Can somebody tell me about LAIRE?

[freiman]

Guys,

I have a new buddy that a friend introduced me to. He is coming to camp with us at Pennsic. This means that we will be together and under some stress.

He plays a game called LAIRE out on the east coast, in New Jersey, I think.

Has anybody played this game? Is it a dickhead rich environment? I don't mean that as a slam, my home game, the SCA, is a dickhead rich environment.

Is it an active combat magic system? Do they use beanbag markers? From what I have seen, the combat is a fast as I have come to expect from larps, and the costumes (especially the monster costumes) are good. Is it one of those "No beer, ever" sorts of larps?

I can go and read the rules just fine. I am looking for a little more personal, individual information. My life is interacting with Larpers more and more, and I am about as ignorant as can be.

Is there something that I definitely, definitely shouldn't say?

f

[Plunder Down-Under]

It's not the game thats full of dickheads, its the area. I dunno about your area but we have several SCA's on the forum who arent dickheads and love it. So unless anyone has played in that group, your best bet is just to go and try and have a good time and if it sucks, don't go back.

[freiman]

That's the thing. I live in Germany.

I would hate to screw up because I was ign'ant.

I did that here in an earlier post.

The thing is, he and his crew are probably only going to stay in my camp for one year, then they will move out for the following year, and set up thier own camp anyway.

But I would really like it if we were still friends when they did. So, I am asking if anybody knows about that culture, who might be able to coach me.

f

[Talen]

LAIRE member for 15+ years. Ask away.

LAIRE nowadays is like any other group- not full of dickheads, but people are people and disagree at times...we wouldn't still be around if the idea was to screw over your fellow man. It's too fun to spend a weekend peeving people. :)

The camp site is dry, the players generally aren't. Considering one of the favorite treats is beer cookies (yes, cookies. Made with beer. Guiness is good for that...). But alcohol is not allowed on-site. Off-site, people certainly do. :)

Magic system has a combat element, which uses small, sewnup beanbags filled with birdseed (35mm film canisters fit em).

[freiman]

All right,

The biggest thing I need to ask is what are the taboo subjects.

I am only saying this because I make a major foul up earlier by saying something like "That's not SOLAR, that NERO".

I had no clue that that would cause a problem.

there are probably a ton of things like that that I could foul up and say. I want this guy to have a good time, not spend his whole time biting his tongue and not telling me what a jerk I am accidentally being.

What other things do I need to avoid?

f

[Duncan]

SOLAR/NERO is hardly a taboo subject. It didn't cause a problem when you mentioned it. The two system diverged a long time ago. While I am sure if you looked hard enough you could find some people somewhere who still hold strong feeling about the matter, for most people it is just a bit of interesting trivia. SOLAR runs in only a few states. If it were not for this comic strip the vast bulk of the LARPers in the world would have never heard of the game system.

The US LARPing communities, like most geek communities, enjoys being overly dramatic at times. That being said, you would find it very difficult to bring up any subject that is likely to cause any real hard feelings. You may inadvertantly bring up something like Packet Archery vs Real Bows or Alcohol Consumption at Events or some other such hot button topic and find yourself suffering through someone's well rehearsed speech about the topic. But you are not likely to be causing any real upset, and in fact the person is likely to be secretly grateful for a chance to get on their soapbox and preach their argument to the first person they've found in months who hasn't heard it all before.

[sableagle]

Go on then. *hands Duncan a soap box* What's packet archery?

[Talen]

*nods* I mentioned it recently in another subject, but generally stuff like that is a very cool flame- at worst, it's like two sports fans arguing over which strategy or piece of equipment is better.

About all I can think of is things like equating in-game religions or character actions to real life...basically, being the Jack Thompson (he of the "Videogames make you kill people!") of LARPing. A lot of folks will be passionate about their local flavor of LARPs- some more than others, and a lot of them would be less so if they actually -played- some of those other systems. But there's nothing that's going to really make someone flip short of deliberately making folks out to be something they're not.

[Travellar]

There's an old axiom, along the lines of "never discuss Religion or Politics". Keep your political views to those things in game, such as what the local duke/baron/countess has been up to; and leave religion off site. Those are the two subjects that can easily inflame alot of people's passions. (It's also the reason Religion is pretty much Taboo in NERO, but I know nothing about LAIRE.)

[Talen]

There's an old axiom, along the lines of "never discuss Religion or Politics". Keep your political views to those things in game, such as what the local duke/baron/countess has been up to; and leave religion off site. Those are the two subjects that can easily inflame alot of people's passions. (It's also the reason Religion is pretty much Taboo in NERO, but I know nothing about LAIRE.)

