I’ve attempted to write a LARP FAQ aimed at campaign games in general, with the intention of using it on the website of the steampunk campaign I intend to run. Please note that it will have a lot of links in it to more specific pages on the questions it attempts to answer, and while I can’t share these pages just yet, I will indicate where links are by underlining the text of the links within the FAQ.
I’d really appreciate it if you took the time to read over the FAQ below, and give me feedback about which parts you think are accurate, and which parts could be changed and how.
[quote][size=200]LARP FAQ[/size]
[size=130]What is LARP?[/size]
LARP stands for Live Action Role-Play. If you’re familiar with the term roleplay; LARP is an extension from table-top roleplaying or training exercise roleplay. In a LARP, you roleplay the actions of your character. You take on their personality, dress up as they would dress, and act under the influence of their motivations. People LARP in order to have a fantastic experience in a fictional world of high adventure, romance, great successes, dramatic failures, and most of all a great deal of fun. LARP allows you to step into the fantastic situations you read about in books, see on the movie screen, or watch on a theatre stage, except there’s no script, and you are the one living and telling the story.
[size=130]Is it structured in some way?[/size]
The most common structure present in LARP is placed upon the players, rather than their characters. It takes the form of a social contract that everyone abides by to make sure we all enjoy ourselves, a set of expectations that the organisers have of you, and that you can have of the organisers, and rules to help resolve in-character conflict and to keep the fiction of the setting cohesive.
[size=130]I’m not certain about my ability to LARP, or what if I don’t know anyone there?[/size]
Anyone can take part in LARP. There are no special skills that are required. The social contract of the LARP means that you can approach anyone at the LARP and interact with them in-character and they’ll roleplay with you, even if you don’t know them out of character. You’ll find that LARPers are very friendly people in the real world, even if they are roleplaying a mean character during a LARP.
Another great way to involve yourself with the other LARPers at a session is to make your character a member of one of the factions within the setting. This will mean that you’re a member of a group within the LARP that has other people in it and is guaranteed to involve you in events to do with that faction.
[size=130]Can I team up with my friends?[/size]
Absolutely, in fact we encourage you to write a character background that has events in it that are shared with other player-characters. That way your character will have reasons to involve themselves in events that your friends are also taking part in.
[size=130]I don’t think I have appropriate clothes for a costume, what should I do?[/size]
There are a few options open to you;
[ul][li]you might be able to borrow costume pieces from other LARPers (start a request thread on the forums),[/li]
[li]you could hire a costume from a place like Costume Cave for cheap,[/li]
[li]you could look to buy the clothes you want second-hand from op-shops or sites like TradeMe.[/li][/ul]
[size=130]Can you win or lose at LARP?[/size]
It’s often said that the people who win at LARP are the ones who had fun. In fact there’s no real winning or losing, or any form of competition that isn’t in-character. Everyone attends a LARP to have fun, and most people will go out of their way to help others enjoy their time at a LARP too.
[size=130]Is it easy to stay in-character for an entire weekend?[/size]
Absolutely! When everyone around you is dressed up in appropriate costume, and you’re all roleplaying and staying in-character together, it reinforces itself. Getting started is very easy, and once you’re in-character it’s even easier to keep going.
[size=130]I’m not entirely certain about LARPing, or whether I would enjoy roleplaying in an entire weekend session, is there some way I can see it in action without having to invest a lot of time, money, and effort?[/size]
If you’re uncertain about LARPing, or weekend sessions, you can always attend a session as a crew member. Crew pay less to attend, get their costumes provided for them, have their roles written for them, and can take out-of-character breaks (in a designated crew room) more often than players. Crewing is a pretty sweet deal if you’re uncertain about a LARP campaign.
[size=130]Do I have to be good at writing to write a character background? Can I get help with writing my character background?[/size]
You don’t have to be good at writing to write a character background, anyone can do it. A character background can even take the briefest form of a description of the character, a few relevant events in the character’s history, and a list of fictional characters they know that you’d like to have a chance of interacting with during the course of the LARP. Although, if you’d like to write something more than that, you can always create a request thread on the forum and ask for help writing your background. There are a lot of LARPers in the community who are willing to help out.
[size=130]Do I have to be good at fighting to fight in a LARP? Can I get help with learning to fight in a LARP?[/size]
You can fight in a LARP without any previous experience. So long as your weapon meets the safety requirements, and you fight safely, you can take part in LARP combat. If you’d like to get better at it, you can always create a help request thread on the forum. Sometimes there are also training sessions for LARP combat, and they usually happen a few weeks before a weekend session. Keep an eye on the forum to see if anyone is organising one.
