Theatre-style live action role-playing

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Theatre-style live action role-playing is a style of freeform live action role-playing game distinguished by four principal attributes. While not every Theatre Style LARP has all of these attributes, strength in these areas distinguishes Theatre Style LARP:

  1. The organizers are likely to have either pre-written characters for the players to play, or if not may provide much more pro-active plotting and guidance during the event. The organizers in general provide more direction and are more likely to supply goals for the character.
  2. The action is likely to be generated or instigated by the Players. Theatre Style describes an event in which players play in a background, ethos or environment set up by the organizers, but may have a great deal of latitude in choosing how to behave and what to do within the setting. Organizers are more likely to provide guidance, and less likely to prohibit or penalize changes of heart or compromises.
  3. It is likely that the game setup will involve elements of Character versus Character play. This means that characters may have mutually exclusive or irreconcilable goals, and may be in direct conflict, in some cases actually "killing", or sending each other out of the game.
  4. It is likely that Combat will be Symbolic Combat simulated with cards or a numeric system involving dice or some other randomizer such as Rock, Paper, Scissors, or other more complex rules methods, than by fighting with padded weapons. Historically, the distinction of not involving Live Combat was seen as paramount, however some modern Theatre Style games have used elements of Live Combat successfully.

Theatre Style is not a specific brand or genre of LARP, but rather a style of LARP. There is no barrier to considering most Mind's Eye Theatre games to be Theatre Style and indeed, most fit the criteria, however the organizers tend to identify the games more heavily by genre than by style. Typically the term has been heavily used by GMs in the Northeastern US, producing eclectic games, especially those produced at the three Intercon LARP conventions

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