What is LARP: The Practical Side

May 13, 2025

After diving into the theory of LARP in the previous blog, I want to explain the more practical side in this blog. In this blog, I'll cover the most important participant groups and terms, and mention a few things to keep in mind when choosing your first LARP event.

Within a LARP, there are three important groups of people: the game masters, the players, and the NPCs, who together come up with and act out the overarching story of the LARP.

The game masters

While the LARPers are busy with their game, it's the role of the game masters (SL) to make sure the story unfolds as intended. So months of preparation go into organizing a LARP event before it can even begin. The game masters usually consist of multiple people, each with their own role. A large part of this group are field SLs, who keep an eye on the different plot lines and make sure everyone follows the rules during play and oversee fights (refs). Another important part of the game masters is the monster SL, who ensures that all NPCs are ready at the right moment to fulfill their role. Additionally, there are often craft SLs, who make sure the alchemists, weapon masters, and blacksmiths work correctly and maintain the logic within these systems. The game masters can be thought of as a multi-headed Dungeon Master in D&D, where the game and the ideas of the players are like the twenty-sided die you roll to see if you achieve your goal.

LARP NPCs

LARP NPCs, also called NPCs or monsters, are directed by the game masters. Together with the environment and any props and elements, they form an important framework in which the LARP story takes place. The NPCs might play villagers, for example, and offer an ideal opportunity for the game masters to twist the story in certain moments. An advantage for LARP NPCs is that all accessories, clothing, and weapons are usually provided by the organization. Furthermore, participating in a LARP event usually costs a bit less for an NPC. This makes it an ideal way to get to know LARP and participate in one for the first time. A huge part of experienced LARPers started out as NPCs.

Players

Players form the heart of the story. The players work together, or against each other, possibly in different groups. The decisions players make during a LARP have consequences for the story. This means that both the players and the NPCs and game masters need a good dose of direct creative input and improvisational skills. What players do during a LARP event depends on the situation they find themselves in. Sometimes they need to work together to solve a quest, while other times a big fight is the focus.

If you're good at LARPing, then the reactions and actions a character takes mainly depend on the character's background and personality. A character can participate in multiple LARP events, but a character can also die, after which you get to come up with a new character. This keeps the event exciting and can also create beautiful emotional moments. If your character unexpectedly dies at the beginning of an event, you're often taken in by the NPC group and can still participate in the rest of the event, so you can introduce your new character at the next event.

Getting started with LARP

Want to start LARPing? A LARP doesn't have to be big at all. You can easily come up with a LARP on your own or with a few friends where you can fully immerse yourself for a day or a weekend. Best of all, you can appoint someone (possibly with experience) as game master, or even hire someone to do it for you. You can do this on a special terrain like a castle, a rented scout grounds, in a holiday home or group accommodation, in a pub, or just at home. Furthermore, all you need is a lively imagination and a rough idea of the type and genre of LARP you want to set up.

You can also visit a fantasy fair or fantasy festival. Usually various LARP groups will be there with a short quest planned where you can join in or participate as an NPC.

Want to take a look but not yet participate in a LARP event? Many organizations and clubs use volunteers to, for example, prepare or serve food or work the bar. You can usually arrange this however you like, from wearing your everyday clothes to fully dressed as a cook or server in a tavern. This way you see exactly how an event works, but you're not immediately thrown in the deep end if you're not ready for that yet.

LARP locations

Larger LARP events usually take place in a rented forest or on scout grounds. At LARP events that take place on scout grounds or at a group accommodation, there's often the option to sleep indoors, in (large) dormitories. However, at some LARP events, it's customary to bring a tent to sleep in. This way, everyone builds a large camp together and keeps the LARP atmosphere alive day and night.

To participate in the LARP, participants must pay a fee which often includes the location rental and in some cases the meals. But as mentioned before, with smaller LARP events, you can also choose a simple location or even a cottage at a holiday park.

Different types of LARP

As explained in the blog where I cover more of the theoretical side and history of LARP, there are many different types and genres. When you start with LARP, it's best to focus on one character in one setting. This keeps your character, their background and connections with other characters, their skills, and the goals you set for yourself clear. Many advanced LARPers have different characters that fit different types of LARPs. This gives you much more diversity in your LARP adventures, but also much more to keep track of.

