Is larping an expensive hobby?

Community Larp discussion
#10

[quote=“Anna K”]But, is the kit and equipment any more expensive than other hobbies, is what I’m getting at. I’m curious about what other hobbies people are involved in and what they cost.

I’ve heard paintball players can spend $800 on a gun. I’ve never seen an $800 larp weapon. (Now someone will find me an $800 larp weapon…)[/quote]

We know that a lot of people have been glad to shell out $500+ for costumes. And not just a single costume, often several of them.

Costuming can be expensive and you can never have everything you want. Boots, wigs, hats, armour it all adds up.

Good armour will cost at least $500 for a reasonable outfit (mail, greaves, vambraces an a helmet) a nice set will be at least $1000, maybe $2000.

#11

I have a ridiculous number of hobbies and here is how they compare.

Snowboarding - $1200/yr
Golf ~$400/yr
Model Trains - ~$400/yr
Gardening - ~$1000/yr
Larp - ~$800/yr
Computer Games ~$500/yr

So as far as I can see Larp comes in about middle of my various hobbies.

#12

You’re not including data charges in there I take it… :slight_smile:

#13

You’re not including data charges in there I take it… :slight_smile:[/quote]

Nope, flat rate plan and I consider internet service a required utility :slight_smile:

#14

I think one of the cool things about larp in general is that you really can choose how much you want to spend. You can choose whether to shell out for a fancy sword from overseas or to borrow one from a friend for the weekend. You can choose whether to buy some nice, genuine looking medieval garb from an artisan or to spend an afternoon opshopping. You can choose whether to buy an old in-character looking tent or to take the modern one you already have.

My only other real hobby is music, and so far that’s definitely been more expensive. At one end you’re buying instruments, equipment, consumables, maintenance, and software, and at the other you’re buying cds and merch and tickets to the bands you’re into. Playing and/or producing music tends to be particularly expensive, especially if you’re looking at instruments other than guitar/bass/drums. I’d be paying several thousand dollars for a decent upright piano, about twelve thousand for a cheap baby grand, and about half a million for the piano I really want - whereas all of my guitars have been under about six hundred and the two I use now come in under five hundred combined.

To an extent there are similar options to those above - I could borrow a keytar for a gig; I could pick up a much cheaper violin at a second hand instrument store; I could wring another week out of a reed rather than replace it when I’d prefer to. I think these sort of options probably exist for a lot of hobbies.

So, I think larp can be expensive, and probably is more expensive than a lot of other hobbies, but it depends a great deal on how it is approached and managed.

#15

Yes I think larp is a relatively cheap hobby.

Our other big hobby is clubsport motorsport (entry level dirt road rally stages etcs). Entry level is a cheap car you don’t mind trashing, say $1000, crash helmet + overalls + fire extinguisher = $350. Then another $25-$70 entry fee for a one day event. And from there the spending is unlimited. Usually you go through a set of tyres $1000 each year or two, plus unexpected bonus spending on fixing up the car when mistakes happen, or you just want the car to go better. There is a lot of DIY on this side of things.

There are other hobbies that we have been interested in but don’t feel like spending the money on it (or don’t have time for). Like sailing, where we could get a little Sunburst sailboat, $2000 + gear of $200 life jacket, wetsuit, wetboots, etc.
Figure Ice skating - a set of boots $200 each year (jumping damages the leather needs replacing quite a bit), plus $30 lesson.
Speed Ice Skating - $50 skate hire, $50 yearly fee, + $10 per one hour session, once a week.

I think its worth while comparing what other people spend on their hobbies. Like how much is a ticket to the rugby at Eden Park (+food + drink at the venue?)

#16

In my mind, yes it is expensive. But not comparatively. And the level of cost is scale-able to many budgets.

For instance, my latest acquisition is my ex-seeker kit. $500. To me it is priceless. To buy it piecemeal would have been prohibitive. Those of us that have seeker kit are really quite lucky bastards.

And I get good mileage I used parts or all of this kit for half of my games at Chimera and I spent nothing on costumes for Chimera, all from existing kit (of course 12 years of larping does this even though I hardly boast a full larping closet).

As for game and membership costs $20 is very good value for money. 2 weekend games a year and it’s paid for itself.

Game fees are in relative terms fantastic… a weekend of entertainment, lodgings and food for less than $100?

Expensive as it may or may not be, it has such great value for the expenditure…

#17

being in a band:
instruments: between 50-1000$ each, amps: same, recording: 100$, pressing CDS: too much, outfits: 50$

not so much a hobby, but the general way to socialise for people my age:
gig tickets: 10-100$, drinks: 50$, dresses, shoes, make up: easily 500$

roller derby:
training: 104$ per year minimum, skates: minimum 500$

larp
game: 10-100$, costume: up to 100$ (female, good sewing ability)

religious stuff
books: 20$, attire: 50$

#18

I spent $2,500 plane ticket to go to a larp in Germany! :smiley:

It’s not the most expensive hobby out there, but certainly the most expensive one I’ve had (but that’s totally my fault - I could do it cheaper but wouldn’t enjoy it the same way!)

