Only 1 of you LARPs

[lovethesuit]

It was me I'm the lark

[Equinox]

Oh my god, who is it.

Public villification!

Wiggyboy. Duh.

Also, echigo you couldnt beat up a drum, let alone me. tsk.

[Nihm]

It was me, and I'd consider you all to try it before you knock it.  My LARPing club is definately looking for new talent and we're willing to fly people in if they're genuinely interested.  Our LARP settings are the most majestic natural scenery that can still be found on this ole earth.

[Disco]

LOL YOU NERDS!

[Yalta]

Where is that picture of the wiggy with that sword and shield... good times...

[Echigo]

Wiggyboy. Duh.

Also, echigo you couldnt beat up a drum, let alone me. tsk.

Is that a challenge?

[Garem]

What better way to spend the end of the world than hitting eachother with latex swords.

That cannot possibly sound any gayer. At the very least, don't cross streams, boys.

I don't LARP, but I did "monster" for one once. I'll never do it again because I have too much self-respect. But it's really not that bad.

[12 Hatch]

I very rarely link things, but in this case I feel like those who do not know what LARPing is ought to get at least a vague idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_ekugPKqFw

We all support you, Nihm.

Lightning bolt!

[Jayde Moon]

Such a classic.

[Loghaire]

I very rarely link things, but in this case I feel like those who do not know what LARPing is ought to get at least a vague idea.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_ekugPKqFw
 
We all support you, Nihm.
 
Lightning bolt!

The person clapping at the end made me lol...

[Listen in Silence]

I weep for mankind.

[Drakill Tannan]

Well, if you think about it it's just playing like if you were kids, only than when you're growups. So it's not really that bad. I happen to admire people with enough balls to act as children when they feel like it.

It would feel to akward to me to enjoy it i guess, although i said the same about Roleplaying in a NWN PW

[Echigo]

The person clapping at the end made me lol...

yay, good job throwing your darts

[Porkolt]

The thing that really turns me off of LARP is the fact that there's so many actual game rules. It doesn't, to me, anyway, seem -at all- immersive, because you're constantly working with those rules in the back of your head, often having to actually shout them out. It would be similarly impossible to be immersed in EFU if you had to announce the result of your attack roll every time in the chat. What's the fun in that?
 
Furthermore, LARP doesn't seem to have much to do with actual quality of play. From what I can tell, actual swordsmanship, for example, is tossed out of the window, and substituted for just whacking your latex instrument at everything that moves. Actual roleplay as such seems minimal, barring potentially cheesy acting sequences (which turns out cheesy because it's so unrealistic, and, let's face it, nerds often make rather poor actors).
 
Being a hardcore re-enactor, I often care to preach our end of the 'spectrum'. There are several LARPers who approach their hobby with the same mindset.
 
The first thing that comes forward in re-enactment is realism. Of course, we don't drink contaminated water, we don't crap in holes and wipe our ass with leaves, and we don't shoot using bullets. That's silly and dangerous.
However, we do sleep in tents with authentic bedding (wool blankets and straw mattresses), sometimes even in improvised forest shelters, cook authentic food using authentic methods and a camp fire, follow an authentic day schedule, wear proper, authentic clothing, etc.
 
This makes it much easier to immerse yourself in your role. Imagine, for example, you are a LARPer, playing a generic fighter in armor.
 
Your goal is to experience what it is to be that fighter, to live like that fighter.
 
We can start, as an example, with apparel. Your basic LARP fighter wields a latex sword, and has this kind of mesh-like fabric thing that's supposed to be chainmail.
 
A REAL fighter would have a sword made of iron, and actual chainmail made out of iron links, under which he wears a padded tunic or whatever. I don't know much about that kind of gear to be honest.
 
My point is, however, that the real fighter experiences the weight of his sword and armor. I don't know if you've ever worn chainmail, but that stuff is heavy and uncomfortable. Hot, too. He's not able to repeatedly whack his sword into his opponent, it's far too heavy for that! Besides, a single good hit with a sword often means your opponent is incapacitated.
 
Which I suppose brings up a different point: technique. I've seen guys working with swords, practicing, using real (though unsharpened, for extra safety) swords, working from a medieval manuscript for swordsmanship. They start out slowly, practicing a sequence, then speed up, until a sequence of, say, five consecutive strikes with parries, using footing, results in a spectacular flurry of moves that always ends up with one of them losing.
 
Imagine if you could train a large group of LARPers in all these different techniques, so that they would be able to safely attack each other using iron swords, looking realistic. Wouldn't that be far more awesome than just whacking someone with a piece of latex? It doesn't take much more practice, I've seen people learn these move sequences in under an hour, and it looks great.
 
Just an example. I could go on about this for a lot longer, but I have other stuff to do right now. ;)

[Kinslayer988]

LARP: LiveAvatarRolePlaying. I have no idea what you guys are talking about.