Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Creating the LARP Universe
• Part 2 of 3: Organization of LARP
• Part 3 of 3: Taking LARP to the Next Level
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

LARP or online live action role-playing game (LARP) is a way to get away from everyday life and explore your own world with friends. LARP involves playing out fantasy scenarios and taking part in make-believe battles with other players as a fictional character. LARP empowers the average person to take on the role of a powerful warrior, deadly magician, or cunning assassin in an adventure scenario with other players. To learn how to plan and play your own LARP game, see step 1 below.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Creating the LARP Universe

1. 1 Choose a setting or background for the LARGE game. The first step in planning any game is to decide on a scenario. In LARP pop culture, games are often associated with settings and characters from the fantasy genre in art and literature such as The Lord of the Rings. While many LARP games adhere to these conventions, many do not. Realistic settings and storylines can evolve into the modern era or story-driven, perhaps sci-fi and alternative scenarios. Be as creative as you like.Your game is a product of your own imagination, so there is no limit to the kinds of scenarios you can use.
   • For example, let's say that for the first LARP game we want to try a classic medieval / fantasy scenario. If you're feeling inspired, you could choose characters and locations from a familiar fantasy universe (as in The Lord of the Rings or A Song of Ice and Fire). However, we can also create our own world. Be adventurous and do just that! In our case, we will be brave warriors from the kingdom of Karifesh. Let's say it's a fantasy kingdom that includes many different areas. Thus, we will be able to visit different areas.
   • Let's be honest. If you are coming up with your own script for the first time, chances are that it will end up not interesting or corny (as shown above). This is fine! LARP is an adult-centered game, so a healthy dose of good mood doesn't hurt. Over time, your stories and scripts will become more nuanced.
2. 2 Create a conflict. LARP can be what you want it to be. There is no rule that says there should be conflict. If you really want to, you can play completely without complications, a normal day in the life of the world that you have created. But why bother when you can have more fun with thrilling conflict? Creating a fictional conflict is a great way to quickly make the game interesting and give everyone something to do. Create a conflict that matches your fictional world, but be creative! Feel free to add many small details and nuances to the concept of the main conflict.
   • Since most (though certainly not all) LARPs involve fictional battles, wars, or clashes between two or more fictional countries or clans, this is always a good bet. These can be ordinary wars between people or supernatural forces. Everything depends on you. Whatever you choose, try to make your fictional conflict interesting and relevant.
   • In our example, let's say that mysterious demons began to terrorize the outer reaches of the kingdom of Karifesh. As you can see, this is a pretty formulaic storyline, so let's bring it to life, assuming that these so-called demons were destroying villages, leaving only giant characters in an ancient language on the scorched earth. As the plot progresses, we may discover that the demons were indeed sent by benevolent deities to protect the kingdom from the true villain - the king of the kingdom Karifesh, who wants to turn everyone into mindless slaves. Remember that everything depends only on you and that the conflict in your world can unfold as you want.
3. 3 Create a character. Much of the fun of LARPs is that they allow you to be (or what) you are not. In real life, we are not brave knights or space marines, but LARP allows us to enjoy the fact that we are exactly the characters we want to see ourselves and act as we thought of ourselves. In short, get used to the role! Based on the parameters you choose, come up with character traits that fit into your fictional world. Consider his appearance and personality traits. Ask yourself the following questions:
   • What is his character? Is he human or not human?
   • His name?
   • What does he look like?
   • How does he make a living? Everything is possible here, but since most LARPs are focused on fantasy battles, you can choose a profession that would logically explain your skill (warrior, knight, pirate, assassin, thief, etc.)
   • How does it work? Is he kind or cruel? Guarded or guarded? Fierce or cowardly?
   • What knowledge or skill does the character possess? How many languages ​​does he speak? Does he own a craft? His education?
   • What quirks does he have? Does he have bad habits? Fears? Unusual talents?
   • In our example, let's say the hero will be called Cupronickel and he is a royal knight from the capital Karifesh. He is huge, tall, strong, with tanned skin and short black hair. He usually wears steel armor and carries a massive broadsword. However, when he is not defending the kingdom, he is very lovable and moonlights at a kitten shelter. What a handsome!
4. 4 Give your character a backstory. How does your character fit into the world you've created? What happened in his past? Why does he do what he does? All of these things you will consider when you come up with a character. When you come up with a backstory for your character, you're not just doing it for "smell." On the contrary, it is actually a way to create a compelling motivation for the character to engage in the game's conflict. A logical backstory can also help guide your decisions about how your character should behave in a conflict based on past experience.