If you're not quite sure about the type or genre of LARP you'd like to participate in, you could first participate in an event as an NPC, so you get a good sense of what a LARP involves, without having to write and maintain your own character. This is done for you by the game masters instead.

LARP jargon

At a LARP, several important terms are used, which come back in virtually every LARP. Here's a short overview of these types of terms. If you're a beginner LARPer, no worries: plenty of time is taken during LARP events to help beginners get acquainted with this new world. There's almost always a general introduction where the most important terms are repeated, and during the event itself you can always ask how something works exactly.

Call: A word or short phrase that clarifies the effect of a certain event. For example, if your weapon does more damage than average because a power-up or blessing has been spoken over it, you can make a call when fighting with this weapon about how much damage and what type of damage you do. Or when you cast a spell on someone, you can point at them and make a call about what your spell does (for example freeze or blind), with possibly the duration of the effect. The statements made by the SL about a certain event are also often called a call.

NPC/Monsters: Non Player Character, just like in a video game. These are the NPCs.

SL: game masters. The members of the game master group, often marked with a clearly colored hood, sometimes even in different colors to indicate the different tasks they perform.

Man down: This term is used when someone is injured outside the game, for example when someone has twisted their ankle, has an open wound, or worse. The rule is that the game stops immediately and everyone except the person who called "man down" sits on the ground, crouches, or otherwise makes themselves small so that the person who has been injured can be quickly found by first aid. Anyone can use this term, but only use it in truly serious injuries where the injured person can no longer walk (well).

IC / In character - OC / Out of Character: These terms speak for themselves. During a LARP event, you make a distinction between what you do in character (as your LARP character) and what you do outside of acting. This term is important because it distinguishes whether you're acting (LARPing) or not. At some LARP events, you're basically IC from the moment time starts until after the event when you pack up your stuff, at some events there are certain places or times agreed where you can be OC, such as the sleeping areas.

Time in / Time in - Time out / Time out: Time in or time in is called out by the SL when the whole group goes IC, usually at the beginning of the event, shortly after the general time-in talk. Time out or time out is called out when the game or event is over. By knowing when time in is, you know when you need to be IC, in character.

Time freeze: This is done by the game masters. At that moment, time freezes. This is usually called out for organizational purposes. The rules regarding time freeze differ per LARP: at some LARPs, time freeze means you don't notice what happens around you either. Then you're expected to close your eyes, stick your fingers in your ears, and hum softly so you really don't notice what's happening around you. At other LARPs, a time freeze just means you freeze in place. You can't move or react to what the game masters and/or NPCs do, but you can see and hear it. This second interpretation can also be called something else (for example Time stop). Time freeze is ended by Time in, after which you can react to the changes that have taken place.

Hands in the air or one hand in the air: This person is OC and is not part of the game being played at that moment. You pretend this person doesn't exist.

One or two fingers in the air: This person is invisible, but can be heard, felt, or smelled. Whether you can really slip past someone unnoticed depends on your own skills.

Props / physreps (physical representations): Objects used during the LARP. For example, a cup or a chest. These can be very small objects, but also entire military camps, where a number of IC tents are often set up and you imagine the rest of the camp yourself. Generally, props are not meant to be used for fighting.

Buts: Fight. During a LARP, fights are often organized. These fights always take place under the supervision of the game masters to ensure that everything is safe and follows the (behavioral) rules. A buts can be between two people, but can also cover an entire battlefield. Often an event or story line ends with a final buts: a big fight that determines who the winner of the story line is, which can then form the basis for a new story line.

Check-in: Most LARPs use a check-in system to make sure everything is going well. This can be done in different ways. Sometimes colors are used (green, yellow, and red, like a traffic light), sometimes hand gestures are used (thumb up, horizontal, or down). With this you can indicate whether a scene might be too intense for you and that it should be toned down a bit, or whether you're having a great time and that it can be a bit harder.

Your first LARP?

Haven't you been discouraged by all these terms, and do you still want to start LARPing? Great! Then you're about to enrich your life with incredibly many new, beautiful IC experiences. Definitely don't underestimate what effect this will have on your OC life! In the following blogs, we'll guide you step-by-step until your first event, whether you want to start as a player or as an NPC.

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