Each LARP starts with a quick council gathering where the adventurers suit up, tell each other about their characters, and discuss the evolving story of the LARP — including the location and nature of the realm, the goals and conflicts they are facing that day, and the roles, abilities, and relationships between the characters.
LARPers should come prepared to briefly introduce their characters to the other LARPers including their characters’ name and species, abilities and strengths, and weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
LARPers should also come prepared to listen to their fellow adventurers’ introductions and to the Storyteller’s plan for the day.
A successful LARP relies on everyone’s creativity and calls for improvisation, repartee, stand-up comedy, strategizing, and more.
You create your own character and determine your own path while working cooperatively to build a story of adventure, friendship, and survival with other LARPers.
Because our characters have self-determination, LARPers should refrain from dictating what the characters of others are doing or how they are reacting. Of course, you may always ask other LARPers to cooperate with your plan, but you cannot require that they do so. On the other hand, this is a cooperative LARP, so everyone is encouraged to agree to cooperate — or to suggest any alterations to the proposal that would make their cooperation possible.
To help us build a rich story and create a complex world, we also engage in cooperative text-based storytelling on our Discord server.
LARP Story Synopses
Read a partial storyline of the LARP. Synopses only get written up when I have the time, which mostly means only during the summer months.
Travel to the deeps woods, open fields, and winding paths of sprawling urban parks and experience the thrill of LARPing in the multidimensional realm of Dragonwood! We search for magical objects and hidden bases, discover long lost friends and encounter forgotten foes, forge treaties with the elves … or the dwarves, cast spells and deflect aspersions, and defend ourselves, our allies, and our loot against all invaders including rampaging trolls, nefarious gnomes, and untrustworthy humans.
We strive to create a judgment-free environment that embraces diversity and inclusion.
We are serious about inclusivity and welcome everyone regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability or handicap, neurodiversity, economic status, religion, or homeschooling philosophy or style.
If someone makes a choice with which you disagree, whether it be what they’re saying, what they’re wearing, or what they’re doing, take it as an opportunity to practice generosity, kindness, understanding, and global citizenship.
Commonsense playground rules apply: Be kind and stay safe.
Because LARPing is a complex game, we do need to have some shared understandings of the “rules of the game.” We’ve crafted these guidelines (and stolen many ideas from others) to help keep everyone on the same page and reduce the possibility of the misunderstandings that can lead to conflict and disagreement. These guidelines are important to know because they put everyone on the same page.
Like any group of kids playing together, we create ad hoc rules and guidelines as needed and resolve conflicts as they arise.
Encourage each other to be understanding.
Do not assume malicious intent.
Remember that we are all still kids.
Everyone is always learning.
If an error is made, remember to be kind.
Be as forgiving of the mistakes of others as you would want them to be of yours.
Admit you’re wrong when you’re wrong.
Treat others as if your mother was watching.
We ask that parents do their best to allow the teens to handle any conflict negotiations on their own (unless specifically asked for assistance). We recognize that sometimes we do need adult guidance, but when parents get involved when they have not been asked to assist, they may inadvertently escalate an already or almost resolved conflict because they sometimes act before having listened to everyone’s perspective and so they fail to understand the full story behind the conflict.
To avoid the festering of resentment and misunderstanding that can lead to further disagreement, conflicts should be addressed as they arise. If you do find yourself holding a grudge after you get home, it is best to wait until the next gathering to address your concerns face-to-face as text-based communication is too often misinterpreted in tone, content, and intention.
Our group encompasses a wide and everchanging range of interests, and our goal is to accommodate all aspects of LARPing.
While we are not a battle group, we recognize that some LARPers may prefer to focus exclusively or nearly exclusively on mock combat. That’s totally okay, but please do not let this desire interfere with the larger group’s storytelling and world-building efforts. If you are disinterested in those aspects of the LARP, you may step aside to enjoy some playfighting with others who prefer to focus on mock combat. This will allow those interested in creating and maintaining a complex storyline and detailed world to be better able to focus on that task.
Other LARPers prefer to avoid mock combat altogether. Those engaging in combat should take care to not attack neutral parties. And those not engaged in combat should steer clear of any field of battle.