   • In our example, let's say Melchior had a difficult past. At the age of 5, his parents were killed by bandits, and he was left to die on the side of the road. However, he was rescued by a pack of wild cats and grew up in it for two years until he was old enough to live a life of his own. After several years of poverty, he was lucky, and one rich gentleman made him a squire, and later a full-fledged knight. Therefore, based on his experience, Melchior has infinite compassion for cats, but sometimes fights with other people whom he considers cruel and unloving. However, he is incredibly loyal to the master who pulled him out of the gutter and plans to fight for his honor in the upcoming war against the demons that killed one of the master's sons.
5. 5 There are players who design their own skins. Again, there is no rule that says you can't do this on your own, but it's generally more fun to interact (and fight) with others, so get a group of friends together. So your friends will be with you in your fictional world. Each of them must develop their own character (complete with backstory) so that each person perceives the world through the eyes of an active participant. If you want to fight and fight someone, you may want to see some of your friends (for example, a soldier of the opposite clan) as an enemy, if you are not ready to fight an imaginary group of enemies.
   • In our example, let's say that we are able to attract five people and then there will be a total of six people. To organize a fight, you need to split into groups of three. Two other players on your team can come up with the characters of Melchior's allies (for example, other knights, magicians or soldiers fighting for good), and three "enemies" - the characters of the characters with whom they should logically want to fight (for example, demons attacking a fictional kingdom).
6. 6 Create your own clothes, equipment and weapons. If you and your friends decide to run pretending to be knights and wizards, you have to think through the details. When it comes to costumes and gear, your options can be as simple or as complex as you like. Most casual players use casual clothing and weapons made of foam, wood, or pipes, while serious LARP enthusiasts spend thousands of dollars on rich, well-tailored suits and real (or real-life) weapons. Generally, most newbies will want to stick with the cheap, casual options, but it's up to you and your LARP colleagues how far you want to go.
   • In our example, Melchior is a knight, so we will probably find him a sword and armor. If we want to stay lean, we could use the broom handle as a sword.We could make the armor from a bib with a thin layer of foam, or just use an old shirt painted gray. If we want to go one step further, we can make a shield out of a trash can lid or a round piece of plywood and use a bicycle helmet as a metal war helmet.
   • Some LARP players enjoy imitating real food and drink. For example, if Melchior carries a magic potion with him in case he gets injured in battle, one could make a small flask filled with a sports drink.
7. 7 Script your characters to reflect their personalities. Once you've created a fictional world, a conflict in this world, and all the characters that participate in your LARP session, you're more or less ready to play! All that's left to think about is the reason why your characters will meet and interact. Ask yourself, "What do I want to do during LARP?" If, for example, you want to take part in an exciting battle, you can come up with a set of circumstances that can force your characters to meet and participate in hostilities. On the other hand, if you are looking for something more meaningful, you can come up with a more open scenario, such as one where the two groups of people involved in the conflict are not mortal enemies and do not compete in a battle of wits, and do not literally fight.
   • In our example, let's say that Melchior and two of his companions go to scout out the location of demons when they encounter three such demons. Melchior is shocked, because the leader of the demons is the one who killed the son of his master. The battle after that is simply assured!
8. 8 Play! At this point, virtually every part of the LARP is set to succeed. The rest is up to you. Immerse yourself in your fictional world without hesitation. The sooner you step into the role and start thinking and acting like your fictional character, the sooner you can start enjoying your experience. Be open-minded, respect your LARP colleagues, and be open about allowing them to influence your role-playing experience. The most important thing is to have fun! If you don't enjoy the game, why jump over someone to be the first?
9. 9 Stay in the character that you play. LARP can be serious, dark to do, or occasional adventures with a group of friends, but regardless of the specifics of the game, it is almost always better to have players who are obsessed with their roles than those who are not. LARP is essentially an ongoing amateur session. While different players may have different levels of ability, the LARP experience tends to be most interesting when you are serious about the acting side of the job.
   • Understandably, beginners may be embarrassed by the prospect of running around in foam armor, pretending to be fighting monsters. Especially in the presence of other people. To break the ice, you can try doing some basic acting exercises with other players until you feel more open. For example, try the classic question from the stage. One player asks the other a question to which the second player must respond with his subsequent logical question. Players keep asking each other questions at a faster pace until someone can ask a question and is replaced by another player, and then the scene will repeat itself.

