The system is features a completely safe infra red system that offers a completely level playing-field for everyone. Science Fiction Live Role Playing Games
So why is Starlore and the SFLRP hobby different? Most Live Action Role-Playing (LARP) systems use one or two genre settings. At last count the SFLRP hobby had covered almost 80 genres over more than 25 years, simply put with so much backgrou
nd material out there from books, TV Series and Movies it seemed impossible to stick to just the one. Some Live Action Role-Playing (LARP) systems are fully immersive and need players to stay in character for long periods. The SFLRP hobby is fairly laid back allowing for some intense roleplaying but no one is ever frowned upon for chatting out of character. This is a fun hobby and does not take itself very seriously and there have been many light-hearted short games over the years like ‘Dave’ (the players knew that Dave worked in a zoo and had been passed some Top Secret information, the game organisers didn’t tell anyone that Dave was a 5’ penguin soft toy), Red Dwarf vs. Rocky Horror (less said about that the better ), Combined Gerry Anderson (teams from Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet etc. headed off into the woods to battle.. It is also the out of character beer or two around the campfire in the evening during many of the weekend events that people look forward to, a chance to chill out and meet friends that you haven’t seen for months. Some Live Action Role-Playing (LARP) systems run 24 hours. Extremely rare on SFLRP events, we like people to get a good night’s sleep and be able to chill out at some point. Many Live Action Role-Playing (LARP) systems run in one or two places. SFLRP events happen in various places around the country from the south coast to the north of England. Most Live Action Role-Playing (LARP) games are run by a small group of referees that know all of the rules. While there is a large core of experienced game organisers in SFLRP there is one event in the calendar designed to encourage people that have never run a game to have a go. Dropzone is the national event run on the Spring Bank Holiday and was specifically structured to allow anyone to try their hand at running a game of 4 hours or more without the need to hire a site, recruit NPCs (non-player characters) or convince players to book. All you need to do is write a script that you can run and perhaps build a few appropriate props although it is often possible to borrow props from other people. As far as rules are concerned you can make it as complex or as simple as you like as rules can be applied how you would like them for your game. Most Live Action Role-Playing (LARP) systems use padded weapons (Swords, Axes, Arrows and now foam Darts). The SFLRP hobby uses a system derived from and compatible with the Worlds of Wonder Lazer Tag system which uses Infra-Red light. The range of today’s Lazer Tag equipment is listed in hundreds of meters. The use of padded weapons is rare normally for props or the odd soft dagger. Weapons and equipment for Live Action Role-Playing (LARP) systems is expensive but can be easily purchased. While Lazer Tag and compatible equipment is no longer available in the shops you can buy emitter circuits from £15, a complete sensor for £30 or even a complete set of fully built equipment for less than a good LARP sword. There is plenty of good quality hire equipment available at most events but it is always best to contact the organisers first to let them know that you need it. Some Live Action Role-Playing (LARP) is quite cheap but some weekend events can cost a lot of money. SFLRP events are normally around £25 for a single day and a fully catered weekend will set you back £90, the latter including hire equipment. Most Live Action Role-Playing (LARP) requires players to keep track of the hits they receive to each body location which can be challenging in a larger melee. The Lazer Tag sensor registers hits automatically and clearly indicates how many hits you have remaining and when your hits have been reduced to zero.
