We LARP at public parks, so other members of the public may also be using the park during our LARP.
When encountering non-LARPers at the park (including parents and non-LARPing siblings and friends) — whether on a field of battle, on a trail, or anywhere else in the park — go out of your way to be both polite and friendly.
Slow down (if you are moving fast). Move to the side (if you are on a trail). Say “Hi!” Smile and wave. Especially, stop any mock combat!
If you spot a non-LARPer entering or coming near an ongoing mock battle, shout “Hold!” Wait until the non-LARPer is well out of the way before shouting “On Guard! … …Lay On!” and resuming mock combat.
The “all-weather” LARP will be relocated inside or possibly even canceled for “dangerous weather” — including flooding, hail, thunderstorms, lightning, tornadoes, downbursts, waterspouts, tropical cyclones, blizzards, snowstorms, ice storms, dust storms, wildfires, and extreme heat or extreme cold.
Weather charms and relocation spells are the responsibility of the LARP’s host for that day and should be cast by 9am on the day of a midday Summer LARP and by 10:30am on the day of an afternoon Spring, Fall, or Winter LARP.
Any location change or cancelation should be announced via our Discord server.
On the Complexity of Weather Scrying
If you ever find yourself in strong disagreement about the host’s weather scrying, you should feel free to post a counter offer. Just say, “We’re going to insert location here instead, does anyone want to join us there?”
If a counter-offer is posted, you should assume the group will split in two.
(So don’t ask, “I’m confused, where is the group going to meet?” Instead, choose which location you prefer and go there. However, it would be a kindness to also say where you are going to give both hosts a sense of who and how many.)
Dragonwood is a nexus for interdimensional portals, resulting in a wide range of inhabitants, including dragons (of course), Jedi knights, mercenaries of all sorts, fairies, elves, gnomes, pirates, magicians, Martians and other aliens, demigods, gods, demons, time travelers, and much more. Oh, also the occasional human.
Adventurers are called to Dragonwood for many reasons. Some are forced there by their parents. Others arrive to fight and defeat Lord Maul and win freedom and independence for the multiverse. Still others come seeking to free the deep pure magic of the World Tree, held in captivity by the dreadful Lord Maul’s dark sorcery. And others are just not very good at accurately entering the correct address when using interdimensional portals.
If you perish on a quest in Dragonwood, you will find yourself regenerated at the location of your arrival portal — or the location specified by the day’s Storyteller, or maybe just where you were standing when you died. It all depends.
As an interdimensional portal nexus, Dragonwood is a mishmash of times, places, and worlds. On your travels through Dragonwood, you may encounter a soldier from Earth’s World War II fighting a barbarian from Alpha Centauri armed with weapons from the far future or a Viking longship in the middle of the forest with a Saturn V Command Module crashed into it. Adventurers are thus advised to be prepared for anything.
Adventurers should take note that many Dragonwood portals are one-way — they’ll either let you in or they’ll let you out. Portals also have a nasty habit of shifting about, so don’t expect to arrive where you planned or to find your exit portal where you thought it would be.
There is a creature living in Dragonwood known as the Nexus. If you complete a quest for the Nexus, the Nexus will guide you where you wish to go. The Nexus appears differently to everyone. One hero may see an adorable puppy. Another may see an animated magical potion bottle.
Dragonwood includes the Realm of the Silver Elves, the Realm of the Tony Gnomes, the Realm of the Fire Portals, and more.
The main force of chaos in Dragonwood is Lord Maul who is seeking to control the interdimensional portal nexus so that he may use it as the base from which he launches his invasion of the multiverse. Lord Maul seeks wealth and power to ensure his legacy and his infamy and to conquer and control all of the realms of Dragonwood.
Lord Maul sees all uninvited travelers, both intentional and accidental, as threats to his control of his realms and to his larger plan to conquer the multiverse.
Lord Maul himself does not venture from his stronghold. He selects the strongest and most proficient of his minions, recruited from the peoples of his conquered worlds, to lay siege to and destroy any uninvited travelers. This wide-ranging and diverse army means that all adventurers planning to travel to Dragonwood cannot know what awaits them there until the assault begins.
When playing at Silverwood Park, we may go inside the Visitor Center to use the restrooms, take a break from the weather, eat, play tabletop games, talk and hang out, but we do not LARP inside or on the surrounding patio.
Silverwood has granted us a Special Use Permit that allows Nerf and other foam dart blaster playonly inside the Dyers Garden (or as we call it, The Dire Garden).
Silverwood also requests:
We forgo realistic military and law enforcement costumes.
We do not bring our mock weapons inside the Visitor Center.
This includes boffers, foam dart blasters, and all other toys that could be perceived as weapons.
Mock weapons may be stowed in the Cupholder of Doom LARP gear cart, inside your parent’s car, or underneath a bench outside the Visitor Center.
Be sure any gear stowed under a bench does not prevent other park visitors from using that bench as a seat.
We do not play inside the Visitor Center or on its patio.
Tabletop games are allowed, of course. They mean active play.
We remove any masks before entering the Visitor Center.
Any other “potentially scary” costume elements should also be removed before entering the Visitor Center.
Be sure to check out the visual tour of Dragonwood’s Realm of the Silver Elves including our annotated map. The group meets on the Field of Destiny (aka Great Lawn). If it’s windy or rainy, the group might huddle in the lee of the Faraway Leaf Inn (Visitor Center) instead (please gather away from the doors — and please do not play on the patio). If the adventurers get too tired or the weather turns too unpleasant, they might go inside the local tavern (aka Silverwood Café) for refreshing beverages, delicious food, and tabletop games.
A visual tour of Dragonwood’s Realm of the Silver Elves
our map of the Realm of the Silver Elves (click image to see full-size)the north entrance to the Faraway Leaf InnField of Destiny, where our LARP starts (unless we huddle near the Faraway Leaf Inn to seek shelter from Zephyrus and/or Boreas)a distorted panoramic view of the Field of DestinyCouncil Gathering area at the northwest corner of the Field of Destinynorth entrance to the Somber Footbridge to the Mystical Isle, by Shimmering Alley and near the divide between the West Circling Path and the East Circling Path.Lifeblood Castle, on the Mystical IsleEast Circling Path, at its start near the Field of DestinyWest Circling Path near its junction with the Somber Footbridge and Shimmering Alley.Invisible Mill, which marks the change from the East Circling Path to the North Circling PathVagabond Nest, on the North Circling Path between the Invisible Mill and Werewolf Waya welcoming doorway to the home of one of the smaller Silver Elves on the North Circling Path, near its junction with Werewolf WayWerewolf Way’s north entrance from North Circling PathWerewolf Way at its turn and junction with the Stable ShortcutStable Shortcut, south entrance as seen from the Garden StableGarden Stable, as seen from the Stable ShortcutWerewolf Way, south entrance from Dire GardenA distorted panoramic of the Dire GardenWarhorse Run, east entrance from Dire GardenWarhorse Run, south entrance from Iron Stables
Nordic LARP Talks, a series of short, entertaining, thought-provoking and mind-boggling lectures about projects and ideas from the tradition of Nordic LARP.
