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What is Role Playing?

Chapter 3 - LARP or LRP

There is no difference between live action role playing (LARP) and live role playing (LRP). They are both names for the same thing. Live (action) role playing gaming was invented after tabletop RPGs. While tabletop RPGs are mostly sold by fairly large companies, most LARP systems tend to be owned and run by small organisations.

Conflict is usually (but not always) resolved in a physical way in LARP games (possibly using latex swords or Lazer Tag). Some games (ususally fantasy or horror ones) allow characters to possess special abilities (like spell casting or turning invisible) and a player can choose to use these instead of (or as well as) physical combat.

People controlling LARP games are called referees (or refs), and a large game may have several refs. In complex LARPs the referee carries a clipboard with the characters statistics on it and the game is paused after combats. The board is known as a battleboard, and talking to the ref about your character is known as battleboarding. VE LARP, like many science fiction LARPs, uses Lazer Tag equipment for combat resolution, so battleboarding is not often needed.

For more information about Lazer Tag read Chapter 4.


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