Part 2 of 3: Organization of LARP

1. 1 You must decide if you want to create your own game or join someone else's. If you choose the former, you will be responsible for organizing and planning the game, but you will have complete freedom to do what you want. If you join someone else's game, you don't have to worry so much, but you may have to give up your preferred characters, scenario, and / or ruleset if your game organizer thinks differently from you.
   • Your geographic location may have an impact on how easy it is to create or join a LARP. Certain places, such as large settlements, may have an active LARP community that organizes many local games, while sparsely populated areas may not have such a community, which means you must create your own game even if you started by joining to someone else's game. If this happens to you, try looking at the bright sides. If your game is really good, you can plant the seeds to start the very first LARP community in your area.
   • One way to find other people for LARP is to use online LARP resources. For example, the Larping.org website allows you to search for LARP activities at your address. Another useful resource is larp.meetup.com, which has information on LARP groups around the world.
2. 2 Find a place to play. LARP is a game based on the physical and bodily actions of the players. Physically acting out the actions of your character, endowed with a certain character, makes the experience more real than if you simply said, for example, "I am pointing my sword at you." However, to get into the physical aspect of your game, you first need to decide on a location. You can play almost anywhere, although if you can choose, then pick something more or less appropriate to your scenario for more realism. For example, if your adventure takes place in a forest, try looking for a forest clearing at a local wildlife sanctuary.
   • While each LARP session is different, much of the fun comes from a typical LARP in combat aspects. This can include running and jumping, swinging, throwing and shooting (not for real), and other sporting activities. Thus, when choosing a location for LARP, you must have the space to safely do all of these things. Fields, parks and sports grounds (gyms, soccer fields, etc.), large grounds, all can be used (although if there are strangers in these places, beginners may be embarrassed).
3. 3 Assign Overlords if desired. If you've played role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, you may already be familiar with BT (Lord of the Dungeon) or VI (Lord of the Game). In the context of LARP, Overlords are game participants who do not pretend to be fictional characters. Instead, they remain “out of character” and are responsible for keeping the game interesting and fun by creating conflict, facilitating the play of other players, and, in some cases, controlling the history of LARP. For larger games, the Overlord may be the person who manages and organizes the events (although this is not required). In these cases, the Overlord may additionally be responsible for the planning and development of the event itself.
   • Compared to VI and BT in games like Dungeons of Dragons, VI tends to have a freer and more supportive role. The VI has control over the types of characters and situations that players may encounter. VI cannot effectively control the actions of real people and often chooses to facilitate fun adventures, rather than dictate the exact course of action.
4. 4 Define a system of rules (or lack thereof). The rules of interaction between players and battles for LARP can be as varied as the conditions of the storylines of games themselves. On the one hand, some games have no rules other than playing in the character of their character. In other words, players decide many aspects of the game on the fly. For example, during a fight, if one player is injured by another, then, in fact, it is only for him to decide how much his injury will affect further actions. On the other hand, some LARPs have extensive rule systems that take into account all possible scenarios. In these cases, players can, for example, have a certain number of "lives", which varies from each wound in battle.This means that the player is permanently injured or killed after a certain number of injuries.
   • If you are organizing your own game, it is only up to you how broad you want the rules to be. However, since LARP is a group activity in nature, you should definitely consult with other players before making a decision.
   • Please note that many LARP online resources offer pre-designed rule books for players wishing to enter the game. For example, Larping.org accepts the rules that some authors state with their blog posts.
5. 5 Coordinate the logistics of the game with the players. Depending on the dedication of all participants, LARP can have serious obligations. If you are organizing your own game, you need to find the time to deal with the logistics issues before it starts. For example, if people travel to LARP from afar, you can send an invitation to everyone a few days in advance, and if you plan on relaxing with other players after the game, you can pre-order at a local restaurant ahead of time. Ask yourself the following questions:
   • Can players get to the game location easily? If not, what public transport options are available?
   • Will you meet at the location or will you meet in advance elsewhere?
   • Will there be anything after the game?
   • What's the plan if the weather fails?

