Imogen - there used to be some university groups in Brum and if you're talking Fest style systems then Empire (Profound Decisions) is good and near Banbury?
I love yogcast and just came here after seeing Chris Hardwick's new LARP series. I think it's brilliant that masses of creative, passionate people have found an amazing outlet. I'm not a LARP'er however I have respect and think what they do is brilliant. Well done guys!
Well said. And truth be told, many of us do not play more than about 4 events a year, so anyone who thinks that we live-eat-sleep our characters is way off the bat. Many of us also have a love for acting, but never considered turning it into a job. It's just another hobby, we do not harm anyone with it and we do it away from anyone who doesn't like it - we do not force it on anyone. :) Thank you for your kind words. :)
I don't see why people LARP with foam and latex? Its a lot more fun with real armor and unsharpened swords. The concept of pain and getting hurt makes fighting more exciting and engaging, like paintball. Instead of yelling health points just beat the other into submission. As long as no one has to go to the hospital of course.
people at my larp use real steel armour, but foam weapons. Main reason isn't because of immersion but for safety, sure if people trained to use steel swords with blunt edges but that take quite a bit of time. If you use foam, you don't need armour and you can step in with minimal training and not injure people. That way it's more enjoyable for people with a limited budget and more people can do it.
I have been roleplaying for a couple of years in online games such as GTA San Andreas, and World Of Warcraft, of high seriousity, however I was at my first real Live Roleplaying event the other day and I absolutely loved it, not only the fact of the intense events during the gameplay but the brothership, the experimenting, the letting loose, the hours of time and decorating and advancing your character along with your costume is amazing! I sincerely care nothing for haters, and love protesting.
A genuinely well edited documentary. Really enjoyed watching this. It's changed my perspective on larping (as originally I thought it was the stereotypical "Lightning bolt").
Gersomwolf, thank you for proving two things: Trolls will be trolls, and people who LARP (even though I don't do it myself) are perfectly normal, creative, and interesting people.
I find these people incredibly interesting and awesome. They have no insecurity of what they love to do, and they live it. Say all you want about them living in another world and blah blah...I'd say we all live in our own world, they just choose to let it be seen. Respect.
Wicked i just found out about Larping last week!. Im having my first battle as you would say tomorrow with a ton of my friends and people in my town, thanks for the information it totally helped me out!. And i totally agree that we are getting sucked into video games lol thats why im doing this. Cheers
In the system portrayed in this docu, which is the LT (Lorien Trust) yes you can parry blows and they will not effect you in any way. If you have a shield you can likewise block blows. However, in the LT system there are certain strikes that can destroy your weapon / armor and thus mean that any blows after that you will not be able to block.
As a young child I grew up playing with wooden swords with my friend. We made all kind of weapons. Just used a two by four pine wood and a sharpen knife and a hand axe, that we took from our fathers wood shack. we made hundreds, I have made 63 spears, swards, fails, even sheilds. today i mastered melee combat now i want to try larping with my friends, 15 strong warriors.
Those weapons are BEAUTIFUL. Dare I guess latex? I would love to see such a large-scale LARP event. The LARP I go to only has an average of 70 or so people at our larger events. I hope this video helps bring down the gap between LARPers and non-LARPers if only a little bit. Well done. And I firmly believe that LARP will never die. No matter how good video games get there is nothing better than getting out there and living it.
At first I was going to laugh, but then I realized that these people still have an imagination. I now miss mine that was robbed from me as I grew up and had to face the world and its problems. Your imagination is limited, you'll miss it when it's gone. Kudos LARPers, one day there will be a place where something like a Holodeck will make this an amazing experience
the way i see it, LARPing to video games that are similar is like Airsoft or Paintball to games about shooting. There's always a bit more realism when you're actually doing these actions in real life, then to when you're playing a game. A lot of people like to play Airsoft or Paintball because they feel its more realistic then games, and i feel it will be the same with LARPing. I hope LARPing grows, because it really does seem fun, and I hope to do it in the future.
Personally, Im excited for the future of LARPing. The way I see it, rather than immersive video games taking away potential players for the battlefield, I feel like they present the opportunity to act as a sort of gate into the LARPing community. For instance, I loved playing online RPGs with friends daily, but heard about LARPing and got addicted to the concept of stepping away from a monitor and having the chance to wield the sword myself, a feeling no game is currently capable of presenting.