LAIRE has in-game divine powers, which don't reflect anything in real-life. NERO doesn't, though to my amusement the doomful predictions I've heard from a lot of NERO players never came to pass. I mean, we're a -Scouting- group. The Inquisition never showed up.

RL religion's a different animal. There's no reason for that to show up as part of the game, and we've had everyone from total atheists to born-again Christians and pretty much darn near anything I can think of in between as regular players. That's just part of being able to tell Real Life from a game- anyone who can't shouldn't be LARPing and probably needs therapy for mental health issues.

[freiman]

That should work out pretty well, then. In our camp we have a non-ordained southern baptist preacher (went to seminary, but stopped short of going all the way) and an ordained wicca high preistess. They are good friends, and he is helping to officiate at her handfasting this year.

We also have three brewers, a mazer (mead maker), half a dozen drummers, a fire breather (he calls himself a pyromancer, or sometimes a poi dog), a couple of cooks, a waitress named Cootie Bug, a contact juggler, a minstrel, a mortgage banker, a cop or two, a bunch of self described network geeks, A tiny Austrian actress and gymnast, a general contractor (our shower works!), a bass player, a guy who works in some bizarre capacity for Steve Jackson games and a partridge in a pear tree.

Well, actually, we don't have a pear tree. They are mostly oaks.

But it's a pretty eclectic group, and we have a really nice interpersonal chemistry going.

f

[Talen]

a guy who works in some bizarre capacity for Steve Jackson games

f


If it's Bob Schroek(sp), I will commence falling off my chair and dying of laughter.

[Travellar]

And I now feel kinda bad realizing just how little I know about what everyone I play with does the rest of the time.

I know two or three others are military. One Air Force guy, who apparently spends his time going nuts trying to get his officers to act intelligent around computers. I think two Army types, one whom I have no idea what she does, and one who works intel, again trying to keep his officers acting intelligent.

Other than those three rather vauge impressions, and knowing another guy boxes, I don't think I have any idea what any of these people do in real life.

*edit* oh wait, we've got one working in a mental health ward.

[sableagle]

One Air Force guy, who apparently spends his time going nuts trying to get his officers to act intelligent around computers. I think two Army types, one whom I have no idea what she does, and one who works intel, again trying to keep his officers acting intelligent. ... we've got one three working in a mental health ward.

Fixed.

[Karkiln]

This thread is what finally got me to join.

Because the subject touched on 3 things I either know well or have done.

I think the person you are bringing to Home ( Pennsig) will be fine.

Many of the people at LAIRE either know SCAdians or who are/were one.

Also Pennsig is a big place as you know. So any possible issue can always be dealt with a bit of time and space away from it.

On a side note where does your group camp there, I live on the Serengeti just off Dragontrace.

And remeber even the SCA is a LARP.

safe travels

p.s. only 6 weeks left of the beer run.


Karkiln Wanderingsoul

[Travellar]

Fixed.

just goes to show how little I know of the people I game with.

[sableagle]

I was referring to the two in the Army and one trying to keep officers' minds anchored to reality in the intel world.

[freiman]

This thread is what finally got me to join.

Also Pennsig is a big place as you know. So any possible issue can always be dealt with a bit of time and space away from it.

On a side note where does your group camp there, I live on the Serengeti just off Dragontrace.

Karkiln Wanderingsoul

Karkliln, we have met. I am freiman the Minstrel, and I have played in your camp before.

And I am in E-29 with Omega Company. Please drop by and find me. It's a long walk for you. Go to the chalkman and take a left, and follow the highway past the meadow, and look for the red and black sheet wall.

Tell people that the minstrel invited you. And remind me of this conversation.

f

[Karkiln]

Freiman I will make the time to visit .

I will be out from Friday Aug. 1st till last Saturday.

I know the area you camp is in and the walk is not a problem for me.

I may even drag a child or 2 with me.

My SCA name Lord Kerl Klauezhan , I camp in Dunellen Stronghold.

If you fanny tossing pointy things at tree stumps let me know , I am an East Kingdom thrown weapons marshal as well.

[ladylilo]

All right,

I am only saying this because I make a major foul up earlier by saying something like "That's not SOLAR, that NERO".

f

Seriously, don't worry about that. No one at SOLAR that I know of still holds a grudge about that. It's all good. You didn't mess up.