I’m undertaking a little project I’m hoping everyone can help me out with.

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Just a little heads up, Calimacil has officially confirmed it will be present at this years Dreamation in Morristown, NJ, represented by yours truly.

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Unfortunate circumstance or practice for a festival? Zach Long | SeventhKingdomIGE.com

Many LARPs celebrate various holidays and seasons within their LARPs.

There is a bit of a debate regarding whether this adds to or detracts from the overall experience and atmosphere of the LARP.

A weekend LARP in the United States, for example, might feel a bit odd if it didn’t include Halloween or references to the holiday, especially if the event takes place over a weekend including October 31st. This can be tricky for the LARP organizers and players–while many players feel the need to celebrate the holiday in-game, having a straight-up Halloween festival in a fantasy world not inclusive of Halloween can be a problem, especially for those enjoying the in-game experience of the game world.

There is also the matter of religion. Players don’t always celebrate the same holidays and festivals associated with real world religions, and they shouldn’t be expected to. Forcing a holiday in-game might make them feel a bit uncomfortable.

Solutions

Celebrate seasons. Try using seasonal themes to reflect the real-life need for celebrations in game. Players will notice these changes month to month anyway if they are LARPing outdoors; innkeepers in some games also contribute to this feeling by promoting the holiday spirit with themed dishes and decor.

Enhance the fantasy world with its own holidays. Just like the real world, fantasy worlds and cultures often celebrate holidays as well. Try creating unique and purposeful holidays for the LARP. This can also add to the summer months which include few real-life holidays.

How do your favorite LARPs relate to  holidays and seasonal changes?

Last week, someone from the Knight Realms forums posted a link to a post on examiner.com: Overpowered Characters in LARP. You can read the article yourself, so I won’t go into all the details. But boiled down, author Rob McDariod visits the “problem” of some players possessing “super powers” (due to extensive play, longer careers, etc) whilst others do not.

“Hey, I EARNED this armor”

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