LARP: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
LARPs with physical combat rules use foam weapons, airsoft guns, laser tag guns and similar, to represent weapons, and are often known as boffer or live combat LARPs. Sometimes relatively harmless versions of real weapons such as blunt metal swords or firearms loaded with blanks are used as representations. In LARPs with physical combat the physical skills of the player play an important role. On the other hand, symbolic rules involve momentarily pausing role-play in order to determine the outcome of an action, for example by rolling dice, playing rock-paper-scissors or comparing character attributes. In symbolic combat systems weapons may be represented by cards or physical replicas. Sometimes realistic weapon props and physical contact between players are not allowed. | LARPs with physical combat rules use foam weapons, airsoft guns, laser tag guns and similar, to represent weapons, and are often known as boffer or live combat LARPs. Sometimes relatively harmless versions of real weapons such as blunt metal swords or firearms loaded with blanks are used as representations. In LARPs with physical combat the physical skills of the player play an important role. On the other hand, symbolic rules involve momentarily pausing role-play in order to determine the outcome of an action, for example by rolling dice, playing rock-paper-scissors or comparing character attributes. In symbolic combat systems weapons may be represented by cards or physical replicas. Sometimes realistic weapon props and physical contact between players are not allowed. | ||
==With the official description bullshit out of the way...== | |||
The general opinion that fa/tg/uys have on LARP is negative, to say the least. There have been a few cases where a normal discussion on LARP has been made, and a couple of people even admit to partake in the activities themselves. | |||
The hatred of LARP mostly comes from fa/tg/uys that only wish to move away from a table to grab something to eat or drink, or to take a piss (the latter is optional and can be replaced by urinating in someone else's drink while they're not looking). Other annoyances are: | |||
*Costuming. Most LARP costumes are deemed 'laughably bad' by fa/tg/uys, and the act of dressing up in a fantasy costume to play out a fictional setting is considered ridiculous. | |||
*Fake weaponry. Having a secret crush on /k/ommando's, many fa/tg/uys are ashamed of a roleplaying activity involving weapons made out of foam or latex. | |||
*Vampire/Werewolf roleplays. There is nothing worse than having leftovers from the Gothic community pretending they're fashionable and creepily homosexual undead or furries. | |||
LARPers and cosplayers share a fervent hatred for each other, mainly because of the shared costuming habits combined with the differences each hobby has. No LARPer wishes to see a Naruto or Sephiroth at their event (This stems from the Dungeons & Dragons trauma's involving badly made 'original characters' which ruined many a game), and cosplayers do not see the use in dressing up as something that isn't popular with the creepy 13-16 year old fangirls. | |||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
Revision as of 14:28, 11 November 2008
A live action role-playing game (LARP) is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters' actions. The first LARPs were run in the late 1970s, inspired by role-playing games and genre fiction. The activity gained international popularity during the 1980s. LARP groups have highly varied approaches to rules, costume, degree of physical acting out, participation, focus of character activity, and genre. LARPs range in size from small private events lasting a few hours to huge public events with thousands of players lasting for several days.
Despite the widespread popularity of such events, the neckbeard community at large typically regards LARPing as the least cool of all RPG-related pastimes, reasoning that although they might spend large amounts of their time shouting excitedly about dice rolls in a dark basement, at least they're not running around in a forest in their underpants. LARPers are frequent targets of fa/tg/uys' scorn.
LARP rules
Some LARPs have game rules that determine how characters can affect each other and the setting. These rules may define characters' capabilities, how those capabilities can change over time, what can be done with various items in the setting, and what characters can do during the downtime between LARP events. Because referees are often not available to mediate all character actions, players are relied upon to be honest in their application of the rules. There are also LARPs that do without rules, instead relying on players to use their common sense or feel for dramatic appropriateness to cooperatively decide what the outcome of their actions will be.
LARP rules are used to represent characters' actions and determine whether they succeed or not. The rules can be classified by verisimilitude, i.e. how closely the player's action resembles the fictional action being performed. This difference is most clearly visible when comparing LARPs that use physical combat and those that use symbolic determination of combat. However, the same principle applies to social influence and intellectual problem solving, which can also be based on the actual skills of the player or handled by symbolic rules.
LARPs with physical combat rules use foam weapons, airsoft guns, laser tag guns and similar, to represent weapons, and are often known as boffer or live combat LARPs. Sometimes relatively harmless versions of real weapons such as blunt metal swords or firearms loaded with blanks are used as representations. In LARPs with physical combat the physical skills of the player play an important role. On the other hand, symbolic rules involve momentarily pausing role-play in order to determine the outcome of an action, for example by rolling dice, playing rock-paper-scissors or comparing character attributes. In symbolic combat systems weapons may be represented by cards or physical replicas. Sometimes realistic weapon props and physical contact between players are not allowed.
With the official description bullshit out of the way...
The general opinion that fa/tg/uys have on LARP is negative, to say the least. There have been a few cases where a normal discussion on LARP has been made, and a couple of people even admit to partake in the activities themselves.
The hatred of LARP mostly comes from fa/tg/uys that only wish to move away from a table to grab something to eat or drink, or to take a piss (the latter is optional and can be replaced by urinating in someone else's drink while they're not looking). Other annoyances are:
- Costuming. Most LARP costumes are deemed 'laughably bad' by fa/tg/uys, and the act of dressing up in a fantasy costume to play out a fictional setting is considered ridiculous.
- Fake weaponry. Having a secret crush on /k/ommando's, many fa/tg/uys are ashamed of a roleplaying activity involving weapons made out of foam or latex.
- Vampire/Werewolf roleplays. There is nothing worse than having leftovers from the Gothic community pretending they're fashionable and creepily homosexual undead or furries.
LARPers and cosplayers share a fervent hatred for each other, mainly because of the shared costuming habits combined with the differences each hobby has. No LARPer wishes to see a Naruto or Sephiroth at their event (This stems from the Dungeons & Dragons trauma's involving badly made 'original characters' which ruined many a game), and cosplayers do not see the use in dressing up as something that isn't popular with the creepy 13-16 year old fangirls.
External Links
- Darkon - A documentary-movie about LARPers