Your First Steps into a New LARP
Starting a new LARP is always stressful. You have to make new friends, learn rules and lore that you have to try to remember, create a character, and get yourself and all your gear to the game without forgetting anything. Then there’s the cost of that gear. I personally find this to be a challenge sometimes, so I’m going to go over some things that you and games can do to make starting a new game easier.
As an adult, it is always harder to make new friends. We often get inside our own heads. Is my costume good enough? Will people find me funny? Will I be able to hold a conversation with other players in-game? These may be some of the questions you ask yourself. So what can be done to help alleviate the stress and help you blend seamlessly into a new game?
My recommendation would be to have someone from the game talk to potential new players before they start your LARP. The game could call this position a “new player rep.” They could answer any questions the potential new player may have about the game, and then the new player can get a feel for what the people who play the LARP are like. Furthermore, it would help a lot if games had a mentoring system, where a veteran or experienced player hangs around the new players for a bit, giving them a walk-through of the new world they have entered and making introductions with other players on their behalf, so they have connections in-game and will not feel so out of place. I would also highly recommend that the veteran player take the new player on a mod designed for new people so they get a feel for how things work in this new world of LARP they have just entered. These are a few things that can be done to help alleviate people’s shyness when starting a new game.
In regard to character creation, rules, and lore for the love of whatever you believe in, games need to stop making this so hard for players. I personally do not have the time to read a 300-page rulebook and then a lore book to figure out if this game is right for me. A LARP should be able to be explained to players in about five minutes, with a quick, easy setup to have a basic new character ready to go. We are not computers. We cannot remember hundreds and hundreds of pages, and we’re going to have a hard enough time trying to fit into this new LARP world. Please do not further complicate it with over-complicated rules. Try to keep the rulebook short and simple.
Regarding character creation, this happened to me at a LARP where they explained it as being like filing your taxes. I don’t know about you, but I’m not a big fan of all the rules and regulations that come with filing taxes. It’s a lot of work, it’s hard, and you’re always nervous you’re going to do something wrong. I would highly recommend against a system like this. Keep it simple. Some of the best systems I’ve seen use a database where you can point, click, and choose your character skills, with the system automatically adding up all the points you’ve used.
Two more recommendations I can give would be to have a person willing to help those who are struggling with their character creation, and also, instead of only having a rulebook, I highly recommend videos for lore and rules. These can be far more entertaining than reading a book, and pictures especially if you want to give people a visual of what your costumes should look like, are very helpful.
When it comes to getting to LARP and remembering everything you need to bring, I recommend considering how long it will take you to get there. Do you have a vehicle you can take to the LARP, or will you need to get a ride from someone else? If you don’t have a ride, you’ll have to see if the LARP offers carpooling and if someone is able to pick you up. Sometimes the game is just too far away and it doesn’t work with where you live. You also have to consider whether you can get time off for LARP. Most of us have to work, and although we would love to LARP our whole lives, we have to ask, will we be able to get the time off when the game is scheduled?
As for kit, costume, and gear needed for LARP, I recommend writing things down before you start to make sure you have everything you need. If you don’t, figure out how much it’s going to cost to buy it, because you don’t want to start something you can’t afford. If you want to buy a full set of medieval plate mail, it’s going to be expensive. You might want to plan that before deciding to join a LARP that requires it. Once you have your list, I suggest setting everything aside a day or two before the LARP and checking it off your list. That way, you can load it into your car or have it ready for your carpool when they come to pick you up. Remember: make a list, check it twice, and you’ll be ready when it’s time to go.
The cost of gear for camping and equipment for LARPing is not cheap, but there are ways to make it more affordable. For camping gear, I highly recommend looking for secondhand items. Check places such as Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji. For LARP equipment, it’s not quite as easy, but if you ask around at a game, some people may be able to offer you discount codes for stores such as Calimacil. Games can help keep costs down by encouraging veteran players to donate their extra gear to new players. As a vet myself, I often find I have far too much gear I no longer use or need. Instead of throwing it out, it would be better to hand it to a player who is just starting their journey, giving them the extra boost they need to get into the hobby.
Personally, you should make a list of what you need and see if you can afford to play the game before committing. It’s important to have a plan. You don’t want to get halfway through and then realize you can’t afford it after buying a bunch of stuff you can’t return.
I hope these few simple points will help make LARP more accessible for people when they first start out. Starting LARP can be intimidating, but if we work together, we can make it easier for everybody to take their first steps into this brave new world of LARP.
