8 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting Larp

More tips that are practical to know when getting started in larp! Regardless of whether you are going for a day or a weekend, or if it is a fantasy or scifi event, there are a lot of things that might help you in making your first event go smoother. This time I'll give you 8 of them!

Photographers of the various photos:

Larp stores used as examples:

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
0:15 Finding the right event
1:41 Start simple
2:45 Just buy it!
4:11 Pockets and such
4:46 Larp is a playground
6:03 Pack too much
7:24 No need for historical accuracy
8:34 Every larp is different

Music attribution:
Lofi Hiphop Intro 26 by TaigaSoundProd
Antarctica by Frank Schroeter
Chilled by Sascha Ende
Lyrical Fantasy Trailer by Rafael Krux
On My Way by Kevin MacLeod
Porch Swing Days - slower by Kevin MacLeod
Tech Ascendancy [Full version] by MusicLFiles
Music: The Joy Of The Good Business by MusicLFiles

[Lillyluri]

One thing I would have liked to realise is that the proportion of people who are scared of people is much much larger in LARP than in real life. Which makes them much more understanding of your issues getting in.

[Korviliath]

I ALWAYS buy a new pack of socks to bring with me for camping events.

[johnbarnett]

The skit was cute. I like your advice for would-be larpers. About 20 years ago I was in the SCA, did some fighting, and tried to be accurate to my time period, even when i went to Ren Faires. Now I'm nearing my mid-fifties and a stroke survivor with some mobility issues. I'd love to take part in a larp as a non-combatant, but the occasional faire is my only outlet. Now, however, I don't fret about accuracy- I go full fantasy with my characters. Thanks for making these videos.

[jackiejames]

Snakie was great. I would absolutely like to see more of it.

[SvRijswijck]

Start Simple is such a great advice, even for experienced players entering a new setting. Character growth and long running storyarchs are fun to play with and give a great deal of satisfaction when looking back on a character.

My most memorable characters started out as common people who got messed up in uncommon situations, a simple village smith growing out to be one of the biggest badguys the setting had at that point in the story while nobody had any clue because it happened so gradually that every small step over the line was dismissed until the line was deep into true evil territory.

I'm looking at finding a new LARP for this year and I want to start playing the most common man I can, just to see where the story, setting and my dumb choices (make the dumb choice, it results in awesome play) will take me.

[Lillyluri]

There are breathable water-proof socks. I don't know how water proof they would be when stepping in a puddle, but mine hold up perfectly with shoes soaked from wet grass.

[AzraelThanatos]

In the US, not sure about internationally, another major thing for when you're looking for gear pieces is to skip the listed sizes and go for the measurements they have for them. Far to much of it is in whatever sizing is local to the place it's made or manufactured rather than where you live and there's a pile of different standards for them. The main 3 that I've seen are US, EU/UK, and Asian...and you also have other portions of things you need to pay attention to for things.

Another major thing in the US is that while you might not be able to find as many shops aimed at LARP, you can find a lot of good things at the various RenFaires which are also a great place to try out your gear before an actual event where you might have several days of issues that you'll come across and be able to fix with a day trip.

Once you pick an event to go to, other than extreme basics that can fit in anywhere, check the rules for requirements for the faction...and with weapons and armor or anything that would be a big item, it's always a good idea to clear it with the people there first. It's not a good feeling to dump a lot on a new sword only to have something that doesn't fit the safety guidelines and you end up scrounging for anything there, same with armor.

With a lot of LARPs, if you're interested, unless you're going with a friend who is already involved, research and talk to people of different factions if you can, with a few LARPs that I've been to, the experience is extremely different due to the attitudes of different factions. With one that I was involved in, which, unfortunately, has ended unless some people find a new location that's fitting and cheap, of the various factions two that really stood out was one that ended up with a very structured and organized feel to it where they scheduled everything and another was essentially a party camp that didn't get much done but people there had fun...I'd tried both before ending up in a more laid back and quieter one, both of the others had issues for a lot of new players since the first meant that people had a lot less choice since the higher ups in the faction ran it like a military, and the other was just a running party where you weren't likely to do much with the actual game...or sleep much because it tended to be a thing of party until you collapse and then repeat when you wake up.

[UmmerDr]

Very interesting video! Are there dedicated LARP for absolute beginners? We have never LARPed before. Could you share some tips on this topic.

[EarthGirlElly]

Hi! I'm 16, and so I cannot join a lot of LARPS since they are 18+, are they strictly 18+ or could I join one?