This wiki page is a primer on live roleplaying for those who are unfamiliar with the hobby. In essence, LRP (or LARP, or whatever you want to call it) is a fun way to spend a weekend by pretending to be a fictional character of your own creation, and play out their stories in an imaginative way. Although there is a lot of information on this wiki, and a lot of detail to the game, you don't need to know the vast majority of it to participate. Once you've read this page, there are a few links to other useful resources help give you an idea of how to get involved with Orion Sphere LRP.

As well as the information on this wiki, we're also happy to answer any other questions you might have, and our community of other attendees are also a very helpful resource to ask questions of and get other people's experiences of attending our events - see the Contact Us page to get in touch or join our various community groups.

You may already be familiar with roleplaying in the context of tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeon & Dragons, but if not the core of it is that you are taking on or acting out a particular role - “inhabiting” a character that you or someone else has created. The way you play the character is influenced by your own interpretations of how they would act and react to the situations they encounter. In most tabletop roleplaying games, each player narrates their character's actions, while another player (a GM or DM), or the dice, respond how those actions affect the fictional environment and other characters within the shared story of the game. In most TTRPGs, the players are all on the same team, and are working together to navigate the story and overcome its challenges.

Live roleplaying is different in that rather than narrating your character's actions, you are physically acting them out. You dress, speak and act as your character while playing the game, as do all of the other participants. If you want to engage in a dual with another character, you call them out, draw your blaster and fire it at them.

The wider game setting is represented by the actions of the organizers and crew, as well as props, costumes and other elements that they put in place for the players to interact with. In a fest LRP game like Orion Sphere, much of the game comes from the player's characters having conflicting and competing goals and mindsets, so that the game is as much about the personal relationships and rivalries that form between players as it is about investigating the setting and challenges posted by the game organizers and crew.

Playing a character is a bit like being in improv theatre - you have an impression in your mind of how your character would act, and use that to play your role, improvising what you say and do. Unlike theatre, at LRP events everyone is both an actor and the audience at the same time, collectively improvising a story together in which everyone is an active participant, working from their own understanding of their characters and a shared concept of the setting and wider story of the OSVerse. The game organizers are mostly concerned with giving the participants narrative hooks to inform and enrich their roleplay - giving them things to roleplay about - and reacting to what the player's charcters are doing to create the feeling of an immersive game world.

At events, you will spend the majority of your time “In-Character”, so for new players its usually a good move to create a character that you will enjoy playing, and is easy for you to roleplay. Thankfully, when you create a character for a LRP game like OSLRP, you get to choose most of the aspects of what they are like, and their personality. For some players, they prefer to play characters which are very similar to their own personality, while others might exaggerate or downplay one or two aspects of themselves, or even play something very different to themselves. While the game imposes some rules about how characters interact with each other, and has some guidelines on characters that might fit well with certain Factions or Species, for the most part you get to determine what your character is like. Don't worry about adjusting your character's personality if you're not having fun though, characters change over time just like with people in the real world.

Live roleplaying appeals to all kinds of people and everyone is welcome at Empire. We welcome participants of every gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and background. We've explicitly designed the Empire setting to try to provide equal roleplaying opportunities for everyone regardless of identity and we have strict conduct rules to try to ensure that all participants are treated with respect and dignity.

Players of all ages take part in Empire and many families attend and enjoy Empire together. The Academy is specifically designed to provide roleplaying opportunities for younger players as they train to become the heroes of tomorrow. There are additional guidelines for children and their families participating at events. SharonConreen.jpg

Live roleplaying can be challenging for participants with disabilities. We strive to make Empire as accessible as we can, and provide advice and information to help you assess the event. If you have specific accessibility needs, then we encourage you to email us so that we can identify what additional assistance we can provide. Is it difficult?

No. Anyone can live roleplay and enthusiasm is more important than experience. If you can pretend to be someone else then you can live roleplay.

Live roleplaying has rules just like any game, but we've designed the rules of Empire to be as straightforward and simple to learn as possible. Our referees are always happy to answer rules queries on the field and established players are always understanding with new players who are still learning the rules and the setting so don’t be put off if you can’t remember all the details.

There is a short, printable summary of the key rules points available. Will I enjoy it?

