Swords and Sorcery in Provo
June 26th, 2009
Utah live action role-players bring fantasy worlds to life
by Jacob Hodgen
Though it was in broad daylight, a particularly bold group of thieves had somehow managed to bypass our locks and security measures. Taken by surprise, we arrive only after they have begun looting the main chamber. I am issued a large knife and given rather simple instructions: kill them all--with extreme prejudice.
Though I am not normally a particularly violent person, the directive seems quite reasonable under the circumstances.
I am vastly outnumbered, so guerrilla tactics seem like they will be the best course of action. Staying out of sight, I survey the scene from the the cover of trees and notice one of the intruders is sitting on the top of a 10 foot stone wall. Apparently thinking this he is safe, his back is turned to the precarious drop behind him. However, mere walls are not about to impede my vengeance, and I quietly scale the protruding stones and proceed to stab him viciously right between the shoulder blades. I revel in my cunning as I run away, but my glory is short-lived as the group of trespassers, now alerted to my presence, mounts a full scale pursuit. They are heavily armed, and it is not long before a rather sinister-looking individual wearing a brown, studded vest corners me with a massive five foot mace. In a flurry of blows, my reign of terror comes to an abrupt and decisive end.
The weapons might be made of foam, but the adrenaline is quite real.
Live action role playing--or LARPing, as its players refer to it--is a pastime that has a strong following in Utah and is growing in popularity. This month, I was invited to attend the annual summer event hosted by LARP Utah at the idyllic Castle Amphitheater hidden amongst the trees in Eastern Provo and see for myself what this imaginative hobby entails.
LARPing is a colorful combination of storytelling, costumes, acting, and foam weapon-based combat in a medieval, fantasy setting. Members create for themselves a persona based on a vibrant world of magic, monsters, and adventure. Utah has several active LARP organizations that meet regularly. One group, Mythic Realms, meets out of the building that becomes the Castle of Chaos haunted house during the fall. LARP Utah prides itself in meeting less frequently than some of the other groups, yet they consistently stage larger, more elaborate events. Around 25 players attended this month's gathering in Provo represented by a healthy mix of brave men and women. The average age of the players was mid to upper twenties extending all the way up to a seasoned pair of middle-aged pros. By far the most impressive character I met was a fearless female player who arrived decked out in chain mail and steel plate armor who was 9 months pregnant.
Talk about hardcore.
This month's episode was the brainchild of Michelle and Shawn Zumbrunnen, a husband and wife team who have been meticulously planning the event since February. "It's like a full time job," says Michelle, who works as web designer, and I can quickly see that she isn't lying. Together they have spread props around the entire Castle Amphitheater including, but not limited to, placing plastic skeletons, building a functional catapult and trebuchet, creating a blacksmith's workshop with weapons and an anvil, laying working booby traps, stocking an alchemical laboratory, hiding voodoo artifacts, writing treasure maps, and stocking treasure chests. Love it or hate it, you have to admit that the scope and depth of this game is astounding.
I'm curious to know how people get into LARPing, since it isn't exactly a sport that gets promoted in the public school system. Michelle tells me that she always loved fantasy novels and was involved in theater. She says that live action role playing was the natural progression of these interests. I ask her if her family and friends are supportive, and she laughs. "Everyone kind of giggles when they see us dressed up in our LARP gear, but I don't mind. It's so much better than sitting in front of a TV--you're running and acting and sword fighting."
There's no getting around the fact that this hobby isn't for everyone. As a LARP virgin myself, I never fully got used to the sight of grown men and women dressed up as warriors and elves. However, in a time of global crisis and widespread anxiety, it wasn't long before I couldn't help but begin to sympathize with, at the very least, the desire for pure, unbridled escapism shared by the enthusiastic players. In fact, by the evening, I found myself scowling at the Hollister-clad group of yuppie BYU kids who felt entitled to ignore multiple "grounds reserved for private event" signs and were lurking around the sidelines of the castle playing disc golf while snickering self-importantly at the LARPers.
Seriously, disc golf? No offense to anyone who plays it, but I don't think people who throw plastic dinner plates at metal bins have much room to criticize others for entertaining unusual hobbies.
The yuppies don't seem to bother anyone else, though; everyone is having having too much fun to notice them.
I guess I have a lot to learn.
"We're just regular people with regular jobs," says L.J., a veteran LARPer, "but I just love the adrenaline of the thrill of the hunt. That's what keeps bringing me back." Heather, a first time participant with LARP Utah, tells me that her favorite aspect is, "the sheer exuberance of escapism. It's great stress relief," she says.
After a staggering 11 hour session, the group finally calls it quits for the night and heads down to camp out on the lawn below the castle. After participating in just as many battles (which, foam weapons or not, I can assure you are quite intense!), I am exhausted. It was an action packed day to be sure. However, between the complexities of the game, its culture, and my own petty social insecurities, there's a lot to digest here, and I don't know if I have what it takes to be a true LARPer.
But to be perfectly honest. . . my inner geek was indeed stirred from within its chains of repression, and I can't help but admit that I had a strange, yet fantastic time. This was an experience I will not soon forget.
Curious about LARPing in Utah?
Learn more at LARP Utah's website: http://www.larputah.com/
Reader Comments
Darb Treblig
I am trying to start an rpg that is for the lowwer class kids and adults that cant afford an after school game or event. I have enjoyed making and practicing with foam swords and armour. and have only just now found out this culture of rpg and larp players. Any advice or places were I can sign up?
Andy Ayres
Swords and Sorcery in Provo It's nice to know that next time I visit my brother in SLC, there may be an opportunity to indulge in some Larp. Although adjusting to the heat (should I visit during the Summer) and altitude may take some time.
