What is Fools and Heroes?




<<Chose from these decriptions while I write my own!>>

From St Helens

F&H is a medieval fantasy Live Role Playing (LRP) system. This means we dress up in medieval/fantasy
costume and run about in the woods pretending to be Heroes or Villains. The campaign world is fairly
standard medieval fantasy; if you have played or read Dungeons & Dragons, Tolkein or Warhammer you
will be familiar with the basic scenario. There are many Gods, magic, guilds and monsters; these help or
plague the adventurers.

A normal adventure day is split into two halves, for one half you will play your player character (PC)
and generally take part in a mission to perform a task. During the other half you will play monsters or
non-player characters (NPC's) who either interact or attack the player characters. A referee designs
the missions and oversees the rules of the game. Combat is done in Live Action with latex (foam &
rubber) full size weaponry so you have to physically attack other players!

F&H is organised nationally referred to as  "Central" ; we have a national plot line and an Executive
committee which governs the rules of the game. There are 18 branches spread over the UK and players
are free to travel in between them. A full branch list is below. An adventure is probably run every
weekend somewhere in the country! It is the national aspect which adds greatly to the F&H
atmosphere. There are many full weekend events run throughout the year with a national Summer Fest
on August bank holiday.

How much will it cost me?

F&H costs a staggering £10 membership fee a year. Of this £7 goes to Central mainly for Public
Liability Insurance and £3 is kept by the local branch for props and costume. All normal adventures
at branches throughout the system are then free. This is unlike many other LRP systems who charge
per adventure. The weekend events normally cost around £15 which includes a banquet and beer on
Saturday night. There can be a charge for some special events i.e. hiring a cave or castle site for the
day.

From Guildford

You may in your time have read classic fantasy books or come across such
'table top' games as 'Dungeons and Dragons' or 'Warhammer'. These games
                    are based in an essentially Tolkienesque fantasy world brimmed with magic,
                    warriors and overflowing with wierd and wonderful creatures.
                    Live action roleplay has its roots embedded in all of these things, bringing to
                    the mix an element of adrenalin and fresh air.
                    The game could be viewed as a kind of Medevial Paintball where a team of
                    players pit their skills and wits against a set of encounters, traps and
                    ambushes. However the comparison does fall a little short, as where Paintball
                    is simply concerning the action and physical, live role play includes all kinds of
                    mental and diplomatic interaction.

                    You can go from fighting a large group of Goblins to solving a complex puzzle
                    to negotiating between two opposing sides in an argument all in a matter of
                    minutes.


From Bristol

What is Live Role Playing?

Live RolePlaying is essentially free form amateur dramatics where you play a character and every action you take develops
the life of that person. This takes many forms, be it in a medieval fantasy, gothic horror or futuristic setting. Live Action Role
Playing

Where can I do this?

There are a number of Live Role Playing systems and organisations throughout the country most of which are not linked
together. Most of the systems are local societies or buisinesses set up to run adventures for their players. Some of the
systems are national societies which co-ordinate a large number of players across the country and have national storylines as
well as local ones run by individual players or branches.

Fools and Heroes is a national system composed of 20 individual branches spread across the country. The branches all have
their own plot lines and also run pieces of plot for the national system. All the plot is co-ordinated through the Fools &
Heroes executive who decide what is allowed both in terms of plot and system rules. Players are encouraged to travel and
play their characters in other branches, thus you are not limited to the plot lines in your branch. Fools & Heroes and the
individual branches also run larger events which attract players from all over the country throughout the year.

For more information on Live Role Playing systems in your area, please mail us and we will see if we can help you.

How do I get involved?

Turn up. We can give you contacts for most systems, be warned you may need to book for some commercial systems and
large events.

Standard Fools and Heroes adventures require no booking, just come along (Although some warning is nice). If you want to
get hold of us just e-mail us at F&H@eltha.clara.co.uk and we can let you know whats going on. Look further down for
details of when and where we meet.

What is required?

When you first play you won't need very much. Some basic costume appropriate to the character you think you want to play
and some clothes for monstering (dark, non-descript and appropriate for the weather) that you don't mind hammering the
mud off when you get home.

Many of us have far too many weapons and if you ask us very nicely we may lend you a sword or something to fight with.
The weapons can cost a lot of money however so don't hurt them or we will charge you for the damage. If you want to buy
your own weapons later we can point you to plenty of places and people that make them.
 

What will it cost me?

Your first 2 adventures with Fools and Heroes will cost you nothing. After that you will have to join the society which costs
£10 for a years membership. From this fee, £7 goes to the national system to pay for Public Liability Insurance, the rest is
kept by the branch for props, costumes etc. Bristol Branch also collect a £1 donation to the branch at each adventure
meeting to help pay for props and costume for the branch. When you consider that some commercial systems charge £10 or
more for a 3 hour adventure, how can you complain at the cost?

When you get hooked, you will end up spending vast sums on costume and weapons, but that doesn't count.

Time-wise, Bristol Branch meet twice a month (On the first Sunday and third Saturday of each month) at weekends. The
branch run 2 adventures, one in the morning and one in the afternoon so it will take up most of the day. It is usual that you
play one adventure and monster the other one so that everyone gets the chance to play. Generally we then go down the pub
afterwards to boast about what we did or lament the loss of our characters. You don't have to turn up every time we run, but
we do ridicule those with bad excuses.




For further info or comments on these pages please contact Steve Kimber