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Mr Mystery wrote:And whilst the pink haired one is indeed pretty much anyones, trust me, you really, REALLY don't want to go there. Ever. Nasty piece of work, and I have on good authority, about as interactive as a bag of spuds in the sack.

That is a girl?!

Doomthumbs wrote: Words like "scone" and "drag queen" and bread (as it relates to money) are examples of the language just now reaching the new world.

Mr Mystery wrote:Scone? A New World word? Guess people had best not tell the inhabitants of the very old (as in considerably older than your country) town of Scone in Scotland that. Bread relates to Bread. Wonga. Cash. Dough. Readies. Spondooliks, a few quid. They all mean money. You spelled all your words in the modern way. Buttmunch.

But trust me, go strap on your armour, and have a laugh at LARP. I guarantee you won't regret it. Unless you are of course adverse to drinking, singing, eating, whoring and casual violence. Nothing like following someone out the Tavern and slotting them, then pinching all their gold and dildos.

Ok, see there? How I said that scone and such were examples of your language coming to America in recent years? See how you misread that? Best not tell them, they'll laugh at you. Fit Craic, it will be.

Bread relates to bread? I'll note that under my understanding of mathematical identity properties. I spelled all my words correctly, and can be quite insulting without petulant name calling.
You left out drag queen? Didn't comment on that? Oh wait, thats another well vested cultural thing. (Your culture). Maybe its a sore spot.

I'm going to be honest and say I own no armor (hey wait, my spell check doesn't want a U in there either. Weird.) to "strap on".
Drinking? Check. Singing? Only in the shower. Eating? I have had nothing more than a grape since 1983 (Ok, no, I do eat). Whoring? Wife is opposed. Casual violence? Well, I AM American.
LARPing? No thanks, I prefer D&D.



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I watched the first vid, and stopped at 1:56.

Really, really horrifying, and it wasn't the first. But it was the last.


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Wait, no. 2:30 into the first video.
THATS A MAAAAN BAAABY!

2:33 = pedophiles
2:36 = is this a klingon?
2:40 = that girl looks happy to be there...

Wierd for me tbh, if you can rationalise sitting around a table pretending to be in a field fighting orcs with a character rolling dice, why would you have an issue of actually doing it physically?

I've been playing tabletop RPG's for twenty two years, and I've always found Larp to be insane fun. As have anyone I've gone with, be they RPG fans or not.

I'll admit mind I'd never do it weekly or even monthly like some folks do, but for once, twice maybe three times a year, its a great weekend out with friends.

Of course I personally tend to roll my eyes when someone in the gaming hobby, be it RPG, wargaming, CCG or even PC/console tries to make out they are some how better than the next guy.

Just odd.

Oh, I'm not trying to belittle anyone for Larping. If thats your thing, please, go do it and have fun.
I just prefer living in this century/ plane of reality, I just visit when I'm drawn into an occasional D&D game. Lifestyle choice?

But comments to the effect of its fun to fake stab people and take their fake gold after drinking with them in a half real tavern? Where does that get fun? Thats a 'dick move' no matter how you feel about LARP.

Doomthumbs wrote:
But comments to the effect of its fun to fake stab people and take their fake gold after drinking with them in a half real tavern? Where does that get fun? Thats a 'dick move' no matter how you feel about LARP.

Well I'd agree 100% that is a 'dick move' however its also not something I've seen happen that often. It's like suggesting because I know a fella who goes on about a lvl 50 Paladin constantly, all D&D players and games are focused like that. You often go round in groups anyways, so skirmishes over petty things like attempted robbery are limited, and its mostly because of the stroyline that year or event.

To give some examples of things I've done at Larp events.


Through roleplay earned a ranked position in the Tarantula faction, becoming an advisor to one of the head Drow House Matriarchs. While making new friends with said person and several others within their circle even though I was not of 'their House.'

Chatting to members of the Wolves faction out on the field after helping them in a fight with the Lions, ending up heading over to their camp, having a drink and sing song and then heading off to take on a monster together, fun evening right there.

Doing the 'Timewarp' to gain acceptance to the Alchemy guild (I'm still not sure why) in a labyrinth styled dungeon location built in an old cotten mill in Burnley, that was a great laugh, one of the best Larp themed locations I ever had the pleasure to Roleplay at for weekend. Sadly its long since closed.

Betraying the Vipers to join the Tarantula faction (part of the reason I got the rank) and all the fallout that came from it, including secret meetings with the Viper faction leader in the end to resolve the issue, mainly as my group and our new allied House where constantly getting into skirmishes with Viper based groups.

