My favourite style larps are: immersive larps (are most like fantasy boffer), but with minimal fighting and a high focus on roleplay and not always the fantasy genre. I also like Nordic larp.
If you go to an escape room with a group in costume it completely blows their minds! I highly recommend it! Also this is great list that covered things that I didn't think of right off. Well done!
Wait, what about the WoD style larps (like Vampire the Masquerade/Werewolf the Apocalypse)? The larps that focus heavily on role play (character sheet, 3x5 note cards for weapons, etc), and is easier on combat (using rock paper scissors to determine whether actions actually happen or not). It's become one of the largest larping communities on the planet and can take place anywhere.
Correction- There is no story...to Amtgard... what-so-ever. I played that game for almost a decade and any person who tried to roleplay was either ridiculed into abandoning role play and anyone else was pushed out. The stick jocks rule in Amtgard. If you like battle games with no real motivation other than to be on the winning team...go with amtgard. I didn't even know amtgard was supposed to have a story until I watched this video. There isn't any plot or story in the rule book either. soo... yeah.
Hi Belegrim here! Some clarification about "combat LARP" I'd best describe Belegarth as Fantasy Re-creation Events. It crosses over sports and role-playing in a very unique way. It started as Tolkien Reenactment but with no set results to the battles, and has become like a musical festival, but instead of music its centered around the weird RP-Sport. Also its very social. You want your camp to feel like a war camp, but they just won the battle and now they can relax. It's like boffer LARP minus magic. 90% of the people are playing warriors of some kind. Like a video game in real life. There are a growing number of non-combatants to the game that have helped it grow as a community (and encouraged more role-playing as well.)
Reenactments aren't always pre-scripted battles often times they will hold tactical battles in which an objective is set and whichever side better completes that objective wins. That's where understanding battlefield tactics really becomes important. They are also a lot of fun.
Hey LARP House! I'm super interesed in Fantasy LARP, however living out of Lansing MI, there is no groups around me. Do you have any suggestions for someone like me?? should I find people who are interested and start our own kingdom or something?? please help i really would like to be apart of this without having to travel far, since funds for traveling is an issue for me.
Hey there! So, I think you are on the right track with finding people who are interested and starting your own, you'll probably be surprised by the people who express interest! We get this question often enough that we want to dedicate multiple episodes to building your own world to larp in, in the near future. But until then there are many resources online for writing your own world, and maybe you could try running your world as a Table Top game first in order to test it and flesh it out! Running a LARP and playing in one are very different experiences however, so maybe once you find the core team of people who would help you, switch off and take shifts GMing! Let us know any questions you have and we will either answer ourselves or get a seasoned LARPer's advice for you :)
Aw thanks for getting back to me! I'll wait for your episode! In the meantime I did find a larp that's about an hour and a half away so I'll get some experience with them first and build a team on the side !
Well! That depends on what areas you're willing to travel to. My only firsthand experience with reenactments are on the East Coast (Florida, West Virginia, Georgia etc.) but if you tell me where you're willing to go, I'm sure we can come up with recommendations.
+Larp House I have been trying to convince some of my SoCal LARPer friends to go at least two of whom I think you know. It is a pretty massive expense. I have actually missed many local events because I am paying for Bico on a monthly payment plan and bolstering my kit to handle a weeks worth of immersive RP. . . in another country. . . where they mostly speak just French. And cue the anxiety. . .
Dude I'm going to Bico this year! I'm pretty new to larp and by pretty new I mean totally new. But I've done Ren Faire forever and wanted to try something new and more involved. Im soooo stoked though!! I'm from Southern California too :)
+Haley Sansoucie I grew up in Southern Cali, I also recognize you from the TVN facebook posts :) I worked faire a long time, the big faire when it was in Agoura, then Devore, and most of the small faires up and down the coast. Have you picked your house?
Chesterson Jack We will likely do a Part 2 video with more coverage of European styles- more field research is required for that first, so it will happen after our big move to Berlin 😉
Hi Julie. Where about in South Africa are you? I know there are two ongoing Nero LARPs in Johannesburg. Unsure about any action in Durban and Pretoria. Cape Town has some loose modules every now and again via the Cape Town University community (CLAWs) and my own (slowly progressing) aspirations to start up a bi-monthly LARP of one form or another.
My favourite style larps are: immersive larps (are most like fantasy boffer), but with minimal fighting and a high focus on roleplay and not always the fantasy genre. I also like Nordic larp.
Do you know of any larps like this in the us?
If you go to an escape room with a group in costume it completely blows their minds! I highly recommend it!
Also this is great list that covered things that I didn't think of right off. Well done!
Wait, what about the WoD style larps (like Vampire the Masquerade/Werewolf the Apocalypse)? The larps that focus heavily on role play (character sheet, 3x5 note cards for weapons, etc), and is easier on combat (using rock paper scissors to determine whether actions actually happen or not). It's become one of the largest larping communities on the planet and can take place anywhere.
I think she did touch on that if you re-watch the video
I had no idea reenactments can bleed into larps! That's AMAZING! I must look into this. Thank you for making me aware of this!!!!
I love the reenactment community truly great
Correction- There is no story...to Amtgard... what-so-ever. I played that game for almost a decade and any person who tried to roleplay was either ridiculed into abandoning role play and anyone else was pushed out. The stick jocks rule in Amtgard. If you like battle games with no real motivation other than to be on the winning team...go with amtgard. I didn't even know amtgard was supposed to have a story until I watched this video. There isn't any plot or story in the rule book either. soo... yeah.
