LARP: the course of an event

You have registered for your first LARP event, your preparation is complete, your gear is packed, and you are ready to leave. But what can you actually expect from a LARP event? In this blog, I will try to clarify that a bit, based on the course of a fairly typical weekend event at a Dutch low-budget high fantasy LARP. The event starts on Friday afternoon and ends on Sunday afternoon. So keep in mind that events that are shorter or longer may look slightly different.

Once you have packed all your belongings (check your checklist once more, as you always forget something), it's time to leave. Perhaps you have arranged to carpool, you are driving yourself, or you are even taking public transport, you will have to take your bags and/or suitcases with you to the location of the LARP. When traveling with others, it can be nice to discuss your expectations and plans for the event and to ignite the enthusiasm in yourself and your fellow travelers.

Then you arrive at the site. Here you will be informed by the organization where you are allowed to sleep, either indoors in a (designated) dormitory, or outdoors in the IC or OC  tent camp, after which you can bring your belongings to your designated sleeping place you can bring everything and possibly set it up and/or prepare it and make your bed. Make sure, when you sleep in a dormitory, to keep your sleeping gear easily accessible and your bed as clear as possible. The likelihood is high that you will go to bed late in the evening and there may already be someone sleeping whom you do not wish to disturb.

Most participants arrive around the same time, so this time is also used to greet everyone. Many participants only see each other at LARP events, so the first few hours before the time-in are often extensively used to catch up. You can slowly feel the energy rising as more people arrive on the site. Often, when you arrive early, you are also asked to help unload and set up the stock of the LARP organization. Think of the decoration, makeup, and weapons of the actors, cooking equipment, props, and decorations for the play area, etc. The actual setup of the play area is mainly carried out by the game masters/organization and the actors so that it remains as hidden as possible from the players, and the elements of surprise are preserved.

When everything is set up and ready, it's time to eat. On Friday evening, this often happens OC, as many people will arrive just before and during dinner, who may have been working or at school. The dinner may be provided by the LARP organization, but it may also be intended for you to arrange your own meal. Keep this in mind when planning for the event! During dinner, the game masters often hold a final meeting before the event begins, with any last-minute changes or additions and also the distribution of who will take on which task when the time-in starts. Therefore, also keep in mind that the SL may not be approachable for other participants during dinner.

After dinner, a general time-in talk is held. This is conducted by the SL, and most important things will be discussed, such as the key terms, rules regarding the play area and safety, confidants, but also a brief explanation of what happened during the previous event or events, how long IC time has passed between the previous event and this event, and where in the game world everyone currently is. At the end of this explanation, a time is given when the time-in starts and everyone should be IC. Often, after the time-in talk, you have a little time to change clothes and get into character.

When the time-in starts, an intro quest often takes place. You are taken by one or more game masters and must pass a number of trials to reach the location where this event takes place. Such an intro quest has a dual function: firstly, it ensures that the location where you play this event is explained and clarified, but secondly, and certainly not unimportantly, it gives players the chance to switch to the mindset of their character.

It may also be that you are at the same IC location as during the previous event. When this is the case, there will usually be no specific intro quest, but you will be drawn into your character in another way by the game that comes from the game masters to the players. Whether there is an intro quest or not, extras will be sent into the game by the GMs to help clarify the storyline, or the plot. Sometimes these extras play a hostile role, but often there are also allies who come to help from the NPC’s. Additionally, there is often a skirmish or battle on Friday evening, which advances the plot. During a skirmish, for example, an important enemy can be defeated, or the game masters may choose to have the player group lose, by making the extras much stronger than the players, to demonstrate that they need to gather more allies or resolve a conflict in another way. Around this, small personal plot pieces often take place on Friday evening, where alchemists, wizards, priests, or aspiring warriors train with their masters, or political, personal, or even romantic intrigues are played out.

If the weather is favorable, a campfire can also be held on Friday evening, where you can sit around either IC, which is usually the case at the beginning of the evening, or OC, usually from around 2 ‘s at night. Here, people often drink, sing, and chat until late into the night, after which everyone finds their bed.

