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The only MMORPG I play is Facebook.

LARP-ing hands down. Especially those Vampire/Werewolf LARPers.

I'm going to go on the record and say Pokemon isn't.
My 8 yr old son is obsessed with them and I want to keep up somewhat so he has someone to talk to about it. Because I know his mother and her husband won't

Haha well if i go from the chart I am so non nerd i must be cool!
i'm a biomedical scientist who likes RPGs, star trek and wargames...i have to be cool right...surely

Redbeard wrote:There are different types of Larps too. There are the 'we're in the woods throwing bean-bags at each other' larps, which I never got.

Because it's fun to whack each other with foam weaponry, and where else am I going to get to climb a tree and rain arrows into melee without significant risk to my own continued breathing, or legal repercussions?

George Spiggott wrote:The only MMORPG I play is Facebook.

HA!

Kilkrazy wrote:

diablarist wrote:WAIT! just wait...your forgeting one thing....

cosplay.

there. i said it.

Cosplay is full of smoking hot Japanese chicks. I have seen pictures.

yeah....but 9/10 aint chicks...

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:LARP in the UK.

A good excuse to spend a long weekend pissed out your skull, combined with endless opportunities for hitting people without getting nicked for it. Add in lots of your mates, camping, rude songs, birds and food.....sounds like a damned fine idea to me.

It's actually the same in the US for the most part. The videos aren't an accurate representation of the average US LARP.

George Spiggott wrote:The only MMORPG I play is Facebook.

EXALT!

Platuan4th wrote:

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:LARP in the UK.

A good excuse to spend a long weekend pissed out your skull, combined with endless opportunities for hitting people without getting nicked for it. Add in lots of your mates, camping, rude songs, birds and food.....sounds like a damned fine idea to me.

It's actually the same in the US for the most part. The videos aren't an accurate representation of the average US LARP.

Lies! I have seen "Role Models" so I am an expert.

We have an AmpGuard (sp?) group here in SLO and I've always thought the basic principles were sound: get some padded weapons, beat the gak out of your friends. But once the RPG elements come in ("Lightning Bolt!") it starts to break down for me.

Plus, when I told people about Cal Poly Fencing Team they would respond, "Oh I've seen some fencers in the park with padded weapons and the costumes." To which we'd have to respond, "NO! Those are NOT Fencers!" And then we'd cut out their tongues just to be safe.

Ozymandias wrote:Plus, when I told people about Cal Poly Fencing Team they would respond, "Oh I've seen some fencers in the park with padded weapons and the costumes." To which we'd have to respond, "NO! Those are NOT Fencers!" And then we'd cut out their tongues just to be safe.

Heh, I actually DO know Fencers who LARP(Don't kill me!).

diablarist wrote:WAIT! just wait...your forgeting one thing....

cosplay.

there. i said it.

crossplay

Polonius wrote:Well, the nerdiness of hobbies depends on two things:
1) how involved or ridiculous looking the activity, and
2) how geeky the people that favor it are

this is why LARPing is the bottom of the barrel, while airsoft/paintball are barely geeky at all. Both involve running around the woods pretending to be something your not, but airsoft has actual shooting and ducking and fieldcraft, while Larping has foam swords. In addition, LARPers are larpers, while airsoft guys tend to be pretty normal dudes...

I beg to differ:



Theres something wrong with pretending to be something real, like say, a soldier. Versus pretending to be something fake, like say, a fairy princess.

Ask a real soldier what they think about airsoft.

Airsoft<Larp

I am making a case that "nerdyness" also depends on where one draws the line between fantasy and reality. Pretending to be something fictional, ok, pretending to be something real, poor taste.>

The LARPers on Reno 911 are my favorite part of that show!

LARPing is definitely the most ridiculous past time ever conceived. I would rather let my girlfriend put my warhammer collection in the microwave than even consider taking part.

I see them on Southampton Common occasionally (shudder) all with long hair, glasses, beards, black t-shirts and of course large plastic swords; a LARPer is more recognisable than a chav.

Platuan4th wrote:

Ozymandias wrote:Plus, when I told people about Cal Poly Fencing Team they would respond, "Oh I've seen some fencers in the park with padded weapons and the costumes." To which we'd have to respond, "NO! Those are NOT Fencers!" And then we'd cut out their tongues just to be safe.

Heh, I actually DO know Fencers who LARP(Don't kill me!).

As do I, but the two are not the same!

