The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games - Michael J. Tresca [118]
In 1981, the International Fantasy Gaming Society (IFGS), a name inspired by Larry Niven and Steven Barnes’ Dreampark novels, incorporated live combat with Dungeons & Dragons–inspired rules. That same year, the Society for Interactive Literature was founded by Walter Freitag, Mike Massamilla, and Rick Dutton. They held the first modern theater-style live action role-playing game in 1983 at the Boskone Science Fiction Convention.
In 1983, Amtgard was established. In 1985, live action role-playing games took hold in Finland. That year also saw the release of Lazer Tag, my introduction to the world of live action role-playing games at the age of thirteen. Unlike other forms of live action role-playing games, Lazer Tag was primarily combat oriented, although there were ranks and experience gained, as per the official rulebook. We were playing a rudimentary form of LARP—there are LARPs that incorporate Lazer Tag and other laser games as a form of combat resolution. The Darkon Wargaming Club was established in 1985.
In 1988, NERO LARP was launched by Ford Ivey. In 1989, live action role-playing games took hold in Norway.
In 2004, True Adventures was launched at Gen Con Indy by Jeff Martin. True Adventures consists of two parts: True Dungeon, and True Dungeon Fantasy Tavern. True Dungeon is the most popular event at Gen Con, drawing over 3,000 people each year.
The first MagiQuest opened in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, at noon on June 15, 2005. Additional MagiQuest locations have subsequently opened in or have been announced across the United States and around the globe. MagiQuest is a franchised, commercial LARP that patterns itself after the popular Harry Potter franchise. Its interactive experience and live action roleplay are uniquely suited for its audience.
In Nordic countries, LARPs, known as “laiv play,” have a very different reputation. Laiv play is viewed as an art form, separate and distinct from tabletop role-playing games, more akin to improv theater. Laiv play has few stats or event resolution, and players use short written summaries to determine who they are and what they are capable of. This summary covers the character’s biography and daily routines. In-character role-playing is paramount. Laiv plays also don’t usually incorporate an overarching plot, allowing individuals to pursue their own aims based on their characters’ experiences (Brenne 2005).
Narrative
In LARPs, resolution is handled differently due to the level of immersion of the players. If a player has to roll dice, it is a game artifact that clearly pulls the player out of the experience. Rolling dice is a meta-mechanic that most LARPs prefer to simplify to keep the game moving and keep the player in character. Different resolution mechanics include rock, paper, scissors, hand signals, or a deck of cards. Some LARPs lack conflict resolution entirely, like murder-mystery games, focusing exclusively on social interaction and investigation.
Because LARP sessions take place in real time and in physical locations, the surroundings dictate the game as much as the physical appearance of the players. It’s also possible to have games take place where other people are unaware of the game and thus not active participants, but this can be perceived as disruptive and potentially illegal.
Unlike LARPs, True Dungeon embraces its Dungeons & Dragons roots, using similar tabletop rules. Combat involves sliding a weapon counter on a shuffleboard. The sliding piece must come to rest within certain areas of the shuffleboard in order to hit the monster. Because all attacks are made before any hits are determined, a team member’s weapon counter can be knocked into or out of a hit area. Damage is determined by the direction the numbers on the weapon counter are facing in relation to the damage indicator on the shuffleboard.
True Dungeon prides