Part 3 of 3: Taking LARP to the Next Level

1. 1 Start the local LARP group. If you enjoyed your first few games and would like to continue participating in them, you can create a special group or club in your area. At its most basic level, organizing a LARP group is being able to schedule the games you and your friends want to play and choose the times when you want to do it. More importantly, you will be able to meet new people who are also interested in LARP and can in turn influence your activities with their characters and ideas.
   • This is especially good if your area does not have an established LARP community. Be the first to organize a LARP club in your area and if you're lucky you can follow your LARP community and contribute to its development.
   • If you're starting your own LARP group, you'll want to promote it to make sure you get the best possible turnout. While sites classified as craglists offer one opportunity for online promotion, you can also try posting information about your group on LARP sites that welcome new communities (Larping.org).
2. 2 Participate in massive LARP events. The largest LARP groups with the largest number of members can host massive games in which up to hundreds of participants (or more) can participate and one game can last for several days. For a truly unique LARP experience, try one of these massive LARP sessions. Only within the framework of such a game can you feel the interaction that is impossible during small games. For example, while a casual game between a dozen friends can give you the opportunity to experience fantasy combat on a small scale, playing with thousands of players allows you to become a soldier in a huge battle with opposing forces plentiful. For some, engaging in such an action represents the pinnacle of the LARP experience.
   • Finding one of these massive LARP events that isn't necessarily commonplace even among loyal LARP players requires becoming an active member of the global LARP community. The aforementioned Larping.org is a great place to start, as are nerolarp.com, larpalliance.net, and other regional sites.
3. 3 Make and share your own rule system. If you are an experienced LARP player looking for something else, try creating your own LARP rulebook.While this may satisfy you creatively, it is also a chance to correct any unfair or annoying aspects of the rules that have been used so far. If you are not sure where to start, try referring to the self-created rules of other LARP players online (on Larping.org or similar LARP sites, as well as role-playing resources such as rpg.net) and work there.
   • After you've created your draft rulebook, try playing a game or two with it. You may find that they don't work as expected, and that's okay! Use your experience to revise your rules as needed.
4. 4 Create a detailed fictional universe. LARP allows you to raise your imagination to the highest level and explore your creativity. If you're looking for ways to express yourself creatively outside of planning typical LARP activities, try to expand the fictional worlds you've created by adding detail and personal development to characters, as well as creating fictional stories and mythology. You can go as deep as you like. Some players may be content with some aspects of their fictional creations, while others may want to take into account even the smallest details. This is your world, create it and explore. Have a nice trip!
   • Highly detailed fictional worlds can serve as fodder for fiction. In fact, it's not entirely unheard of for novels to explore the inner character and self-character of the LARP universe in order to gain popularity and success. If you've taken the time and effort to create an amazing fictional universe, why not write about it. You can be the next JK Rowling!

Tips

• Joining the LARP club will help you. There are experienced LARP players, most of whom are ready to help a newbie from outside.
• This is all fun and games until someone loses an eye or breaks a bone, so be careful.
• If you are playing in the woods or anywhere near civilization, make sure you have a mobile phone to call the police, ambulance or relatives in an emergency.
• A good way to make weapons is to get an experienced manufacturer who designs different styles of weapons and let the players choose who will instruct them. It would be smart to include a few instructors to explain how a particular weapon works. Everyone has their own taste in the style of weapons.
• See if you can find LARP online.

Warnings

• Some people find LARP a stupid pastime. But it's fun, so don't let that bother you!
• Organizing a big LARP is not a piece of cake. Make sure you know your game before thinking about something like this.
• Use buffers. They are not safe no matter what part of the body you hit.
• Do not overdo it; but don't be too lenient about safety and technology. If someone has a unique fighting style, make a freestyle class that will allow others to use that style as well. For example, head boosters are safe and can therefore be fought with peace of mind. No one likes events that are overly safe or people who are too tech-obsessed. The same goes for standards.
• Your unusual weapon can be of all sizes and shapes. Just make sure to test it before using it in combat.

What do you need

• Imagination.
• Friends to organize a group.
• Outfit: clothes and ties; and material for their manufacture.
• Retention device (i.e. vial), water, and food coloring for potions (optional).