LARPs?

[WayneLigon]

I've done some LARPing back when it was first getting started; did some Vampire LARPing, a little Dark Confrontation at DragonCon, and I did Shattered Isles once at a campground outside of Atlanta. I liked the character creation, GMing, and system for Shattered Isles, and I liked the company; everyone was nice, polite, clean and well-behaved.

That said, having given it a try, LARPing is not for me. I can suspend disbelief at the gaming table with pictures, pencil and paper and minis. I can't when I have to lug my overweight underexercised over-40 self through real heat and real humidity, etc. It really hurt my self-image, silly as that sounds to some, and I was depressed for days afterwards.

 

[Galethorn]

LARPing? No, not for me...

Putting on armor, then getting together with a bunch of people and having a pitched battle? Muuuuch better.

Unfortunately, the closest I've come to either is getting together with a small group of friends and hitting each other with PVC-and-pipe-insulation-foam 'swords' until we're all too tired to continue. I, being a very tall and powerfully built sort, along with being very confident, managed to do very well in these bouts. I did well with a one-hander and a shield (mostly because I used the shield to, basically, overbear my opponent), a hand-and-a-half, a 'spear', and especially well with a long, light two-hander.

 

[Sholari]

Try using carbon fiber rods for the core, then glueing thin layers of closed cell foam to build up the blade shape, then covering it with a cloth sock. That's what we mostly do. You can get the carbon rods at a kite store.

Way back in my college years I got the chance to play in Andor's Boulder/Denver IFGS chapter (http://db.ifgs.org/index.html). Their chapter in particular is very professional with safety training, well-coordinated logistics management, trained set design people, etc. Their group was at the time (probably still is) fairly extensive with 80+ individuals. In one day they literally built a crypt up in the mountains complete with motion sensors to simulate traps and actual working secret door. They own some warehouse with props/special effects equipment and have put on haunted houses for the general public around Halloween.

I'd say some LARP groups can be a bit strange, however, a group like the Boulder/Denver IFGS chapter is a whole different scenario altogether. If you are going to try out any LARP I would highly recommend them.

 

[Baron Opal]

Well, here I was about to expound on the virtues of the IFGS, and I see that Andor beat me to it. I would mention that there are many chapters around the country, and that you don't need to be in Colorado to play.

We have a spiffy chapter in Portland, Oregon, if I do say so myself. And, I had a grand time at my first game in Atlanta, Georgia.

The first game I played in was named "Piper on the Hill". A great game. Something for everyone, it is a great game for beginners as there is a good number of easy fights, hard fights, roleplaying encounters, problems that can be solved either by roleplaying or combat, and not everything is as it seems. I had a blast playing it and just as much fun running the game recently up here in the Pacific Northwest.

Each team has a "loremaster". He is the team captain. He usually has been given the hook of the adventure and one way or another assembles the players / characters for the mission. Any special lore available before the game begins is given to him. One thing that makes him special is that he can "inspire" the members of his team once per day. This gives them some minor defensive bonuses.

The loremaster for my team was an experienced player who through some accident never played this game. So, we make our introductions, and he looks at me and says "Oh, cool, you're a knight (paladin analog). You know what your job is, right?"

"Ah, be the last to retreat?"

He laughs, "No, find the mage AND KILL HIM. Oh, and be charming to the ladies."

So, later on, we come across a fight, and some girl on the other team starts chanting and moving her arms about. The cleric looks over at me, "Yo, Frost, there she is. Go get her!" I charge with a (to my mind) blood-curdling scream. One of her lackies steps infront of me and cleans my clock. Seems like that while these are just kite-pole and foam weapons there is a certain amount of skill that is required. I'm laying on the ground, lots of shouting around me, and then it gets quiet. I see the cleric standing over me and he says, "You didn't get the mage."

"No. She had a henchmen. And he could fight better than me."

"They always do. Train more. Perhaps you should invest in a shield."

