Pointlife
Geeks' Corner
Geek who looks chic
Welcome to the second edition of Geeks’ Corner. I have established that I will cover any topic related to and dealing with “dorkitude.” I am looking forward to reading your questions.
Last week I covered the basics of how digital television works. This week’s topic:
“What is LARPing?”
LARPing is a very simple thing to do. First, the word “LARP” is an acronym which stands for Live Action Role-Playing. LARP is an activity that dorks, geeks and nerds partake in to have fun.
LARPing really is just acting like or portraying a certain character that is part of a group of characters who have adventures. Many LARPs, which is a way to pluralize different games that use the LARP system, exist.
One aspect of LARPing that people love is the fact that you can dress up in costume. This simply means that you wear the clothes that your character would wear if they were a real, living person.
This type of dress is closely linked to cosplay. Cosplay is dressing in costume for already established characters, i.e. your neighbor dressing like Spiderman. Another aspect that some people like about LARPing is that you do not use any dice, as is standard in most role-playing games. Most LARPs that I have played in have used the simple system of rock-paper-scissors.
Many LARPs utilize the art of storytelling. Basically, the storyteller comes up with a story or one is supplied to him and he referees the story through the actions of the people playing in his/her game. The storyteller makes the game run smoothly and ensures everyone’s enjoyment.
There are certain games that call themselves a LARP, but they don’t follow the rules of LARP. The main rules of LARPing are simple. One rule is that there is no touching allowed without consent of the player first. I know I broke this rule a couple times, yet I have learned to ask first before acting out the scene. Another rule is that you are not allowed to bring weapons, even fake weapons as props or “to make the costume work.” The most important rule is to have fun.
Some of the more popular LARPs in existence are Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Vampire: The Masquerade, Mage: The Ascension, Cthulhu Live, etc. There is a large group of games dedicated to this type of playing and even more players.
If you are interested in this type of gaming, look to your local game stores, such as Geeks Edge and Galaxy Comics Games and More in Stevens Point. There is also a student organization dedicated to gaming called the Gamers’ Alliance of Stevens Point.
In order to make this column a success, I will need you to submit your questions via e-mail to mikelrysk@yahoo.com