Attending the Gathering Battles, where a few thousand folks where on the field, awesome way to finish a great weekend of roleplaying.

Spending most of a day with a group of Vipers including a fella dressed as a Stone Troll in a sombero, he was talking just as I would think a troll would, some of the funiest things I have ever roleplayed.

So it's a 'dick move' to play in character? Put it this way, my character is an Alchemist/Spy. And guess what, that means I sometimes have to do pretty distasteful things. And if my Alchemical Research ever gets the greenlight from the Refs, I could kick off an arms race. But that's all part of the fun. I'm aware my character can be a massive cock, but as long as it's neither performed or taken personally, everyone has fun.

Depends on the context, I'm thinking more of the players who go around in twos or threes and try to rob those on their own.
They don't tend to last long because a larger group will usually deal with them.
So I was probably influenced in my post above while thinking about those kinda players, not the actual example Doomthumbs gave. Should have clarified that better, but thats what I get for posting on the fly at work.

Apologies if any offence was caused.


Saying that I personally wouldn't go as that kind of character mind, but thats me.
As you can see from my post above I'm more intrested in the in character interaction, almost on a diplomatic level, well as far as the game goes anyways.

Even my betrayal was more because I was known and under consideration for a rank in the Vipers when I switched sides.
Rather than me knicking some kind of swanky weapon or some such, thinking back that might have been fun mind. Although that would have made the situation even harder to resolve.

Morathi, I understand the point you're making perfectly, though I still think there is a fundamental disconnect between LARP as you have described it and the perception of non-LARPers.

Your lvl 50 paladin example, and the potential arms race that could occur should Mystery be allowed to do whatever is running through his head. Prime examples of how LARP is viewed by the world at large. Sure, there are many great times to be had, should the right mix of people work towards a common goal; your list of experiences shows that. Drinking in the woods? Hell yes.
But you will of course admit that you know "that guy", who always struggles to be known as the best, most powerful, highest level, talented beyond belief if only someone should give him a chance and follow his deranged version of how things should go. For the chicks, right? To non LARPers, the ones that have only seen the LIGHTNING BOLT! video, or similar, "that guy" is "every guy". Perhaps unfair, but I'm not convinced that the LARP population in general works too hard to dispel this myth. Alchemical arms race? "Roleplaying" a guy who is a distasteful asshat? Give me a break. Its extremely hard to side with that as something I would ever see myself committing to making a bedsheet robe to try out, much less purchasing armor for.

On a positive note, check out this bad ass D&D song by McFrontalot. Please, show me a similar media offshoot for LARP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RL9afO27Kg

Wierd for me tbh, if you can rationalise sitting around a table pretending to be in a field fighting orcs with a character rolling dice, why would you have an issue of actually doing it physically?

Well, because it's different...

A lot of people who play RPGs are more focused on the numbers, on levelling up. They're playing a strategy game.

Other people like to roleplay. They want to take on the role of the character.

It's the difference between wanting to "run" the character, and wanting to "be" the character.

Also, the more "in the field" you get about something, the more it seems like you might think you're actually doing it. As we all can imagine, actually fighting a medieval battle would be pretty horrifying stuff, so to imply that you're "simulating" it might be seen as ridiculous. Obviously this projects a certain motivation onto the LARPer, and while it's not totally unfair, it's also not totally inaccurate.

A parallel exists in paintball. I play paintball, I also own real guns, so I'm aware of the difference. When I play paintball, it's very clear to me that what I am doing is not war, and is, in fact, almost totally unlike war except in the most superficial ways. Other people like to really "mil-sim" it up, and I find this a little ridiculous. To me, if you're trying to turn paintball into a military simulation, you don't know very much about what war is actually like. I don't get mad about it, but I do feel like the milsim crowd has somewhat lost the plot.

I don't really judge LARPers, I've never done it, I don't think it looks especially fun, but people don't exist to meet with my approval. If they like it, go for it. My only point is to show the ways in which LARP is different from tabletop, and how one might draw a line where LARP goes "too far."

I really don't much get it, myself. It sounds like a lot of strange rules and social politics, which I do not like. I don't really understand how much actual physical prowess factors in, but it can't be TOO much, or people would be getting severely injured left and right.

I always love how LARPers always go on about how there are girls at the things. Have you tried going to a club or pub....

