Well, my mother asked today, if people who don’t actually do LARP, or join into an event, can somehow still see it live.
So yea, I didn’t know, so I thought I’d ask the community here =S.
So: Are spectators who do not actually join into the LARP allowed in any way?
[quote=“Kamica”]Well, my mother asked today, if people who don’t actually do LARP, or join into an event, can somehow still see it live.
So yea, I didn’t know, so I thought I’d ask the community here =S.
So: Are spectators who do not actually join into the LARP allowed in any way?[/quote]Not really in an official sense - when the game is at a scout camp or whatever we’ll sometimes see random bystanders hanging around. But it’s not really a performance art in terms of playing to an audience, and knowing that people are watching makes some players uncomfortable.
On the other hand, depending on the game, things can sometimes be arranged, such as you could try asking a GM to get your mother a low-level NPC part, like a servant or guard or whatever. She’d be able to be in the environment without any big demands on her, observe what’s going on, not stick out, and have an excuse to interact with people in-character (like serving food, or guarding a door or what-not.)
Yup, what Steph said. It’s fine to NPC with some quiet things, no need to get involved in battles and super-active roleplaying if not wanting to, there are always roles to create a crowd or just be there.
I as larper don’t wanna people to turn up to the game just for the sake of watching as spectators. No offense, but I would be very annoyed with this, and this is more direct and honest answer than what you would get from most people as I’m not applying political correctness to it, I just say it as is. New participants are always welcome though 
Lucy, I agree with you and I think many of us feel the same way. Larping isn’t a spectator sport and I’d be pretty unhappy if people started showing up just to watch.
Thanks for the responces =D. I can completely understand. Apparently my mom likes the idea of NPCing perhaps O.o I don’t know if I’ll like that, but ah well XD.
I have written roles for people to basically spectate in, they are given a useful role to the game like the photographer or similar. it can work but people need to be aware of what is going on.
Actually though, I think it’s incredibly hard to witness a larp. At any time there are multiple, private conversations going on. You can’t just eavesdrop inconspicuously. So you can be a quiet NPC, but that doesn’t mean you have any idea what goes on!
From what I’ve seen in the past, sometimes you can be a GM and that doesn’t mean you know what’s going on Players are a rogue bunch 
You might see enough to reassure yourself that your son/daughter isn’t getting involved with something dangerous though. (Just something weird, which is how it would probably look if you weren’t playing).
You’d get a better picture of events if you were a servant to a PC than a servant in a tavern. That way you could see a stream of activity up close. But at that point, you’re basically a non-combat PC.
So… ask your mum if she wants to play, in a low-activity role related to yours? 
She’s actually just interrested in seeing what kind of things I do XD. And as I said, my mom’d perhaps join into a NPC role if she’d get the chance XD.
It depends on the game participants. Most adults do not appreciate the counter-immersive nature of having an audience, for the reasons given above.
I’ve run lots of kids larps where the many of parents just hang around like a bunch of camp followers, just following along and watching the play unfold. Kids don’t mind at all, they are too busy having a great time.
Another way for your mum to get a handle on the larp you are in is to turn up during the pre-game phase when everyone is arriving and getting set up and then have a chat with the GMs and some of the players. She will quickly get the picture that the game is on the level and the participants are typically quite nice people
For me, a single spectator isn’t much of a big deal. I’ve dealt with a great many more than one (general public that is… also Liz and Joseph no first hand of this). One would certainly be no worse than an old dude and his black lab walking through Motu Moana (though he seemed to be trying to ignore us). Better if said spectator is in costume. Better if spectator is a character or crew. Even if said person just stands and gawps at us in character.
I just don’t want to start going down that path, Jared. Yeah, people do randomly come upon us while out walking their dog or whatever, but to start saying, “Hey, yup, come along and watch” doesn’t sit well with me. Once you do that, at what number of spectators do you draw the line?
[quote=“Kamica”]Well, my mother asked today, if people who don’t actually do LARP, or join into an event, can somehow still see it live.
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So: Are spectators who do not actually join into the LARP allowed in any way?[/quote]
Larp isn’t really a spectator sport. Many of the participants are shy enough without having spectators.
But having said that, if a parent wanted to come along to ensure that it was an appropriate pastime for their kids, I would have absolutely no problem with that.
Every event is different. So it’s probably worth mentioning that while most events only run for a few hours, some run over weekends and bunking is often mixed and alcohol is often consumed…