“Now I feel prepared to play any kind of larp genres.”

(A student at end-evaluation)

In three weeks, the students went through having their period on a white couch, struggling through a hang-over, being in a limbo after death, killed a priest and cried, made love with their hands, and went through the ritual of going from Novices to Priestesses of Athena in mythical Greece. Most of the students who signed up for the Larp Design course had never played a larp before.

Role-playing games are commonly played in front of a screen or around a table, while in larp (live action role-play) participants inhabit imaginary worlds using their own bodies to immerse into fictional characters, and the physical spaces are often prepped to resemble the world we play in.

In the general understanding, larps are purposefully designed, co-creative, and physical role-playing games that are situated in prepared locations where players live in imaginary social worlds for hours or days at a time (e.g. Harviainen et al. 2018). Larps are set in alternative interpersonal and political situations created by designers and played into being by participants. It is leisure, but larp can as well be seen as a socio-cultural tool:

[…] larp is taken to signify a particular kind of social and sociocultural technology – a tool that comes into being through collective human action, discourse, and shared understandings.

(Harviainen et al. 2018)

Since I am a larp designer and doing my PhD on larps and their design, I wanted to create a course to introduce larp studies through a focus on the adult role-play tradition of Nordic larp (Stenros & Montola 2010; see also Grasmo & Stenros 2022 and Grasmo 1998), this form of embodied adult pretend-play emerges from a culture of reflexive, critical, and bespoke design. In this course we investigated what that means, both in design-discussions and in practice by playing five different larps. Larps in this tradition often include lots of materiality, like setting up the space, costumes, props, even food and drinks, so a certain workload is expected to run a course like this.

To write this blogpost I have the students consent, also for anonymous citing and for publishing a few pictures taken with my cell phone during the course.

Temporalily forgetting oneself

To experience the strong emotions in a serious larp scenario can be difficult in a study context together with both teacher and peers, still participants experienced fear, flirt, anger, and sorrow. Even when some students said that they held back a lot, others definitively dared to play hard. What “hard” means in Nordic larp-context is not play to “win” the game, but “play-to-lose” or to lift other players (Koljonen et al 2019). Larpers in this tradition strive to immerse deep into their characters, collaboratively playing a story out and evoking emotions in themselves and the others.

Immersion is a core-concept of Nordic-style larp, defined as “the subjective feeling of becoming one’s character and temporarily forgetting oneself” (Järvelä 2019). In a larp, players do not only immerse their character but also support other players in their immersion (i.e., inter-immersion, see Pohjola 2001; 2017). The aim for the larps we played in this course was to make the group safe enough to be able to do that and forget the mundane world for a while.

The other side of total immersion is that safety, both physical and emotional, can also be forgotten if you forget yourself. As a facilitator, I once had to stop the Killing of a priest since the players, in fierce anger, had forgotten some safety rules. A couple of times we had to check in with crying students, both in-game and out-of-game; sadness coming from playing a scenario about death (Limbo) and triggering emotions from past experiences (Follow my lead – workshop). This demonstrated safety-design and how to deal with emotions, debrief, and de-roling.

Killing of a chair: meta-techniques

By playing and discussing examples of Nordic larps already published as larp scripts (Grasmo 2022, see also Harviainen 2009), we explored the key design concepts to uncover themes and playstyles as well as how rules, mechanics, and expectations are designed for role-play interactions, safety, and even transgressive play. While transgression is always tied to a norm violation in a specific context (Stenros & Bowman 2018), as role-play, it is a make-believe action.

Often these interactions closely resemble out-of-game actions, but sometimes they are enacted through meta-techniques where, for instance, sexual action or violence is played out symbolically rather than physically (Grasmo, Sihvonen & Stenros, forthcoming). Meta-techniques vary depending on the context, and they can also include props.

The easiest meta-technique was introduced already the first day of the course while playing Prayers on a Porcelain altar by Tampere University Professor and larp designer J. Tuomas Harviainen. The player just has to say “meta” before they check in if what they are about to do is ok: “Meta: I will hit you”, and their co-player answers “Meta: yes”. Or to ask if something can be included in the diegesis of the game or not: “Meta: We have had an affair, right?” following with the answer “Meta: No, but you have tried to hit on me”.