I have to say, from what I've seen of D&D players it's not much better. I'm aware that quite a few dakkaites play D&D, and for the most part they seem fine (), but the there is only one D&D player who regulary comes to our club and he's creepy, really creepy. For the most part our club is a young crew (12-19) and he's in his 30's, actually living in his parents basement. Using internet anonimity I can be brutally honest, he smells, has terrible breath and doesn't shave if he can help it. He also blocks out all other talk in the room with his too-loud voice, breaking into to other peoples conversation. When I'm explaining how a brightlance works to some of the younger players it doesn't help that he's telling me about the time he roleplayed as an assassin who poisened himself or roleplayed as some 'pimp' hobbit (I have no idea what that was about). I don't let anyone know, but he is one of the most annoying people I have ever met. This is my only experience with D&D players in first person so you can't blame me if I'm unable to feel any attraction to either D&D or their more active LARPer counterparts.

Emperors Faithful wrote:I have to say, from what I've seen of D&D players it's not much better. I'm aware that quite a few dakkaites play D&D, and for the most part they seem fine ()

Phryxis wrote:
It's the difference between wanting to "run" the character, and wanting to "be" the character.

SOLD. Bag that up, to go.

Brutal honesty time, folks. Wargaming has the same mix of people, though slightly different. We're combination artists/ armchair pattons/ numbercrunchers. Playing a game viewed by mainstream media as severely nerdy. See 40 year old virgin. That guy had some cool toys, whats the problem?

Moderation. There is a SEVERE difference between the guy who has a mixed space marine army and shows up once or twice a week to play a game or two and the guy who has optimized MSUs, exhaustively researched from the tubes, ready to crush little babies with it. Casual player (in casual environ) is there for fun, community, and relaxation as he plays the game hes currently interested in. In the same casual environment, that other guy is there for none of that. He is there to assert dominance, to prove to the world his value by proxy of these little toys. Hes there with a WAAC list, ready to crush puppies and expound on what a awesome player he is. EFaithful described the 30 year old loud guy, and thats just who everyone wants to stay home. Very different from a 30 year old patient guy, who will gladly take a less optimized force to play younger gamers, to match the force of the opponent, or in order to bring a new person into the hobby who doesn't know the rules just yet. Loud guy wants none of that. Loud guy wants you to know how smart and awesome he is at this. The irony of course is while being all he can be in that store, he is viewed with contempt by his fellow nerds. In his zeal to be the best (and maybe he is), he occludes all that by generally being a huge socially awkward douche.
If you're wanting to be a competitive player, you go to tournaments to play your 40k that you've spent hundreds of dollars on in order to have those MSUs each in their own transport tank. At least, thats the social convention. Playing casual lists with a competitive or tailored list is... you know what that is. LARP is no different. There are people who have dropped a grand or two into their costume, and as such expect to be treated like king crap of turd mountain. There are people that take it way too seriously in any activity, and maybe the stigma is that LARPers can cross that line like whoaaaa. I'm sure there are good people that LARP, that are there to make it an enjoyable time for everyone. And then there are the people who consider themselves social outcasts already, and want to rise to the top of their chosen circle, who in doing so cause that group to reject them. And in a situation where delusional fantasy is perhaps even encouraged, I can see that getting waaaay out of hand.

Thanks for reading that if you did, and remember: Whatever you choose to do, don't be a dick while you do it.

Jubear wrote:I always love how LARPers always go on about how there are girls at the things. Have you tried going to a club or pub....

That's most in response to people posting up all those things about how LARPers will never meet a girl, and are all male vrigins. No one makes the same assertions about those who hang out at clubs or pubs, so there's no reason for them to act similarly defensively.

I find nerds who still play with their toy solders considering themselves morally superior to nerds who dress up to play cops and robbers to be laughable.

The sliding scale of wankery exists in both hobbies, peering down your nose at them doesn't change the fact we are a group also beset by some REALLY odd people. People who have 'mundane' interests consider YOU to be the weirdo. So climb on down from that high horse and drink yer milk kiddies.

Also disavow yourselves of the constant need to place your 'weird' hobby as 'less weird than them', because seeking to be a mundane is seeking to be bland, seeking to be dull and seeking to be accepted by the beige people. You're better than that.

We are all one people, friends...























Except for the furries, I fething hate them. I mean seriously.

Oh, there are bar sleaze that have only seen their mothers' upon birth, believe it. My argument is again one of quality. Ok, so there are women at a club/bar that may have drank enough to make a bad decision. So? They're habitual drinkers, and if they sleep with random strangers, I bet shes a real catch. Furthermore, you've still got to talk to them in order for anything to happen. Claiming "There are bewbs at LARP!" instantly qualifies you as prolly not getting any.

There are women at the grocery store, selecting phallic vegetables. No one makes assertions about that, either.


