Re: OT: Is it just me ...

On Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:54:53 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

On 16/04/2025 15:40, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

On Wed, 16 Apr 2025 09:02:50 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

On 15/04/2025 17:54, Justisaur wrote:

On 4/14/2025 3:10 AM, JAB wrote:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_ekugPKqFw

 

I'm all for enjoy what you want but LARPing is one I really don't
understand.

 
The idea of LARPing I totally jive with, but not that casual kind you
most often see/hear about. Something like the SCA was always a bit
more my cup of tea; it aimed for more accuracy and less running around
screaming. Hell, for many the ultimate video-gamer's dream is a Star
Trek holodeck, and that's just LARP taken to a high-tech extreme. The
problem isn't the LARP, it's that we haven't the ability yet to do it
convincingly. ;-)
 

That's pretty much the problem I find with it. The idea is fine but the
implementation seems somewhat flawed as things like combat just don't,
IMHO, translate well to live action. An exception I do see is murder
mystery style games where I think the idea of investigating something
does translate.

It's also that particular style of LARP, which is designed to be
fast-paced and somewhat competitive. Because of these two constraints,
they've had to adjust the game to make it more safe; combat has had to
become extremely stylized, and unrealistic (or even more unrealistic
than 'regular' pretending to be a wizard smiting an orc ;-). I have
seen LARPs that are less ridiculous looking -their combats are slower
and more graceful, almost dancelike- but that sort of thing requires
more cooperation with your opponent and demands more skill. Which
means it's less accessible to the masses, who just want to run in
screaming "lightning bolt!" and wildly waving a foam bat.

(American litigiousness has a lot to do with the modern state of
LARPing too. God forbid anybody get hurt in their chosen activity and
NOT sue all other involved parties. So a lot of modern LARP is
designed to avoid that possibility)