Hi Belegrim here! Some clarification about "combat LARP" I'd best describe Belegarth as Fantasy Re-creation Events. It crosses over sports and role-playing in a very unique way. It started as Tolkien Reenactment but with no set results to the battles, and has become like a musical festival, but instead of music its centered around the weird RP-Sport. Also its very social. You want your camp to feel like a war camp, but they just won the battle and now they can relax. It's like boffer LARP minus magic. 90% of the people are playing warriors of some kind. Like a video game in real life. There are a growing number of non-combatants to the game that have helped it grow as a community (and encouraged more role-playing as well.)
Reenactments aren't always pre-scripted battles often times they will hold tactical battles in which an objective is set and whichever side better completes that objective wins. That's where understanding battlefield tactics really becomes important. They are also a lot of fun.
Hey LARP House!
I'm super interesed in Fantasy LARP, however living out of Lansing MI, there is no groups around me. Do you have any suggestions for someone like me?? should I find people who are interested and start our own kingdom or something?? please help i really would like to be apart of this without having to travel far, since funds for traveling is an issue for me.
Hey there! So, I think you are on the right track with finding people who are interested and starting your own, you'll probably be surprised by the people who express interest! We get this question often enough that we want to dedicate multiple episodes to building your own world to larp in, in the near future. But until then there are many resources online for writing your own world, and maybe you could try running your world as a Table Top game first in order to test it and flesh it out! Running a LARP and playing in one are very different experiences however, so maybe once you find the core team of people who would help you, switch off and take shifts GMing! Let us know any questions you have and we will either answer ourselves or get a seasoned LARPer's advice for you :)
Aw thanks for getting back to me! I'll wait for your episode! In the meantime I did find a larp that's about an hour and a half away so I'll get some experience with them first and build a team on the side !
Oh yay! OO how exciting! Let us know how it goes and if we can help!
THat's what I did. Although I got lucky with a lot of tunnels to simulate dungeons that we use for heavy roleplay dungeon crawling adventures.
Hey Phil, I am in the same area with the same interest. I know this is 2 years later but did you find/make anything near lansing?
This break-down made a Whole lot more sense than all of the reading and searching i have done, Thanks for another great video!
my Favourite kind? the ones that happen :) as a part of a small community, we don't have many games, so any larp is a good larp :)
I changed history whilst playing a reenactment... I was Hitler...
My moustache won.
You are so informative. Thank you!
I am more into fantasy Boffer Larp but the only larp to speak of here is vampire the Masquerade
I'm looking through the description and I I've played werewolf before. we play it in school and such when we're bored
Yayyy! New video! Great video and informative!
My bird LOVED that bit at the end. XD
I really want to go to a historic reenactment but there are none going on any time soon that I can find. Any tips to find reenactments to partake in?
Well! That depends on what areas you're willing to travel to. My only firsthand experience with reenactments are on the East Coast (Florida, West Virginia, Georgia etc.) but if you tell me where you're willing to go, I'm sure we can come up with recommendations.
+Larp House The Manitoba Canada area
You can try and look up SCA www.sca.org
I live in Canada and I will be stating one of these soon with my three friends
Delusion! Yes. You should go.
Would I be allowed to film? Like, strap a gopro to my chest?
i enjoy the fantasy larp... you know the one like DnD... war... guilds... custom characters
Love it. Keep up the great work!
"Big dreams and tiny wallets" sounds like I'd fit right in there! I'm from Scandinavia, know about any larpers around my neck of the woods?
Hej David! Go search for lajv on the internet, that's the term for larp in Scandinavia. Several takes place this summer and through the year.
I’m prescribed.... I drank the koolaid
no matter where i pause the video, i can never catch you with a bad face that wasn't intentional
Haha thank you. That does NOT seem to be the case when we edit lol
4:20 :P
Urine soup?!?! jk great video XD
So, you are going to Bicolline right? :)
Ooooh I would love to! If/when budget allows anyways :)
+Larp House I have been trying to convince some of my SoCal LARPer friends to go at least two of whom I think you know. It is a pretty massive expense. I have actually missed many local events because I am paying for Bico on a monthly payment plan and bolstering my kit to handle a weeks worth of immersive RP. . . in another country. . . where they mostly speak just French. And cue the anxiety. . .
Dude I'm going to Bico this year! I'm pretty new to larp and by pretty new I mean totally new. But I've done Ren Faire forever and wanted to try something new and more involved. Im soooo stoked though!! I'm from Southern California too :)
+Haley Sansoucie I grew up in Southern Cali, I also recognize you from the TVN facebook posts :) I worked faire a long time, the big faire when it was in Agoura, then Devore, and most of the small faires up and down the coast. Have you picked your house?
+SpaceRanger42 yeah I'm in the House Fletcher. How about you?
I'm not gonna repeat it because that would be rude but I would love to see a reply to Aaron V's comment because I had a lot of the same questions
Chesterson Jack We will likely do a Part 2 video with more coverage of European styles- more field research is required for that first, so it will happen after our big move to Berlin 😉
I can't find Larp in South Africa
I have just the friend to introduce you to!
Larp House cool who
Tagging him in right now, sit tight and he'll either comment here or give me some info for you ;)
Thanks
Hi Julie. Where about in South Africa are you? I know there are two ongoing Nero LARPs in Johannesburg. Unsure about any action in Durban and Pretoria. Cape Town has some loose modules every now and again via the Cape Town University community (CLAWs) and my own (slowly progressing) aspirations to start up a bi-monthly LARP of one form or another.
i win first comment :)