Have you ever considered getting a booth or display space for your larp at a convention? After all, it’s a great place to meet local gamers who might be interested in attending your game. It can be an opportunity to work with other larpers in your game to present a positive impression of your game in particular and larp as a hobby in general. However, attending a convention isn’t without challenges for larpers. After you find one that permits larps, there are several pros and cons to consider:

Pro: Vendor Pass – When you attend a convention as a vendor, you usually get a vendor pass. While this might not mean much at a large con, at small or mid-size cons this comes with extra perks, like after-party invites or hanging out with some of the well-known guests. Take advantage of this. Networking with the right person can really pay off. If just one person says something positive about your game to her 700 fellow geeks on Facebook and she brings two of her friends to your game every month for the next three years at $40/game, it represents $4,320 for your game in admission costs.

Con: Not cost-effective – Many larps find that vending at conventions isn’t necessarily cost-effective. Depending on the convention you go to, your booth can cost $25-$5,000 – yes, some of the larger shows do charge that much. The investment of your booth, vending space, transportation, and other expenses can be a gamble. However, if you attract just one player who returns to your monthly game consistently, it may pay off in the long run.

Pro: Exposure – Your larp will get some exposure by being at the convention. You’ll meet other gamers, vendors, guests, and members of the press, all of whom can generate buzz about your game. Additionally, you may have the opportunity to do a live demo at the event. Always offer this when you sign up to vend at an event.

Con: Another obligation – If you are one of the people in charge of running a larp, you know how easy it is to experience burnout. Adding another weekend event to your calendar can add to that problem. You can make some more money by selling physical items or tickets to your game at the event, but you must allocate time and resources to manage the finances in the convention environment.

Pro: Out-of-game bonding – Heading to a convention can be a major bonding experience for your group, especially if you share transportation and lodgings. This camaraderie encourages your staff to work together more effectively and can promote player retention. This is a great way to break up the cliques that usually exist in larps and allows new and old players to form friendships out-of-game.

Additionally, meeting others at conventions gives you the opportunity to hear what people are saying about the games and larping in general. It also gives you the opportunity to correct any misconceptions people have about your game or about larping overall. If it’s in the game’s budget, vending at a convention is definitely worth a try.

Have you ever attended a larp alone? It’s kind of like going to the movies alone – there’s a stigma about it, and most people feel a bit too intimidated to do it. However, it’s a perfectly acceptable thing to do, especially if you’re new to larping and your friends aren’t interested in joining you.

Show up early – but not too early

I attended my first game because I already loved RPGs and sci-fi/fantasy. The guy I was dating suggested it (I ended up marrying him!), but since he was on staff at the game, I didn’t see him for more than five minutes when he disappeared to set up. This left me chatting with a bunch of strangers, out of game, for several hours before the game began. In retrospect, I wish I would have shown up about an hour before the beginning of the game.  An hour or two allows for the right amount of socialization. There’s also plenty of time to check in and get dressed if you haven’t arrived in costume.

Create a social character

When you make your character, make one who is as social as you feel comfortable being. Making a highly social character was one of the best things I ever did at a larp. It’s very easy for her to stay up on current information and she’s rarely left out of anything.

Chat online

Scope out a game online before you go to it. Hang out in the forums or the game’s chatroom. You might feel more comfortable at the game if you are already ‘friends’ with people who play it. This should help you feel more comfortable going to a game, since you’re not really going ‘alone.’

Do you have any other tips or suggestions for heading to a LARP by yourself? If so, please leave them in the comments section below.

Two weeks before your first larp is probably the most thrilling time before you are there. Right now I am counting down the days until I can get out there and role-play. At this point, you should have your main outfit, back up clothes, undergarments, shoes, accessories, and your character ready and worked out. If you don’t, that’s okay; just make sure to not forget any of those things. They are vital when it comes to the game!

Now that you have the basics, you need to gather what you need to pack. If you’ve never gone camping before, there are plenty of lists of what to bring. I linked a video in my last post that gives an awesome list of what you need.

The Basics

Bedding

Bedding can vary between larps. My personal larp has cabins, but some larps do not. If you have no idea, try to find out through their website. If you can’t find any answers, then you need to bring everything that might be needed (tents, sleeping gear, lighting, etc). Finding out you left something important at home can be very frustrating.

Some larps do not allow candles for safety or insurance reasons. It’s very easy to drop something or for a spark to fly, sending the entire camp up in flames. In this case, you will need to find a way to bring safer lights with you. Find realistic lanterns that only need batteries (getting creative to stay in decorum is a lot spiffier than just bringing a flashlight!), but as I’ve said before, don’t burn through your wallet on your first event. It’s your choice to make, as always, and it’s okay; in the end, a flashlight is better than being stuck in the dark.