#19

[quote=“amphigori”]I spent $2,500 plane ticket to go to a larp in Germany! :smiley:[\quote]
Did you do other tourism stuff while you were over there?

#20

One of the big things which probably pulls down the price of LARPs, is that they are generally non-profit. Most other hobbies, if you go to a club to do it, then you have quite a high chance that they want to make a profit out of it.

#21

[quote=“Stephanie”][quote=“amphigori”]I spent $2,500 plane ticket to go to a larp in Germany! :smiley:[\quote]
Did you do other tourism stuff while you were over there?[/quote][/quote]

Yeah of course! But the primary driver to get over to Europe was the game. Everything else came after that :smiley:

#22

[quote=“amphigori”][quote=“Stephanie”][quote=“amphigori”]I spent $2,500 plane ticket to go to a larp in Germany! :smiley:[\quote]
Did you do other tourism stuff while you were over there?[/quote][/quote]

Yeah of course! But the primary driver to get over to Europe was the game. Everything else came after that :smiley:[/quote]

Don’t try to write your honeymoon off as a larp expense :stuck_out_tongue:

#23

:slight_smile:

As a comparison, my partner went to Prague a couple of years ago to play in the World frisbee tournament, and he spent I dunno how much on accommodation for the weeks he was there. But he did tourist activities as well, and then I joined him for the finals, and then we went on a holiday. Which was a heck of a lot of fun. But we started in Prague because that was where the tournament was.

#24

[quote=“Anna K”]
Don’t try to write your honeymoon off as a larp expense :stuck_out_tongue:[/quote]

Amusingly, it went like this: Bought tickets to LARP > Was asked if it was honeymoon > Said no, it’d be stupid to try and plan a wedding and Europe trip at same time > decided ‘what the heck’ and did it anyway > planned wedding!

So, one could say I got marred this year BECAUSE of LARPing! ;D

#25

hahaha not at all! every time i go flying its $200 -$250 an hour!!
Also in saying that, when i played hockey joining fees $200 - $300 uniform and hockey stick? add $200
Ice hockey? like 400 joining fees and extra couple hundred for gear.
But dragon boating ? $2 every sunday, if you go

#26

Photography:

Standard SLR with lens kit = $900-1500
Spare batteries and memory cards = $100, both of which need to be replaced every 2 years.
Flash unit = $400-600
Photoshop = $2000 (hence why I don’t have it)
Computer = assuming you already have one. Otherwise $900+
Reflector = $90-190
Tripod = $90-200
Finding locations/models/and shooting/and processing = a ton of time and driving and petrol.
Finding free models = priceless. Othewise promodels $35-100/hr.
Makeup/clothing/props = larp costs. :slight_smile:

Then if you want to go into it more seriously then the skys the limit.
Full frame SLR - $2500-6500
Lenes - $600-25000 (The zoom lens that would be better for distance shots of larp $2500)
Basic portrait lighting kit - $500-1500
Flash & Lighting kit battery packs (when no mains avail) = $500+

#27

O.o Good thing I never got into photography, I would be so broke I would be rich XD. (Only programmers MIGHT understand that joke D=)

#28

I can’t really compare to my other hobbies because they are all inter-connected (larping, re-enactment, sewing, embroidery, even dancing), but hearing about other people’s hobbies, like aforementioned paintball usually makes me go “eeeek, they spend a lot of money!”

I can spend much on something that is really cool, but I do re-use most of things, and after more than 6 years of larping I have gear pretty much for anything. I spent $109 on a wig for a larp, and my biggest “gear and treats for mates” spend for a weekend larp was $250 (not including costume and weapon, the majority of this was apothecary kit). I keep re-using those things and will be re-using them for many more games, unlike figure ice skating boots, the potion bottles and toy guns don’t need yearly replacement :smiley: Same goes for supplies, lots of my St Wolfgang potion components ended up in my lunches (and I won’t even mention 4 kg of rice bought SPECIALLY for making spell packets for Jade Empire… well… I just ate it all :smiley: ). My 1920s - 1930 garb also tends to migrate to my everyday wardrobe, so the line of expenses between hobby and normal stuff is blurred. I don’t know if hockey players and paintball guys have something like that going on.

#29

I more or less have no hobbies these days, and I can tell you that between a library, the internet and ebook copies of textbooks that we pass around, studying is completely free :smiley:
(except of course the fees, the ‘professional’ clothing, equipment - although I don’t go hard out like some do, the excessive caffeine intake…but it’s all gonna be worth it in the end, right? Right??? And at least we get free printing!)