[size=130]For a weekend session, where will I sleep, and will I have to bunk with anyone else?[/size]
Each venue has a venue logistics page that can be accessed from the respective session that is being hosted at that venue, but for weekend sessions you’ll want to check out the Brookfield Scout Camp venue logistics page. On there you will find a map that has player and crew rooms marked on it. There are no single rooms, so you will be bunking with other people. Try to organise bunking with your friends, or people you are comfortable with in the LARPing community. As rooms are first-come, first-served, it is a good idea to turn up at the venue at the time we have it booked if you want a specific room.
[size=130]For a weekend session, where are the toilets, showers, etc?[/size]
Each venue has a venue logistics page that can be accessed from the respective session that is being hosted at that venue, but for weekend sessions you’ll want to check out the Brookfield Scout Camp venue logistics page. On there you will find a map that has the location of toilets, showers, and other facilities.
[size=130]For a weekend session, do I have to be involved in the action all weekend?[/size]
You can always take a break from the action, rest your feet, or retreat to your room to avoid any of the action going on, if you want to. There is no obligation on you to take part in every single roleplaying opportunity going on during a session. If you feel like taking a break from the roleplay, you must head to an out-of-character area or your room, so that you do not disrupt the roleplaying immersion for anyone else.
[size=130]For a weekend session, what sort of costume do I wear if it’s cold?[/size]
You can always wear thermals under your costume if you do not have the money for any entire winter costume. It is advised that you choose your costume pieces sensibly for the weather that is forecast to happen during a session.
[size=130]Are there any special terms or words used to describe things in LARP that I should know?[/size]
Some of the more common terms are as follows;
[ul][li]Game: an individual LARP event or fictional universe is sometimes referred to as a game.[/li]
[li]In-Game (IG): is a reference to things within the fictional universe of a LARP.[/li]
[li]Out-Of-Game (OOG): is a reference to things specifically not within the fictional universe of a LARP.[/li]
[li]Crew: a person who helps the organisers of a LARP create the fictional setting.[/li]
[li]Player: a person who plays a player-character in a LARP.[/li]
[li]Player-Character (PC): a character that is created by a player to roleplay in the fiction of a LARP.[/li]
[li]Non-Player-Character (NPC): a character often written by players in their character backgrounds, or by one of the LARP organisers, and is often played by crew members.[/li]
[li]Game Master (GM): is a person responsible for ensuring the cohesion of the fiction during a LARP session, a referee for the rules, and someone to ask if you want help.[/li]
[li]In-Character (IC): is when a person is roleplaying as their character.[/li]
[li]Out-Of-Character (OOC): is when a person is not roleplaying as their character (commonly this is shown during game-time as a ‘T’ made by the out-of-character persons hands).[/li]
[li]Call: something that is said, usually just a word or three, that is out-of-character but has in-character implications.[/li]
[li]Game-Time: indicates a period of time when people are expected to act in-character.[/li]
[li]Game-Start: is a call used by Game Masters and a reference to the start of game-time.[/li]
[li]Game-End: is a call used by Game Masters and a reference to the end of game-time.[/li]
[li]Time-Out: is a safety call used by anyone when someone has become injured to the point of needing a first aid kit or serious medical attention. This call halts game-time.[/li]
[li]Time-In: is a call used by Game Masters to indicate the resumption of game-time. Is sometimes used as a reference to game-start or game-time.[/li]
[li]LARP Session: is an individual LARP event with a defined start and end time.[/li]
[li]LARP Campaign: is a series of LARP sessions set in the same fictional universe.[/li]
[li]Weekend Session: is a LARP session with game-time that spans the majority of a weekend, usually continuously.[/li]
[li]Day-Game: is a LARP session with game-time that usually spans the majority of a day during sun-light hours.[/li]
[li]One-Off: is a LARP event that usually has a self-contained fiction that is not intended to influence the in-game events of another LARP fiction. Relative to a LARP campaign, a one-off can be a LARP session set within the fictional universe of the campaign that forbids the use of player-characters, and instead has the attendees take on the roles of pre-written characters, most commonly important NPCs within the campaigns fiction.[/li][/ul]
[size=130]Further Questions[/size]
If you want to know more about LARP in general, or this LARP in particular, browse the rest of this site. If you still have questions after that, head over to the forums and see if anyone else has already asked your question. If not; create a thread and ask yours.[/quote]