Food

I talked a little bit about food in my previous post, but we’re going to talk about in-game and out-of-game food. When going to your first larp, please do not feel like you need to do something if you don’t like it. This is meant to be fun and enjoyable, and if you aren’t enjoying yourself then it’s not worth it. That being said, if you’d like to push yourself to do more in-game, go ahead. With food, try not to bring a lot of foods that need to be prepared; it’ll save you a lot of time and probably a few bucks. In my larp, fairies have mostly an herbivore diet, but will eat meat if they can get it. For that reason, I’ll most likely bring fruits and nuts. They are easy to carry, they don’t spoil very quickly, and they don’t have to be prepared. Out-of-game food is another thing entirely; bring whatever you feel is necessary for you to survive the weekend.

The video from my last post is a great companion to this if you need more information.

Do Some Homework

Check out all that you can about larping. I personally love watching documentaries on all things in geek culture. This is just a small selection of movies and quick reviews for you guys:

Monster Camp

A wholesome movie, but with patches of negativity that can be off-putting. If you know anything about this hobby, you should know that we get a bad rep. Take films and documentaries like these with a grain of salt. They are good for educating yourself on what you’ll be seeing, but not for a generalization of the hobby.

Darkon

Go watch this one for sure! It follows around mainly one person, and he’s very interesting and a pretty good roleplayer. I think out of all the documentaries, this one is a good one with little-to-no negative connotation on larpers. The group is very cool and combat based, so for the fighters out there, this is for you.

The Wild Hunt

I am a scary movie kind of girl. I love zombie flicks, classic monsters, and gore and horror films, but when it comes to larping, I don’t want the two to coincide realistically unless it’s for my immersion. Here’s why I do not suggest watching this film: It hits very close to home. When you are excited about larping, and what it can bring, the last thing you need is something to burst your bubble. For me, this was it. If you can take these kinds of films like its nothing, don’t let it stop you. I just didn’t personally like the light it reflected on larpers, because it was honestly one of the worst.

Final Tips

For me, I feel like I have so much more to do before the big game, but studying the rules, making sure everything is prepared, and purchasing things beforehand is all I really need to do. This is a small portion of the preparation.

Don’t rush to spend your money

Make sure you know exactly what you need and don’t cloud your judgment. There’s plenty of time for that awesome armor set or those dragon scale bracers, but right now you need the basics, especially for your first game.

Don’t forget to prepare

I know this can contradict the statement I just made, but you want to be over-prepared. It really helps to have more than you need so you won’t forget a single thing.

Don’t get overly anxious

Everyone been a noob before, and it’s honestly okay. People want you there, so be polite, social, and humble; this will help make your first experience awesome.

What other tips do you have for your first event?

Actions and abilities aside, what makes a character? The costume. It’s the first thing other players see and more than likely how they recognize your character. How do you begin to plan out your costume? I use a simple hierarchy, based on the character, to figure out what they should wear.

1. Where and when does your LARP take place in?

Is it medieval? Futuristic?  Modern? Does it take place in a certain country, or in another reality? These factors will greatly affect what you would wear and what would be considered “period.”

2. Who is your character?

Are they a noble who wears lavish clothing? A post-apocalyptic zombie hunter in tattered jeans? Their class, station, and culture will further determine your costume. It also helps to consider what will be practical for your character during this part. A warrior might wear armor, a mage might wear robes, a barbarian might wear leather, etc. Keep in mind the reality of what you wear- if you will be running, be careful of wearing anything long that you might trip on and remember functional footwear.

3. What does your character like?

This is where your character’s personality comes in. Do they like boots? A certain color or color scheme? Gold jewelry? The badass look? A girly look? Minimalistic? Skimpy? What would they want to look like?

4. What does your character dislike?

To take things a step farther, determine the things your character would never wear. My character would never wear bright yellow, for example. Maybe yours wouldn’t wear a long skirt, or metal armor.

5. Accessorize

Accessories can make an outfit, even in LARPing. Think of pieces that can add to your look: jewelry, gloves, hair pieces, hats, temporary tattoos, the right make-up, even facial hair!

6. What do you have access to?

Even though LARPing is a world of its own, what your character wears is still subject to what you can get your hands on. Do you have access to clothing stores with things they would wear? Does a renaissance faire sell garb near you? Do you know online websites that carry the garments you want? Can you sew or make your own costume pieces? No matter how you acquire your things, it is also never a bad idea to keep a budget in mind.

Avegost is a full immersion, medieval combat larp in Waycross, Georgia. They pride themselves on having the highest immersion (meaning that no anachronisms are allowed; everything looks and feels as though you’ve landed in the middle ages) and being one of the most affordable larps in Georgia. They don’t consider themselves just a game, but also a sport, a historical reenactment, and a fictional story all rolled into one.

