The earliest recorded LARP group is Dagorhir, which was founded in 1977 in the United States and focuses on fantasy battles. Two Dagorhir fighters use foam weapons to duel Other scenarios focus on interaction between PCs and aspects of the setting, including NPCs, that are under the direction of the GMs. Some LARP scenarios primarily feature interaction between PCs. Much of play consists of interactions between characters. Sometimes players are asked to play NPCs for periods of an event.
In a tabletop role-playing game, a GM usually plays all the NPCs, whereas in a LARP, each NPC is typically played by a separate crew member.
Crew typically receive more information about the setting and more direction from the GMs than players do.
Participants sometimes known as the crew may help the GMs to set up and maintain the environment of the LARP during play by acting as stagehands or playing non-player characters ( NPCs) who fill out the setting. For this reason, a LARP GM's role is often less concerned with tightly maintaining a narrative or directly entertaining the players, and more with arranging the structure of the LARP before play begins and facilitating the players and crew to maintain the fictional environment during play. Unlike the GM in a tabletop role-playing game, a LARP GM seldom has an overview of everything that is happening during play because numerous participants may be interacting at once. The GMs may also do the logistical work, or there may be other arrangers who handle details such as advertising the event, booking a venue, and financial management. Players sometimes play the same character repeatedly at separate events, progressively developing the character and its relations with other characters and the setting.Īrrangers called gamemasters ( GMs) determine the rules and setting of a LARP, and may also influence an event and act as referees while it is taking place. Įvents are put on for the benefit of the players, who take on roles called player characters ( PCs) that the players may create themselves or be given by the gamemasters.
LARPs can be one-off events or a series of events in the same setting, and events can vary in size from a handful of players to several thousand. Players may dress as their character and carry appropriate equipment, and the environment is sometimes decorated to resemble the setting. LARPs may be played in a public or private area and may last for hours or days. This is distinct from tabletop role-playing games, where character actions are described verbally. The participants in a LARP physically portray characters in a fictional setting, improvising their characters' speech and movements somewhat like actors in improvisational theatre. Playing a LARP is often called larping, and one who does it is a larper. The live action in LARP is analogous to the term live action used in film and video to differentiate works with human actors from animation. It is sometimes written in lowercase, as larp. Some of these terms are still in common use however, LARP has become the most commonly accepted term.
LARP has also been referred to as live role-playing ( LRP), interactive literature, and free form role-playing. LARPs range in size from small private events lasting a few hours, to large public events with thousands of players lasting for days. Production values are sometimes minimal, but can involve elaborate venues and costumes. The fictional genres used vary greatly, from realistic modern or historical settings to fantastic or futuristic eras. Events can also be designed to achieve educational or political goals.
Play may be very game-like or may be more concerned with dramatic or artistic expression. The activity spread internationally during the 1980s and has diversified into a wide variety of styles. The first LARPs were run in the late 1970s, inspired by tabletop role-playing games and genre fiction. Event arrangers called gamemasters decide the setting and rules to be used and facilitate play. The outcome of player actions may be mediated by game rules or determined by consensus among players. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by real world environments while interacting with each other in character. Players dressed in character for a LARP eventĪ live action role-playing game ( LARP) is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically portray their characters.