some vacation work but mostly to fund my "festival/LARP/camp"-infested vacation itself.
Anyway, because I didn't have any money left I've actually been living through VISA on my monthly pocket money of the next month for over 2 years now and I'm only 21 years old! Whatever I've been earning in other manners is pretty much spend on LARP. Last summer I went to work for 3 weeks just so I'd have the money to buy that Samourai armour (worth 1000 euro), I wouldn't have worked I didn't want it.

On the other hand for Aether it was easy: I bought everything except my Top Hat in a 2nd hand shop for les than 20 euro ;p

But I wouldn't say all this if I didn't have tip for you! (Well, a tip concerning money, not time consumation or otherwise)
When you want to participate in a LARP event but don't want to spend hundreds of euros on your costume you can always participate as an NPC. In most LARPS they'll have to pay a way lower fee to participate AND the crew will give you all the stuff and costume you need to play. It's a really fun thing to do as you will mostly be able to play various roles instead of one. On the other hand, you will not be a player and thus won't be able to create your own background or character and neither would you be able to develop (most) of your characters over the time of several events.

[Mimus]

Yeah, Smmurr

though, afaik there are these 2 types of Larp: fantasy aka. not 100% "true" concerning the exact time, the kind of wool and all that stuff, and those crazy people who only LARP in clothes they sew by hand with wool that is self-made and do not use anyhting that comes near to "modern" types of things, like polyester and such.

I myself definitely prefer the fantasy kind, since its more...well, free.

[Meire]

I've seen the big group photo before, on a friend's Facebook profile. You might know the guy.

Looks fun

[Kjell]

Thankyou for notifying me about this topic. I requested it in the first place but as I don't read the SPAM topic, I didn't see this topic.

And I think this topic isn't SPAM at all. It's really interesting to hear your stories and what it's all about. Thank you for sharing and making this such a nice topic. I will keep an eye on this topic for more info and more news with your upcoming plans and events.

Thanks man, I really appreciate this!

//subscribed to this topic. Thx bro!

[DrSmurrie]

Thankyou for notifying me about this topic. I requested it in the first place but as I don't read the SPAM topic, I didn't see this topic.
And I think this topic isn't SPAM at all. It's really interesting to hear your stories and what it's all about. Thank you for sharing and making this such a nice topic. I will keep an eye on this topic for more info and more news with your upcoming plans and events.
//subscribed to this topic. Thx bro!

Hey,

first and foremost: No problem at all! And well when I was searching for the right place to post this I just didn't dare do it outside of the SPAM subforums because well, it didn't belong anywhere else either.

Concerning future plans, "LARP" season is temporarily over because well LARP in Winter is awesome but hard.
So what am I planning at the moment?

I'm researching a new event here in Belgium named "Omen" that'll have somekind of realistic feel but with magic.
The thing is about that world: Magic is SO powerful that it has to be done in utmost secrecy or you get hunted by inquisition or burned like a witch. But if you're good enough and you succesfully perform the biggest and most crazy rituals you'll be able to do the most badass things with magic there.

Another awesome thing about it is that there'll be something called "Social points". These give you a form of status or conversational "edge". The cool part about it is that players can take beggar skills and "force" people to give them something. because when you do'nt give to a beggar in that world and someone else saw it you lose face and thus social points ;p

Our plan? We'll go EXTREME beggar-style !

Concerning the other events:

De Poort (The Gate):
I haven't talked about this one yet but you could say I'm just an alchemist there but it hasn't been real succesful and fun for me. This is because I do not own combat skills at all and the poisons which I could make are very very illegal and it's very very hard to be able to get the poison extractor to make them. Because it's obviously illegal in that world as well. I had a lot of money the last event of Poort to buy alchemical ingredients but I got dragged to an Rock Orc camp and they stole half my money and then I had the gangrene disease because of them and needed to let it come to it's final state (42°C fever) to get an operation. After that I spend even more time with Dr. Orca, a half-orc doctor that pulls out one of your teeth for his cllection when he does an operation on you, in the sickbay as I always got beaten up for some reason. WHERE WERE DOES FIGHTER AND MAGIC CHARACTERS TO PROTECT US? And other characters stole my money while I was unconscious. So I was never able to buy my alchemical reagents and thus my character got absolutely useless. And if it wasn't bad enough my character ended up losing his entire arm permanently! So if next event isn't better or interesting I'm going to let my character die and make a new one.

Het Wiel Des Tijds (The Wheel Of Time):

This event is new and we had our first experience a month and half ago and it was UBER EPIC! This is my favorite LARP together with Aether and Conquest of Mythodea at the moment. Sadly enough net event will have to wait until June! This event is actually why I bought the Samourai Armour. Because with five people we are an Asion style group from the land of "Zenpagu". We are litteraly dressed as Edo Japan samourai, drink sake, walk around with those typical umbrella's, talk about bushido and honour all the time and drink sake. That's who we are there and that means that we are the ULTIMATE CULTURE SHOCK for the other groups as they are normal medieval style humans of the Empire, elves and dwarfs.

