It’s 10pm on a Friday evening. Over a dozen players have gathered in the woods out past Blacketts Lake, along with a handful of staff from Underworld: Tempest Grove, in order to play through the first event of our season. Events are a full weekend of camping and Live Action Roleplay, or LARP.

LARP has become much more common in recent years, and Tempest Grove is the first company in Cape Breton based around the craft. There have been a number of movies that have touched on the subject, such as 2008s Role Models. It is widely popular in Europe, and over the last twenty years, interest has grown substantially throughout North America. Events in Canada can often see hundreds of players, and Bicolline in Quebec gets several thousand every year. Events in Europe, such as Drachenfest, can get close to ten thousand players (Seriously, watch this video).

'Amateur' LARPers in Europe.

It’s easy to be completely overwhelmed by the premise of it all. While geek culture has become much more commonplace and gained widespread acceptance in recent years, LARP can make more traditional geek activities seem tame by comparison. But with the right perspective, it really isn’t.

In fact, LARP is one of the primary employers in our region. What do you think people do out at Louisbourg? They play characters for tourists in order to provide an immersive historical environment. Anyone who has spent any time there will tell you that different employees bring different levels of immersion to their roles and activities.

Professional LARPers

LARP as a hobby is no different. Some folks bring complex characters to the table, others (like myself) opt to play a character who isn’t very different from themselves. Costuming doesn’t need to be elaborate, although a lot of people find that to be one of the big draws. Some people love putting costumes together, others prefer to go to sites like Epic Armoury to buy their gear (Though located in Quebec, The Local NPC on Charlotte street in Sydney is a registered retailer of their equipment).

You always need to be in character, but it helps that everyone else does too. Folks are super understanding about helping people out if they’re not sure what they should be doing or how to act.

Underworld: Tempest Grove can definitely lean more towards the intense end of the spectrum, but not overwhelmingly so. It’s an 18+ horror and fantasy larp, after all. I didn’t quite understand what this meant until I entered the forest during my first event, so I would like to share the experience.

The following is a recounting of that first night, in character, and with out of character explanations.

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It’s well past evening and we’re making our way up a poorly maintained trail, looking for survivors. Some among us are hopeful, though I’m not one of them. This whole expedition has been a mess. I’m less here by choice and more so as a result of a total lack of other options. The terrain is hellish and the forest is far too oppressive for my liking. There is a little chatter among those present, most of whom hardly know each other. (It’s 10pm on a friday. We’re in the woods. The game started down on the other side of the road. As a group we make our way through a rough trail in the forest. There’s a nervous energy to things as we help each other navigate the terrain in the dark with only a few glowsticks and a dimmed flashlight to guide us. Not many players are speaking as we’re still trying to feel out how we should act during this experience. We’re all new to LARP.)

After an interminable struggle against the woods we emerge into a clearer path, though no less oppressing. This is it: Tempest Grove. We’d all heard stories in the nearby town of Prospero Port about this place... yet still opted to come here. I did so against my better judgement, having run out of options since arriving in town. The air is still and the trees loom over us. There are no sounds of animals, nor rustling in the woods. I’ve spent most of my years on roads and in cities. This is unfamiliar territory, daunting and with a malicious air. (We make our way to the trail that leads up to the site. A member of the Shaper team, Liam, is walking with us. He is narrating the experience and providing ambiance. He does an excellent job of verbally setting the stage for what our characters are experiencing. The relative darkness combined with the unfamiliar territory, and Liam’s constant and ominous narration, leave a number of people visibly apprehensive. We’ve all been through here already, as this is the main camp site and we’ve all long since set up our tents for the weekend, but it all seems very different in the dark with only a few lights.)

Xandrielle, the leader of our expedition, calls a halt at the top of the trail. She tells us that we’re about to head down into the center of town and she’s not sure what to expect. We’re looking for members of the previous expedition, sent here to start rebuilding this place. It all seems so foolish in hindsight. What possible reason could we have for sending people to this dark, dreary forest? Why in blazes would we follow the first group after we lost contact with them. Why would I? I don’t know any of them. I owe them nothing. This was a mistake. I only half listen to her talk while staring into the darkness of the forest around me, although I let them know I think we’re likely safer back where we came. (We stop for a moment and Alexandra, the co-founder of Tempest Grove, sets the stage for the fact that we’re walking into the unknown. The players present engage in a hushed conversation about this fact. Some players play bold, adventurous characters who want to fight and uncover what’s ahead. I’m more pragmatic and suggest a number of times that we should leave. While this is unlikely and would result in the first event not happening, it’s spurs a little bit of discussion and I enjoy trying to make a convincing case for something I know my character would believe in.)

My attempts at promoting a sane course of action have failed and we find ourselves moving onward. I’m in the front, alongside a well armoured Einher named Mathos. While I prefer to avoid combat, I’ve never shied away from being well protected and knowing how to fight. It makes sense for me to be up near the front with him to help defend the less armed members of our expedition. Besides, curiosity is getting the better of me. The forest opens up ahead of us as the path trails downwards into a clearing. Ominously, a large campfire is lit. There are… shapes in the forest around it. (Following the discussion we continue walking down towards the area where our firepit is. We’ve all been here earlier tonight and know the area, but this doesn’t prepare me in any way. It’s almost midnight and I’m in a forest with a bunch of people I barely know, wearing a suit of armour and holding a latex sword and shield. As we approach the clearing it’s possible to see that there are people standing on the edge of the clearing. They’re all wearing dark clothes and standing motionless. It’s easily one of the creepiest things I’ve ever seen.)

Against my better judgement we press onward. I call out to the shapes but receive no answer. I grip my sword tightly.

The forest attacks.

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That first night remains my favourite experience so far. The ensuing fight, the retreat, the fact that we had to go back in in order to engage a plot element that made the area ‘safe’ for our characters. It was all well orchestrated and incredibly fun. And I completely understand why Underworld is considered a horror LARP. The setting and stories thrown at us can be incredibly creepy.

During the day things can be a little different, and while some plot and events are planned ahead a lot of time is simply spent in character working towards whatever goals your character has. Even now, halfway through the season, we’re all still figuring things out.

LARP has become without a doubt the most interesting hobby I’ve ever had. That is a sentence I couldn’t imagine myself writing a couple years ago. I don’t work for Tempest Grove. I’m just a player. I’m writing this because I’d like to see more players get involved and I’ve already asked most people I know.

Your first event is free. The age of the players and staff currently range from late teens to mid 40s. There are people who have gone as groups, others, like myself, went as individuals and didn’t know anyone. A number of couples attend together. You don’t need to worry about costuming or gear too much for your first event, and you can revise your character afterwards to make any changes. It’s all very casual, and primarily about having fun.

Everyone has fun. Everyone runs. Everyone fights. Everyone hides.

The next event is August 19th. You can find out more information on the Tempest Grove Facebook page and website. You should come check us out. You'll also see us out and around the community, promoting the events and generally having a good time of things. We had a fair showing at last weeks pride parade.

I went as a Social Justice Warrior.