There are special events where a much more powerful than usual creature or person is introduced as a lone wolf,like a troll or giant dragonkin.There was also one where a giant tree man attacked.The guy in the tree costume got tripped and got owned by a huge group of warrior LARPers.I personally find LARP to be an excellent way to exercise.
I always thought LARPing was stupid, but my friend went and had alot of fun so I had to check it out. OMG, it was amazingly fun! We go to a steampunk LARP (if you don't know what steampunk is... LOOK IT UP!) You get to "escape," meet people, fight, dress up, be someone else for a few hours, and have fun. My character is an elf that has been infected with evil so she is very dark. People are scared of her except the elf hunters want to capture her. Lol, don't knock it beore you try it! TRY IT!
I live in Puerto Rico and I've never larped before but I love RPG's and LARPing looks so cool and in all these videos everyone looks like they're having so much fun it looks so cool lol :)
a lot of larpers have formal weapon training but since they dont need to actually cut the person using the same amount of force would be over kill so they adjust their fighting stile to be more efficient
Wow... that looks amazing. I always thought LARPing to be a nerdy activity but now that I saw that, I'm jealous that I can't be there LARPing right now.
In this particular system, everyone has a hit point value for each limb. People keep track of their own hit points, subtracting one every time someone hits them. Hit points reach zero on any limb, and it's unusable until it's healed. Hit points reach zero on your head or chest, you fall over and act unconscious. Hit points reach -1 on any location, your character is bleeding out. Bleed out for ten minutes, and your character is dead. Different systems use different rules, though.
if anything, You really get to be yourself when you roleplay like this. it gives you a chance to relax and create yourself as you want to be, and not the person society expects you to be. You can be an obnoxious ogre, or a graceful elf. You can battle and test yourself and your skills in combat, instead of always questioning your self worth behind a cash register at walmart. I really want to go to one of these gatherings, and test myself among these guys!
When fighting with weapons, your own skills do determine how well you do. Those who don't feel up to it generally take healing or magic skills and do spell support which is more of a tactical/resource management game. If your mobility is very restricted, it's quite possible, and not unusual, to play a character who does not get involved in combat. It mainly relies on the honour system, but there are referees who'll usually spot anyone taking the piss, as well as making sure fights are safe
@Bman135 Hard enough to feel, but not so hard it causes mych pain, or leaves a mark. The weapons are covered in medium density foam, and then latex, which helps.
Correction to your correction of a correction, anybody CAN pull a trigger, but not just anybody can get the aim right, this involves hit points and fancy costumes and crap but when you get down to it, there is no real contact. Flinging a sword around requires no where near as much skill as getting good shots and staying "alive" yourself.
Ok, but how can you get so drawn into this without feeling a bit rediculous, don't get me wrong i'm not judging anyone of you and I find it very amazing you dare to do this!
Thanks, I started playing in the LT last August. Five events later and still enjoying myself. You seem to be from the US, so I'm not so sure how much help I'll be, as my knowledge really only covers UK clubs. The ones I've heard of stateside are NERO, AMTGARD and SOLAR, which have many chapters in different areas, try googling them. If you're interested in non-contact LARP, try the Camarilla, which runs modern horror games, it's global, and there's probably a chapter near you. Good Luck.
This is a great video. You make a great point about the videogame world taking over but i am a new larper you see, and before that i played World of Warcraft and guildwars and all that. I actually got into tabletop gaming rp and stuff later, and now getting into larp. I think its more about the real life experience that makes that big difference. ^_^
Hello! I am an experianced LARPer from Sweden. And I would like to give a tip for anyone who decides to play a werewolf/wolven in the future. I highly recommend that you fill any visable skin with makeup. Like he had the eyes. He should've used make-up there for a much more realistic effects. But, of course it might be different in England but in Sweden we focus much at Realism. :P
So badass, they should rope off a segment of scotland and have it LARPERS ONLY, build a keep and a village and have a bunch of people on strict roleplay. that would be EPIC
I think this is not nerdy... Look at them! They have chainmails, plated armors, awesome foam weapon and they do godly fight. I do LARP and i really love it. Before i started, i was thinking that LARP was for nerds like you guys, but when a friend bring me to a LARP, I could'nt believe that it was so fun. LARP'ers kick ass!
