So what is LRP?
LRP stands for Live Role Playing, but is sometimes called LARP - Live Action Role Playing.

LRP is an extension of tabletop role playing games, of which the most famous is 'Dungeons & Dragons'. In D&D a group of people each create a fantasy character such as a fighter, wizard or thief, fit for a pseudo-medieval environment. Then together around a table they all talk out what their characters are doing. Effectively they are playing their characters and dictating what actions their characters are performing. Another person called the Dungeon Master acts as a kind of referee describing what occurs in the fantasy world as a result of their actions. The game involves the use of dice to act as random luck, for example in determining whether they hit the monster with their sword or how effective a magical spell was.

In LRP, instead of sitting round a table you have to actually physically play the character you created. That means dressing up in costume and interacting with hundreds of other players at one of our events. Instead of describing your characters actions, you perform them. You have to talk as your character and if necessary fight and cast spells as your character. Obviously you don't actually have any magic, but everyone follows a set of rules to react as if you had cast a spell. In the same vein players buy specially made weapons that look realistic, but don't hurt when they hit you. The fun comes from the interactions between people playing their characters as you never know what everyone is up to. Imagine playing Frodo the hobbit in a Lord of the Rings theatre production, however not only is there no audience, but everyone makes their lines up as they go along and no one actually knows what's going to happen next!

So, assuming you're up for this mad hobby, what's your next step?
Well you couldn't do worse than plough through our website and try to make sense of it all, especially areas like the fantasy world it takes place in and how you go about creating your own fantasy character. It can get a little more complicated because as well as live role playing your character, we also have this feature called downtime. That's where players get to tell us what their characters are doing between events, such as creating magic items or mapping out the wilderness. Then before the next LRP event, they get an official report back detailing their characters results and maybe something more, like a map or the right to use a magical item during the event. You'll also notice we have an In-Character noticeboard where players can post messages as their characters.

Still seriously fancy the idea?
Well now you have to book for our next event. You'll need to think about the sort of character you want to play and the kind of community you want to come from. You can get ideas by looking at some of the community websites that our players have created. Download a character form, booking form and maybe a new community form too. You'll have to get together a costume (check out some photos of characters) and maybe buy a weapon (£25+ upwards from traders at our events or via the web). You'll also need to look at the more practical aspects of LRPing, you're going to need camping gear and transport to and from the event.

Feel free to email us if you've a question but if you think it's one that players might be better suited to answer then post it on our noticeboard. Good luck and maybe we'll see you soon in our fantasy world of Ember!