About Portals of the Fae
What is LARP?
LARP stands for live action role playing. It is a role playing game where you dress up and become a character.
Just like in a play, you have a name, a role and a background story. Unlike a play, you make up your words and actions as you go. You, the real-life person, are the player. The persona you take on is your character.
Most of a LARP is simply talking with other characters: learning about them, asking for help, pursuing your goals and forming alliances. There is no win state. People come back to continue their adventures, and many play the same character for years.
Portals of the Fae is a casual LARP for players aged 18 and older. It runs on the honor system, and it is not a player-versus-player game.
What happens at an event
An event usually lasts about five or six hours. Out of game we call it an event. In game it is a Gathering, hosted by a fae of the Seelie Court who explains the theme of the night and the current threats to the Vale. Every event has a combat session and a social session.
Combat
Players may be called on to fight the monsters and evil fae that threaten the Mystic Vale. Combat uses foam "boffer" weapons and small cloth spell packets. You swing lightly, call your damage out loud, and the person you hit keeps track of their own hit points. Most of the fighting is against NPCs, the non-player characters who play the creatures and monsters you meet.
This is a casual combat game, played for fun and adventure and not for realism.
Social
After the marauding creatures are turned away, everyone gathers to discuss the latest threats, form alliances, pursue personal goals, and celebrate with their fellow visitors. Each class has social skills, such as detecting a lie, that are best saved for this part of the night. The fae hosts often hand out coins here as rewards for completed quests.
The fae realm
The realm of the fae is not so much a planet as a plane of existence, always shifting and intersecting with different realities. Players travel to one location in it: the Mystic Vale. The rest of the plane is inhabited or controlled by the Unseelie and is not safe for mortals.
The fae are divided into two courts. The Seelie Court is the more benevolent side of fae society, generally inclined to goodwill toward those who respect its rules. The Unseelie Court is more malevolent toward mortals and delights in mischief and harm. Each Gathering, the Unseelie's schemes grow bolder, and the host will often ask the mortal visitors for help in foiling them.
The rules of the fae are not the rules of other worlds. Gunpowder does not explode in the Vale and modern electronics do not work, so visitors from every world fight with melee weapons and spells.
The three worlds of origin
Every character comes from one of three worlds where portals open to the fae realm. None of them is our Earth, though each resembles it. The main difference is that these worlds contain magic and magical creatures in abundance.
Aurelia
The fantasy medieval and renaissance world. Its three major kingdoms are Nanzara, which resembles medieval Africa, Valdoria, which is similar to Europe, and Jinshou, which is similar to Asia. Beyond them lie the Wildlands, a collection of small domains and warring factions. You could play a knight or renaissance magician from Valdoria, a samurai from Jinshou, a warrior or shaman from Nanzara, or a healer from the Wildlands. Characters from Aurelia start out unfamiliar with complex machinery and technology.
Brasshaven
A Victorian steampunk world where citizens use machinery and magic side by side. Everyone lives on one continent, Domurion, ruled by the Grand Overseer, who is selected by the Grand Council of Steam. The current Overseer hates Tuesday, has renamed it Cogsday, and has forbidden anyone from saying otherwise. New inventions appear weekly, some of questionable utility.
Helios 3
A nearly exact parallel of modern Earth, with the same countries and technology but more magic. Elves work for major corporations, dwarves are involved in the punk scene, and there are fae pop stars. Helios 3 is currently at peace. A character from here wears modern clothing and could be someone extraordinary, or a regular person who stumbled into the fae plane and is in awe of everything.
Making a character
You can play just about any character you can imagine, as long as it is your own creation. Characters from existing books, shows and games are not allowed.
-
Choose your world
Aurelia, Brasshaven or Helios 3. Your world decides your costume: medieval or renaissance, Victorian, or modern clothing. It does not limit your race or abilities. Remember you will need to move in your costume and may be hit by foam weapons.
-
Write a backstory
Decide your character's history, training, quirks, morals and what motivates them. It can be simple or complex. Other characters will ask where you are from and what you do, so it helps to know. If you are coming with friends, you can write your stories together.
-
Pick a class
Your class is your character's area of expertise, and you keep it for their lifetime.
- Warrior: trained in close-range weapons. The only class that can use a shield.
- Trickster: a roguish jack of all trades with fighting, stealth and alchemy skills.
- Element Mage: a caster who commands elements such as fire, ice and lightning.
- Druid: a friend of the forest who specializes in healing and protection.
-
Pick a race
Human, elf, dwarf, orc, goblin and dryad are the suggested starting list, and others are welcome as long as they are humanoid. Part-animal and mythological characters fall under Chimerics, and you can also play Fae Blood, a character who is part fae. Race is for role playing only. It gives no special abilities. Copyrighted races from popular shows and games are not allowed.
-
Name them and gather your kit
Choose a name, then think about your costume, any trinkets your character carries, and whether you need a boffer weapon, spell packets or both.
-
Fill in your character sheet
Read your class in the rulebook, print the character sheet for that class, and bring it to every game. Everyone starts at Level 1 and gains levels by attending events.
One guideline above the rest: you are playing a hero, not a villain. Your character can be grumpy, mischievous, melancholy or scheming to a degree, but should not be evil or attack other players.