The High Fantasy Society is a non-profit organization for Live Action Role Playing (LARP). We set our games in a pre-industrial setting that includes magic. Our most visible event is the weekly battle game where we get together to fight and role-play. Fighting is a major part of the HFS but by no means the only part. Our core is roleplaying. If you don’t know, roleplaying is like acting without a script. We create a character or persona that we play, and do what that person would do. We have social events such as revels (medieval parties), as well as meet to work on craft projects for the game: weapons, garb etc.
The key to the HFS is roleplaying. From the moment you arrive at an event, you are your character. With his/her likes and dislikes. When you meet new people, you must think about how would my character react to this person. You may end up with your character bitter enemies with the character of someone who in real life is your best friend. This is fine so long as you remember that it’s just a game. You’re still friends at the end of the day. What makes the HFS enjoyable is this role playing aspect. The ability to “put on” a different personality for a brief time. To become a heroic warrior or a scoundrel of a rogue for the afternoon or weekend.
To assist this, we try to leave as little up to your imagination as possible. We wear the clothing (garb) our characters would wear, we wear the armor they wear, use the weapons (modified for safety) they would use. Many people use accents to assist them in separating their character from themselves. This means if you want to wear a full suit of plate mail, you have have to come up with a suit of plate mail to wear! You also get battle benefits from wearing armor. We avoid the use of “mundane” items (mundane means everyday or normal) like soda cans while in character. For example, I use a “bhoda bag” to drink from at games. Some people use goblets and some people may even buy or make casks. For weekend events, you might even buy or make appropriate camping gear for your character to sleep in, although mundane tents and sleeping bags are acceptable.
As you have seen above there is some expense involved in playing your character properly. Making armor is difficult and buying it is very expensive. However, you don’t have to spend a fortune to play the game. Simple garb will work fine and is inexpensive to make. A simple tunic and a some sweat pants will work. A tunic can be made for about $10, and does not require extensive knowledge of sewing. Plus, your local group will often help you by loaning you garb for use if you don’t have any. Most groups will also help you make your garb if you ask. If you just want to buy it “off the shelf,” there are many places on the internet where you can buy garb. Be warned: it’s not cheap, but there is some really nice stuff available if you can afford the cost.
For the battle games, we do not use a dice system or any other “random” system. We use padded “boffer” weapons. They are safe provided everyone obeys the rules. We are not out to hurt each other, just symbolically hit each other. It is on the player’s honor to acknowledge hits with the appropriate action. A marshal “enforces” the rules (other groups use the term reeve instead of marshal), but they are more concerned with safety issues. If you have a rules question ask a marshal. This system of combat allows us to stay more “in character” as we don’t have to stop and roll dice or do rock-paper-scissors or something to resolve battles. When you see someone your character would want to kill, you just attack.
Occasionally we have quest games. A quest game is like a battle game, only with a particular plot set-up. A group of players go through a pre-planned plot where they are the heroes and heroines. Other players are trying to stop them as “the bad guys:” either players with different motives, or monsters. There may be treasure involved; there may be curses placed. There may be an opening for the next quest game. It all depends on the given plot, which is written by one of your players. Sometimes there will be subplots between the players. For example, if one of the players is a Paladin and one a Rogue (Assassin in other groups), the noble Paladin may not wish to associate with a lowlife Rogue. This is part of roleplaying. It enhances the experience. The key is to leave differences from outside the game outside and differences inside the game inside.
No matter what else we do, it all comes down to role-playing: becoming someone else for a while.
Brother Fredrik
Former Chancellor of ShadowMist