Hello, dear reader. Want to know what’s going on here?

This is a blog about larp, that is about live action roleplay and related phenomena. Larp is a medium for expression–picture an improv play performed without an audience. In larp, players physically embody their characters, sometimes dress in costume, and meet up with other players to experience a story. Sometimes the story is stipulated by a game script written by a larpwright or game designer, and sometimes the players make up their own story within the chosen world-setting. Typically, a facilitator, sometimes referred to as an “organizer,” “storyteller,” “game master” or “GM” sets up the game and serves as guide and referee to the game world.

If you’re in need of a more thorough basic definition, consider reading my post What is Larp?

For those of you who want to jump to the more elaborate stuff, here is a brief gloss of what you will find on my blog:

Theory

This blog contains larp theory. I post my own theoretical musings on occasion, and I also devote some space to explaining other people’s ideas in easy-to-understand prose. (I read the dense theory so you don’t have to!)

You can see a good example of original work here, where I apply the creative writing idea of inside and outside stories to game design. And here’s one of my quick and dirty attempt to explain someone else’s work, the widely cited GNS or Three-fold theory of game design.

Inclusivity

This blog contains stuff relevant to social justice in gaming. I want to help build a hobby that is more inclusive, diverse, and tolerant. Sometimes I write about the intersection between feminism and gaming, sometimes I write about race and gaming. When more cool people get involved in gaming, everyone wins.

(Need more info on racial inclusivity in gaming? Check out Indie+’s Gaming As Other web chat series.)

Practical Tips

This blog contains lots of advice around how to larp. I mean that very loosely, since of course there’s no one right way to write, run, play, or enjoy it. I’ve got a collection of tips from myself and others on everything from how to facilitate a freeform game or run a debrief, to what makes a good larp costume, and how to brush up on your playing skills.

Nordic Larp and Freeform

I’m a big fan of Nordic larp and freeform. The Nordic countries have a very cool larp scene full of innovation, theory, boundary-pushing, and candid (but civil) argument. My best known posts on Nordic larp distinguish Nordic larp, freeform, and jeepform games, and talk a little bit about the controversy around the term “Nordic larp.”

You’ll also find accounts of Nordic gaming conventions such as Knutepunkt and Fastaval here, descriptions of some specific Nordic scenes, and descriptions of Nordic game mechanics such as Ars Amandi.

US Larp and Freeform

Naturally, I’m quite interested in my own scene as well. You’ll find descriptions of stuff I’ve noticed about American larp here, as well as coverage of the emerging American freeform scene. And of course, I’ve chronicled my trips to US conventions such as Dreamation, Wyrd Con, and Gen Con.

Jerkform and Other Oddities

You’ll find some other stuff here. From time to time I wax satirical about Twilight, discover the most avant-garde form of gaming ever to exist on this earth or any other. I also write games, and post about cool new stuff I’ve seen on the larp scene.

Comment Policy

In general: I reserve the right to moderate comments according to my whim. I basically like to keep discussion open, and I’ve never had to crack the whip. Let’s try to keep it that way by keeping things civil and giving fellow posters the benefit of the doubt.