Reference6 min readPublished on 30 Jul 2026 · Updated on 01 Sept 2026
LARP Glossary: Terms, Acronyms and Slang Explained
The most important terms from the LARP scene, briefly explained — from A to Z.
- Aftercare
- Looking after body and mind after an event: sleep, food, rest, conversation. Part of post-event care, especially after intense play.
- Anchor Character
- An NPC who plays the same role across multiple events, giving the game world continuity and recognisability — for example the tavern keeper or the town commander.
- Backstage
- The OT area behind the scenes where the game master team and NPCs work, plan, and change costumes. Not usually accessible to regular players.
- Bleed
- Emotions spilling over between character and player. Bleed-out: your character's grief becomes yours. Bleed-in: your mood colours your character. Not a bug — a sign you were invested.
- Boffer
- US term for padded foam weapons and the combat style that uses them; 'boffer LARP' means a combat-heavy game. UK LARP usually just says latex weapon or foam weapon.
- Briefing
- An introduction at the start of an event covering rules, safety information, and the plot framework. Particularly important for newcomers — don't miss it.
- Con
- Short for Convention — a multi-day LARP event with a larger participant field and several parallel storylines.
- Con drop / post-LARP blues
- The low mood in the days after an intense event. Normal, temporary, not a diagnosis. German LARP calls it Auswurfschock.
- Crew
- UK term for the team of volunteers playing NPCs and running the event on the ground. 'Crewing' means playing NPCs for a weekend.
- Crunch / Combat
- Slang for combat-intensive phases of play or a combat-oriented game system. Opposite: social or parlour LARP.
- Debriefing
- A debrief after the event where experiences are shared and processed. Often important after emotionally intense play.
- De-roling
- Rituals for deliberately taking off your character after play: removing the last piece of costume, changing location, saying your own name.
- Faction / Guild
- A group within the game world with shared goals, values, or structures — for example a noble house, a merchant guild, or a warrior order. Factions generate natural political dynamics.
- Gambeson
- A quilted padded jacket from the Middle Ages — popular in LARP as a first layer of armour. 60–150 €, usually cotton or linen, the most sensible first armour purchase in LARP.
- Game master (GM, ref)
- The team that writes an event's plots, plays NPCs, and coordinates play on the ground. UK LARP usually calls this person the ref (referee). Distinct from the organisers, who handle logistics and safety rather than story.
- IC / OOC
- In character / out of character. The English-language equivalent of the German IT / OT, used in most English-speaking LARP scenes.
- Immersion
- The feeling of genuinely being inside the game world. Good costume, consistent in-character play, and an atmospheric environment all promote the immersion of everyone present.
- IT / In Time
- Within the game fiction — you are your character; what you say and do applies in the game world. Equivalent to IC (in character). Opposite: OT.
- Kit / Garb
- UK (kit) and US (garb) words for costume — everything your character visibly wears. German LARP calls it Gewandung.
- LARP
- Live Action Role Play (also Live Action Role Playing) — role-playing in which participants physically portray their characters instead of merely describing them, at real locations, in costume and with props. Not to be confused with the slang verb to larp (to pretend or pose) — see Larping (slang).
- Larping (slang)
- In internet and youth slang: pretending, posing, acting out a role you don't hold ('he's larping as an expert'). Derived from the hobby, where playing a role is deliberate, agreed and taken off again afterwards.
- Latex Weapon
- A foam weapon with a latex or silicone coating used in LARP combat. Often constructed from a fibreglass core with foam padding. Safe in use when properly maintained and passed through the weapons check. Called a boffer weapon in the US.
- Live Action Role Play
- The full term for LARP, also written Live Action Role Playing. Used primarily in official or media contexts.
- Metagaming
- Playing on the basis of knowledge the character does not possess. Considered a breach of fair play and damages trust within the community. In video games the same word usually means exploiting knowledge of the game system instead.
- Meta-technique
- Agreed signals or short phrases that allow OT communication without fully interrupting the game — e.g. hand gestures, safewords, or phrases like 'Really really'.
- Nordic larp
- A Scandinavian LARP tradition: few rules, high immersion, often serious themes; the origin of many safety and debrief techniques now used across the wider scene.
- NPC / Non-Player Character
- Characters played by the game master team or volunteer helpers. They populate the game world and advance plots. In the UK, the NPC team is usually called the crew. German equivalent: NSC (Nichtspielercharakter).
- Oh Mutter (Oh Mother)
- An unobtrusive code signal by which a player discreetly signals the safety team that they need OT support, without breaking the game atmosphere for everyone else.
- Organisers
- The team that handles everything an event needs but that isn't part of play itself: venue booking, safety planning, registration, finances, catering, set-up and pack-down. Distinct from the game master team, who write and run the story.
- OT / Out of Time
- Outside the game fiction — you are speaking as a player, not as a character. Equivalent to OOC (out of character). OT communication takes place in designated areas or with agreed gestures.
- PC / Player Character
- Your own, self-created character that a player portrays at an event. German equivalent: SC (Spielercharakter).
- Permadeath
- A rule under which a character dies permanently and can no longer be played. Not all events use permadeath — the specific event's rules will clarify this.
- Plot
- A prepared storyline developed by the organiser for an event. Players can actively influence and change plots.
- Plot Hook
- An element of a character's backstory that invites other players to interact with you — an open question, a relationship, a secret, or a task that creates connections.
- Ref (referee)
- UK term for the game master or rules marshal running an event on the ground — see Game master (GM, ref).
- Ruleset
- The rules governing an event, covering combat mechanics, magic, character abilities, and player conduct. Each organiser may have their own rules — read them before the event.
- Safeword / Timestop
- An agreed signal (often 'Hold!' or a gesture) that immediately stops the game. Used in the event of injury, emergency, or genuine discomfort. Never ignore it.
- Setting
- The game world and its genre: fantasy, medieval, post-apocalyptic, horror, science fiction. The setting determines what is possible in the game world and what costume is appropriate.
- Weapons Check
- A safety inspection of all weapons before play begins, conducted by the game master team. Weapons with damage are not cleared for use.
- Wirklich wirklich (Really really)
- A meta-technique for discreet OT communication mid-scene: whoever says this phrase signals that the following statement or question is meant as a player, not as a character — without visibly stepping OT.
About the authorNils Jäkel
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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