AltLinc get their hands dirty and their swords out as they engaged in battle with the University of Lincoln’s LARP society.  

Come at me, bro

LARP, no it’s not some kind of fish that you eat alongside some rice and soy sauce, it’s a sport.  Well it has the merits of a sport but as of yet it is not recognized as one. LARP is an acronym and stands for Live Action Role-Play.

Those familiar with the concept of roleplaying may understand the principles of LARP but for those who don’t we’ll give a little rundown for you.

Role-playing is undertaking the guise of a character which you have created.  This is usually done in tabletop games like Dungeon & Dragons in which players are given a sheet of paper to fill out and create a character with a name, a backstory, a fantasy race and profession and a whole set of skills based on points and numbers.

When it comes to playing that character players will usually sit around a table and, when prompted too by the person in charge of the story, engage in combat, subterfuge, interaction with other players and undertake massive quests.

All this is done through dice rolling and, to some, can seem quite boring.  LARP takes the role-playing aspect one step further and puts a, foam, sword in the players hands and lets them go to town with it.

Protect the knees from arrows!

When dealing with LARP the societies founder, former student Michael Brereton, said that it’s a little more like a video game than a tabletop one.

“LARP is far more interactive than any of the tabletop games.  It takes the player and puts them in the environment that their character would be in.” Michael told us

“Obviously we can’t have real dragons and orcs to fight so some imagination is required but I’ve been LARPing for a while now and it’s really something I enjoy doing.”

The selection of weapons the society uses is quite impressive.  Basic swords and knives are complimented by menacing looking maces and the giant claymore greatswords.  It’s a real diverse selection designed to cater for a variety of players.

The society has yet to run a full scale adventure yet and are limited to practice on the fields of the University of Lincoln.  If you’re new to the uni, or want to see what LARPing is about then they practice each week on Wednesdays from 1pm until 4pm.

Nothing wrong with rushing either

Have we inspired you to come check it out?  Head over to the Univeristy of Lincoln’s LARP society page to find out more.

However, for those looking for a more serious adventure there are national LARP events.  Loriantrust host events each season, the first of which is being run from May 2nd this year.

Ever been LARPing?  Or want to tell us what you think?  Leave a comment below or tweet us @AlternativeLincoln with #LincLARP