LARP and Degrassi

Kary of Degrassi Blog posted about a subplot on Degrassi involving LARP (live action role play). Please note this spoiler warning for that link for those who are Degrassi fans.

I like how Kary treated the topic and related it to her own love of the show itself. Please go and check out what she wrote! This just goes to show that LARP is more and more present in the media.

LARP: Getting in Character

Hey everyone! I wrote a piece a while back about how to get into character. It’s a guide for actors, but I believe it would help LARPers a great deal with the role playing aspect of LARP. Please check it out!

Wyrd Con for LARPers in 2010

Last week, I learned about the awesomeness that is Wyrd Con. Wyrd One is a West Coast convention taking place in June of 2010–focused on LARP. The LARP Alliance & Live Effects are hosting this event. Given the positive experience I have had with LARP Alliance, I would really like to go to this con.

Sadly, I live all the way out here in New Jersey!

Personally, I would like to learn more about ‘one-shot’ LARPs or LARPs which take place over just one weekend. Do I even have to mention that I’m dying to try a Firefly ‘verse one-shot? Even have the costuming!

I’m pretty sure it would not be hard to convince most of the Seventh Kingdom IGE staff to tag along, either… I think we are mostly Browncoats!

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween. Just wanted to get the word out there about Wyrd Con… and to let you know I’m jealous if you’re going!

Seventh Kingdom IGE to present panel at GameX

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tara M. Clapper, Marketing Director
Seventh Kingdom IGE
609.948.GAME
tmc@seventhkingdomige.com
http://www.seventhkingdomige.com

Seventh Kingdom IGE to present panel at GameX

Mount Holly, NJ, October 7, 2009—Seventh Kingdom IGE will present a panel on live action role playing (LARP) at GameX on Saturday, October 24. Those attending the panel can meet four members of the Seventh Kingdom staff who will discuss role playing, costumes, rules, game immersion, combat, weapons and special effects. A short Q&A session will follow.

GameX (Games & Media Expo) is produced by Virtual Rush Gaming and WCAU-TV/NBC 10. The expo takes place from October 23-25, 2009 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. To learn about GameX, please visit their Web site at http://gamexpo.us.

This panel is targeted towards gamers who are curious about taking their game to the next level with live action role play. In LARP, players assume the role of a character just as they might in a video or table top game. Instead of playing at a console or on paper, participants act out combat, feats of magic and professions in a controlled environment, appealing to all senses.

Seventh Kingdom IGE is a New Jersey-based game in which players portray characters of various races and classes, encounter creatures and complete quests. Additionally, the decisions of the participants influence the game story real time.

Events take place over a weekend at South Jersey camp sites. Price of admission includes event, sleeping quarters, a raffle ticket and a highly-rated feast, food prepared on site.

In conjunction with GameX, Seventh Kingdom IGE will raffle six pairs of weekend tickets at their next event on October 16-18, 2009 in Medford, NJ.

The November raffle will include gamer jewelry from Handcrafted Carolyn – Jewelry by Carolyn Buss. Learn more about Carolyn’s jewelry at handcraftedcarolyn.com.

Seventh Kingdom IGE will also appear at the Witches Ball 2009: Back in Black, October 10, 2009, Mt. Holly, NJ. Seventh Kingdom players will host Ghosts in the Gaslight, a walkthrough production featuring the talents of Seventh Kingdom IGE Environmental Director Matt Wagner. The game will also staff actors for the gypsy camp.

For more information about Seventh Kingdom IGE, visit the web site at seventhkingdomige.com. Players may also pre-register to receive a discount.
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Hot LARPers and Misunderstandings

Alright. I’ve seen this MULTIPLE times and I think it’s time to speak out. Being a decent looking LARPer myself, I’ve also been on the receiving end of these crazy and sometimes cruel misunderstandings.

What the heck am I talking about? You’re a hot LARPer (either male or female, yes I’m including you guys too!) you’ve attended a LARP long enough to make a name for yourself and get the attention of every other LARPer in the game. You’re on top of the world! The attention is intoxicating and you can’t get enough of it. Until you catch wind of the rumors… about you.

Why is it when you’re getting the right kind of attention people need to say the wrong kind of things. You know what I mean… “She’s sleeping with him. AND him. AND him.” “He’s a player and will sleep with anything that moves.” “She’s an ice cold Ice Queen.” “He’s a smooth talking jerk.” Now I’m not saying that there AREN’T people out there that take advantage of people at the LARP, but there is no reason to expect every. single. hot. LARPer. to. do that.

The rumors become so bad that the person who is the target of all these ‘misunderstandings’ is forced to move on to either a new LARP, continue suffering at their current LARP or to drop LARPing entirely. There is no reason people need to begin these rumors, comments… misunderstandings. How would you feel to hear these things about yourself when you don’t deserve them? When the worse possible thing you’ve done is smile at everyone and act friendly. So please keep this in mind next time you’re jealous of that good looking girl or guy over there… instead why not try to take the mature path and become friends? After all, being the best friend of someone getting all the attention is bound to get yourself some of that very same attention.

LARP can be innovative.

Live action role playing can be an innovative activity. Check out what Seventh Kingdom IGE is doing to perfect the art of LARP.

Innovative LARPs

Check out this recently published article. It mentions Seventh Kingdom IGE and MagiQuest:

Innovations in Live Action Role Play

MagiQuest – live action role play intro?

Check it out! MagiQuest offers a live action role playing opportunity…but it’s still kind of a video game.

Users purchase a magic wand, which lets them explore a game-based interactive portal. They can continue the adventure online or at different locations.

This seems to be a great idea for little kids who are too young to LARP but still want to check it out.

Making fun of LARPers? But…you’re a (pea)cock!

The negative reputation not-so-enjoyed by LARPers is really annoying. Sometimes other gamers have elitist attitudes about gaming or don’t even consider LARP ‘real’ gaming. Perhaps that’s because they’re just afraid of the exercise and they’d rather sit in their parents’ basements drinking Mountain Dew, farting, and getting fat. Not that LARPers don’t do that, too–but at least we do something other than that. Who knows. Anyway, I’d rather be exercising.

That said, a product caught my attention recently, making me think that this attitude has taken a truly spiteful turn.

LARPs Based on Media: TV Shows, Movies, Video Games

A month or two ago, word got out about the Fallout 3 LARP. I was wondering about other LARPs based on TV shows, movies, and video games–are there any? Where are they?

I imagine it would be difficult and expensive to pull off a LARP large scale, mostly because other companies own the rights to the franchise. They’d presumably want to have a say in everything.

Then there is HBO. While I have no doubt that they pursue copyright violations, they let talk about True Blood spread like wildfire because they are deliberately hoping for viral marketing–and they are succeeding. There is, for example,  a group of True Blood role players on Twitter. For the week between episodes, they tweet in character.

Not to mention the costumes–they’d be so easy to pull off.

In my dream world…vampire isn’t a masquerade…it’s a True Blood D20 in 4.0.