Golden Goblets, anyone?

What separates Avegost from other larps is their dedication to being medieval enthusiasts, as you’ll see when looking through the photo gallery below. They take pride in their costumes, period tents, and even the table settings.

While not everyone is into hardcore medieval reenactment, I think Avegost is setting a new standard in larp excellence in America. Everything from their friendly and welcoming attitude to their commitment to high-quality costumes and period camping equipment is to be applauded.

For more on Avegost:

This week on Larping.org we’ll be covering Avegost in several posts including a documentary and an interview with their founder Joe Landolfi.

From time to time the team at LARPing.org finds craftsmen from around the LARP community that really catch our eye. It is our hope that we’ll be able to begin featuring these amazing artisans in an interview format with some example of their great work.

A few weeks ago we sat down with Feral Workshop to ask them a few questions about their work, some recent activities they’ve been part of and some of the things they have coming up in the future. We hope you’ll enjoy it!

Tom: It looks like you guys had a big release event on May 4th? Tell me a little about that?

Tom: Where is Feral Workshop located?

Tom: If you are LARPers, what LARP do you attend?

Tom: How long have you been working on costume and leatherwork?

Tom: What are some of your inspirations (movie, literature, stage, ect)?

Tom: What are some of the goal or plans for Feral Workshop this year?

Tom: Thank you so much for talking with us, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for Feral Workshop!

Be sure to stop by and say hello to Feral Workshop on their Facebook.

For every larp there is a different set of players, and with these players come their own styles, baggage, and mannerisms. The most common qualities have become our sub-culture stereotypes. They can range from good stereotypes to mostly harmless to game-breaking. These three stereotypes are a few of the most harmful to a well-functioning larp:

The Rules Lawyer

This is the player who has memorized the rulebook and would love to tell you everything about it. He knowevery spell effect, can quote game mechanics in his sleep, and, more often than not, knows every loophole as well. They can be a good check against both Storyteller misbehavior and newbie snafus, but more commonly they use the rules to further their own devices instead of those of the group as a whole.

The Dark Side: the Rules Lawyer can destroy a larp in the pursuit of getting what he wants. Usually following the letter of the law instead of the spirit, this player will try to out-maneuver the storytellers and game masters despite consequences regarding gameplay or other characters. They can easily kill a story simply by being involved, as many players are not willing to wait around while the Rules Lawyer argues with the staff. All players should know the rules, but remember Rule Zero: in the world of the game, the Game Master is, for better or worse, always right.

The One who takes the Game too Seriously

We know that guy. The one who gets angry at other players for something their character did. The one who only wants to talk about their characters and how cool they are. In short, the player whose entire concept of self is wrapped up in a fantasy world. Being serious about your hobby is great. That sort of passion leads to amazingly detailed costuming, deep character concepts, and beautifully crafted weapons, props, and armor. Unfortunately, there is a fine line between passion and living more in the game than you do in reality.

The Dark Side: Taking a game too seriously is not healthy. Not only can it cause you to dedicate more time to your character than to yourself, it can also isolate you from both non-larping and larping friends. There’s a long history of in-game problems ruining out-of-game friendships for larpers. In the end, it’s just a game. A really awesome game, but still just a game. Don’t let a fantasy world destroy out-of-game relationships.

The Larp Queen

This player is the star of her own show and expects everyone to fall in line. She can usually be identified by her flirtatious behavior, sharp, cruel comments regarding other players, and a cloud of rumors and dramatics that follows her in- and out-of-game. This player often has a lot of influence over a portion of a game’s player population, and will often use her looks and sexuality to achieve her goals.

The Dark Side: There is no better way to kill a larp than through rumors and politics. Larp Queens specialize in tearing down anyone they view as ‘threats’, and will go to all manner of lengths to maintain their control over a game. This can and will drive players away, both new and old. Being confident in your appearance is fine, but using it to manipulate and hurt is harmful to other players, your own reputation, and the game as a whole. We’re all trying to have fun; don’t use your good time to ruin the game for other players.

While it’s true that some of these player-types can be harmless or even positive for a larp, the dark side of these stereotypes are far more common and detrimental to gameplay. Whatever you do, make sure you’re not making the game less enjoyable for other players. Don’t be ‘that guy’ who ruins the game for their own fun.We’re all there to play and deserve the chance to have a good time.

Let’s welcome our new cohost, William Kettle!

This series focuses on camp food and camp cooking equipment. This will be very useful if you go to a longer-lasting larp scenario (3 days or more) like Conquest of Mythodea.

Have an idea, request, or a picture of you gear/larp/etc? Send it to us at larpforge@gmail.com

See you next time, where I will be back with more of the box.

- LazyLarper