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Meangreen, couldn't have said it better myself. I lived overseas for the first 14 years of my life in Scotland, Singapore, and Egypt. When we moved back to the states, they asked me if I wanted to play football.
"Well yeah! I love soccer!"
I was instantly cut.

I have no illusions that Tyranids are a weird hobby. I recently bought some from craigslist, and was supposed to meet the guy at hobby lobby. His phone was off when the time came to meet, and so for ten minutes either side of the meeting time, I stood in front of hobby lobby asking everyone that gave me a passing glance if they were there to meet me about the tyranids. What are they? Space bugs.. nevermind, what about you? You got my nids? About as awkward as you can get, IMO. I don't care, or place myself anywhere on a sliding scale of better/worse than.

I do put 40k>D&D>LARP>Elf Chicks>Furries though. I've got some self respect.

The truth of it is, for me anyway, that if our gaming group were to just forgo the gaming entirely and just go to a pub I'd be fine with it. I wouldn't play with someone (D&D or Warhams) that I wouldn't want to hang out with in some capacity in the first place. Tournaments being an exception of course.

Right. My club is similar, a group of friends mostly. I wouldn't go to a place I was uncomfortable.

For me it becomes a function of douchebag density. Where am I most likely to find one, and how can I avoid that place.

None of us are cool. Let's be honest with ourselves.

You're right.

I'm hella cool.

Mr Mystery wrote:You're right.

I'm hella cool.

Yes. Yes you are.

So it's a 'dick move' to play in character? Put it this way, my character is an Alchemist/Spy. And guess what, that means I sometimes have to do pretty distasteful things.

Damn straight.

Though it won't be long before I'm rumbled and slotted by around 20 people in plate armour. Unless I manage to successfully leg it.

I LARP at Life. What do I win?

No. Because the Dogs control you, and in fact LARP at not being bent on world domination.

Mr Mystery wrote:No. Because the Dogs control you, and in fact LARP at not being bent on world domination.

True that. Commentary was made yesterday that I am completely controlled by 20 lbs of aggregate weiner dog.

On the positive, bathing the yoda of weiner dogs, putting him next to the larger weiner dog to dry, and then watching the said ancient weiner dog go berserk in a full on attack of weiner dog II just because he's ticked about that whole 'bathing' thing...priceless.

Mahahaha!

Dogs RULE! Which is why I like my local. Usually a pooch of some description wandering around, hoovering up crumbs and mooching for Pork Scratchings. And they all know who I am....I'm the treat man! They even bark to get my attention.

I prefer cats.

ChrisWWII wrote:I prefer cats.

Commie! All true red blooded Americans prefer dogs.

Our neighbor's cat is huge and thinks its a dog. "Frankie" is also what you would call, a moron. He's gotten trapped in both our garage and the Wife's vehicle (climbed in when unloading groceries). It also doesn't understand that, after running up to a weiner dog that is literally screaming at you, then getting the BITEBITEBITEBITE treatment from the Shanker, you don't attempt to do the same thing not 30 minutes later.

Given my signature here? I'll take that as a compliment.

Though, I have to admit, your neighbour's cat is amusing....well, mildly amusing as far as an animal acting silly could be. But...you have neighbours Frazzled? I thought you lived in the middle of your weiner dog training camps plotting the conquest of planet Earth.

ChrisWWII wrote:Given my signature here? I'll take that as a compliment.

Though, I have to admit, your neighbour's cat is amusing....well, mildly amusing as far as an animal acting silly could be. But...you have neighbours Frazzled? I thought you lived in the middle of your weiner dog training camps plotting the conquest of planet Earth.

Well, we're in disguise.

I think most people see things like the lightning bolt video are just like 'WHOA' because the level of absurdity is just off the charts.

That said, I'd never begrudge anyone the opportunity to have fun as long as everyone involved is enjoying themselves. And if someone is so hard-up socially that they have to LARP to meet people of the opposite sex, then you know what? All the power to you.

I know a lot of gamers and RPers turn to those mediums because they're cripplingly shy and have a low self-opinion, and this turns the stink of desperation into a bog of reeking sorrows which nobody of the opposite sex wants to ever traverse. And while I don't see playing dress-up in the woods doing much for anyone's actual confidence, who knows?

But it's hard for me to really understand LARPers because the whole concept is alien to me. When I was 11, I really loved the Dragonlance series, because the fantasy elements were so different from the real world. For me, trying to replicate those environments takes the magic out of them precisely because I know the difference between reality and fantasy is very real, and seeing it acted out only highlights those differences; it's like watching someone throw snowballs at the sun.