Over the 20 or so years or so I`ve been involved in LRP I`ve met players who in real life were, Policemen, Doctors, Nurses, paramedics, serving airforce personel, and a lot of other professions of similar kind and I work with disabled people on a daily basis. Why deny as a bit of escapism. Remember that the people most concerned with people escaping are jailors.
WoW saves you nothing but from living a real life. BLARPS and LARPS alike get you outside, moving, and together with real people face to face. You can dance how you want, not just how it's programmed into a game - the possibilities are endless. I played WoW for 2 years. I played Amtgard as well and I miss Amtgard. Unfortunately, it's become more about the stick jocking than about the role play and creativity of it. I miss it terribly. :(
@Lingojac They arn't talking about Foam from your pillow or from packing material. There are very sturdy forms of foam that absorb impact without causing damage to the human body. True it wont be exactly like fencing but it still has similar dynamics.
If you want, you really should try to find a larping event, it's really fun, and i have only tried 1 so far, and now i want to go all the time! And just take the best cloth you can find at your home, or borrow some. Noone can expect you to have the "perfect" outfit the first time. You really should try it out, you wont regret it :)
We use "The Lorien Trust" which is based in the UK. give it a google, you will be surprised at what you see really and just how big, inclusive and friendly the LT (lorien trust) actually is.
i've done this before. never though i'd like it, but i lost a bet and had to try it. was actually pretty fun. i'm not obsessed or anything. but it's fun to do every once in a while. lol
@bloodyvid You make your own gennerally. Some events have people at the event who will sell you weapons / armor which you can use for the duration of the event after purchasing for in-game gold, however don't count on that and atleast make your weapons. You're normally rewarded for bringing a costume aswell.
Great point about being no different than when we were kids, just that now we have better kit. LOL
Imogen - there used to be some university groups in Brum and if you're talking Fest style systems then Empire (Profound Decisions) is good and near Banbury?
God I remember this.
boney davies We don't come off well on video do we mate? :) (though I was probably 15 when this was done and you were....76?) :)
Cheeky fecker.
No, LRP always looks retarded. You just can't get the they thrill or immersive nature of it.
And the shear joy of living a fantasy scenario.
It's getting better, I've told lots of normal people about it and they do say it sounds cool.
I love yogcast and just came here after seeing Chris Hardwick's new LARP series. I think it's brilliant that masses of creative, passionate people have found an amazing outlet.
I'm not a LARP'er however I have respect and think what they do is brilliant.
Well done guys!
Well said. And truth be told, many of us do not play more than about 4 events a year, so anyone who thinks that we live-eat-sleep our characters is way off the bat. Many of us also have a love for acting, but never considered turning it into a job. It's just another hobby, we do not harm anyone with it and we do it away from anyone who doesn't like it - we do not force it on anyone. :)
Thank you for your kind words. :)
LIGHTNING BOLT!
I don't see why people LARP with foam and latex? Its a lot more fun with real armor and unsharpened swords. The concept of pain and getting hurt makes fighting more exciting and engaging, like paintball. Instead of yelling health points just beat the other into submission. As long as no one has to go to the hospital of course.
I've always thought of that, but by using real armor and real swords will be very expensive because you'll be breaking them all the time
true but as much as the people put into larping itself it should be a problem. armored combat league is more my style anyway.
ontae1986 Yeah i agree too though, if only it wasn't so expensive, it's expensive as it is haha. And if they had better bows it would be good too.
EruptionVideos real bows rubber tips. ouch!
people at my larp use real steel armour, but foam weapons. Main reason isn't because of immersion but for safety, sure if people trained to use steel swords with blunt edges but that take quite a bit of time. If you use foam, you don't need armour and you can step in with minimal training and not injure people. That way it's more enjoyable for people with a limited budget and more people can do it.
I have been roleplaying for a couple of years in online games such as GTA San Andreas, and World Of Warcraft, of high seriousity, however I was at my first real Live Roleplaying event the other day and I absolutely loved it, not only the fact of the intense events during the gameplay but the brothership, the experimenting, the letting loose, the hours of time and decorating and advancing your character along with your costume is amazing!
I sincerely care nothing for haters, and love protesting.
