Story creation

Travel to the deeps woods, open fields and winding paths of adventure and experience the thrill of summer LARPing in the realm of Dragonwood. Create your own character and determine your own path while building a story of survival with other LARPers. Dress for the weather and come prepared for attacks by invading trolls, nefarious gnomes, and untrustworthy humans. We will explore sprawling urban park for magical objects and hidden bases, forge a treaty with the elves … or the gnomes, and defend ourselves, our allies, and our loot against all invaders.

Council gathering

The LARP starts with a quick council where the adventurers tell each other about their characters, suit up, and discuss the evolving story of the LARP including the location and nature of the realm, the goals and conflicts they are facing that day, and the roles, abilities and relationships between the characters.

LARPers are encouraged to come prepared to introduce their character for the Scribe to record. Important characteristics include name and species, abilities and strengths, and weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

Storyteller

In order to facilitate the setting of the plot, the LARP will elect a Storyteller for the following week during the council gathering.

It will be the responsibility of the Storyteller to listen to all ideas and to incorporate them into our overarching storyline. It is the privilege of the Storyteller to choose where and when the LARP begins in our fictional world of Dragonwood, to choose the minions set upon the group by Lord Maul (or to allow the group to slip in unnoticed and unchallenged), to set the mission to be accomplished, to establish what is happening in the story at the start of the LARP including which characters are doing what, and to declare the start of the LARP after the council gathering, by shouting, “It’s a good day to die … and by revived!” It is the honor of all LARPers to follow the lead of the Storyteller.

If there are challengers for the role of Storyteller, a brutal rock-paper-scissors battle will commence. The count will be “rock, paper, scissors, shoot” with the warriors’ choice made on “shoot” and the victory going to the winner of two out of three battles. An evenly matched round will trigger sudden-death rounds until a victor is found.

Should the elected Storyteller be ambushed on the way to the LARP, the group will swiftly appoint a Deputy Storyteller.

• • The story for this LARP is continually evolving and is written cooperatively by all players.

• • There is no group leader.
    • While the group will follow their elected Storyteller for the campaign of the day, they will also promptly overthrow any and all Emperors, Dictators, Generals, and CEOs!

Dragonwood

Dragonwood is a nexus for interdimensional portals, resulting in a wide range of inhabitants, including dragons (of course), Jedi knights, mercenaries of all sorts, fairies, elves, gnomes, pirates, magicians, Martians and other aliens, demigods, gods, demons, time travelers, and much more. Oh, also the occasional human.

Adventurers are called to Dragonwood for many reasons. Some are forced there by their parents. Others arrive to fight and defeat Lord Maul and win freedom and independence for the multiverse. Still others come seeking to free the deep pure magic of the World Tree, held in captivity by the dreadful Lord Maul‘s dark sorcery. Still others are just not very good at accurately entering the correct address when using interdimensional portals.

Lord Maul

The main force of chaos in Dragonwood is Lord Maul who is seeking to conquer and control all of Dragonwood in order to control the interdimensional nexus and use it as the base from which he launches his invasion of the multiverse. Lord Maul seeks wealth and power to ensure his legacy and his infamy. Lord Maul sees all uninvited travelers to Dragonwood, both intentional and accidental, as threats to his control of the region and to his larger plan to conquer the multiverse.

Lord Maul himself does not venture from his stronghold. He selects the strongest and most proficient of his minions, recruited from the peoples of his conquered worlds, to lay siege to and destroy any uninvited travelers. This wide ranging and diverse army means that all adventurers planning to travel to Dragonwood cannot know what awaits them until the assault begins.

Characters

• • Characters cannot be all powerful or all knowing. Your character’s weaknesses must be equal to your strengths (if not greater). All characters must have a weakness or flaw. Invincible characters are no fun for the other LARPers.
    • If younger siblings join us on the LARP, we wave this rule for them when they’re too young to understand the concept.

• • This is a multiverseLARP — your character may come from any genre, era, story or your imagination.
    • Fantasy, steampunk, historical (historical realistic, historical supernatural, alternative history), modern, futuristic, post-apocalyptic, horror! Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Star Wars, Star Trek, The Lord of the Rings, Sherlock, Zelda, Avengers, Arthurian! It’s up to you.

• • New members (or new characters) are always welcome and will be incorporated into the storyline.

• • Characters are expected to evolve over time, even to the point of becoming completely different people (or completely different creatures)!

