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Live Roleplayers Anonymous

The resistable rise of Reidcourchie

10:04 / 05.07.03

And everytime I try to leave the pull me back in.

I recently akinned this holiday to some kind of very addictive narcotic. Despite several abortive attempts to leave the game I always end up returning to this psychologically masochistic hobby, I think I have to admit that I am addicted to cathartic, wish fulfilment, escapist frippery.

However the silly season is upon us again and I was just sort of wondering is there anyone here on Barbelith who'll be at the Gathering?

10:34 / 05.07.03

I used to attend regularly when I was on the plot team that ran the events, but I havn't been for a while now. I pretty much became bored with the whole scene, and my decision to leave was finalised by an agent who offered me the chance to actually get paid for writing plots from the comfort of my own home and not from a draughty tent in Derby.

We're The Great Old Ones Now

10:35 / 05.07.03

Which LARP? Is this the Labarynth, or one of those really scary LARP/Cthulhu sessions which ends with half a dozen people in therapy? Or something else I haven't heard of?

The resistable rise of Reidcourchie

11:05 / 05.07.03

Where to begin?

The particular style of LRP I'm talking about in Labyrinth style medieval (high) fantasy. It's dress up as Elves, Orcs, Drow, Celts etc. and batter your mates with lumps of latex that look like period weapons. Actually that's a bit unfair there's a lot of in character interaction. It is a contact game and in that way seperate from the Cthulu stayle of murder mystery games with tentacles. if you see what I mean.

The events tend to be anything from unit level of about 30 people to the Gathering on the August bank holiday which tends to have between 3-4000 players.

Tez, that seems perfectly reasonable. Do you ever feel like going back and playing?

Cholister, the short answer to your question is you decide on a character you want to play, based loosely on the background of the Faction (fantasy nation states based very, very loosely on a sort of mythological real world) you're in, you put together the costume and the gear, said character would require (expensive or cheap depending on how good you are with your hands and what you know) and then off you go to accomplish personal/tribal/factional goals etc. Or you can get drunk and wallop your mates with latex. (Oddly when I try and draw comparison between this sort of behaviour and the BDSM scene I just receive blank looks.) It is also the worlds worst spectator sport, so putting us under a slide would just make us look silly really. Well we are silly but it's analysing that just makes the suspension of disbelief more difficult to acheive if you see what I mean.

Basically you're the actor in an ultraviolent medieval soap opera.

I can't link on this site but here's a URL for the the Gathering, I haven't looked at it so I don't know what it's like.

http://www.lorientrust.com/

The Natural Way

11:18 / 05.07.03

I used to do this stuff in my early to mid-teens. Lots of fun. A good old fight.

Things degenerated a bit, though, as drugs and wanky-teenageness kicked in: everyone bundled certain monsters 'cause it was funny to just pile up on one poor bloke and, well, I think amphetamines slipped in somewhere.

11:55 / 05.07.03

Before you ask - you weren't hallucinating. I deleted my post because I sounded, as is depressingly common, like a fuckwit.

Thanks for the primer, Reidcourchie.

12:25 / 05.07.03

Are we talking melee or missile weapons?

The resistable rise of Reidcourchie

12:35 / 05.07.03

Melee are by far and away the most common, but people do use bows, crossbows etc. Basically the bolts/arrows are a wooden or fibreglass core with a big squashy sponge head replacing a sharp pointy steel one. Also the pull on the bows is extremely low.

Personally I don't use bow weapons due to the fact that everytime you fire one it potentially costs you five to ten quid.

13:04 / 05.07.03

Tez, that seems perfectly reasonable. Do you ever feel like going back and playing?

Not really, TBH. I was a player for about a year or so before being offered the position of head of plot for my faction, which, in turn, led to writing for the main events as well, and whilst it was kinda fun, the job was pretty stressful, moreso as we weren't paid for our time and effort. Sure I loved it, but there's only so much dedication you can give for free. I still roleplay in a small way now and again, but havn't LARPed for ages.

The Natural Way

13:42 / 05.07.03

Make yr own weapons, Reid! We always did.

The resistable rise of Reidcourchie

14:05 / 05.07.03

Psi I have zero skill in that kind of area, fortunatly I know enough people who make weapons and costume that it doesn't cost me as much as it should.

22:36 / 05.07.03

Ah yes, this old berkery.

Used to go LARPING with the Runce, as did Fraely, back in the mists of teenage guilt.

My character was called Trygor the Wanderer, he was a scout and possessed special tracking skills. He also used throwing knives.
When he died I invented his brother: Trygor II

On the subject of horror LARP, anyone done it?