A genuinely well edited documentary. Really enjoyed watching this. It's changed my perspective on larping (as originally I thought it was the stereotypical "Lightning bolt").
I think that, no matter how immersive video games become, there will always be people who prefer to do it for real.
Gersomwolf, thank you for proving two things: Trolls will be trolls, and people who LARP (even though I don't do it myself) are perfectly normal, creative, and interesting people.
Love the music you guys are using!
I find these people incredibly interesting and awesome. They have no insecurity of what they love to do, and they live it. Say all you want about them living in another world and blah blah...I'd say we all live in our own world, they just choose to let it be seen. Respect.
"Some people did try to move the avatar of justice, and they died" Thats awsome
LOOKS SO FREAKING FUN!
"Someone tried to mess with the Avatar of Justice, and they died.." I like how that guy said that!
Wicked i just found out about Larping last week!. Im having my first battle as you would say tomorrow with a ton of my friends and people in my town, thanks for the information it totally helped me out!.
And i totally agree that we are getting sucked into video games lol thats why im doing this. Cheers
In the system portrayed in this docu, which is the LT (Lorien Trust) yes you can parry blows and they will not effect you in any way. If you have a shield you can likewise block blows. However, in the LT system there are certain strikes that can destroy your weapon / armor and thus mean that any blows after that you will not be able to block.
As a young child I grew up playing with wooden swords with my friend. We made all kind of weapons. Just used a two by four pine wood and a sharpen knife and a hand axe, that we took from our fathers wood shack. we made hundreds, I have made 63 spears, swards, fails, even sheilds. today i mastered melee combat now i want to try larping with my friends, 15 strong warriors.
Oh my gooodness.Larping looks so freaking fun.
no matter how lame or silly something seems, a british accent makes it sound sophisticated and historical
I love larping. Ive never done it before but Its just the thrill of having fun while having sword fights.
Those weapons are BEAUTIFUL. Dare I guess latex? I would love to see such a large-scale LARP event. The LARP I go to only has an average of 70 or so people at our larger events. I hope this video helps bring down the gap between LARPers and non-LARPers if only a little bit. Well done. And I firmly believe that LARP will never die. No matter how good video games get there is nothing better than getting out there and living it.
Goshh that is so cool.. I wish there was some kind of event near me. It's such an awesome way to express yourself.
Someone needs to make a mockumentary out of LARPing. That's for sure.
That crossbow is awesome. It shot 4 bolts at one time!
At first I was going to laugh, but then I realized that these people still have an imagination. I now miss mine that was robbed from me as I grew up and had to face the world and its problems.
Your imagination is limited, you'll miss it when it's gone. Kudos LARPers, one day there will be a place where something like a Holodeck will make this an amazing experience
Kudos for them, they have found a way to play (basically) video games and get outside and exercise at the same time :D
the way i see it, LARPing to video games that are similar is like Airsoft or Paintball to games about shooting. There's always a bit more realism when you're actually doing these actions in real life, then to when you're playing a game. A lot of people like to play Airsoft or Paintball because they feel its more realistic then games, and i feel it will be the same with LARPing. I hope LARPing grows, because it really does seem fun, and I hope to do it in the future.
Total Annihilation for the background music at the end? That's freaking awesome.
Very well done video. Definitely way better than over here at the states, but also a somewhat different way of doing things.
Personally, Im excited for the future of LARPing. The way I see it, rather than immersive video games taking away potential players for the battlefield, I feel like they present the opportunity to act as a sort of gate into the LARPing community. For instance, I loved playing online RPGs with friends daily, but heard about LARPing and got addicted to the concept of stepping away from a monitor and having the chance to wield the sword myself, a feeling no game is currently capable of presenting.
There are special events where a much more powerful than usual creature or person is introduced as a lone wolf,like a troll or giant dragonkin.There was also one where a giant tree man attacked.The guy in the tree costume got tripped and got owned by a huge group of warrior LARPers.I personally find LARP to be an excellent way to exercise.
Someone tried to mug the 'Avatar of Justice'. Oh my god, that made my day.
i like how they mix up themselfs with their characters. And how they present the image that their is only ONE way to do Larp
I always thought LARPing was stupid, but my friend went and had alot of fun so I had to check it out. OMG, it was amazingly fun! We go to a steampunk LARP (if you don't know what steampunk is... LOOK IT UP!) You get to "escape," meet people, fight, dress up, be someone else for a few hours, and have fun.
