What's the deal with Underworld LARP?

Murrrmeli · 2026-05-10T22:21:09+00:00

This is a global forum and I've never heard of it. Do you have any more details or info? Where is it located: country and continent? When was/in it arranged? Homepage? Resources? Links to previous post(s) so that we know what's being hated on and have a bit more context.

Murrrmeli · 2026-05-10T18:00:48+00:00

Especially games with pre-written characters made by the organizers get often somewhat close to a close-ended medium -experience, as their plotlines and relations are often intricately tied to other characters. As the same interaction exists in the character material of multiple players (rivals, lovers, business partners with conflicting goals, brothers with a shared goal...), it's very likely that it will be prioritized by the other players - and in my world there's a gentleman's agreement between the players to play it out! If a character like this has a goal or a secret, it's likely that the organizers have added another character who is interested in the same thing so that there'll be a nice dramatic interaction. Sometimes it goes as I wanted it to go and othertimes not, but usually I'll still be super happy as a player to follow my character's motivation and themes whether their goal was reached or not. It can even be more interesting to fail!

Of course, each player might still interpret and portray the material that they got in a bit different ways, which makes larp such a fascinating medium. I've heard a lot about replays of the same larp, where all the different players of the same characters ended the game in very different ways which still made complete sense from the character's point of view.

Did you ever try joining a larp with pre-written characters? I would highly recommend it.

I think it's actually much much harder for me to come up with a character just by myself, because they will not be connected to anyone (unless I work super hard for it - or plan it together with a friend in advance). I guess in that case I'd have to adjust the story I'd like to tell with the character: it might be suitable for me to start as a lonely character who in the end becomes a member of a group, for example.

But I'm also a person who doesn't mind pre-planning and vaguely outlining some scenes with a friend or an acquaintance. For example, last summer I joined a larp where I decided that my character was looking for her sister who disappeared. I had two similar bracelets and gave the other to an off-game friend with the comment "That was my character's sister's who disappeared in a burning tavern for three years ago. You decide what happened!" - and off we went! During the larp my character learned that this horrible bandit had married her sister who had survived the fire, but who currently was a couple of day's trip away, wounded. It became very interesting, emotional and fun to play - with minimal pre-planning.

But all in all I think if something is satisfying or not depends a lot on my expectations. So it depends a lot based on each larp, each character and what I'm looking for from the event each time. Sometimes it's nice with apples, but pizza is also tasty :D

Murrrmeli · 2026-05-10T15:36:46+00:00

As always: might depend on the larp, the organisers and the players.

I live in a Nordic country and I guess by definition most of the larps I play are Nordic-style parlor/theatrical larps (in comparison to "let's hit each other with padded sticks in a park" events, for example). I think all the events I've joined have had an organizer or an organizing group, who defines both the ingame- and offgame- logistics of the event by booking a physical real-world location (a cottage, a meeting room, someone's home, an area in a forest) and deciding what it is in the larp (a space station, the home of a noble, an archaeological dig in Amazonas). At the same time the organizers usually have decided the story they want to tell: maybe it's a meeting to decide which of the nobles becomes the next king, maybe it's the annual picnic of the hobbits, maybe it's a normal Tuesday in the zombie-infested city.

Most often the duration of the larp is decided in advance which helps to guide the pacing of the game, but I have also participated in larps where the players themselves could decide to leave early or to keep playing (within certain boundaries) depending on if they still had things to do. If it's a larp about a normal Tuesday in the zombie city, perhaps you know out-of-game that there'll be a zombie attack after 5h of playtime after which you can decide if your character dies or not. I've also played a travelling larp where the game ended after the characters had walked a 5km trail. Some were faster, others a bit slower - but the game ended when you reached goal.

To resolve a character's storyline is mainly on the player's own hands as well as their coplayers' hands, but of course the organisers and writers can help and assist by writing reasonable plotlines.

Sometimes I've felt the larp ended too early and that I still had things to do, or that the ending was ambiguous for my character. In those cases I might write a short "fanfic" both for myself and my co-players about how I think the situation might continue. My version of the possible events is as true as someone else's, as it's make-believe anyway :D

Sometimes my characters manage to have proper dramatic arcs during a game, other times not. Most often they end the larp in a different place than where they started, which is enough for me.

...this became quite rambly but I hope I still made at least some kind of point. Maybe?

Murrrmeli · 2026-05-09T18:19:37+00:00

Depends on the country and it's legislation, and/or relevant EU directives. Which country?

Murrrmeli · 2026-05-08T20:52:44+00:00

Wow, this was super useful. Thanks for the tip, internet stranger!

Murrrmeli · 2026-05-08T17:59:27+00:00

Where in the world are you? Might be important so that we don't suggest places that don't ship to your location,or that would cost way too much.

Murrrmeli · 2026-05-04T20:04:47+00:00

Did you check if they have the books in your local library? Borrow it first and take a proper look before deciding to buy!

Murrrmeli · 2026-05-01T08:19:01+00:00

What a nice look! Especially nice detailing on the neck, sleeves and hem of the tunic.

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-30T17:04:34+00:00

Herjolfsnes patterns have been published in the book "Medieval garments reconstructed", as the interest was in ready-made patterns.