• • A LARPer may have multiple characters and may choose to switch characters during a single LARP.

Costumes

• • Costumes, accessories, and props help you embody and portray your character, but they are not required.

• • Your character’s costume can start with a single simple piece to be expanded over time with additional items or enhancements.

• • This is an all-weather LARP taking place outside, so plan your outfit accordingly.

• • Dress for hiking through “deep” forests! Study shoes and long pants are recommended!

• • Also consider protection spells against swarming insects and burning sunlight. These can be obtained from your local apothecary.

LARP Rules

• 1. Safety first.

• 2. Always be nice.
     • be kind, be respectful, be considerate, be helpful, be supportive, be encouraging, be welcoming, be amiable, be courteous, be forgiving, be understanding, be amazing

Be Respectful, Receptive, and Reflective

• • Give full consideration to other people’s ideas. (Always be nice.)
    • Avoid rejecting someone else’s suggestion unless agreeing would violate either or both of the rules.

Wilderness Safety

• • Do not wander off alone! (Safety first.)
    • If you need to go anywhere at anytime for any reason, insist that at least one other LARPer go with you.
      • Use “Weeping Angel” if no one is listening to you.
    • Make sure another LARPer, who is not going with you knows that you are leaving, where you are going and when you will be back.
      • Make sure this other LARPer heard you and will remember what you said.
      • Use “Weeping Angel” if no one is listening to you.
    • Always be with at least 1 and preferably 2 other LARPers.

Safety Words

• • “Weeping Angel!” means “Everyone look at me!” — because you stop a weeping angel by looking at it.

• • “Jabberwocky!” means “HOLD!” or everybody freeze and drop to one knee and raise your weapon over your head — because a jabberwocky can’t see you if you aren’t moving.

• • “Medic!” means “I am seriously injured in real life and need someone to help me now or get my Mom or Dad!”

Do not abuse the safety words! Use only when necessary for safety.

When you hear a safety word called, you should obey it AND repeat it until everyone has heard it!

Mock Combat (Boffering) Rules

Combat is optional. Not all LARPers choose to engage in combat.

Boffers: A boffer is a padded lightweight contact weapon designed to prevent injury during LARP mock combat. The classic boffer is made using blue camping mats or pool noodles, PVC pipes or fiberglass rods, washers, contact cement and duct tape (although a fitted cloth covering is preferable to duct tape).

• 1. Only boffers may be used in combat.
     • All edges for weapons used in battle must be made of thick dense foam.
     • Thrown weapons must have all exposed edges and surfaces covered in foam.
     • Nerf long-range weapons are allowed, except for Nerf Rival.
     • Non-foam weapons may be used as costuming but not for battles.
  2. All weapons should observe LARP Rule #1, Safety first!
     • Make sure there are no spots on your weapon that could cause actual injury.
     • All warriors are asked to check their weapons for rough spots before battle, paying particular attention to the edges of the duct tape which can accumulate dirt and become sandpaper like.
     • Do not use a weapon if it is unsafe. Unsafe weapons include those that have core showing, weak or broken padding, ripped tape, or sandpaper-like dirt accumulation in the adhesive along the edges of the tape.
  3. Remove any potentially dangerous objects from your person such as jewelry, watches, etc.
     • This is a simple safety issue for both you and the people you are fighting.
     • Glasses are optional, but they have a nasty habit of being knocked off and stepped on during combat.
     • You may also want to empty your pockets of keys or anything else bulky.
  4. All parties must give consent to a duel prior to any combat.
  5. Strike only hard enough for your opponent to know they have been hit.
     • To test the strength of your blow and the hardness of your weapon, try hitting yourself in the leg.
     • If your weapon goes behind your body to swing, you’re swinging too hard.
  6. When you receive a hit in a valid area, you must acknowledge that you were hit, even if the person who hit you doesn’t notice. If two players hit each other at the same time, they are both dead.
  7. Do not stab or thrust at your opponent’s abdomen.
  8. Do not strike your opponent in the head, neck, breasts, groin, hands or feet.
     • The head, neck, groin, breasts, hands, and feet are not valid targets because they are very sensitive areas and also because you may cause serious injuries if you hit someone in these areas.
     • You may want to wear a bicycle helmet and athletic supporter just in case.
     • However, if you purposely use an invalid target as a shield (for example, use your hand to stop an attack), you are dead.
  9. No “Drum Rolling” or “Machine Gunning” — do not strike rapidly in succession and do not strike the same spot repeatedly.
  10. Never grab, catch, or hold an opponent’s weapon.