I'm not sure I like this thread anymore. I don't have an axe to grind with anyone here it's just that it seems like an invitation to ostricize (least favorite hobby).

Honestly, I voted for LARP right away on impulse, and thinking about that, I regret it. Perhaps this makes me a hypocrite then, so be it.

"Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?"
Luke 6:41

I'm going to defend LARPers, partly because I think there is a just cause in it, and partly to fight the ostricization.

There are a lot of elements of Larping that have artistic merrit! Story telling, costuming, writing, staying in character, these are all excellent artistic past times when combined with healthy social engagement ? Why not?

Furthermore, if it were to appeal to the introvert, and get them to socialize more... Isn't that people coming together?

Well i think any excuse to dress up is fabbie! i don't partake myself but if i had money to burn i would be right into anything that let me wear a costume! hence every fetish,theme,erotica night its a must!!

I think my favorite LARP ever was the one I found in MS/LA right before I moved to Cali: Politically Incorrect Cowboy/Western LARP(alt History Earth, so there were some Steampunk/Full Metal Fantasy Elements if'n you wanted to play a European for some reason).

Anyone who has worked in entertainment will know that there is a LOT of alternative social interaction in that industry. From screen actors to musicians, to cameramen and wardrobe staff, they're some of the biggest 'nerds', if specific, obscure knowledges, unwarranted elitist attitudes and getting into a different persona have anything to do with it. There is also a LOT of sexual deviance. But all of this fancy dress, attention to detail and suspension of unreality is considered to be one of the heights of culture.

Nurgleboy77 wrote:Hell any female without a beard looks good at a Games Day.

This sentence is made of win and whip cream.



Ghidorah

Polonius wrote:Ask a real soldier what they think about airsoft.

Ok, well, I actually know a few fellow soldiers who DO like airsoft, while others prefer paintball. Not to mention when we go to field problems we get to play super laser tag. Check out MILES gear.

Also, what would SCA heavy combat fall under, cause i might have cursed myself to the lowest dregs of this pyramid with my interest in it.

Fattimus_maximus wrote:

Polonius wrote:Ask a real soldier what they think about airsoft.

Ok, well, I actually know a few fellow soldiers who DO like airsoft, while others prefer paintball. Not to mention when we go to field problems we get to play super laser tag. Check out MILES gear.

Also, what would SCA heavy combat fall under, cause i might have cursed myself to the lowest dregs of this pyramid with my interest in it.

I'm pretty sure I didn't say that....

Anyway, I think airsoft wins in the end over larping because it's at least theoretically a measure of phsycial ability and because shooting things is inherently cooler than pretending to cast spells.

Everybody knows a smoking hot girl that plays D&D or a creepy neckbeard that does extreme rock climbing, but generalities are generalities, and while I don't kowtow to societal ideas of what's cool, it's not hard to tell where you fall on a spectrum.

Yeah, SCA sounds allright, a buddy of mine told me about a time he was in a 1,000 on 1,000 battle on the east coast. they all lined up, charged each other braveheart style and beat the gak out of each other.

That sounds fun! I sure as hell wouldn't want a girl I was trying to take out see me doing it, but hey, that goes for a lot of things!

For me pretty much everyone has their own geekiness and what we decide to do with it is up to you. I am pretty much guilty of alot of nerdy things such as wargaming, RPGs, Anime (giant robot animes), Pokemon (the only other game to replace my tetris on my gameboy), MMOs like WoW and WAR, I havent done LARP but one thing I would dig is historical reenactments which is not too far off from LARPS, MST3K, fantasy football, etc. I see the level of geekiness doesnt pertain to the hobby but more so the fanaticism towards said hobby. I have seen some real geekiness come out of sports guys when it comes to fantasy football and I have seen such historical reenactment players who its just another saturday reliving wars of the past. Who am I to judge on those types of hobbies?

Though the only kind of nerdy hobby I find disturbing is Furries as its kinda borderline bestiality no matter how you see it. Does it sound hypocritical? It is but furries just bothers me personally despite my best attempts at being tolerant.

I am a soldier, an 11-C in the US infantry, and airsoft/paintball > LARPing any day of the week. A lot of my airborne buddies and I go airsofting as a way to keep certain skills maintained, such as room clearing and prisoner detaining. Larpers, on the other hand, just want to run around wacking each other with sticks and hitting on the poor girls with self esteem low enough to get dragged into the LARP. So, in summary: Airsoft=skills training aid; LARP=strange past-time intermingled with violent tendencies and sexual desperation.

