Reality LARPS

[Needle Hobbit]

Hello everyone.

I've just been pondering to myself and with all this talk of the new UK big brother starting on TV and it in fact being *real people* (NOT actors) getting filmed for entertainment purposes, it got my brain thinking.

I know that a lot of us have an avid interest in Role playing and some of the more adventurous amongst us have been known to take a hobby in LARPS (Live Action Role Playing Games).

What are peoples views on reality LARPS? Could it be possible that they exist? Has anybody ever came upon them?

Great to hear what people think.

[Decay]

What do you mean by reality LARPG's? Like real ones?

Amtgard is a big one here in the Western US. I've been to tournaments with hundreds of other people, been to giant events at various settings, and and seen travelers from many different places. It's a sword and magic-based fighting game that's mostly popular in the southwest US, but is gaining populatiry in some european countries, Japan, and is moving its way around the country. I personally love it, though I haven't had a chance to play in a while, because of the thrill and exercise.

Back in New Mexico people had seen us fight and thought it was some kind of gang war or something, seeing the padded swords as baseball bats :animesmil.

[Allamorph]

[quote name='Decay']What do you mean by reality LARPG's? Like real ones?[/quote]
[FONT=Arial]No, silly. As in, a reality show centered around larping. :p (I don't really want to know what an imaginary larp game would look like.)

I think I might view a show like that in about the same manner as I view "Little People, Big World": designed solely for the purpose of imitating a zoo exhibit. I really think people would only watch the show to laugh at the complete and utter inanity of it, and never take larpers any more seriously than they already do. (That's actually why "Little People, Big World" depresses me: it's just intended to be a televised circus act so people can watch tiny living dolls and be entertained, like every other case of midget gimmickery I've seen. I think maybe one CSI episode did them any sort of real justice, but it was still kinda hidden.)

As it stands, I find the concept of whacking people about the head with a padded stick and yelling out damage counters incredibly demeaning, and as far from reality as I think role-playing was intended to become, so the only reason I might even remotely consider watching such a show in the first place would be to laugh as raucously and contemptuously as possible, which is not a good reason for watching a show at all.

And I do [I]not[/I] believe it would be positive advertisement for the larping community.[/FONT]

[Raiha]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]

And I do [I]not[/I] believe it would be positive advertisement for the larping community.[/FONT][/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Dear god no.

I believe that "The Guild," findable at [url=www.watchtheguild.com]WatchTheGuild[/url] is QUITE sufficient.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Decay]

... Sorry, I still don't get it. A reality show? What? Like... the drama of the game or something?

I'm so comfused... :animestun

[Rachmaninoff]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]As it stands, I find the concept of whacking people about the head with a padded stick and yelling out damage counters incredibly demeaning, and as far from reality as I think role-playing was intended to become, so the only reason I might even remotely consider watching such a show in the first place would be to laugh as raucously and contemptuously as possible, which is not a good reason for watching a show at all.

And I do [I]not[/I] believe it would be positive advertisement for the larping community.[/FONT][/QUOTE]That's what I was thinking, that the only reason I'd even consider watching a show like that is to laugh at it. I imagine even that would have little entertainment value and other than maybe a snippet or two, I'd just ignore it like I do all reality shows.

[Allamorph]

[QUOTE=Decay]... Sorry, I still don't get it. A reality show? What? Like... the drama of the game or something?

I'm so comfused... :animestun[/QUOTE]
[FONT=Arial]List time, anyone?

[list][*]Survivor
[*]The Real World
[*]The Surreal Life
[*]American Idol
[*]Top Chef
[*]Project Runway
[*]Big Brother
[*]Dancing With The Stars
[*]America's Next Top Model
[*]Other such tommyrot[/list]

Obviously I don't look too highly on any medium where the participants are not only aware of the camera's monitoring them, but are encouraged to play to them as well.[/FONT]

[Needle Hobbit]

I think we've all been a part of the amazing experience that is a LARP, dressing up as knights of the realm and various other characters, orchestrating gigantic battles and taking part in heroic and valiant quests.

And, as such, I'm sure that a whole multitude of people have stumbled upon these LARPS in the past, thinking "oh will you look at that, it's a whole host of people taking part in a Live Action Role Playing experience" - OR IS IT??

It's a fact of the world that back in the olden days giant armies of orks, knights and other fantasy style charcters used to have huge battles defending the good of man and trying crush evil colonies of orks and river trolls. There would be arrows and swords and big blunt war hammers and hobbits and fires and magic staffs.

I know that this is very rare these days, but what are peoples thoughts that some LARPS are actually real, with small armies coming out of their woodland homes to steal magical treasures or defend woodland fortresses such as Elfwood, which was quite often plundered back in the darker days.

It's certainly mindblowing to know that this probably still happens in this day and age and that LARPS are actually real life battles between good and bad.

[Ellerby]

[quote name='Needle Hobbit']I know that this is very rare these days, but what are peoples thoughts that some LARPS are actually real, with small armies coming out of their woodland homes to steal magical treasures or defend woodland fortresses such as Elfwood, which was quite often plundered back in the darker days.

It's certainly mindblowing to know that this probably still happens in this day and age and that LARPS are actually real life battles between good and bad.[/QUOTE]
[FONT="Tahoma"][COLOR="DimGray"]...Prick Wizard[I]?![/I][/COLOR][/FONT] :o

[SaiyanPrincessX]

[quote name='Decay']Amtgard is a big one here in the Western US. I've been to tournaments with hundreds of other people, been to giant events at various settings, and and seen travelers from many different places. It's a sword and magic-based fighting game that's mostly popular in the southwest US, but is gaining populatiry in some european countries, Japan, and is moving its way around the country. I personally love it, though I haven't had a chance to play in a while, because of the thrill and exercise.

Back in New Mexico people had seen us fight and thought it was some kind of gang war or something, seeing the padded swords as baseball bats :animesmil.[/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"]That sounds a lot like Dagorheir on my side of the US. I have a friend who was really into it years, and he still has friend's that do it often.

We had Orks and other fantasy creatures back in the Dark Ages? Wow, you learn something new eveyday. I highly doubt I'll have any Ogres or trolls walking accross my backyard. o_O

I don't see how one could actually make a television show about this though. Odd.[/SIZE]

[Zen]

[quote name='8bit'][FONT="Tahoma"][COLOR="DimGray"]...Prick Wizard[I]?![/I][/COLOR][/FONT] :o[/QUOTE]

[color=royalblue][size=1]

Mooohahaha, that's exactly what I was thinking.... Hm. [b][i]Prick[/i][/b] Wizard. [b][i]Needle[/b][/i] Hobbit?

Conspiracy![/color][/size]

[Nerdsy]

[color=deeppink]I'm usually all for asinine activities that make people look at me and go, "What a huge ******* loser," [I]but larping takes it a smidge too far.[/I]

further, I'd like to remind everybody that mohawks are totally illegal in this country.[/color]