Leavenworth Locals LARP – Part Two

I follow the group that goes to the right. As the group sets out they are all in character. They start a dialogue, no Game Master prodding them along, no director, just improv.  I hang back and listen to the dialogue as they walk. Each person introduces themselves and then tries to figure out why their characters are here and what they have to do to resolve the situation. The story is developing on its own, “without a net”. The group I’m following at a safe distance soon meets up with the other group and as one can imagine the initial meeting is full of suspicion and brandishing of weapons. The two groups soon come to a reasonable agreement that they should travel together to resolve the situation.

I follow the groups as their fragile alliance moves out. The interaction continues and I can start to watch some of the characters developing relationships within the game. Hold on, stop the presses! None of these relationships are the ones I would have thought would have formed by watching everyone before the LARP started.  I follow a little while longer and soon Ben and Fran’s character break away from the group but instead of following them, I follow the main body down the path. They keep moving and soon one of them mentions that Ben and Fran’s characters are missing.

The party decides to move forward to try to meet the wayward LARPers at the clearing where the two groups broke off. A few hundred meters ahead (yes I used meters, that’s how the military rolls and old habits die hard), we get to the clearing and no Ben or Fran. The party then further subdivides to follow the paths back to where the first two groups met after they first divided. Confused yet? While all of this is going on, my mind is racing. There’s a lot to process and I decide that I need to get back home to my wife and kids and experience the real world so I can digest these shocking revelations.

The universe has been turned upside down! Black is White and Gray could care less. I went into writing this article with the intention of writing a hateful, spite-filled article about what I consider the lowest form of Geekdom, LARPing! I was WRONG! I was unwilling to look past the stereotypical overweight middle aged beard bearing virgins to see what LARPing is really about. It took a group of teenagers to show me the light. In those few short hours I started to make connections to other aspects of my geek life and even activities that are considered to be part of mainstream culture.

When I interviewed Ben one of the questions I asked him was, “Why did you all start this LARP?” His answer was simple, yet it cut to core. Ben said that they started it because they had all just graduated from High School and were talking about the good old days when you played cops and suspects (they were formally known as robbers but until they have been given due process we are not allowed to call them robbers…), or the times when you picked up a fallen limb and it became a two handed great sword that you used to smite the evil gazebo that had appeared in your back yard. “We wanted to recapture that feeling even for just a few hours.”

That sounds familiar. It’s like comfort food; we eat it because it tastes good and in some way it brings us back to our happy places. Reflecting on this, I started to see the links forming in my mind. For their session they added a bit of mystery by hiding who the villains were. Restaurants and dinner theaters have been doing this for years and through this experience I came to this important realization: There isn’t a huge difference between the LARPing and Mystery Dinner Theater. Did I just defend LARPing? No… I was just….. Yeah…. I was just explaining it for my readers.

The next thing that struck me was the camaraderie between everyone involved in the LARP. These guys and girls could have been my gaming group. (I know they would be fun to game with!) Their conversations could have easily taken place at any RPG table. The ease in which most gaming groups interact would amaze many outsiders and these LARPers are no exception. Then I started thinking about the interaction between the characters during the session: All of their dialogue was improvised.

I have heard people say that improv is the toughest kind of performance and to look at these young adults, you’d never know it. They were fluid and there was very little “down time.” They were constantly talking and building the story as they went along. I don’t care who you are, that is tough.

I’ve driven by many LARPs and I understand that most city parks are located near roads, but I sometimes get the feeling that many LARPers love to find an area that will get them maximum exposure to onlookers. However,  this group is different. They have chosen a part that is a bit off the beaten path and go all the way to a back corner to enjoy their hobby. They are not ashamed of what they are doing, but by their site selection, they showed that (for them at least) LARPing is about LARPing, not putting on a show.

As I write this, one other huge factor has been creeping up on me. I couldn’t put it into words but after this journey I figured it out. The unspoken social dynamics and social contract that these folks observe is nothing short of amazing. For those of you I just confused, don’t worry, I confused myself. Whenever you get people together, a social dynamic forms and the dynamic that forms can lead to the success or failure of that group. There are times when individuals can reshape the social dynamic but that is rare.  Here I am with a group of teens who by all rights shouldn’t be able to decide where to go eat much less thrive in an immersive improvised simulation where their ability to follow an unwritten social contract will determine the success of failure of that simulation. This LARP is an amazing study not only in social dynamics but in just what today’s teens can do if given the chance to think and act independently. The Useless Nations, I mean United Nations, could learn a thing or two from these guys and girls.

The past few days have been interesting to say the least. I’m not going to go out buy a foam sword, wear my wife’s bath robe and wear a strainer on my head in a LARP. I still despise LARPers who want to use the places I eat and the places I shop as their LARP sandbox. What I was reminded of was that there are people out there who follow the rich tradition of “pretend” and take it to a whole new level. LARPers are actors without a stage and true vagabond bards. I have been shown that, like me, LARPers are just Geeks who follow their interests and passions. When it is all said and done as a Gamer and a Geek, who am I to judge? LARPing is not my bag and it might not be yours, but before you are too hard on LARPers, take a look at yourself,and your interests and decide just how weird you might seem to an outsider. Before the LARP started, Deveneux invited me to join the group at Wendy’s for an in costume post LARP meal. While his hospitality was top notch, I had to decline. Baby steps, Cape, baby steps. Even with the new me I still can’t bring myself to be seen in a restaurant with the Dark Lords of… Wendy’s?

I would like to send a special shout out to the Leavenworth LARPers who showed me nothing but friendship and hospitality. You are all fine young adults who have proven that you deserve respect and admiration for following your passions and interests.  If you are interested in LARPing or just finding out how the LARP ended up look up the group LARPing on Facebook. So to Ben, John, Chase, Deveneux, Fran, Kim and Richard I thank you for showing me a side of LARPing I never would have looked at. Thanks for letting me peer into your geek life and always WRITE HARD!

About Cape Rust

Cape Rust is an international man of thespionage. Born and raised in San Antonio Texas, he joined the U.S. Army where he served 12 years six as a Military Policeman and six as an all source Military Intelligence Analyst. Being a fat, bald version of James Bond, his geek interests are wide (like his belly) and varied. His collection of gadgets (electronic and travel related) are only rivaled by the amount of pockets found on most items of clothing he wears.

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