Live roleplaying, like acting, is enjoyable purely for its own sake. Most participants find that by immersing themselves in the character they have created, they can forget about the pressures of real life for a while, but different people get different things out of the hobby. Some live roleplayers enjoy the social interaction, some prefer the thrill of battle whilst others relish the opportunity to create and wear amazing costumes.

There is no winning or losing. Just as real life doesn’t offer clear cut win or lose situations, neither do most live roleplaying games. However live roleplaying presents opportunities that you could never normally experience, allowing you to become the protagonist in historical or imaginary settings. In the end it is impossible to know whether you will enjoy live roleplaying unless you try it. What do I need?

As with any hobby, you will need some equipment to enjoy live roleplaying. For Empire, the bare minimum you'll need is some appropriate costume, somewhere to sleep, and an appropriate weapon if you plan to do any fighting. Costume

Costume is very important in live roleplaying because you need to dress as your character would. A costume should be appropriate to your character and the setting, so you can't wear modern clothing such as trainers, jeans, or printed t-shirts when you're roleplaying. Our wiki has a look and feel guide for each nation that provides advice on costume that is suitable for a character from that nation. If you follow the advice then you can be confident that your costume will look good and be suitable for the game. If you have any questions about the suitability of a piece of costume then it is best to email us and we can give you specific advice.

You can purchase costumes, weapons, and armour from one of the many traders who support the hobby. We have traders at all our events and they sell everything you need for your character. Details and links for traders are also available on our wiki. If you have the time and the enthusiasm to make your own costume then there is a wealth of advice and guidance available online to help you create something amazing. Weapons

Most live roleplaying events in this country use specially made weapons that are constructed from foam and latex and are designed to be as safe as possible. For Empire we have strict safety guidelines and every weapon must be checked to ensure it conforms with the rules before it can be used. As a result it's much harder to create your own weapon than it is to create your own costume, especially if you are new to live roleplaying.

We recommend buying a weapon from a professional live roleplaying weapon manufacturer who is trading at the event. There are traders at every event offering thousands of different costumes and weapons that you can choose from. You can buy live roleplaying weapons online, but there's no substitute for picking a weapon up to get a feel for the weight and the balance, so the best way to find the perfect weapon is to browse the stalls on the day.

But don't forget that you'll only need a weapon if you plan to fight. Lots of characters at Empire don't carry weapons, so you only need a weapon if you're going to use it. Food and camping

For a weekend live roleplaying event, everyone needs somewhere to sleep, as well as food and drink. While it's possible to book into a nearby hotel, most players bring a tent with them and camp. At Empire there is a large area set-aside for camping that is adjacent to the main arena where the game actually happens. If you have a period tent that is suitable for the setting then you can pitch that in the main arena and use it in-character, but that's not something we recommend new players worry about for their first event.

You will need to think about food and drink for any live roleplaying event that lasts longer than a few hours. You can bring your own, but there are a number of professional caterers at every Empire event who sell a wide range of options. How does fighting work? Edric Fighting.jpg

Many live roleplaying games involve combat, with players taking up latex weapons to actively fight against other participants. Our game rules provide a framework for fighting so that you know what to do if you get hit. At the events there are opportunites to take part in thrilling large-scale battles with a thousand participants that complement the social and political conflict of the field at Anvil.

There are important safety rules for fighting, the most important of which is that everyone taking part must pull their blows so that they land with virtually no force. Our new player team schedule an opportunity to try out combat before the event starts, which is highly recommended if you have never done live roleplay fighting before. It only takes a few minutes to learn, and plenty of players will be happy to show you how even if you miss the new player meeting. Do I have to fight?

Fighting can be exhilarating but it's not for everyone. Many Empire players choose to avoid combat, preferring to focus on the social and political side of the game. Although you can never be sure what will happen to your character, most people who attend our events have little trouble avoiding combat if they make an effort to do so. Our rules make provision for people who can't, or don't want to, take part in combat. What if my character dies?

It's quite unusual for your character to die unexpectedly in Empire, but it can happen if you go on a battle. But don't worry if it does, you can create a new character at any point during the event and we'll help you as much as we can to get back into the game as quickly as possible. The easiest thing to do is to make a new character in the same nation or even group as before, especially if you die unexpectedly in the middle of an event, but you can use character death as an opportunity to try another part of the game if you are feeling adventurous.