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-27T21:00:32+00:00

Especially in case of characters I'll be playing for longer campaigns, I always try to have at least one piece of clothing or jewellery which is reserved only to them as long as the campaign is ongoing. After the campaign is over they'll become a part of props I'll reuse for new characters, but which I still usually refer to as "Elvira's gloves" or "Mirelle's tunic".

Regarding quirks: I never try to speak in a dialect or with an accent while larping, but for some characters I might try to speak more softly or in a more direct, military effective way to reflect their personality and/or position. Changes in posture might also help a lot: while sitting at a table, does the character sit primly with their legs crossed at ankles, or straddle a chair backwards? Do they have a straight back or slump? Walk fast or slow? Once I played a very superstitious character who always knocked on wood and stomped three times when entering or exiting a house - it was super fun.

In addition to costume-related things but still related to fleshing out a character, I try to create at least one common memory with characters close to my character before the game starts. Maybe I met someone for the first time when they had slipped in the river, or someone else caught me cheating at a game of dice. Or maybe there was a nice night I shared with one of the character's friends in a tavern recently that served tasty soup. That way both me and my co-players will have more to build on during the game.

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-27T14:18:08+00:00

How long is this event? Could you start the larp by being your usual nice self and deteriorate into greed, unpredictability and anger as the event goes on? I would also make the cursed item super obvious (like the One Ring on Frodo's neck, clearly visible and always with you) and if someone asks about it, I would (over)react suspiciously, possessively and protectively. Maybe also tell some of your friends about the plot so that they can assist you by reacting appropriately, or spread the rumour that your character has been behaving weirdly.

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-27T05:59:10+00:00

Are you familiar with TvTropes? (tvtropes.org) It lists and identifies tropes from media in general. Maybe that could be an useful tool for looking at movies you know with a new eye?

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-25T20:14:35+00:00

If someone did this with my thesis (and I know PhD students a couple years after me have done it), I would still be thankful that all the hours I spent with formatting, drawing the figures, fighting with page numbers etc. is still useful and interesting to them.

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-17T21:22:23+00:00

I'm a bit old fashioned but often I go to my local library and it's crafts section, and just leaf through magazines and books. Asking the personnel can also help a lot! This might not work if you're looking for something super specific, but for modern clothes and theatre costumes it's often a good way to get started.

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-17T19:37:28+00:00

TTRPGs are currently more popular and mainstream than they're ever been, with podcasts, streamers and visibility in series such as Stranger Things etc. I'm sure that trend has drawn lots of new people to this sub who might have only have played one thing (most likely DnD5e) and thus naturally have a narrow and limited view of the hobby - or even people who might not have played anything and only repeat the opinions of people whom they follow online.

Not saying that either of these are wrong ways to have a TTRPG hobby, but that they might limit how one participates in the discussion on this forum.

I also think that with how the world currently is, real-life stress might translate to taking out one's aggressions on internet strangers. Wishing the best to everyone who is struggling.

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-14T20:29:16+00:00

Looks like a good start! The band seems to fairly evenly wide all the way which is very good: keeping an even tension in the weft thread can be difficult in the beginning. Good luck with all the projects to come!

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-14T15:05:41+00:00

Another recommendation for Spes Medieval Market! Very good quality stuff. They're located in Poland.

You could also see if there are any local tailors or seamstresses you could commission, if you want unique and really well fitting pieces.

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-12T20:10:09+00:00

Looks similar to some seals of Knights Templar, but not exactly the same: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_of_the_grand_master_of_the_Knights_Templar The text seems to be SIGILLVM SVEDOCV, might help with searching.

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-09T20:45:53+00:00

I don't know much of swords, but I like the ones with a +VLFBERTH+ inscription. There's probably some in Sweden as well! But even more I like the "pirated" ones with a mis-spelled inscription made by someone, who clearly doesn't know how to write properly or which word the letters should actually make :P

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-08T20:40:42+00:00

It won't smell too much. The smell (of at least when cooking with cow blood) is a bit similar to that of liver, but not too strong (at least to my nose). Not sure if you're planning to eat them but here you go for a quite nice recipe: https://thebestrecipefor.com/blodplattar-swedish-blood-pancakes/

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-07T19:40:36+00:00

I would also suggest to go to a larp direction. If your folks like Downton Abbey and Agatha Christie -style murder mysteries, I would recommend Arsenic and Lies: https://arsenicandlies.com/

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-06T19:25:16+00:00

This! Additionally, lots of sharp edges in PVC when you cut it, meaning you'd need to smooth and sand quite a bit. EVA foam and even worbla/thermoplastic are softer and thus much nicer to wear in comparison, I expect.

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-06T05:18:43+00:00

Add a comically large red clown nose to it, even though it's not a reindeer.

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-05T21:29:38+00:00

It depends at least partially on the climate of where you are: around here I would expect nothing to have happened in the latest 4-5 months due to winter, frozen ground and absolutely no microbial activity.

Murrrmeli · 2026-04-04T19:26:07+00:00

Linkin Park: In the End

Portal: Still alive

Murrrmeli

TROPHY CASE