Critical Miss: Issue 2 [Live Roleplaying: Gaming or Shaming?]

Live Roleplaying: Gaming or Shaming?

A friend of a friend goes each year to the UK's premier live roleplaying event, the Gathering. A few years back he had a particularly successful weekend, having sex with a stoat-girl on Friday night and then with a goblin the night after. Oh... and he also took part in some important diplomatic negotiations between the clans, and scored some notable successes in personal combat.

(But quite frankly who gives a shit about that).

Whether it was the quality of his hand-crafted platemail or his charismatic personality that attracted his, *ahem* followers I couldn't say. But let's face it - no-one ever pulled a bird with a line like: "I've got a 23rd level paladin with +2 platemail!"

Live roleplaying clearly offers something, but what is that, and is it roleplaying or just an excuse to have a good time? When we (that is table-top roleplayers or whatever we're calling ourselves now) talk about roleplaying we usually aren't including LRP. But is it a totally separate hobby, or merely a misunderstood cousin?

At this point I have a confession to make. I myself have been live roleplaying. Twice.

Onto Jonny's Shameful Secret...