A Weekend at the Immersion Larp Festival(mssv.net)
mssv.net
A Weekend at the Immersion Larp Festival
https://mssv.net/2024/08/21/a-weekend-at-the-immersion-larp-festival/
20 comments
Author here! Lizzie Stark's Leaving Mundania (2012) is a good introduction to more mainstream American larping. There's also Michael Cramer's Medieval Fantasy as Performance (2009) about the Society for Creative Anachronism, which isn't larping but shares many characteristics.
Personally, I never got into the art of LARP, even though TTRPGs took me hostage in the '90s, the first time around when I took hold of a box of Cyberpunk 2020, and the Stockholm syndrome never faded, because designing, running, and playing long-form campaigns is one happy sanctuary. That branched out to computer games, but let's not digress.
We had Vampire LARPS in Finland from way back in the early 2000's and possibly earlier than that, but i only played in the tabletop with some people who on the side were keen on boffering battles and the political campaigning pertaining to the World of Darkness.
> Is there any similar view on sword and sorcery larp scene? One of my projects wants to drink from that, but I have little real knowledge about it and wouldn't like to disrespect larping.
If you can elaborate on this, i could maybe give more substantial advice, but personally, i’ve seen most fantasy LARPers take it to the streets and wilderness, and even our backyard, although it was rare that i would run into a group when taking the dog out or out hiking. Only the most bohemian of gatekeepers would take offense at your approach to the hobby.
We had Vampire LARPS in Finland from way back in the early 2000's and possibly earlier than that, but i only played in the tabletop with some people who on the side were keen on boffering battles and the political campaigning pertaining to the World of Darkness.
> Is there any similar view on sword and sorcery larp scene? One of my projects wants to drink from that, but I have little real knowledge about it and wouldn't like to disrespect larping.
If you can elaborate on this, i could maybe give more substantial advice, but personally, i’ve seen most fantasy LARPers take it to the streets and wilderness, and even our backyard, although it was rare that i would run into a group when taking the dog out or out hiking. Only the most bohemian of gatekeepers would take offense at your approach to the hobby.
If anyone likes the idea feel free to steal it.
One of the projects I have on my endless things to do is to create a computer RPG (maybe dabbling in the action RPG genre) in where the characters are dressed up and playing in a LARP.
Weapons are foam weapons. Confetti or water balloons for area effect spells, serpentine or other similar effects for line attacks, ... . NPCs are also people dressed, and maybe some cardboard cutouts for goblins, kids, and other things that could be big in numbers or shouldn't take part in a larp.
I don't know what things go in the back, such as, should some NPCs just be GMs doing the rolls and acting on the scenery? It probably would be easier to make it straight, but it would be less "fun".
One of the projects I have on my endless things to do is to create a computer RPG (maybe dabbling in the action RPG genre) in where the characters are dressed up and playing in a LARP.
Weapons are foam weapons. Confetti or water balloons for area effect spells, serpentine or other similar effects for line attacks, ... . NPCs are also people dressed, and maybe some cardboard cutouts for goblins, kids, and other things that could be big in numbers or shouldn't take part in a larp.
I don't know what things go in the back, such as, should some NPCs just be GMs doing the rolls and acting on the scenery? It probably would be easier to make it straight, but it would be less "fun".
You could make it a dating sim. Less drama than in the "Wild Hunt" movie, please.
Generally speaking, we have all kind of LARPs in the sword-and-sorcery scene
- battle LARPS - no story, just hit the participants belonging to the other faction, preferably in formations. This ranges from smug reenactment-quality groups, like Warhammer Fantasy fans in Europe, to groups that retain fantasy-themed clothing the way sports such as tennis have a specific proper attire, like Belegarth society in USA.
- (story-rich) LARPS - these originated with to "let's play D&D but in real life" and some of them even kept the trappings of the original, such as "levels" or "character classes"; some of them drop most of the gamey aspects, becoming more or less like those "chamber" LARPs mentioned by the OP (only in a fantasy setting; though, a Dune LARP could be a thinly-veiled middle-east, for all I know)
Generally speaking, we have all kind of LARPs in the sword-and-sorcery scene
- battle LARPS - no story, just hit the participants belonging to the other faction, preferably in formations. This ranges from smug reenactment-quality groups, like Warhammer Fantasy fans in Europe, to groups that retain fantasy-themed clothing the way sports such as tennis have a specific proper attire, like Belegarth society in USA.
- (story-rich) LARPS - these originated with to "let's play D&D but in real life" and some of them even kept the trappings of the original, such as "levels" or "character classes"; some of them drop most of the gamey aspects, becoming more or less like those "chamber" LARPs mentioned by the OP (only in a fantasy setting; though, a Dune LARP could be a thinly-veiled middle-east, for all I know)
The logistics in the designs surrounding games of any substantial proportions must be hellish to coordinate with the playmaking's unpredictability.
More construction companies should take it upon themselves to start looking into erecting things like what those Warhammer dudes were enacting in one video i mulled over. Establish some crude barracks, keeps, bastions, and whatever else a play site could sustain. Gather a crew with cameras, editors, and a designer or two, then put some attendees on the grounds, and you’ve got yourselves the trappings of an amateur production going in no time.
More construction companies should take it upon themselves to start looking into erecting things like what those Warhammer dudes were enacting in one video i mulled over. Establish some crude barracks, keeps, bastions, and whatever else a play site could sustain. Gather a crew with cameras, editors, and a designer or two, then put some attendees on the grounds, and you’ve got yourselves the trappings of an amateur production going in no time.
Cool, that has a nice ring to it. Also, please don't sell your work short in the opening sentence :-P.
So, maybe i'll take a prod at that myself if you take a crack at it somewhere down the line, to tell how serious you are about executing on each piece in that project.
So, maybe i'll take a prod at that myself if you take a crack at it somewhere down the line, to tell how serious you are about executing on each piece in that project.
That sounds a lot like South Park: The Stick of Truth.
Also some of the best parts of Last Saints Row were the Boss presented LARP weapons and running around a LARP with them. (More than one LARP, even, with the DLC, clearly the developers had fun with it.) None of the GTA-style shooter mechanics were actually changed but a "wink-nudge" was added that the LARP players were very good at death acting. Also you could carry the LARP weapons the rest of the game and get silly nerf dart sound and visual effects everywhere else, which was silly fun in its own way.
ETA: Also not directly a LARP but a similar premise is the pair of Costume Quest games of kids running around doing Action RPG things to save the town in Halloween costumes playing well with that boundary space of what is real for them and what is heightened fantasy.
ETA: Also not directly a LARP but a similar premise is the pair of Costume Quest games of kids running around doing Action RPG things to save the town in Halloween costumes playing well with that boundary space of what is real for them and what is heightened fantasy.
saargrin(3)
Is there any similar view on sword and sorcery larp scene? One of my projects wants to drink from that, but I have little real knowledge about it and wouldn't like to disrespect larping.