Much more complicated was The Killing of a Priest – a play about anger and forgiveness. The setting is a group of young friends who are breaking into a priest’s home, ending up killing him as a revenge for their ruined childhood. The characters were collaboratively developed, and the aim of the larp was to get out of comfort zone. The Killing of a Priest was a so-called “black box scenario” with physical props, steered by music and lights. Our props (for each two groups of players) were a chair, a big wooden bat, a long rope, a tapestry knife, cleaning equipment, and four liters of fake blood. Some props belonged to performance studies and others were bought using a small budget (150 euros). Chairs were a give-away listed on Facebook.

The two chairs we could destroy were as a matter-of-fact part of the most important meta-technique for this larp: “All violence is done ONE-BY-ONE and only to the chair” (Ryding 2023). We were pretending the player playing the priest was sitting in the chair, but they were actually standing behind by the wall, and they could only talk and make sounds to react on the violence performed at “them” aka the chair.

As usual, in (Nordic) larps there are safe-words as well (Grasmo & Stenros 2021). In addition to tap-out like in a wrestling match, we used ”breakbreak” meaning de-escalate and ”cutcut” meaning stop in this larp.

The most important safety-measure, and especially in a study context, is voluntary participation. This was especially stressed before the game. All students joined the workshop before, and then they were free to opt-out. In the end, just a group of 4 “killed the chair” properly, while some others stayed to help with facilitating, like spreading fake blood and hand out cloths and soap for cleaning, and to join the de-briefing.

The physical work of making a WYSIWYG larp

The last larp we played lasted a whole day, 9 hours including preparation. The student group were asked to choose between three scenarios for the final larp: Would they like to play teenagers in the same high school class, all male character in a sci-fi scenario where procreation is a huge challenge, or what the 7 males and 2 females finally picked: Athenas chosen, where all played young female novices in mythical Greece.

This larp is written for Stockholm Scenario Festival and has a material design, trying to be as close to a 360 illusion as possible or commonly called WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get). The students wanted to experience a design with more costumes and more props than the other four scenarios. Luckily, female attires from ancient Greece are just materials hold together with broches and belt. Here is a list of all the props we needed, according to the larp script, to make this larp come true. So, the reader can ponder over the physical work of making a 360 larp:

• Fabric that divides a room into four parts: 3 meter fabric: blue on one side, white on the other. String in funnel. 3 meter fabric: red on one side, white on the other String in funnel. 3 meter fabric: red on one side, white on the other (different piece than the one above). String in funnel. 7 meter fabric, gold.
• 4 white linen bed sheets, 40 clothes pins for gold + white fabric. Rope to hang bed sheets from, about 10 meters.
• Water soluble pen to write patronymicon on players’ arms.
• 3 hour glasses á 5 minutes. (one for each god’s temple room) (maybe).
• 6 white masks (two for each god’s temple room).
• Athena’s temple room: Printed out prayers for Athena. Printed out 6 vision scripts from Athena. Printed out summoning ritual for Athena in this doc.
• Dionysus’ temple room: Wine (fake)! Grapes! Pears! Some kind of berries! Printed out prayer to Dionysus, vision script and summoning ritual for Dionysus.
• Hestia’s temple room: Bread! Cheese! Printed out prayer to Hestia, vision script, and summoning ritual for Hestia.
• Neutral room: Chairs. Water and glasses for everyone. (The water is in-game a drug that makes them susceptible to influences from the gods.) Ordinary bendable thin metal wire for chastity bracelet for end ceremony. Water and a towel to be used to wash off patronymic IF they decide to do so, for end ceremony.
• A bell to ring for the Priestess NPC (played by Facilitator).

As a teacher I am happy that the students were engaging in playing many sorts of larps, also those with heavy themes. They rejoiced in the physical larps with props and costumes, and even wished for longer and more complicated larp productions to get more immersed in their characters. On the other hand, all the physical work to make these kinds of larps come alive is bound for burn-out teachers, and two larps a week was also tiring for the students. Next time a (Nordic-style) larp university course is set up, it should probably span a full semester, with students taking more responsiblity for the physical work of the larps. (Athenas Chosen, larp script.)

Author Bio and Contact

References

Grasmo H., Sihvonen T. & Stenros J. (forthcoming.) (Ir)resistible Bodies: Larp as a Socio-cultural Technology Creating Queer Heterotopia. In Play Politics. Leiden University.

