I used to play in a Vampire the Masqurade Larp.  It was lots of fun.  I made some cool friends.  It sounded like it was a big deal with chapters over atleast two countries.  

Anyone still do that?

Hell yeah!

The Camarilla is still active.
https://www.mindseyesociety.org/

I haven't done a Cam LARP for years, but I do 1-2 LARPS a year depending on what events are happening at the local cons. I have an acquaintance who is part of a huge local post-apoc fantasy LARP that is rather hardcore and I've been toying with the idea of joining because of the rave reviews.

Quote from: Headless;958889I used to play in a Vampire the Masqurade Larp.  It was lots of fun.  I made some cool friends.  It sounded like it was a big deal with chapters over atleast two countries.  

Anyone still do that?

You are... kidding... right?

Ok. Assuming you are even more sheltered than I used to be...

um.. Yes. Larping is alive and well. IFGS and Cthulhu Live are still around as is Vampire. There is/was a local group.

In recent years LARPCraft has started advancing and getting broader scope. As have a few others.

What state you in? Theres probably a few local or semi-local unless you are out in the middle of no-where like I used to be.

Theres all sorts of LARPs now ranging from fantasy to SF, and ranging from VERY casual to one requiring full gear. Some of the SF ones require painball or nerf guns.

Not only is LARP more popular than ever, it appears to be at the core of \#WhiteWolf's marketing plans.

I've never done it or had any interest in doing it. I've only ever seen it done on TV and movies, where it was basically being mocked as uncool by writers who probably know as little about it as I do as evidenced by the way they portray D&D on shows like the Big Bang Theory and Community.

So what makes LARP different from what my kids do with their toy light sabers and blaster pistols? Are there actual rulebooks or referees who roll dice to see if you hit? Do you pay to join an organization that sets it up and schedules it or do you just get together with friends and lark about in the park?

Quote from: Headless;958889I used to play in a Vampire the Masqurade Larp.  It was lots of fun.  I made some cool friends.  It sounded like it was a big deal with chapters over atleast two countries.  

Anyone still do that?

LARPing is the main reason I stayed far away from VTM in the 90s. Running around the city at night wearing sketchy costumes was not my idea of fun, and the fact many of the players were also in the BDSM community meant sometimes lines were blurred. Also the idea of boffers just killed immersion, not to mention I was taking Chinese sword fighting at the time, so I saw little point in engaging in Nerf combat.

Yep. I still haven't ever done it, but I occasionally encounter people doing them in parks near the university.

"Is that a robber skulking in the bushes?" I think. "Oh, yes it is, but they are also wearing a cowl, cloak and fantasy boots, and carrying a foam flail..."

There was a guy here in Vegas recently who was trying to get a LARP group going. Me and mine weren't interested but I think he got a few takers from other quarters.
Most of the other stuff I know of locally has devolved into sexual variations... like a Gor group I (accidentally) became aware of.

EDIT: Actually, if you include the Renaissance Faire 'guilds' as some form of LARP then there IS a good bit of that going on around here. My friends are quite involved and always seem to have projects going on and things they need to do for The Queen.
It shares some degree of the same sexual aspects I associate with Vampire LARP but it's not a given (unlike the GOR group).

There's still a significant portion of people who play Dagorhir (LARP-based boffer fighting game) here in the Eastern Part of the U.S. In fact there's a large weekend battle in Somerset, PA every last weekend in April called the Gates of Fire. Usually between 200 to 500 people attend annually.

Quote from: Simlasa;958985Most of the other stuff I know of locally has devolved into sexual variations... like a Gor group I (accidentally) became aware of.

Of all the sf fantasy to spark a cult Gor has to be the most poorly written.

I see some kids from the local high school who LARP with foam swords and shields in the park. One time when I was at a meeting on the local campus someone knocked at the door and when I amswered it I was greeted by the surreal sight of a woman in full chain mail. She was part of the campus medievel club and was lost. A bit too hardcore nerd even for me but at the same time got to respect that one branch of the hobby was rooted in the Society for Creative Anachronism.

I have noticed though that the alumni group on campus put on several successful nights of a murder mystery larp although of course it was neither named nor presented as such. That form seems to be the one most likely to crossover and not inspire outright mockery among the plebs.

That infamous 'Lightning Bolt! Lightning Bolt!' video meme probably didn't help any of the poor high school larpers in terms of bullying and mockery.

But actual medieval sword fighting classes and competitions seem to be catching on with all types lately. So certain elements of larping seem to be crossing over.

Quote from: Headless;958889I used to play in a Vampire the Masqurade Larp.  It was lots of fun.  I made some cool friends.  It sounded like it was a big deal with chapters over atleast two countries.  

Anyone still do that?

Yes and like tabletop RPGs there are a variety of different types of LARPS like NEROLarp. From 1992 to 2004 I was involved in running boffer LARP events and from 1999 to 2004 I owned a LARP chapter. I got out of it because my wife and I had a second child and I did not have time for it anymore.

Quote from: Krimson;958934LARPing is the main reason I stayed far away from VTM in the 90s. Running around the city at night wearing sketchy costumes was not my idea of fun, and the fact many of the players were also in the BDSM community meant sometimes lines were blurred. Also the idea of boffers just killed immersion, not to mention I was taking Chinese sword fighting at the time, so I saw little point in engaging in Nerf combat.

Those of us in NERO (boffer LARP) didn't look too kindly at VtM LARPs either. Basically a bunch of posers who play rock, paper and scissors. . Not like us boffer larpers who will slog through the mud, rain, and snow with 30 pounds of gear on to get to the adventure wondering whether that barbarian player we picked up back at town is really there to backstab us.

There are different types of LARPS and different LARP Organizations. The one I was involved with was in essence D&D in the woods with a Player vs. Player component mixed in. i.e. it was possible to get away with killing another player characters. The my picture on this site is me dressed as my Endless Star character.

The advantage and problem with boffer LARPS is the live action. It an advantage because it very immersive, it is a problem because there are many standard fantasy tropes that are difficult for us to do. Not the least of which is the fact that staff needs to eat, sleep, and shit. And it take time to get from one side of the site to the other.

Good to know that stuff is still going on.  

As for isolation, the thing about living rurally or in a small town is if you lose the one guy (gender non-specific) who's running things, it goes under.  That happened with SCA here. And I moved away and lost touch with the LARPers.  

The thing about Canada is its FUCKING HUGE! And empty.  Halifax is cool but small (and I still live an hour away) its 14 muther Fucking hours to Montreal.  

But like I said it was a good time.

From my own observations, Vampire LARP's are less common than they used to be and offer LARP's are more popular than ever. I'm currently involved in a boffer LARP but can't play regularly because I have two small children.

Quote from: Headless;959039Good to know that stuff is still going on.  

As for isolation, the thing about living rurally or in a small town is if you lose the one guy (gender non-specific) who's running things, it goes under.  That happened with SCA here. And I moved away and lost touch with the LARPers.  

The thing about Canada is its FUCKING HUGE! And empty.  Halifax is cool but small (and I still live an hour away) its 14 muther Fucking hours to Montreal.  

But like I said it was a good time.

That happened in my home town. We had a pretty successful SCA community here, but it all depended on one guy and his loaner armor and influence. He moved away and the SCA died there. It didn't help either that it is a college town and so younger members cycled out every few years.

Obligatory Red Fang:

[video=youtube;VufilzHKTqk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VufilzHKTqk[/youtube]