The term LARP stands for “live action role playing,” and this mixture of roleplay and acting has worldwide popularity with people of various ages and genders. Everyone has different reasons for why they indulge in the hobby, and the charming web series LARPs: The Series normalizes the concept for non-participants while teaching a little about the basic concepts. The eleven-episode series (a preview and ten full episodes) focuses on five friends – Evan, Arthur, Will, Brittany, and Shane – whose attraction to roleplaying provides the primary impetus for the show. They learn that what happens in the game sometimes affects real world relationships, and as things blend more and more closely, the viewer begins to wonder which personalities are really the character and which the real one.
While LARPing is the primary plot device for the show, the characters drew me into the show and engaged me. (I only stopped watching because I had to get back to work.) The players’ characters – rogue, ranger, elf mage, and paladin – are fairly standard RPG fare, but as I learned why they had certain personality traits, my sympathy for the real-world characters grew. For example, shy, awkward Brittany uses Corillia, her elf mage, to explore a more confident, in-charge individual in hopes of finding it in herself. I’m still not sure why Shane’s paladin, Astra, is so disturbingly obsessed with fire, though!
I don’t dare go into more detail about the plot, because like a real-life LARP, part of the fun of watching LARPs is having the story develop as the GM reveals the challenges. I will only say that the set up for season two in the finale is riveting, and I can see a lot of trials for the cast in the future.
Overall, I loved the costumes, the beautiful settings, the incredibly informative, and apt episode titles, and how the short storylines both made me laugh and feel emotional pain over the course of my hour or so viewing. I’ve never LARPed, and I still found the show cute and quirky, so I think that most anyone with a geeky hobby can relate. Check it out before season two hits the web!
You can view LARPs: The Series on YouTube here.
5 Sets of Cursed Loot Items out of 5
