It started with tabletop games and has evolved to large-scale events played outdoors with a community spanning the globe.
LARPing is a hobby that involves people getting together to play characters as part of organised games.
You might have heard about it in passing: maybe you scrolled onto a TikTok of someone in fantasy cosplay pretending to be the owner of a medieval tavern. You might have seen it referenced in media such as What We Do in the Shadows, a vampire TV show in which the vampires get their ‘virgin blood’ from a group of LARPers (people who engage in Live Action Role Play).
I spoke to Jules (@jules_in_space on Instagram), a long-time LARPer based in Poland, about what it really means to LARP, beyond the stereotypes and memes.
“So, when I explain it to people who have never played, I usually go with ‘imagine improv theatre, but there’s no audience’,” Jules said.
Whether it’s a pirate, a wizard, a healer, a viking or a goblin, players embody their character’s physicality, personality and speech for the entirety of the game, based on a character sheet.
LARPing in its current form originated in the 1970s, often associated with tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons. From there, the scene has evolved away from board games to large-scale events played outdoors or in themed locations and has a community spanning the globe.
Because of its origins in D&D and fantasy, the stereotype around LARP is that it’s all ogres, dragons, and maidens.
“A lot of people who don’t know LARP usually think that LARPs are only fantasy people dressed up as elves in the forests, fighting with foam swords. And yeah, those exist, but this is just a small portion of what actually exists in LARP. So, it can be anything, it can be set in any world, fictional or real.”
Whilst no two LARPs are the same, and they rarely reflect the media’s representation of the scene, although some stereotypes do ring true, no matter the game.
“A lot of the time, most of the LARPers, if I’m honest, are nerds. For sure,” Jules told me.
Under the umbrella of ‘nerd’, the LARP community is an incredibly accepting and diverse one. Jules told me that there are many queer and neurodiverse LARPers in the games she attends.
“Funnily enough, (there are) a lot of kinky people, a lot of people who are relationship anarchists or polyamorous, it feels like a very open community that gathers different people without judging who they are.”
Organisers try to maintain this inclusivity within their games, with specific regulations against racism and homophobia at events.
There are also regulations that help keep the magic of the LARP alive for everyone taking part, using something called ‘mechanics’, which is typically a word, phrase, or gesture used in-game.
“You might do something during the game which makes magic, for example. But because there’s no magic, you need to have something that represents it.”
There are, of course, costs associated with LARPing. The starting point for smaller games is £10-£20 for entry, but this often includes food or drink.
“If you want to go for a whole weekend, with local games, you can maybe go to a game for around €100 (£87). It is possible you get a sleeping spot, maybe some food. But the big international games can be as expensive as €500, €700 (£435-£610). But those games are in a big castle where you sleep in a hotel room and where everything looks absolutely beautiful,” Jules explains.
“It seems like a lot of money, but when you think about how much you actually get for this money, it’s like a vacation, actually,” Jules said.
The other main cost is costuming. Some games may not require any costuming, and players will simply be asked to wear all black or something similar.
“Even for big games, if you play, I don’t know, post-apocalyptic games, you basically need torn-up clothes. So that’s not a lot,” Jules said.
Other games could be the complete opposite, and require players to create the extravagant, fantastical costumes most people imagine when they think about LARP.
“If it’s a historical game or some fantasy world where you need a very elaborate costume, then of course you need to spend money. Lots of LARPers actually make their own costumes. I’m not that good at it, but I think people make beautiful things.”
“It feels like a very open community that gathers different people without judging who they are.”
Jules
Costume designers and makers are a big part of the LARPing scene. They can turn you into any character you could imagine, and their costumes are often entirely custom-made.
That is, of course, if you’re willing to pay a premium. Custom costumes sit around the £200-300 range for simpler designs, such as a medieval merchant. If you’re looking for something more unique or detailed, it could set you back £800, and that’s without any weapons or props.
Today, most LARPing communities exist online, in Discord or, primarily, on Facebook.
“[They are] still mostly on Facebook events. Which annoys everyone because nobody wants to be on Facebook,” Jules told me.
Despite how Jules and the majority of Gen-Z feel about Facebook, the rise of social media has opened up LARPing to anyone with a Wi-fi connection.
From just one search, you can find countless events. From dark fantasy LARPs in the woods to dystopian sci-fi games, in places like Staffordshire, Derby and Devon.
LARP has evolved from table-top fantasy games to large-scale events and a global community. Behind the ‘foam swords’ and the TV-show stereotypes, LARPing is a creative hobby that spans all kinds of genres and includes all kinds of people.
To quote a meme from a blog called LARP for beginners: “Really, it’s a perfectly normal hobby, no different from a softball league or poker night.”
Featured image by Gioele Fazzeri via Pexels