Larping in Auckland
If you live in the Auckland region and are keen to try out live action roleplaying, you're in luck! Auckland has a very active and varied larp calendar that eagerly welcomes new larpers.
Chimera
Chimera is New Zealand's national live action roleplaying convention, held annually on the last weekend of August at Motu Moana Scout Camp. Featuring over thirty games across six rounds, Chimera encompasses the complete variety of styles and genres that New Zealand larping has to offer and is one of the biggest events of the New Zealand calendar. Registrations for Chimera 2012 will open in late May and newcomers are encouraged to sign up and give it a go. Because all the games are only three hours long, and designed to be so easy to pick up that anyone could walk in off the street and participate, it's the perfect way to try out a range of larps. For more information on what a Chimera convention is like, visit the website for the 2011 convention at chimera.nzlarps.org and make sure to also check out the photos from the past four conventions.
Live Combat Campaigns
A series of events based on one setting using one set of rules and usually with a recurring cast of characters is called a campaign. The campaigns listed here are all live action combat campaigns, which means that if there is a combat encounter, it is resolved by participants engaging in combat using larp-safe weapons (in contrast to games where combat is resolved through paper scissors rock or card draws.) Campaigns of this nature usually last several years, and newcomers are welcome at any point in the campaign's story arch. Participants choose between being players ('player characters' or PCs) or crew members ('non-player characters' or NPCs.) Participants who choose to be players write their own character for the setting, guided by the game's official setting and rulebook, usually in consultation with the game organisers. They provide their own costuming and play as these characters from the start of an event until the end of an event (or until the character becomes unplayable) The role of the crew is to play a wide variety of characters in a single event under the game master's guidance, to help bring the world of the game to life.
Weekend events in campaigns begin on Friday night and last until early Sunday afternoon. With everything including food and accommodation being in-character for the duration of the event, every weekend game is a fun experience in immersing yourself into a fantasy world for a whole weekend. Don't let the prospect of a weekend sound too daunting, there is lots of support for new larpers. Many campaigns also run day events, which last for anywhere between several hours in an afternoon or evening, to a whole day.
Teonn is the biggest campaign game in Auckland at present. It is a dark fantasy game that runs weekend events twice yearly, usually in late May and late November. Teonn is set in an original medieval fantasy universe with its own history, magical system and unique races to play. With over sixty players and over sixty crew, and a game master team of five, Teonn games are a rich and vibrant experience with no shortage of things to see, characters to roleplay with, challenges to undertake and fun things to do. For more information on the Teonn game and setting, check out teonn.nzlarps.org or email the head game master Phillip and his team.
Chrono Continuum is a time travelling fantasy game inspired by the game Chrono Trigger. Running two or three afternoon/evening events per year, in Chrono Continuum, players and crew play a bold assortment of heroes battling their way across the time stream to discover what caused the end of the world. It's a game for those who like the concept of time travel and want the opportunity to play anything from a caveman to a post apocalyptic robot. For more information, visit the Chrono Continuum forums on Diatribe, or email head game master Blair and his team.
Jade Empire is a live action combat oriental game that runs two to three afternoon/evening events and one weekend event per year. The setting is an oriental heroic high fantasy, where bushi save villages, shugenja hold back the hordes of Tainted, courtiers save their Clan from disgrace. Jade Empire is a game laced with courtly subtlety and intrigue, against a backdrop of rich oriental costume and imagery. It's a great game for people who love oriental settings. For more information, check out the website at: jadeempire.larp.co.nz or email the head game master Erin and her team.
Multiverse is a live-combat fantasy campaign based on the writing of Michael Moorcock. Against the backdrop of the eternal struggle between Chaos and Law, players find themselves drawn into mysterious events and challenging scenarios that have wide-reaching implications. Multiverse is a mature fantasy setting with high magic, hard combat and challenging roleplaying situations. Multiverse runs one to two one-day events a year. For more information, check out the Multiverse website or keep up with the Multiverse forums to see what's coming up.
Star Wars is a live combat science fiction game based on the popular movie setting, picking up the story from where final movie left off. Players take on roles from various races and join factions including the Empire, the Republic, Black Sun or the bounty hunters. Star Wars runs about two games a year. For more information, visit the Star Wars LARP forum on Diatribe, or email the head game master Adam.
Monthly World of Darkness Games
Right now, there are three campaigns in Auckland which run on one regular evening a month. They are all based on the World of Darkness setting and rules published by the major gaming company, White Wolf. These games do not feature any live combat and instead resolve all actions through abstract resolution, usually by drawing cards or engaging in a paper-scissors-rock challenge. All three campaigns are set in a darker, more grim version of modern day Auckland. Typically, all participants in White Wolf campaigns play their own characters and there are no crew members, though Nexus has a rich cast of non-player characters that can be played on request.
One World By Night runs on the second Saturday evening each month at the Western Districts Fast Draw Club, corner of Tomo St and Croydon Rd, Glen Eden. The game lasts from 6.30pm-10pm. The setting is White Wolf's old World of Darkness, and specifically, the Vampire: the Masquerade system. This is Auckland's longest running larp campaign, where characters are a secret society of vampires that fight external threats, and vie politically against each other against the backdrop of a global setting. To get involved, contact the story tellers, Chris and Kirsten.
Nexus runs on the third Saturday of every month, typically from 10am to 4pm. The location changes each month, but is usually somewhere in the central city. The setting is White Wolf's new World of Darkness, specifically, Mage: Awakening. Players take on the role of a secret society of humans with arcane powers, with the power to change the fabric of the universe. Facing cosmic conflict, the characters of the Nexus campaign are attempting to stop the destruction of the world from external forces. To get involved, contact the head story teller, Patrick.
Tides of Change is a new campaign using the new World of Darkness' Werewolf: the Forsaken setting. In this game, players play packs of werewolves - half spirit, half flesh beings that have inherited their progenitor's ancient task - to maintain the balance between the physical and shadow worlds, and prevent malicious entities from escaping to where they do not belong. For more information, visit the game forums or email the story telling team.
One-off Events and Conventions
Auckland regularly runs one-off theatreform events, including reruns of popular games from Chimera, Wellington or events run by overseas visitors. Theatreform games typically provide participants with a pre-written character instead of asking players to write their own. Larp events are also run at gaming conventions put together by the University of Auckland's roleplaying club, AMERICA. Their annual conventions Battlecry (February) and America's Cup (July) usually include at least one major larping event. To keep up with what's coming up in Auckland, keep an eye on the NZLARPS webpage or the Auckland forum on Diatribe.