Three phrases to remember: ON GUARD, LAY ON, and HOLD.

• • ON GUARD means “get on your guard” because the battle is about to commence.

• • LAY ON means “start fighting!”

• • HOLD is the universal word for “timeout” — when you hear this shouted, stop fighting and drop to one knee.
    • HOLD is reserved for when something potentially dangerous has happened (for example, a weapon becomes damaged, someone gets hurt, etc.) Most boffering groups have harsh punishments for people who continue fighting after a HOLD is shouted. Also, do not abuse the command, as it’s reserved for dangerous situations.

Boffering is a contact sport whose injury risk is equivalent to that of a friendly pillow fight when following safety rules and using properly padded boffers, but bruises and welts are possible if play gets too rough — so don’t let it get too rough.

Every boffering group has their own unique rules. It’s your responsibility to ensure that you know what they are and that you follow them.

Melee Referee

Melee Referee will elected prior to melee combat

• • Melee Referee does not battle
  • Melee Referee observes combat
  • Melee Referee stops a duel if there is a problem

Boffer Etiquette

Mock combat is a demanding sport full of passion and aggression. Because emotions can run wild in the middle of battle, observing boffer etiquette at all times demonstrates your honor and integrity.

Never attack an unarmed person.

If you want to attack an unarmed person, first give them a weapon of equal strength to your own, then kill them.

Never attack a person from behind.

Only cowards and rogues attack from the shadows. Make sure that the person is fully aware of your intentions before you begin combat.

Allow a disarmed person to pick up their weapon.

If a person fumbles with their weapon and drops it, they have been disarmed. Give them the chance to pick it back up before killing them. (Unless the goal is to disarm your opponent, in which you’ve won and the battle is over.)

Salute your opponent before a duel.

In a formal duel it is considered proper to salute your opponent before starting the duel. Each person learns to salute in a different way. Some raise their weapon to their face, some make a small bow, some shake hands, etc. This is done to show that you have respect for your opponent and that you will fight fair.

Shake hands after a duel.

It’s good practice to show that there are no hard feelings by shaking hands or saluting your opponent after combat.

Point out exploitable weaknesses.

During the battle with your opponent you might notice a mistake they make that you can exploit. If this is the case, you should point out their error after the match so that they can correct it. Continuing to exploit a weakness is dishonorable.

Mediation

Anyone can request a Mediator at any time. If tensions start to run high, using your scrying bowl to locate the nearest neutral party and ask for help talking things through.

• • The mediator can be any other member of the LARP.
  • The mediator must listen to all sides.
  • The mediator can’t take sides.
  • The mediator helps find or forge an agreement.

Be understanding.

Don’t assume malicious intent. Everyone is always learning. If an error is made, remember that LARP Rule #2 is “Be kind.” Be as tolerant of the mistakes of others as you would want them to be of yours. Admit you’re wrong when you’re wrong. Treat others as if your mother was watching.

This is a judgement-free LARP that embraces diversity.

If someone makes a choice with which you disagree, whether it be what they’re saying, what they’re wearing, or what they’re doing, take it as an opportunity to practice generosity, kindness and understanding.

Weather Gremlins

The “all-weather” LARP will be relocated to Fantasy Flight Games Center for “dangerous weather” — including flooding, hail, thunderstorms, lightning, tornadoes, downbursts, waterspouts, tropical cyclones, blizzards, snowstorms, ice storms, dust storms, wildfires and extreme heat or extreme cold.

Weather charms and relocation spells will be cast by 9am on the day of a Summer LARP and by 10:30am on the day of a Spring, Fall and Winter LARP. The location change will be posted to the HSAdventures calendar and to the HSAdventures Group Facebook event. An email announcement will also be sent to those LARPers who have submitted their email addresses to “Ace.”

Fantasy Flight Games Center is located at 1975 County Road B2 W, Roseville, MN 55113, between Cleveland Ave and Fairview Ave, just down the road from Rosedale.

• • The Games Center a spacious room full of gaming tables and an extensive tabletop game library.

• • There is no admission charge and no fee to use the games.

• • Bring along some gold for the innkeep. There is a café serving delicious foods — but please note that no outside food or beverages are allowed.

• • There is also a retail store selling lots of awesome table top games.

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