Now that you know a bit about what types and genres of LARP exist, it's time to make a choice from the huge number of LARPs that are organized every year. In this blog, I'll explain how you can choose a LARP that suits you and how you can get into the mood beforehand, whether you're going to the event as a player, extra or maybe even as game master.
Choosing the right LARP
Of course, it's incredibly important to choose a LARP that suits you perfectly. You probably already have an idea of what appeals to you regarding the genre of a LARP, because you can largely compare this to the books you read, the games you play or the films and series you watch: there's something for every niche. It becomes trickier to determine what type of LARP seems interesting to you. Not every style of LARP is for everyone, which is why there are so many options available. Luckily, you can get quite far by asking yourself a few questions, such as:
- What do I think would be fun or interesting to do during an event? Think about whether you want to fight a lot, engage in diplomatic play, explore emotions, practice or undermine religion, etc.
- Am I open to staying overnight at a LARP event? And if I do, would I prefer to sleep outside (in a tent) or inside (in a scouting building or group accommodation, or something else)?
- How much am I willing to spend on a LARP event and what do I expect from the organization in return?
- How much preparation am I willing to make for an event? Think about the complexity of the rule system and learning the world history, but also about dressing up your character and possibly your sleeping place.
- How far can and do I want to travel for an event? Am I open to going abroad?
- Do I already know participants at an event (either in the organization, or as an extra or player) and do I think that's important?
- Do I want to be part of a long-running series of events, or do I prefer an event that wraps up within one event?
Once you can get these things sorted out for yourself, you'll have already gathered quite a few search terms to find a LARP where you'll thrive best.
Besides using a search engine yourself to find a LARP, there are also websites where overviews are posted of every LARP event (provided they've reported it to this website) that takes place in a year. That way you also have a direct overview of the dates when LARPs take place, and whether they don't overlap with each other or with other plans you might have made.
Once you've found a LARP that appeals to you, or maybe you even find several, take plenty of time to read through the information on the website. This often describes in detail what important themes are at the events and what kind of game is central, but the rule system and the history of the world are often also described on the website. In addition, you can often get a feel for the atmosphere of the events through photos taken during play. Are you still interested after reading and viewing all this information? Then you might have found the right LARP, and you can possibly sign up for your first event. Still unsure? Then get in touch with one of the game master members or perhaps with a player or extra. That way you can get answers to all the questions you still have and ultimately make a decision about whether this LARP really suits you, and vice versa.
Good LARP preparation
Once you've chosen a LARP and signed up for your first event, the preparation begins. Immerse yourself completely in the world of your chosen LARP by reading the world history and all other information that can be found on the website. You might even receive extra information from the game masters. To be as much in the story as possible during the event, I recommend that you take in as much information as possible beforehand. Make sure to dive deep into the rule system and the skills that exist within your chosen LARP, so that during the event you have to search and ask as little as possible how things work and can stay completely in character. Besides, this also gives you a good picture of what developments your character could go through during the events, which skills you can learn, how you want to approach this and what social constructs exist. That way you can also prepare yourself well for how you'll ultimately play during an event.
In addition to the information you can read on the websites of LARP associations and foundations, there are often groups on social media that you can join. Most LARPs have a dedicated Discord group and Facebook group, but there are also chat groups on, for example, WhatsApp, although this is often for smaller groups and not for the entire overarching LARP group. Join via the social media where you feel most comfortable and get to know your fellow participants. This lowers the threshold to approach people during the event itself and you might even be able to make plans and connections beforehand. Besides, it's also fun to hear from other participants how they experience the events and what kind of characters you could encounter at an event. Here you can even adjust your playing style and character if necessary.
Once you've had a bit of a taste of the atmosphere of a LARP by going through the websites and reading and discussing in the social groups and maybe you already have a bit of an idea of what awaits you at an event, it can be a fun idea to create a playlist with music that gets you in the mood. You can then listen to this in the days before and on the journey to the event, and so build up your enthusiasm nicely. Besides, you could watch films and/or series in the style of the LARP event you're looking forward to, so you can get in the mood visually and perhaps even emotionally. You can also draw inspiration from this for the type of play that interests you and for costumes and accessories that you can start thinking about.
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