Everyone has a comfort level or tolerance level of what they would participate in.

I would do cosplay once in my life. It would need to be a convention with lots of people and I would only go as a Team Fortress 2 character, not as an anime character. I would consider that more of a fancy dress party event than being a cosplayer.

Lots of Japanese youngsters like to dress up weird and hang out at Harajuku at the weekend. It's pretty interesting to go and see. A lot of Japanese youth fashion is wacky enough without it representing characters from a game or whatever.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adlaw/1321103/

Anung Un Rama wrote:

Orkeosaurus wrote:Hey, Porygon has immunity.

He's got a lot more character than:



I mean, really, WTF is that thing? It's terrible.

Well it's obviously a purple mecha godzilla. Man, I miss the simple Pokemon like Charizard or Turtoise.

I believe you mean Blastoise or Turtwig (which incidentally is current generation)
And what do you mean pokemon isn't cool?

Good Morning all. First time poster, slightly disturbed at what I've read. Apologies for the length of this reply.

Okay, I get that this thread was set up to be a bit light hearted, but some of the comments are pretty extreme and unsubstantiated. So I'm going to answer them.

I've been a wargamer since 1992 and a Lrper since 1996. I'm the administrator of the biggest LRP forum in the UK. I'm a University Lecturer in Fantasy and Science Fiction, so I fit into loads of the categories on the "Geek Hierarchy" I organise LRP games across the country over here. I have to say don't recognise most of the conclusions given here.

Reecius wrote:LARPing (OK, this is uber nerdage, it has even made it into the several movies because of its super nerd qualities)

Apart from "Role Models" - which actually concludes with a view that the hobby is good harmless silly fun (which it is). Could you name these other movies? I'd be interested in watching them. I guess it depends on what you count as a mainstream film. I'm perfectly happy for my hobby to be laughed at (it is pretty silly after all), but I don't understand how knocking one hobby makes another seem better?

Polonius wrote:Well, the nerdiness of hobbies depends on two things:
1) how involved or ridiculous looking the activity, and
2) how geeky the people that favor it are

If this is your definition of nerdiness I would ask you this. Why are you concerned about how ridiculous you look when you're taking part in a hobby game? Surely if its a good game, you aren't worried about how you look when you're doing it. Defining "how geeky" the people taking part are is a pejorative. In my experience, people define people based on whether they fit in with that group, and this comes down to age, experience, cliqueness etc...

Polonius wrote:
this is why LARPing is the bottom of the barrel, while airsoft/paintball are barely geeky at all. Both involve running around the woods pretending to be something your not, but airsoft has actual shooting and ducking and fieldcraft, while Larping has foam swords. In addition, LARPers are larpers, while airsoft guys tend to be pretty normal dudes.

Reenacting is less nerdy than Larping for the same reason. The people that do it are family type people, with jobs and kids and stuff.

Again, this is a very odd definition of Lrpers. In the UK players of our games are a complete cross section of people, old, young, male, female, etc... LRP involves some of the same skills as airsoft, in fact it involves a whole set of other skills as well. I've been to games that were "light" and were more about the running around and hitting people, but the majority of games I run are darker and based on character interaction etc... Most of the people who make weapons and costume in the UK want to make them look as realistic as possible and some do work for films as well as making them for Lrpers.

Trench-Raider wrote:Historical reenactors are pretty well accepted by the mainstream, certainly more so than SCAers. (don't get me started on that bad joke) So they are certainly up the food chain a rung or two. Both are above LARPers...although admittedly in the case of the SCA the two are not too far removed. Likewise I think that historical miniature gamers are up a level from the fantasy gamers on the social acceptability hierachy.

That's an interesting definition. The implication of your view it is that the "Historical" indicates respectable. Is that what you were going for? In my experience this isn't the case. In the UK, the ground between these hobbies is narrowing, particularly at Kit fairs. In the last decade we've tended to find that many LRPers do renactment and vice versa, this has helped a lot in breaking down barriers between two very similiar past times.

Trench-Raider wrote:
I'm generally pretty comfortable telling outsiders about my involvement in reenacting and historical miniatures. But I'm much more reluctant to tell my co-wrokers 9for example) that I play fantasy miniatures or D&D.

