How to Start LARPing: Preparation, Packing List and the Unwritten Rules

LARP is more than a game — it is a community. Anyone who becomes part of it enters a social fabric with its own rules, unwritten codes, and expectations. Those who know and respect them are welcome. Those who ignore them make play worse for everyone.

Preparation: two weeks before your first LARP event

Solid preparation starts two weeks before the event — not the evening before.

Check your equipment: Go through your costume for tears, stains, and missing parts. Inspect latex weapons for damage (exposed cores, cracked surfaces). Check props for completeness. A broken sword just before the weapons check is not a good start.

Read the ruleset: Every event has its own rules for combat, magic, character death, and more. Read them beforehand, not on the field. Ask the organisers if anything is unclear — better to ask once too often than to get it wrong in play.

Contact the organisers early: If you have questions or special requirements, get in touch before the event. Most organisers are happy to help — and you make their planning easier.

The LARP packing list

Costume & character

• Full costume (plus one spare top layer)
• Shoes with grip
• Belt, pouch, drinking vessel
• Character documents, a printed copy of the ruleset
• Weapons (checked yourself beforehand)

Weather

• Waterproof jacket or poncho (worn under a cloak)
• Dry spare clothing
• Warm layers for the night
• Sunscreen, headwear
• Insect repellent

Sleeping & eating

• Tent or sleeping arrangement as specified at sign-up
• Sleeping mat, sleeping bag (forest nights are cold, even in summer)
• Water for between meals, snacks
• Plate and cutlery, if catering is provided

Practical

• Toilet paper
• Head torch (for OT areas)
• Repair kit: safety pins, needle and thread, gaffer tape
• Medication, plasters
• Power bank (kept in your car or an OT area)
• Cash for the tavern

Don't forget

• Booking confirmation
• ID
• Good humour and an open mind

Coming to a German LARP from abroad

Germany has one of the largest LARP scenes in the world, and most events welcome international players — but a few things are worth knowing before you book.

Language. The in-game language at most German events is German. Many players speak English happily, and some events (including some of ours) run English-speaking groups or plot lines. Ask the organisers before signing up; we'll tell you honestly how much English you'll hear.

Rules and briefings. Ask whether the ruleset and the safety briefing are available in English — provision varies by event, so it's always worth checking directly with the organisers.

Kit. Flying with a latex sword is awkward. Most organisers can lend basic weapons, and many players will lend a spare tunic — tell us in advance what you're missing.

Terminology. You'll hear IT/OT instead of IC/OOC, and NSC instead of NPC. Our glossary translates the rest.

After the Event: The Game Continues

An event doesn't end at game-off.

Debrief with the group — what did everyone experience, what was the best moment, where were there problems? This conversation strengthens relationships and helps process what was lived through.

Give feedback — many events use post-event surveys. Fill them in honestly. Constructive feedback, including critical feedback, helps organisers make better events.

Share and recommend — photos, write-ups, recommendations to friends: this brings new faces into the community and keeps the scene alive. Always mention the organisers.

How You Contribute to the Community

Most LARP events run on the back of volunteer work. Organisers rarely receive thanks or recognition proportionate to their investment. A few simple ways to give something back:

• Help with set-up and pack-down — a few extra hands make the difference between a stressful and a relaxed end for the organiser team.
• Stay flexible — when schedules change or plans need last-minute adjustments, a calm attitude is invaluable.
• Take on NPC shifts — many events look for helpers willing to play NPCs for a few hours. This takes enormous pressure off the organisers.

LARP tips for beginners: the unwritten rules

The LARP scene has its own culture that is hard to describe but easy to experience. A few fundamentals:

Inclusion is foundational: LARP is for everyone. Respecting pronouns, respecting boundaries, taking safety signals seriously — these are not extras, they are the baseline.

IT is not a free pass: What your character does or says remains within the fiction. It does not give permission to actually hurt, pressure, or place people in situations they would not want as players. The character is a role — the person behind it is real.

Resolve conflicts OT: If a game situation genuinely bothers you, address it outside the game. Friendly, directly, after the event. Most conflicts arise from misunderstandings, not bad intentions. A short OT conversation resolves more than weeks of silent resentment.

The LARP No-Gos

Some things are simply not acceptable in the scene — regardless of setting, regardless of any in-game justification:

• Real physical harm: Hard blows, grabs, throws without consent.
• Physical contact without consent: Even in a combat scene — what is not OK OT is not OK IT either.
• Ignoring safety signals: Anyone who ignores an OT gesture or the safeword endangers others.
• Metagaming at others' expense: Using player knowledge to disadvantage characters who haven't earned it.
• Damaging others' equipment: Another person's costume, weapons, and props are their property. Damaging them — even accidentally and without reporting it — is not a minor matter.

The consequence for repeated or serious misconduct is removal from the event or exclusion from future events. This is not punishment for its own sake — it is protection of the community.

Welcome to the Community

LARP communities are, as a rule, remarkably open. New faces are welcomed, beginners are supported, and those who show that the community matters to them become part of something that extends far beyond a single event.

Nils Jäkel has organized summer-theater events for five years and has attended LARP events for the same span; for four years he has also been a camp organizer at one of the largest camps at Conquest of Mythodea, the world's largest LARP event. He spent four years chairing a theater association's board, and for the past two years has served as board chair of the State Association for Amateur Theater Saxony (Landesverband für Amateurtheater Sachsen).

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