My character is an elf that has been infected with evil so she is very dark. People are scared of her except the elf hunters want to capture her. Lol, don't knock it beore you try it! TRY IT!
This is a real documentary
I wish I could do something like this at least once, seems really fun and healthy as well (exercise, socializing etc)
"Some people did try to mug the Avatar of Justice.. urm... they died."
Quality.
Haha great video and that scene with the two knights on laptops was hilarious
I live in Puerto Rico and I've never larped before but I love RPG's and LARPing looks so cool and in all these videos everyone looks like they're having so much fun it looks so cool lol :)
This larp'ing stuff looks like it might actually be fun to do.
a lot of larpers have formal weapon training but since they dont need to actually cut the person using the same amount of force would be over kill so they adjust their fighting stile to be more efficient
The only problem I`ve ever had using a bow in the dark was trying to find my arrows again afterwards.
Wow... that looks amazing. I always thought LARPing to be a nerdy activity but now that I saw that, I'm jealous that I can't be there LARPing right now.
you should defiantly go and try it its really fun and im sure you'll love it
Me too! That caught me off guard when I heard them use that clip for the brief span they did.
Looks pretty awesome.
Fascinating, thank you.
In this particular system, everyone has a hit point value for each limb. People keep track of their own hit points, subtracting one every time someone hits them. Hit points reach zero on any limb, and it's unusable until it's healed. Hit points reach zero on your head or chest, you fall over and act unconscious. Hit points reach -1 on any location, your character is bleeding out. Bleed out for ten minutes, and your character is dead. Different systems use different rules, though.
Look up 'Nero Piedmont'. There is also a chapter of a LARP called Avalon located in NC. Those are the two big ones.
I just can't stop seeing guys going "You can't kill me! I have +5 armor" "Well my sword does +10 damage to elves!" "Nuh uh!" Oh, the hillarity.
Can't wait for the Gathering this year :D
if anything, You really get to be yourself when you roleplay like this.
it gives you a chance to relax and create yourself as you want to be, and not the person society expects you to be. You can be an obnoxious ogre, or a graceful elf. You can battle and test yourself and your skills in combat, instead of always questioning your self worth behind a cash register at walmart.
I really want to go to one of these gatherings, and test myself among these guys!
interesting, quite a well made little documentary there.
When the CG video comes on. Its the fable track.
this looks awesome!!!!!
This sounds so damn awesome. I've always wanted to try it o:
this is either the most hilariously sad or most comically genius thing ive ever seen
ya see this is real larping. no cardboard crap, just people in good costume hitting each other with steel cored swords.
This actually looks like cool fun
LARP is one of my most fav things to do. Its so fun. Just think if everyone in teh world was like larpers the world would be 20x better.
The music at the end seemed so familiar XD
this looks very fun, i may give this a try.
this is so hilarious, i've heard of it but didnt think it could possibly be real. so funny
These guys are pretty serious larping, some of those weapons and armor too must cost a fortune :o
the weapons are made out of latex foam, and once an opponent dies, they leave the fight.
When fighting with weapons, your own skills do determine how well you do. Those who don't feel up to it generally take healing or magic skills and do spell support which is more of a tactical/resource management game. If your mobility is very restricted, it's quite possible, and not unusual, to play a character who does not get involved in combat.
It mainly relies on the honour system, but there are referees who'll usually spot anyone taking the piss, as well as making sure fights are safe
Yea, seriously, I would love to do this
To be honest I've always wanted to try this, it looked surprisingly fun ^^
@Bman135 Hard enough to feel, but not so hard it causes mych pain, or leaves a mark. The weapons are covered in medium density foam, and then latex, which helps.
Correction to your correction of a correction, anybody CAN pull a trigger, but not just anybody can get the aim right, this involves hit points and fancy costumes and crap but when you get down to it, there is no real contact. Flinging a sword around requires no where near as much skill as getting good shots and staying "alive" yourself.
Ok, but how can you get so drawn into this without feeling a bit rediculous, don't get me wrong i'm not judging anyone of you and I find it very amazing you dare to do this!
Thanks, I started playing in the LT last August. Five events later and still enjoying myself.
