Beginner's guide to larp

Space Between The Stories has a nice FAQ for beginners, focusing on common fears. Probably worth pointing new players at:

Some good points in there, not just for new players. I wonder if it could be pinned at the top somewhere so people can be pointed towards it?

Some good points in there (eg there is no right, wear comfortable shoes, hydrate), but overall it gives the impression that there is a large time commitment to preparing for a larp. While this is true for embarking on a new campaign LARP of weekend games, it is not so important for someone’s first parlour LARP. The article itself only says that it is intended for American Freeform LARP, but I don’t really know what that is, and it’s almost certain that anyone new will have no clue.

Probably best to compare it to our existing Beginner’s Guide, and check which bits would be useful to incorporate.

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American Freeform is either a hybrid tabletop / larp style, or sometimes what snobs who are Too Cool To Larp call larp. The mention of it is weird, because most American Freeforms are short and workshoppy, meaning that all the suggestions about prep and reading the material don’t really apply.

Different styles have different prep requirements obviously. Though I think its always a good idea to read your character sheet well before the game if you get one. That way you might remember some of it in play and avoid the embarrassing character-sheet shuffle :slight_smile: And I did like the advice on finding a physical difference - playing with posture and gestures is easy, and a great way of presenting as not just yourself in a costume.

At some stage we’re going to need to rewrite the FAQ material on whatislarp. Linking to this or using it as inspiration is probably a good idea.