Grasmo, H. (2022). Reading Larps [conference session]. Nordic Larp Talks 2022, Linköping, Sweden. Nordic Larp Talks 2022.

Grasmo, H. & Stenros, J. (2022). Nordic Erotic Larp: Designing for Sexual Playfulness. In International Journal of Role-play, 12, 62-105. https://doi.org/10.33063/ijrp.vi12.292

Grasmo, H. (1998). Laiv – Levende Rollespill. Gyldendahl Fakta.

Harviainen, J. T., Bienia, R., Brind, S., Hitchens, M., Kot, Y. I., MacCallum-Stewart, E., Simkins, D. W., Stenros, J. & Sturrock, I. (2018). Live-Action Role-Playing Games. In Zagal and Deterding (eds.), Role-playing Game Studies: Transmedia Foundations. Routledge.

Harviainen J. T. (2009). Notes on Designing Repeatable Larps. In Holter, Fatland & Tomte (eds), Larp Universe and Everything. Knutepunkt.

Järvelä, S. (2019). How Real is Larp? In Koljonen, Stenros, Grove, Skjønnsfjell & Nilsen (eds.), Larp Design. Bifrost.

Koljonen, J., Stenros, J., Grove, A., Skjønnsfjell, A. & Nilsen, E. (2019). Larp Design. Creating role-play experiences. Bifrost. https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/136330/978-952-03-2260-1.pdf

Pohjola, M. (2014/2004). Autonomous Identities. Immersion as a tool for Exploring, Empowering and Emancipating Identities. In Saitta, Holm-Andersen & Back (eds.), The Foundation Stone of Nordic Larp. Knutepunkt.

Stenros J. & Bowman S.L. (2018). Transgressive Role-Play. In Zagal & Detering (eds), Role-playing Game Studies. Transmedia Foundations. Routledge.

Stenros J., Eckhoff Eriksen M. & Nilsen, M. (2016). The Mixing desk of Larp. Analog Game Studies. https://analoggamestudies.org/2016/11/the-mixing-desk-of-larp-history-and-current-state-of-a-design-theory/

Stenros, J. & Montola M. (2010). Nordic Larp. Fëa Livia.

Ludology  – larps played during the Larp Design-course

Just put some salt of it (2017) from #Feminism – A Nano Game Anthology (2017) by Pelgrane Press. Editors: Lizzie Stark (US), Elin Nilsen (Norway) & Siri Sandquist (Sweden). Includes a game by Kaisa Kangas (Finland) By PDF at www.drivethrurpg.com .

Prayers on a Porcelain Altar (2011) by J. Tuomas Harvianen (Finland) (re-designed by Hanne Grasmo) https://leavingmundania.com/2014/08/17/j-tuomas-harviainen-larp-collection/

Limbo (2013) by Tor Kjetil Edland (Norway) from Elin Nielsen & Trine Lise Lindahl (2013) Larp from the Factory anthology, Rolespilsakademiet (Denmark) http://larpfactorybookproject.blogspot.com/2013/10/limbo.html

The Killing of a Priest (2023) by Omi-peah Ryding 2023 (Sweden) http://www.grenselandet.net/2023/07/the-killing-of-priest.html

Athenas Chosen (2017) by Susanne Vejdemo & Anna Karin Lindner (Sweden) https://scenariofestival.se/archive/scenarios-2017/athenas-chosen/

In addition, workshop exercises from following larp scripts:

Follow my Lead (2020) from Lucian Kahn and Sharang Biswas (eds, US) Honey & Hot Wax. An Anthology of Erotic Art Games. https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/321495/Honey–Hot-Wax-An-Anthology-of-Erotic-Art-Games .

Just a Little lovin’  (2011) by Hanne Grasmo & Tor Kjetil Edland (Norway) from Groth, Grasmo & Edland published as Just a Little Lovin Larp Script (2021) Volvemál publications, Norway https://researchportal.tuni.fi/en/publications/just-a-little-lovin-the-larp-script

2029 – Who have you become (1998, redesigned 2019) by Hanne Grasmo (Norway) with assistance of Sergio Losilla (Finland/Spain)

Demonstrating the Ars Armandi-method https://www.ars-amandi.se/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Ars-amandi-workshop.pdf