On the first event all the players were kidnapped in various places in the world by Pirates and used as slaves to row their ship. Luckily, or not, the slave ship was attacked and the ship sank. We were set adrift for 2 more days in open seas with barely enough strength to hold on to wooden bits of ship leftovers. We survived but were all stranded in different places and in need of help. Luckily we found eachother pretty fast and were welcomed in a small village with a sanatorium for magicians. A SANATORIUM FOR INSANE MAGES!? It had to go wrong and it did. But the Pirates came back as well in a very immortal-ish fashion and plagued us in our hard lives. The rest of the story is to specific ;p

The cool thing was that because we were stranded we had "lost" everything we owned and thus had to go chop wood and mine iron and stuff to make weapons and armours for our characters once again. It took quite a while, the whole weekend to be precise but it was awesome in its own way.

My character there is called Gunshi Genkaku (which translate from Japanese as: Gunshi: "Strategist/he who plots" and Genkaku: "Illusion") and I'm a Halfling that had immigrated to Zenpagu after having been falsely accused with my people in the Empire. We lived for 2 generations in Rah Shasi, a cruel dessert full of monsters and stuff like that. But those hardships learned my halfling people how to use the Fata Morgana's as illusions to protect themselves as well as how to convert the poison of cactusses and the like to food and witchcraft. When my character was still young my halfling people, the Fire Foots, reached the other side of Rah Shasi and to their surprise found the civilised lands of Zenpagu, a Japan like land with warring states. We were welcomed but paranoid as we were because of the empire we started specialising in knowing everything about everyone and everything in Zenpagu.

With this background story I explain how my character, in ingame terms a BARD class character, can use illusion magic, witchcraft magic and he knows a lot about secrets of the world. In Wheel of Time Bards are Jacks of all Trades but Master of None and that's precisely how my character works. I can fight with a sword, wear chainmail armour but not platemail, am able to cast illusion magic but not as high as the Illusionist class and the same for witch spells. But I'm also rogue-ish so I can open locks, but not as good as thieves, and can steal stuff. Unique to the bard class is KNOWLEDGE and SINGING. But I'm not taking anything from the singing skills that would give bonuses to damage, or fear protection and stuff because well.. That's not my character style and I can't sing or play music.

In any case by the time my character is of age: 21 in Zenpagu the clan of the Yamamoto is trying to unite all the clans as one land: Zenpagu. First they fought the warrior Samourai clan of the Zaraki, battlehardened samourai, 10 times as strong as the avarage Yamamoto. But then they had to fight the Feng clan, a clan of ninjas and stealth. And the Yamamoto had trouble fighting these "unfair" fighters as they didn't fight honorably face to face. This is where my character comes in. He wanted to thank the Yamamoto clan for accepting them in Zenpagu years ago and thus decided to help against the Feng. Ofcourse we were accepted and my group of Halflings were led by me to use illusion and intelligence to fight the Feng. Very soon after joining efforts Zenpagu got united and my character and my people recieved a clan name of their own under the Yamamoto: We became the clan of the Genkaku and I became strategist and Leader of the Intelligence unit of the Yamamoto's army.

Now that the threats of our own country were gone we decided with the Shogun to find knowledge about outside Zenpagu, past the Rah Shasi dessert in the Empire. This is why I, strategist and intelligence leader, as well as representative of the Shogun together with someone from every clan were sent out to the Empire. Somewhere along these travels we were abducted by the Pirates This also means one of my friends is a Zaraki Barbarian Samourai together with a Goblin Druid he rescued. Goblins are accepted in our society because we do not know racism in Zenpagu. People are judged by skill and worth. The last person in our group is a kind of Priest. But what do priests do in our world? They make our holy weapons (katana's) and harness ki and zen.

One of the first things that became a problem is that the EMPIRE is opposed to us RACIST! In the tavern only humans could enter and the other races like me had to sit in a dirty corner or stay outside. Because of this the humans from the Empire didn't take me serious as representative of the Shogun and I got treated very very bad. Especially because we didn't have any of our stuff so no papers to proove who we are. This means that we now find the Empire very barbaric and we might even start a war because they mistreated me and our Goblin. BOOOH RACISM, JOIN ZENPAGU! But we'll see how it changes next event because now we have gathered new armour and weapons and we were able to send a letter to the Shogun. In any case the racism led us to getting very good relations on the event with the Sun and Moon Elf players and with the dwarfs.

Oh and I had my Samourai armour with me on the first event butwasn't able to let someone make it for me in the end so I didn't wear it in the end! But to my surprise I didn't mind at all because I have found a lot of special magical tablets with illusion and witchcraft spells I could learn. I have never ever felt a character develop so much in a single weekend!

I only have one photo but it's one where we wear our costumes to the F.A.C.T.S., a Fantasy Anime Comics Toys and Science Fiction convention. It's me on the left, than Gert standing next to me, Jelle as Odo Zaraki kneeling and my sister. My Sister doesn't LARP though. The Guy that's lying down and the one on the right are two random Bleach cosplayers that wanted a photo of us.

[Hani]

This is really interesting !Nice thread,this shouldn't be placed on spam section btw