You seem to be from the US, so I'm not so sure how much help I'll be, as my knowledge really only covers UK clubs. The ones I've heard of stateside are NERO, AMTGARD and SOLAR, which have many chapters in different areas, try googling them.
If you're interested in non-contact LARP, try the Camarilla, which runs modern horror games, it's global, and there's probably a chapter near you. Good Luck.
This is a great video. You make a great point about the videogame world taking over but i am a new larper you see, and before that i played World of Warcraft and guildwars and all that. I actually got into tabletop gaming rp and stuff later, and now getting into larp. I think its more about the real life experience that makes that big difference. ^_^
This was filmed at a Lorien Trust event in Locko Park in Derby.
Liked for the Warcraft 2 song cover at the end.
Hello! I am an experianced LARPer from Sweden. And I would like to give a tip for anyone who decides to play a werewolf/wolven in the future. I highly recommend that you fill any visable skin with makeup. Like he had the eyes. He should've used make-up there for a much more realistic effects. But, of course it might be different in England but in Sweden we focus much at Realism. :P
Yeah, he worked on the video. Was one of the 'bunch of English Video Production students' afore mentioned. And no, he does not larp. None of us do.
So badass, they should rope off a segment of scotland and have it LARPERS ONLY, build a keep and a village and have a bunch of people on strict roleplay. that would be EPIC
I think this is not nerdy... Look at them! They have chainmails, plated armors, awesome foam weapon and they do godly fight. I do LARP and i really love it. Before i started, i was thinking that LARP was for nerds like you guys, but when a friend bring me to a LARP, I could'nt believe that it was so fun.
LARP'ers kick ass!
Oh watch out guys we got a badass here!!
Many swordsmen actually do come to events like this. Kendoists, fencers, and all other types of swordsmanship are seen.
Actually looks like fun!
looks like so much fun, but all the events and larp groups in my local area seem inactive now...
Lol at the Fable music :P I love the concept of this... I hope I get to do this one day.
Over the 20 or so years or so I`ve been involved in LRP I`ve met players who in real life were, Policemen, Doctors, Nurses, paramedics, serving airforce personel, and a lot of other professions of similar kind and I work with disabled people on a daily basis. Why deny as a bit of escapism.
Remember that the people most concerned with people escaping are jailors.
i can't wait to do this....me and my brother do something similar with dress up clothes and wooden swords...and i'm 17! i don't think we'll ever stop.
Just be who you are. Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
WoW saves you nothing but from living a real life. BLARPS and LARPS alike get you outside, moving, and together with real people face to face. You can dance how you want, not just how it's programmed into a game - the possibilities are endless. I played WoW for 2 years. I played Amtgard as well and I miss Amtgard. Unfortunately, it's become more about the stick jocking than about the role play and creativity of it. I miss it terribly. :(
It will eventually come to international attention and there will be tournaments and they will be televised.
hey this might be "childish" or "nerdish" but boy does this seem like a hell of alot of FUN!
@Lingojac
They arn't talking about Foam from your pillow or from packing material. There are very sturdy forms of foam that absorb impact without causing damage to the human body. True it wont be exactly like fencing but it still has similar dynamics.
I heard about LARPing a while ago. I'm curious to try it, it intrigues me in a positive way. :)
If you want, you really should try to find a larping event, it's really fun, and i have only tried 1 so far, and now i want to go all the time!
And just take the best cloth you can find at your home, or borrow some. Noone can expect you to have the "perfect" outfit the first time.
You really should try it out, you wont regret it :)
I think the only non-dork larping is when you have a ton of people with sticks and you tell them to have at it and you "die" when you give in
It varies depending on what group you join. Some you have to be 18 and some there aren't any age limits.
We use "The Lorien Trust" which is based in the UK. give it a google, you will be surprised at what you see really and just how big, inclusive and friendly the LT (lorien trust) actually is.
i've done this before. never though i'd like it, but i lost a bet and had to try it. was actually pretty fun. i'm not obsessed or anything. but it's fun to do every once in a while. lol
@bloodyvid You make your own gennerally. Some events have people at the event who will sell you weapons / armor which you can use for the duration of the event after purchasing for in-game gold, however don't count on that and atleast make your weapons. You're normally rewarded for bringing a costume aswell.
this is really cool, not too sound a freak r anything but i would really enjoy creating my own character and living by it in a fantasy environment