Personal Property

By Beren Olean |

LARPing Theories – Personal Property, Real World Money, and More

Photo by Pixabay from PexelsPhoto by Pixabay from Pexels

LARP Investments

LARP isn’t cheap. A starting attendee has to pay for costuming as was previously discussed as well as travel expenses, food, event fees, and additional odds and ends. LARPs businesses and non-profits don’t have it easy either. With insurance, camp costs, phys reps, costuming and weapons for many NPCs its abundantly clear that LARP can be a massive investment. Protecting those investments are very important. Over the course of this article we will be looking at the following.

  • LARP Money – Is it yours? The LARPs? Its good to know!
  • LARP Tags – Own something In Game as well as Out of Game!
  • LARP Ammo – Your property but their rules?
  • LARP Property At Events – Protect your investments
  • LARP Property After Events – The risks of laziness

Make That LARP Money!

In Game LARP money is essential for building an economy. Often times these phys reps are coins, printed bills, trade bars, and gems that can be gathered in a plethora of different ways throughout the course of an event. These reps are bought and managed by the LARP itself, but ownership of the reps are often “hand waved”. The LARP should (and I believe MUST) explain how ownership of this type of treasure works.

Often times LARPs allow players to take this money home or maintain ownership of it between events. This allows for a number of different things to occur. First, attendees can take money from one character and transfer it to another of their characters without anyone knowing. Some games count that as cheating while others allow it without issue. Secondly, attendees who never return or lose their money cause a loss of investment for the LARP. The LARP then needs to put a ton of their revenue back into new money. Finally, groups can stockpile lots of money which can similarly cause a loss of LARP investment by the event runners until the money can re-enter the system.

Other LARP events collect all of their money back at the end and track it in a bank system. The players have a disconnect with their money and can’t access it at all times, but the positives of this system out-weigh the negatives. The LARP maintains the phys reps, so they will always be available when needed. Additionally, the LARP can use the funds that would be needed to maintain a proper economy can be used on other projects and phys reps. Attendees cannot transfer money between their characters without the LARPs consent, but are generally allowed to transfer it with other players or groups. Additionally this can add a lot of fun role play with character or group wills (IG funerals are full of roleplay, and money can cause more drama as well).

Regardless of how a LARP handles money, always make sure how they handle their system before you go.

TAG! You Got It!

Other than money, LARPs also give out treasure in the form of tags. These tags allow you to use phys reps that you own within the game. No Tag: No Item. Normally this can cause issues over ownership and in game theft.

When it comes to ownership, at certain games tags and reps are tied together. This means that at some games ownership of a tag also determines ownership of the rep (within the game system). This isn’t necessarily legal, as the attendee has purchased or made the appropriate rep, and they do not wish the item to transfer ownership along with the tag. So how does this work with a rep made by the LARP itself? This could be handled in two separate ways. The LARP could grant ownership of the tag and rep to the attendee once they acquire it OR The LARP could maintain ownership of their rep and loan use of the rep to the attendee. If the LARP is loaning the reps use, they should collect the rep at the end of every game, otherwise ownership becomes confusing. It is highly suggested that rather than giving out reps to the attendees, LARPs should allow their attendees to craft items in game and use their own reps where ever possible. This allows the LARP to focus on other reps that can be reused multiple times rather than giving things away.

Thievery in games also have issues. Attendees own their own phys reps for use in the game, however, in many games it is required to steal the attendees property (for a short time) to acquire its tag. Ideally the physical property will be returned, but this can be a slippery slope. I am unsure of a better way to handle these types of systems, but limiting the items to those with tags can help prevent other legal issues.

Bullets With Ribbon Wings

Ammunition at LARPs are the most egregious issues that I see when it comes to personal property issues. LARPs use packets, darts, arrows, and omni-directional ammunition for a number of different ranged combat styles. As an attendee, marking your ammunition is vital to prove ownership of it. Some games require marking ammo with player numbers or initials to ensure proper cleanup and reclamation. So, where are the problems.

First, there are a number of games that limit the usage of ammunition. These limitations include limits on amount carried, clips, or when you may pick up your ammunition for a set duration. A LARP that limits when you can pick up your ammunition is essentially not allowing you to collect your personal property (which they really cannot enforce). While I am not suggesting that an attendee should blatantly break the rules of a game, if there are circumstances where ammunition that isn’t picked up promptly may be damaged (rain/snow) then leniency should be granted. Other systems could be devised to limit ammo usage in a similar fashion such as having a “spent” pouch for ammo that was already used.

Easiest way to handle ammo is clean as you go (yours and others), find safe drop off points for others ammo, and make sure to be as fair as possible.

Safety First

LARPs have a lot of people attending them, and while we all like to hope that we are all upstanding people Out of Game, bad people can still make their way into an event. Keeping your investments safe is super important, but how can you protect the items that are left behind? Here are a few quick suggestions that will help ease your mind.

  • Have an Out of Game pouch/bag. This is a great place to store car keys, phone, wallet, and medications. Having them on hand prevents prying eyes and hands while away from camp.
  • Put valuables in a vehicle. With the keys in an OoG pouch/bag the vehicle should not be accessible, keeping items safe.
  • Have an Out of Game tote/bag. Have unmentionables or items needed that no one should go through. Having a strictly OoG container should prevent others from going through private things.
  • Stay organized. Keeping In Game and Out of Game items organized not only makes the trip easier, but if something does go missing, its easy to tell.

After events is usually the more dangerous time to lose things. Try to make sure that all items are removed from vehicles following events. Often times LARPers are tired and don’t want to unpack. This is a prime time for thieves, as they see many boxes/bags that may be easy to steal. These items may have little use for non-LARPers, but in reality may be the investment of years and hundreds or dollars. Maybe even thousands if you have an expensive kit. All in all, be careful out there and keep your investments in mind.

Agree? Disagree? Items I have missed? Comment here or on Facebook to continue the story!