Dress the part for a Larp?

LARPER IN ACTION: Chloe Bruce tries to keep things afloat mid-LARP. Photo by David Watson. — LARPER IN ACTION: Chloe
Bruce tries to keep things afloat
mid-Larp. Photo by David
Watson.

Live action roleplaying, a pastime born out of hobbies like Dungeons and Dragons will be descending on Auckland this weekend.

Often referred by its acronyms Larp, participants will spend a weekend dressing up in costume, adopting a character and inhabiting the world of The World That Is.

“It’s a form of escapism which allows me to put my life on hold for a day or a weekend and spend time with good friends,” veteran Waikato player Chloe Bruce explains.

Taking inspiration from the early Fallout computer games along with zombie based tabletop RPG Hot War and iPhone app Zombies Run!, The World That Is is a game set in a post-apocalyptic future. This is a step away from the high fantasy worlds games usually take place in, as seen in 2008’s Role Models or the Supernatural episode LARP and the Real Girl.

“Most people think of Larp as a bunch of nerdy adults running around yelling ‘lightning bolt!’ At each other. But take a step inside and you’ll find new worlds of opportunity and stories,” relative newcomer Bo Beaufill said.

The World That Is game arrives as part of a small wave of games based on pre-existing properties being run in New Zealand. There is currently a Harry Potter inspired Larp being run in Auckland and a campaign based on the urban-fantasy Harry Dresden series running in parallel in both Auckland and Wellington.

“It’s becoming more mainstream/less maligned by the ‘popular’ crowd, as are all aspects of geek culture,” fellow Waikato newcomer Abigail Simpson said.

The community for live action roleplaying in New Zealand is small but has been described by both Bruce and Beaufill as incredibly welcoming and tolerant of newcomers.

“At a Larp you see people from all walks of life – scientists, students, EMTs [emergency medical technicians], unemployed, parents, actors, models etc,” said Bruce.

The biggest Larp in New Zealand, a campaign known as Crucible, run by a policy adviser for the Auckland City Council is a perfect example of that principle.