So, I do, and I did, and I do fairly well. Unfortuantly, one of the last times I played my shield broke (for real) and then the mage got me in the chest with his staff that carried a full-charge Electrify. (Shocking Grasp analog) That pretty much blew me out of the water.

Great times. If any of you are in Salem, Oregon the weekend of June 18th, swing by the southern end of Bush Park. We've go a game going on then. We started building the sets and props a couple of weeks ago.

Baron Opal

My home chapter

 

[BullMarkOne]

I played NERO (ashbury) for a few years, right around the time of the NERO Alliance split.. the game itself was serious fun, although I could never afford to pc it, I did alot of npc'ing. Best part really was that it was a huge change of pace from the droll repititon of daily life. The once a month drive a couple hours and spend sleep deprived weekend hitting people with pvc, and shouting was really great.

 

[videogamestar200]

does anyone else have any ideas for boffer weapons as I said in my earlier post?

 

[dinsdale]

I have tried the normal PVC pipe and foam, but it wobbles too much.
.....
so, I would really like to know how to make the perfect boffer weapon.

Larped for many years (mostly NERO Ashbury). The standard was PVC (covered by closed cell foam with open cell foam tips) and we didn't have too much trouble with wobbling, or whipping as we called it. What diameter pipe were you using? 3/4 in. works out pretty well (except for some long 2-handed weapons where anodized aluminum works better). A quick guide to weapon making can be found at: http://www.nerohq.com/weapons.htm

For significantly lighter weapons, replace duct tape with kite tape, though it doesn't stick quite as securely.

I have also used graphite kite rods as a core covered with foam with great success, as have many others. There are also various places online where you can get latex weapons. I've heard good things about latex and seen some home-made versions but never used them myself.

 

[BullMarkOne]

gah, waxed nostalgic a bit on that last post.. thanks for dragging me back to the subject..

I have also used graphite kite rods as a core covered with foam with great success, as have many others. There are also various places online where you can get latex weapons. I've heard good things about latex and seen some home-made versions but never used them myself.

I've heard of guys using low-cost fishing poles for ultra-light boffers too, IIRC they were reinforced with fiberglass tape(??) to reduce whip, used cut down pipe insulation (closed cell foam) for padding with typical open cell foam tips. a rubber bouncy ball had to be bored out a bit and stuck on the end of the pole to prevent it from poking through on a thrust.

I'd also add that 1/2 inch pvc makes for a nicer dagger than 3/4.

I've seen and had the opportunity to handle some of the latex weapons, and they are pretty nice, but can get to be expensive.. still if I was to go back into LARPing, I could probably justify the expense, since they are about the best looking boffers I've seen.

 

[MonkeyDragon]

Ahhh, LARPing. I love it so. When I wanted to gather my friends and LARP, I couldn't find a system I liked. I wanted to play D&D. So I sat down and wrote a system myself. We've now had three events, the system gets a little tighter every time, and it's all LOTS of fun. Everything is simple and easy so the non-gamers don't get confused, and it's organized so that there doesn't have to be a gamemaster or storyteller: everybody gets to play.

We're cheaper than other games, too. Standard fee is 10 bucks an event, and that covers all the weapons and props. We use pvs and pool noodle boffers, have spray painted poker chips and dollar store baubles for treasure, and a collection of thrift store dishes and candle holders. Spells are little beanbags I made.

The game is even d20! Every player has a d20 in a small plastic box on a string, and these are used for all the saves and checks and stuff. One of my goals for next year is to make the game OGL compliant. Should be interesting.

The only problems we run into is that it's hard to find places to play, gathering enough people at any one time can be hard, and it's tough to organize all those people personally AND come up with all the story elements and plot things and make all the necessary materials for the games. Still, I think it's one of the best ideas I've ever had.

 

[Kanegrundar]

I've only played in one. It was a playtest for a game that never saw the light of day. It was OK, but it wasn't anything more than playing cops and robbers. Let my games have dice!!!

Kane