I think this brings in another issue. The way in which you can involve someone in what you are doing when they don't have any experience of it. LRP has a real problem with this as do many of the hobbies listed. The situation of being on the outside of a fervent discussion of wargaming tactics or the latest edition of a roleplaying game is pretty much the same problem LRP has. A lot of it comes down to how you can translate this enthusiasm to people who don't play, but have asked a question. We're looking at precisely this question on our website here:

http://www.eoslrp.com/Flashmedia.html

I also get the point about telling people you work with. I think this relates directly to the point above, particularly when it comes to trying to explain why a hobby is good fun/appealing. So many of the hobbies above tend to rely on either a) the participants enthusiasm being infectious or b) having a demonstrable example you can use for someone who isn't part of it.

Anung Un Rama wrote:I voted for Larping. Not that I have no respect for people who put so much time and effort into costumes and stuff but when they come to the fun part (the fighting) everything's full of rules like "no stabbing". Seriously, if you're a Nerd who actually goes outside to become his RPG character, then why would they start restricting themselves like that

Thanks. To explain your point about stabbing, generally its down to safety. No-one wants to actually die or really get injured. Some systems use "stab safe" weaponry, but there is no unversal standard on what is safe or not. Most games I have been involved with consult very carefully with their first aid team and the weapon makers to set safety standards for made weapons and combat.

Nurgleboy77 wrote:Wow, LARPers FTW! Hands down the Nerdiest! I was almost sucked into SCA as a young teenager, I had a friend who was in it and I thought his armor/weapons were kinda cool, then I decided I might actually want to be inside a woman at some point and passed.

I'm surprised if you genuinely think that LRP would preclude this. Any hobby that encourages people to get out and meet other people means you have an active social life. I met my partner at an LRP event. In the UK, LRP has a large proportion of female participants. Could you give an example of how specifically LRP would stop people meeting members of the opposite sex? If you put a lot of people in a field and give them a reason to talk to each other they are going to make friends and have relationships. I can't really comment on what one individual system would do to deal with extreme problems, but I can say at Eos, we take our events seriously. We won't serve alcohol to people under 18 and don't let under 16's attend. Regarding how far people take "In character relationships" well, in our case, after the proviso's give above, that's up to them.

Then we come to the Lightning Bolt video. I've seen this posted so many times on so many LRP discussions. I've never taking part in a game that used fam balls to represent spells being cast, so in my view, its not very representative of the games I play. Why not post some others like these?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32nnH743AHg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWlxO015d0Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXzo-2EiV9E

They give a much better idea of what the hobby is about.

That said, I love Fear of Girls- its hilarious.

greenskin lynn wrote:i thing a good quarter of the larpers i've met were furries, or had a pedo vibe, or both

i've yet to meet a wargamer that either scared me, or made me feel dirty simply being in their presence

Really? I feel very sorry for you. I have to say your experience doesn't match mine. Why do you think those people were like that? I doubt its because of LRP or typical of LRPers.

Augustus wrote:Theres something wrong with pretending to be something real, like say, a soldier. Versus pretending to be something fake, like say, a fairy princess.

Ask a real soldier what they think about airsoft.

Well I have real soldier friends who play all types of games from this list and they thiink they are great. The only thing the majority hate is guard duty in a game - smacks too much of being on the job...

Augustus wrote:
I am making a case that "nerdyness" also depends on where one draws the line between fantasy and reality. Pretending to be something fictional, ok, pretending to be something real, poor taste.

Well then your argument puts re-enactment in the frame to be put down if used as an inspiration for LRP. We have a game system in the Uk that does this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsqVpVIbyUw

In my view, this looks like a cracking weekend of fun.

Flashman wrote:LARPing is definitely the most ridiculous past time ever conceived. I would rather let my girlfriend put my warhammer collection in the microwave than even consider taking part.

I see them on Southampton Common occasionally (shudder) all with long hair, glasses, beards, black t-shirts and of course large plastic swords; a LARPer is more recognisable than a chav.

Really? I probably know that group. Do they bother you? Ever spoken to them? Ever looked at the swords? I can guarantee they aren't plastic. Do you choose your friends based on the clothes they wear? I could completely understand your point if they gave you hassle, but I doubt they do. I doubt also you know what goes on at LRP events. I think this post kinda sums up my point. Why is there a need for participants of one hobby to put down others?

FoxPhoenix135 wrote:
LARP=strange past-time intermingled with violent tendencies and sexual desperation.

Care to explain why you think this? Its a pretty strong conclusion to draw based on no evidence in your post. I'd love to discuss it as I think you're completely wrong.