====== Introduction: What Is LARP? ======

===== What's Roleplaying? =====
Roleplaying is somewhere between an interactive storytelling game and improvisational acting. Each player acts the part of a fictional character who is entirely under their control. The overall story is usually roughly planned out by people running the game, known as Game Masters (GMs), but the decisions you have your character make will impact the final outcome of the plot.

It's very easy to start roleplaying if you've never done it before; even if you have no previous acting experience, slipping into character comes naturally with a little practice.

=====What's LARP?=====
LARP stands for Live Action RolePlay. It means that instead of sitting around a table, talking through your character's actions (this is sometimes referred to as "classic" or "tabletop" roleplaying), you physically act out whatever your character is doing. In this context, it also means that instead of rolling dice or using another luck-based method to decide the outcome of combat, participants actually fight each other with safe foam-rubber weapons.

Naturally, we have some fairly extensive [[:oocrules|safety rules]] to make sure that nobody gets injured during combat. You don't need any experience with armed or unarmed fighting to start LARPing; our character generation system is set up to be able to compensate for the differences between your own fighting skills and your character's.

Moonrise is one example of a "linear" system, where each week a series of encounters form an adventure with its own self-contained storyline. Almost all adventures are played through by a consistent party of player characters, with others playing various NPCs and foes the party may face, with a different party facing a new, different adventure each week.

=====Is It Anything Like Historical Re-enactment?=====
Not really, though we have been known to have some historical re-enactors among our membership and re-enactment can make a good starting point from which to explain it to people. We aren't bothered about historical accuracy, instead going for a generic mediaeval "Lord of the Rings" style setting. We don't have many people, so rather than big battles we have a series of small scale skirmishes with a storyline connecting them. Because we let people join in with no previous training or preparation and we tend to be quite competitive and wear minimal protection our weapons are made of padded foam rather than metal. Because time and money are limited we aren't nearly as fussed about suitable costume. Basically, we're a lot less about putting on a good show and a lot more about just running around having a good time!

=====Where & When Does It Happen?=====
We meet up most Saturday mornings in The Magic Cafe pub on Magdalen Rd to have a drink and a chat and get things organised for the day (meeting between 10-11 in Winter and 11-12 in Summer). Then the people with cars ferry everybody up to the Shotover Country Park carpark. We spend a while in the carpark getting ready and indulging in a bit of sparring, then off into the woods for the LARP proper. Sometimes we stick to the main paths, other times we head off the beaten track a bit so that we don't have to stop everything to let walkers go past too often!

The LARP generally finishes sometime between four o'clock (it gets dark early in the winter) and six o'clock, usually around five or six. People with cars then give everyone lifts back down the hill, and we generally proceed to the [[http://www.therustybicycle.com/|Rusty Bicycle]] pub to debrief from the day's adventure and socialise (it is conveniently right next to the Magic Cafe and has bike racks for anyone who wants to cycle out to the meeting place).

=====What Do I Need To Bring?=====
Nothing but yourself and some suitable clothing! LARP involves quite a lot of running around in the woods, so wear clothes which you don't mind getting a bit muddy and covered in undergrowth and which won't suffer too much from the occasional encounter with branches and brambles. Hardwearing footwear which won't give you blisters from running around a lot and won't let in the wet too easily is a must. Gloves are advised, though there will often be some spare pairs available to borrow.

Dress up warmly with plenty of layers, unless the weather's particularly summery - even when the sun's out Shotover can have a lot of windchill, LARPs sometimes involve a certain amount of standing around waiting for the next bit and rain can turn up at very short notice. It's a lot better to wear too many layers and take some off when you get too hot than it is to wear too few and end up catching cold! If the weather is hot and summery, consider bringing some suncream or applying it in advance.

Water and other drinks are provided so you don't get dehydrated, and during the adventure some food is provided. However, you are free to bring any other drinks or snacks you may desire - all that running around soon works up an appetite!

The LARP group provides safe foam-rubber weapons for everyone to use (small swords, big swords, maces, daggers, throwing daggers, a hammer, axes and even a LARP-safe longbow) - many people also own their own weapons (such as quarterstaffs) and may let you borrow them. The group can also provide cloaks, armour, belts, weapon rings and a few other bits and pieces of costume. Some people put a lot of effort into their costume, but turning up in jeans and a sweater is just fine - you certainly won't be alone in doing so.

Regular games cost £3 each, but your first two are free.

=====Glossary=====
There are a number of acronyms and pieces of jargon used on this website and during the game. The most common ones are listed below:

    * LARP - "Live Action RolePlay" or "Live Action RolePlaying".
    * LARPO - "LARP Organiser" - also sometimes referred to simply as "the organiser(s)", the person or people in charge of organising our group. The LARPO is a member of the OURPGSoc committee, and details of who currently holds the position can be found on the [[http://users.ox.ac.uk/~rpgsoc/committee.shtml|society website]].
    * IC - "In Character" - anything happening in, or relating to, the imaginary game world and which people roleplay out.
    * OoC - "Out of Character" - anything happening in, or relating to, the real world when not roleplaying.
    * GM - "Game Master" - the person who writes and runs an adventure.
    * PC - "Player Character" - a character which somebody has created as their own character, over which they have complete control, and which they play over many different adventures and events.
    * NPC - "Non-Player Character" - a character created by a GM or LARPO to fill a specific role in the world or in an adventure, who might turn up once and never be seen again or might turn up again and again. Played by a monster under the direction of a GM or LARPO.
    * Player - in each adventure everyone is split into "players" (who each play their own PC for the whole adventure) and "monsters" (who each play a variety of different NPC roles over the course of the adventure, many of them short lived, under the direction of the GM).
    * Monster - see previous entry.
    * XP - "eXperience Points" - every time you show up you gain an experience point to spend on one of your characters, even if you were a monster for the day.
    * Physrep - Short for "physical representation", an OoC thing which represents an IC thing. A piece of paper may be the physrep of an important legal document, a LARP-safe foam sword the physrep of a deadly steel blade, and a person the physrep of their character.