13:36 / 06.07.03

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Pot.

18:35 / 06.07.03

Thanks PotGuns, but I'm more interested in the 1920s lovecraftian horror kind. I read a review of a Cthuloid weekend in Wales that made the whole affair sound bloody terrifying.

I'd like to check something like that out. I like a good scare me.

Not so into double damage these days, mind you.

18:55 / 07.07.03

*bump*

I know there is someone out there who has much to say on this topic and ze hasn't found this thread yet.

So here it is! Come and get it!

I've only played one LRP game ever, which is a fantasy game I went to over the Easter weekend, and I had an interesting time. I'm not sure that I would dedicate the rest of my life to it as a hobby, but it's fun and the people I am playing with are nice and generous.

There seems to be an awful lot of talk interest in Cuthulu LRP lately. Is this coincidence or is the unspeakable beast stirring????

13:09 / 08.07.03

Alright then I'll bite :-)
Nope won't be going to the Gathering as my tastes run to smaller games with more plotting and scheming. Not that I don't indulge in a bit of sword (or in my case staff) swinging on occasion when I play Omega (a smaller 500 people fantasy game near manchester).

Nick the answer to your question is...yes. LARP's a pretty broad church from the high fantasy stuff like Labyrinth or The Gathering to modern day Vampire games, 1920's Cthulhu investigation style stuff to freeform (low rules/low combat) games about Medieaval wizards or a 1800's tea party where the object is to marry into the right family. If you poke around you can find a lot of different types of Larp.

Oh and Reid you're not the only one who's mentioned the BDSM connection, it's usually the first thing that certain people point out when I get drunk and start expounding on the subject to people at Barbelith meets. Quite a crossover in the two scenes from talking to people as well. It's all about dressing up to be honest

.

Oh I'll second Potgun's recommendation of Boogieman Games, they run modern day x-files style stuff as well as the resident evil zombie games. It's Cthulhu inspired in part but it's not quite the horror vibe, far too many players with machine guns, still a lot of fun. I'd love to play a proper 1920's Cthulhu game though as I've heard some woderful stories. Btw Bobossboy where are you? Might be able to point you to something local.

The Cthulhu games I know about are
Mystery in Mind
Werebadger
The Dark Door
They all seem to run classic cthulhu horror games with a small group of players and a slim chance of survival

.

Or you could get Tez to twist the arm of a mutal aquaintance Si who runs Dark Light LRP down in Brighton to see if he's running anything cthulhu horror style in the near future. I know he's got a dark ages horror game planned, perhaps you might like that?

You could also stick a post up on www.pagga.com, it's a UK Larp board that I run with my mate Ed that has quite a few people from all over the country posting, someone should know a game that would suit. [/plugmode]

14:11 / 08.07.03

I spent several years running a Fantasy LRP at university for our club (KLAS) which was great fun, ran the first regular live MAGE game in the UK (London '97) did it occasionally for a few years then gave it up. I still consider them my ethnic group in a way (it's always in your blood) but I only roleplay indoors now. I am officially past it.

I have a friend who regularly plays and monsters live Cthulhu, the last one was on a scottish island where the toilets by the pier you land on are carved from black basalt... He loves it and since he has a decade's heavy experience I trust his judgement. I'll ask him for details...

I never made it to the gathering (except for a tavern night with the Hand Of Malar taunting Drow) but apparently it's alright.

The resistable rise of Reidcourchie

16:17 / 08.07.03

Bit of tree shaking from angel and it all comes out.

Friends of mine occasionally run the Cthulu live game (you know the bought one), I enjoy it but I have problem with non-hands on LRP. The organised events do sound fun however. For those interested I'd say give them a go, I would imagine a lot cheaper and more comfortable than say something like the Gathering. Spend some quality time with friends and starngers utterly soiling yourself, what could be more fun.

Invisb al, some friends of mine gave Omega a go, they spoke very highly of it but weren't able to keep it up due to other commitments and the apparently omnipresent and sad internal difficulties. Again probably a better role playing experience than the Gathering (which can have an LRP convention feel to it at worse). I enjoy the immersion that an event the size of the Gathering has but I too like smaller games like the Moots, faction and unit games.

Al you're lucky I tend to get accused of being a weirdo when I point out the BDSM connection (or the homosocial nature of a lot of LRPers), but then I tend to be talking to my rather narrow minded LRP mates rather than the likes of an average Barbelithian (should such a creature exist).