On Saturday morning, when you wake up, and breakfast is provided by the organization, breakfast is ready for you. If the organization does not offer breakfast, you will need to arrange this yourself upon waking. Due to the late hour at which most participants went to bed on Friday evening (or night, or even Saturday morning), most participants need some time to fully wake up, but between 10 and 11 o'clock, the extras are gradually sent back into the game to possibly pick up the plotlines from the previous evening or to start new plotlines. Once everyone is well on their way, the heavier parts of the plot enter the game. This can manifest in various ways, such as a battle, a large group of extras arriving, an expedition, etc. The game continues until around dinner time, when it is toned down a bit. During dinner, the game leaders have a meeting to see what the status is and whether any changes need to be made to keep the players satisfied and to steer the story in the right direction. Also on Saturday, when all the game leaders are together, you can assume that a meeting is taking place and that they are not approachable.

After dinner, work continues on the plot that was already running in the afternoon, and new pieces are also sent into the game, which can happen in various ways, as mentioned earlier. Often on Saturday evening, there is a large battle or another way in which the players are significantly challenged to make them think and advance the plot.

Just like on Friday evening, there is sometimes room on Saturday evening to light a campfire and gather around it. Again, the activities around the campfire are fairly free, as long as there is no fighting for safety reasons. Saturday evening is often the longest evening at a LARP event, as the story is already well underway and participants are often half IC, half OC present on the site. Sometimes a player has been "dipping" OC (hanging around, chatting, drinking, and/or snacking) for a while when an extra walks by who is very relevant to that player, and the player is pulled back IC. Thus, it is not uncommon for participants to only go to bed between 4 and 6 o'clock in the s morning after Saturday evening. 

On Sunday, most participants wake up feeling rather "rough," either due to the alcoholic beverages consumed the night(s) before or simply because of lack of sleep and physical exhaustion. During breakfast on Sunday, the players and extras are therefore often slightly less enthusiastic than on the previous days. The breakfast on Sunday operates in the same way as on Saturday: it is either arranged by the organization or by yourself. On Sunday morning and in the early afternoon, all ongoing smaller plot pieces are concluded, and often just before time runs out, there is a large combat or another plot piece to determine the climax and outcome of the event. When the winner of this combat is known and the loser has left, died, or been captured, the SL announces that time is up. Everyone is now back to OC for the time-out talk.

In the time-out talk, it is often briefly mentioned what happened during this last climax, for participants who couldn't be there or didn't quite catch it. Additionally, the rules and expectations for cleaning up and dismantling the site are mentioned. Often all participants help with this, so that the members of the organization can also go home on time. Generally, the intention is to leave the location as you found it at the beginning of the weekend, whether you're LARPing at a group accommodation, in a castle, on a field, or in a forest. Once the time-out talk is over, everyone tidies up their own belongings and places them in a recognizable spot where they won't be in the way. Then you can help with dismantling, tidying, and cleaning the common areas set up by the organization and SL. This includes cleaning the toilets and shower rooms, sweeping the tavern, packing up props, etc. The organization often really appreciates getting as many helping hands as possible, because just like the players and extras, they have had a tough weekend and would like to be home on time.

Once everything is tidied and cleaned, it's time for the return journey. Many participants choose to eat together somewhere along the way, especially if several participants are traveling in the same direction. During the meal, they can then have their very first evaluation of the event: how did everyone experience the event? Were there any major issues that need to be discussed immediately? What are the wishes for the next event?

When you get home, it's usually halfway through the evening. You bring your belongings inside, take a long shower or bath to give your body some rest and warm up again, and then you can choose how to deal with tidying up your belongings: do you do this immediately, or do you only take out what you really need to continue tidying up later? I usually collapse on the couch or bed out of sheer exhaustion and start tidying up a few days later, after my post-LARP dip has passed.

If you're now wondering what a post-LARP dip is: this will be covered in the next blog, where I discuss what happens after a LARP event.

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