I wanna LARP!

[zyborg]

I have some questions about LARPing. I don't seem to live close enough to any established groups, as the closest one is more than an hour and a half away. I have a few friends as well that would like to try it out, as well as relatives.

Should I try to make my own LARPing group? Has anyone here tried that? Or is there any way of trying to set up a chapter near where I live? Finally, for those who are frequent LARPers, what do you consider to be the best kind of system?

[Lost Demiurge]

Heya. Been LARPing for a bit over 10 years, here. Not sure where you are... The US? But I can give you some basics.

First off, there are many types of LARPS. I'll summarize the ones I know about below.

1. There are one-shot LARPs where you walk around and socialize and try to solve puzzles and gather information. A lot of them are themed around fandoms, like Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Trek. Others are genre-themed, like Noir or Soap Operas. Most of them have a few things in common... They don't focus too much on combat, character death is less likely to be an occurence, and they are oftentimes shorter than other LARPs, usually lasting only 4-8 hours. You tend to find these LARPs most at roleplaying conventions, though if you keep an eye out online, you can get lucky and find one nearby. Most of these LARPs have small fees to cover costs, and often ask that you make a small effort toward costuming. (Or if you can't, at least try to hide anachronisms.) If there IS a fee, it's to cover playing in an exotic location, like a museum or a privately booked hotel floor. EXAMPLES: Any number of small LARPs at Origins, Gencon, or the other big conventions.

2. There are World-of-Darkness LARPs where you walk around and socialize and play a creature of the night(tm). These LARPs are all about politicking and plotting, and usually have a strong component of dressing up. Vampire LARPs are the most common, though you may run across other types here and there. Combat is usually rare but character death IS possible in these, and sometimes chapters have a tendency to get insular and clique-ey. These games usually run on a regular schedule, something like 8-11 every Sunday for example. They tend to be in moderately-public venues too, like college campuses or night clubs. You really need to attend these games often if you want to get the most out of them, and occasionally drama spills over into real-life. As many of these games rely 90% on characters plotting against each other, this can sometimes bruise a few feelings here and there. Nonetheless, it can be an interesting experience so long as you go in with a thick skin. Most of these LARPs are free to play, and while costuming is encouraged it is not vital for most characters. EXAMPLES: The Camarilla, One-World-By-Night. (Bear in mind I'm no expert here as I've been out of the scene for years, so if I'm wrong on these two organizations feel free to correct me.)

3. Some places will run ongoing LARPS where you get a badge or other identifying mark and you get on with your usual business until you run into someone else with a badge. Then the two of you get to interact as your characters, or have a dice game to see who loses the "sword fight" and loses his quickening, or whatever. Or you're playing assassins trying to find the one badge-wearer who's your target, and quietly bump him off (by means of nerf weapon or paperwad to the back, or some other harmless method that won't panic people around you.) These are great for conventions, though occasionally places like colleges with have month-long games of them. Character death is usually frequent, and the roleplaying takes a back seat to the strategy, but they can be fun. They are usually either free or have a minimal participation fee. (For the badges or the printing.) EXAMPLES: Killer, quite a few Highlander knock-offs.

4. And finally, there are action LARPs where you get to run around in the woods or some other isolated play area and beat people with foam swords, or shoot at them with nerf/airsoft/lazer tag guns. Character death is most common in these games, but most of them have ways to resurrect. Still, there's always a chance of losing that character that you worked hard to build... If you can handle that, and don't mind physical exertion, it's an awesome experience. These games are usually set up with NPC enemies, players volunteering to play for free in order to act as monsters who the PC's beat up. These games strike a fine balance between one-shots and the WOD LARPs. You don't have to show up frequently to enjoy them, but you get more power and status if you do. Most of these LARPs run on a weekend and cost at least $20 per day, but they run all day, and often saturday/sunday. The costs go toward paying site fees and props (Boy Scout camps and other private camps are often the venue of choice in America). They do often have a costuming requirement, and more, they have an equipment requirement. If you're a newbie you'll probably catch some slack and be able to borrow stuff the first couple of games, but after that, you really should bring your own kit. If you play an armored fighter in a fantasy LARP, yes, this often means actual metal armor. EXAMPLES: NERO, Amtgard, Darkon, various Fallout-themed games.

Anyone else got any LARP types to add to the list?

If not, then I'll continue on and answer the rest of the OP's questions as best I can...