Live-Action Role Playing: The 'Sport' You've Never Heard Of

When you were a child, did you ever play Cops and Robbers? Robin Hood? Did you play Cowboys and Indians? Did you ever pretend to be your favorite cartoon star or super-hero and ran around fighting their enemies? 

Did you ever play 'Let's Pretend?'

The answer, more likely than not, is yes. As a child, imaginary play was paramount. A playground became a castle, a secret lair, a forest, a mountaintop. A stick became a sword, a blanket a cape, and a pot your helmet. You had imaginary friends. You shot imaginary guns. You swung an imaginary sword.

Then adulthood set in. Toys were a thing of the past. Maybe a Nerf gun. Maybe paintball gun. But the imaginary play was gone. You went into the woods and played paintball Team A vs Team B. It wasn't GI Joe vs Cobra anymore. Your nerf gun was hitting your friends, not the bank-robber. That creative element was gone.

Now, though, you have that chance to recapture your lost youth and stolen imagination. It's a combination game and sport called Live-Action Role Play. Or - LARP for short. A LARP is basically a gathering of people who are telling a story and acting as their characters like in a play. Each person involved assumes a 'persona' or 'character' and is involved in a story that is being told by a 'Game Master' or 'Storyteller' or 'Director'. Using their imagination and creativity, each person contributes to and acts out the story.

Every LARP group has a different feel to it. The most common ones are fantasy based and are similar to a live version of Dungeons and Dragons or World of Warcraft. They often have elves, orcs, and other imaginary races playable for those willing to do the makeup. They typically use non-violent weapons such as baffee foam swords or those made of rattan bamboo and 'magic spells' cast by means of beanbag projectiles or stickers.  Some groups focus on the story being told while others are full scale battles like those seen in Lord of the Rings or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Groups such as this often can be found in parks and campgrounds - places of natural beauty unspoiled by urban life.