Newcomers

 

 A LARP is a Live Action Role Playing game. This means that rather than using dice and maps as in a tabletop game, you act out what your character does. Instead of trying to experience the fantasy world through a computer, you actually physically perform the actions of the character you are playing. This means that if you want to go talk to a merchant, you actually walk up to the merchant and begin a conversation. If you want to attack someone, you draw your weapon and physically attack the person!

 

When you arrive at Shadow Realms, you will be given a character sheet, a costume and foam weapons with which to do battle. We play on a beautiful fifty-acre campsite, complete with forests, streams and a full size medieval village. The village has an inn, and perhaps for a few gold coins the innkeeper would let you rent a spot under his roof.  There are some cabins to sleep in, although many players prefer to add to the rustic flavour of the game by sleeping in tents and building their own campsites. Campfires are allowed, although you must tell a plot member (a referee) where you intend to do so.

 

As I said, when you arrive at the game site you will be given costuming and weapons. We rent out professional medieval costumes to newcomers who might not have the time or experience to construct a costume of their own. We rent out cloaks, shirts, tunics, and replica chain mail, as well as a wide variety of fantasy costumes.  These costumes add to the mood of the game, and are an important part of the medieval fantasy atmosphere. We also rent out weapons to new players. Weapons at Shadow Realms are constructed from plastic piping wrapped in thick foam insulation. This ensures that the weapons are effective in combat, and at the same time that they are very safe and player friendly.

 

 

So, once you have your costume and weapons, all you need to begin playing is a character. Just as in any role playing game, you need to come up with an idea for your character. You want to have an idea of your character=s personality; what their belief system is like, what traits they have and who they are as a person. You need to know what qualities they look for in friends, what their goals are and what motivates them. You will also need to pick out what race your character will be (human, elven and so forth) and what skills you want them to be able to perform.

 

 

 

 

The whole idea behind having a character is role-playing. You create an alternate persona, and try to stay in that persona for as long as you are in character. This means that you would act the way your character would act, rather than the way you would act. Once you have an idea for your character=s personality, you need to communicate this personality to the other players and inhabitants of the world you find yourself in. You could adopt an accent, or use different words and expressions, even body language. But keep in mind that the idea is to play the role of a different person than yourself, and to act as they do, say, to act like an elven ranger rather than acting like a computer programmer.

To get a better idea of the skills available and how to make a character, check the Shadow Realms rules section. We encourage new players to make characters over email or on the phone, but if you have no preparation time or have trouble, we can help you to create your character when you arrive at the game site.

 

 

What to Bring 

 

When you come to Shadow Realms, it is not imperative that you bring anything. We rent out costumes and weapons for your character, and we sell food, so you won=t starve. We also sell firewood and fire starting kits. This doesn=t mean that it is a good idea to come totally unprepared! We advise that you bring enough food for three days; Friday night, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning. You can store your food in a cooler, and remember, it=s always a good idea to bring a little extra just in case. You should also remember to bring lots to drink; we recommend juice and water more so than pop or beverages that will dehydrate you. You should also think about things like condiments, cooking supplies and cutlery.  If you intend to cook your food, you=ll probably want to bring some supplies to start a campfire.

  The rule of thumb is to bring whatever you would bring to a three-day camping trip. I would bring lots of food, cooking supplies and a fire starter kit. I would also bring a tent, sleeping bag and several days’ worth of clothes. It is also a good idea to bring an extra set of footwear.

As far as costumes and weapons go, it=s always a good idea to bring what you might use. While we do have costumes to rent, we encourage players to be creative and to work on a costume themselves for their character. Because it is rather difficult to know what sorts of costumes people use at Shadow Realms, we advise that on your first night you rent a costume until you have a better grasp of what you want your character to look like. If you=ve ever been to a LARP before, feel free to bring your own weapons. Keep in mind though that we will give them a safety check and may reject them if they are determined to be too dangerous. Again, we do rent out weapons, so it is not essential that you bring your own.