Frequently Asked Questions

• Are you serious about this? I mean, running around the woods in medieval costumes beating on each other with foam weapons sounds kind of silly/geeky/weird...
• Is it safe?
• Where and when do you hold events?
• Do I need to be a part of a group or "nation" to attend?
• Can I come as a spectator or monster to get an idea of what it's like before I play?
• How do I build my character?
• I'd like to play, but I don't have a weapon/costume/ride. Can anyone help with that?
• Okay, I'm interested in giving it a try. How do I get started?
• I have more questions. Where do I get more information?

From the outside, it can look that way. It isn't until you're in the thick of it that you realize how fun and immersive it is. Computer and tabletop RPGs pale in comparison to being a part of a living, breathing story. It's all happening right there in front of you, and you're a part of it. When you wake up in the morning and walk out on the porch of your cabin to see gypsies being chased out of the woods by goblins (true story), you'll understand what we mean.

LARPing is very safe. All of the weapons at Shards of Orn events are made of foam and checked for safety prior to every event. As with any contact sport, of course, injuries can and do happen, but they tend to be rare and more often result from things like poor footing than they do from being hit.

During the regular season (April through October), events are held monthly in the group campsites at Umstead State Park in Raleigh, NC. These are weekend events that start on Friday evening and last through Sunday morning. For specific dates, see the Event Calendar.

This is a common expectation, often based on watching the movie Role Models. While this may be true in other LARPs, you're perfectly welcome to attend the Shards of Orn as a solo character. If and when you choose to join a group is entirely up to you.

Although LARPing isn't really a spectator sport, anyone on the fence about joining is welcome to come watch an event out of play. If you like, you can also attend an event as a full-time monster, in which case you play for free and earn boon that can be redeemed to advance your character when you start playing. The best option, however, is to jump right in as a PC. Here's why:

• Payment for your first event is optional. You can choose to play your first game for free, or you can pay the normal $30 admission fee and earn 12 boon instead.
• All participants are given orientation training and an introductory adventure before they come into play. More importantly, the system was made with simplicity in mind, and existing players are friendly and helpful with explaining the rules, so there's no need to worry about learning to play beforehand.
• You are allowed to partially or completely respend your character up until your fourth event, so you don't have to be stuck with your character decisions if you find out you prefer something else later. Just pick the race, class, skills, and actions you like best and give it a try.
• Playing is more fun than watching, and you pick the game up faster that way.
• Playing a PC is easier than playing a full-time monster. This is because you play one simple character most of the weekend rather than an ever-changing menagerie of different and potentially more complicated monsters.

Customizing your own character can be an involving process. All of the information you need can be found in the Game Guide. If you find this too complicated or you're not sure what to play, however, you can choose to start out with a templated character instead. Templated characters are pre-built by the creators of the game to be generic and optimal.

Brand new players are permitted to borrow loaner weapons from the Dragon's Den, which supplies equipment for monsters. Costumes are a bit trickier, but you may be able to get another player to loan you some costuming. The same applies to getting a ride. Just post a notice in the Announcements forum and see if anyone can help you out.

Everything you need to do to get ready for your first event can be found on the Pre-Game Checklist. We look forward to seeing you at the game!

The best way is to register for a free account. That will allow you to chat with other users on the site, post your questions in the Out-of-Play forums, or send a message to a game administrator.