LARP History

[Trickstergod]

All right, my thread starting's few and far between, and on here at least, it's been restricted to the d20 rules questions forum, as that's fairly cut and dry. So if this is off-topic for here, do beg my pardon.

Anyway, on with my posting:

I'm quite likely doing a speech in a week on my community, the role-playing game community. While some of the stuff I'm likely going to include isn't that hard to find, it did occur to me finding out some of the details about how LARPs initially started, what the first official one was, and all that jazz, might be a bit more difficult to come across. A quick search on Google proved that fact to me.

So, I was wondering if anyone might be able to provide me with details or possibly any sources (web-sites, or maybe even books) that go into the initial creation and history of LARPs. More specifically fantasy LARPs, though any bit helps.

Much appreciated ahead of time.

 

[Pielorinho]

Not sure, although you may want to look into the history of the SCA: I consider it a strong precursor to LARPs. Personally, my first experience with a LARP was in February 1993 in a Vampire LARP using a homebrew system. White Wolf published their Mind's Eye Theater rules a couple years after that. Their rules suck compared to our homebrew .

Good luck, and I'm interested in what you find out!
Daniel

 

[Wombat]

The northern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire started the same year as the SCA, with a lot of crossover between the two groups.

I think you would find similar traits -- fascination with pre-modern times, a group of frustrated actors, love of fantasy, willing to act in public...

Vampire LARPers are the newcomers, that way; I knew people who "larped" fantasy games before both the term became common and well before WoD -- back in the early 1980s.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

The northern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire started the same year as the SCA, with a lot of crossover between the two groups.

I think you would find similar traits -- fascination with pre-modern times, a group of frustrated actors, love of fantasy, willing to act in public...

Vampire LARPers are the newcomers, that way; I knew people who "larped" fantasy games before both the term became common and well before WoD -- back in the early 1980s.

What Wombat said.

I first took part in a live-action fantasy roleplaying adventure in 1984 in college. The group had run their first one the year before. These particular ones were run at an old family farm in Ware, Massachusetts and were called a "Delos." Fun in the same way First Edition was fun. Suddenly I remember running around the woods in makeup throwing a bean bag as a magic missile and using duct-tape covered PVC pipe and foam for a sword. Now of course LARPS have expanded to their own unique art form. Can't help you after about 1988.

 

[Agback]

G'day

LARPs are called 'freeforms' in Australia. As far as I am aware, the first time a freeform was run at a games convention in Australia was at BrisCon in 1981. When I went to my first ever games convention (CanCon in January 1983) freeforms were already well-established.

Regards,


Agback

 

[Trickstergod]

Much appreciated.

As it is, I'd been looking more for a way of tying it in to the evolution of table-top games into something actually being acted out, but all this is helpful, too. I may not include any of it, or anything on LARPs at all now, as it honestly seems it might be a bit too much information to properly integrate into a four to six minute speech, but it's appreciated all the same.

 

[Paka]

I believe I invented LARPing in 1980 when I hit my best friend with a wiffle ball bat while making lightsaber-like noises.

Honestly and seriously, I believe many of the larger fantasy LARPs can be traced to Massachussets. Check out some LARPing web sites and send out some polite e-mails and you should get some interesting feedback.