What is LARP?

Many a time I have told my friends about LARP, to hear the response, “Lard?” “What the heck is Lart?” “Larap?” And on one particular occasion, “Largey”.

It’s LARP! It stands for Live Action Role Playing Game. And it’s possibly one of the most addicting, amazing, life changing hobbies you’ll ever pick up.

Ever heard of D&D? Or played it? Ever watched Lord of The Rings? Or read it? Ever played Runescape or World of Warcraft? If yes, I’ll get back to you in a second. For those of you staring blankly at your computer screen wondering what on earth I’ve been drinking today, fear not. An explanation is but seconds away.

LARP is generally in a fantasy setting, based in a time of might, magic, princesses and Dragons, some mystical creatures, and some not so mystical ones. Its set in that fantasy period where Elves are tall beautiful creatures with long blonde hair that lived in the trees and shot things with there bow and arrow, not the little scary things that work for Santa. It’s where the protectors of the forest form an alliance to defeat an oncoming scourge of Orc’s, Troll’s and Drow, where men fight for power in a new born civilization and Dwarves…. Well….. They hit things and get drunk.

LARP is basically a chance for a few weekends a year to escape the humdrum of your normal life, and go and be something we could never be, do something we could never do. It’s a chance to live out your fantasies and dreams, it’s a chance to make great friends and stronger bonds with your old ones, and most importantly, it’s a chance to run around a huge field attacking friends and strangers alike with a 42” foam sword, legally.

How do you play? Well playing is easy. You just turn up, get dressed up in costume, pick up your weapons and wait for the game to start. Once the game starts (Time In) your free to go and perform any normal action your character wants to do. That means if you wish to run across the field and hit that big ugly troll that’s giving you the eye then you can! And no you don’t have to roll for it. But all actions have consequences, so if that troll turns around and casts a spell at you that will blow your chest up then don’t blame me.

Now does it sound tempting?

As for the people who HAVE tried any of those other things, wouldn’t it be better to actually play your level 12 Paladin, your Highwind Ranger of the North Forest, or your drunken halfling monk with a blood lust and a foot fetish? In real life, not with dice?

You may have actually heard of LARP before, even played an event. It’s more than possible; there are already so many systems out there that do events, from the most well known, The Lorien Trust and Curious Pastimes, to Dave’s LARPing night and the 5 Kingdoms. And of course not all LARP events are based in medieval times, some are vampire based, future based, some are based in real life times, some are even fought with air soft guns, like NEXUS.

Well, out from the shadows comes the newest system of all, aiming to cater to anyone and everyone willing to take up a new challenge, a new hobby, a new step forward in life, those willing to have an adventure, or get drunk in a field. Presenting…

*Drum roll and cheap fanfare* LARP ENTERTAINMENT!!! LE!!!

There are so many ways you can play it, you can play for story, build your character up in the world, aim to be on of the most well known and respected person on the planet, to a sneaky assassin out just for himself, forsaking all his friends and family to live his wildest desires. The possibilities are endless, and while it’s controlled with rules to make it a safe and enjoyable experience, at LE, the most important thing we want you to do, the one reason we want you to come, is above all, HAVE FUN! Besides, I’m there. What more could you want? Heeheehee…

So, on behalf of LARP Entertainment, whether you found this website on accident, or are looking to join in with our ever growing community of companions, have fun, fight hard, think fast, and stay the heck away from anything calling Fatal…

Rob Mayfield - Duet Harlen - NPC
For further information, an encyclopedia article, and useful links to further information and other games, can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LARP