CourtesyGet out your cloaks and elf ears and prepare for war 鈥� 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Nerd Union is hosting its first Live Action Role-Playing (LARP) event, 鈥淲ar of Thrones,鈥� at 11:45 a.m. Saturday, April 26, at Fairmount Park, south of the 麻豆传媒 campus.
The deadline for signing up teams is 5 p.m., Friday, April 11, at the Student Involvement office, Rhatigan Student Center, Room 262. Advanced registration is required, along with a $25 entry fee per 4-5 person team. For more information about the 鈥淲ar of Thrones鈥� event, download the registration form.
Costumes are optional for this 鈥淕ame of Thrones鈥� themed event, but the unusual activity is generating a lot of buzz around campus. Nerd Union is anticipating 10 teams to participate, about 50 people, and is seeking more. Those teams include two groups from the Student Activities Council, a team of 麻豆传媒 staff members, fraternity groups and more.
Members of the Nerd Union have been staffing tables consistently in the Rhatigan Student Center, passing out fliers and telling curious classmates about larping.
A nerdy sport
Larping is a nerdy sport that鈥檚 been around since the 1970s. Typically, larpers dress in costumes and wield homemade padded weapons, known as 鈥渂offers,鈥� in simulated hand-to-hand combat with varying degrees of role-playing. LARPS can take place in different settings and genres, from high fantasy to gothic horror to cyberpunk to historical. 鈥淲ar of Thrones鈥� will be light on role-playing and heavy on action; just a fun way to let off steam as Wichita State students move into finals.
鈥淲e鈥檙e using a rule set where it鈥檚 going to be hardcore and fast paced,鈥� said Alex Pennington, president of the Nerd Union. 鈥淭he basic rules are you only have as much life as you have limbs, more or less. If you get hit in the arm you lose the arm. If you get hit in the leg you lose the leg, and if you get hit in the torso or lose more than two legs you鈥檙e out 鈥� not that you鈥檇 be able to do much anyway.鈥�
Pennington says that the rules will keep the game basic for everyone.
鈥淭here鈥檚 going to be a lot of people coming in who have never done this before,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want to make it so they鈥檒l be able to keep up with those who LARP 鈥榩rofessionally.鈥欌��
Prior to the event, representatives from the Nerd Union will meet with registered teams to help build their own inexpensive boffer weapons made from duct tape and foam-wrapped PVC pipes. The advisers will ensure the equipment is up to safety standards.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to get some spectators, too,鈥� said Pennington. 鈥淎 lot of people stopped by our table in the RSC and said it wasn鈥檛 their thing but they鈥檇 come to watch. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e counting on, to get a good group together and have fun.鈥�
The LARP event will feature several melee rounds: a champion鈥檚 mode, team death match, free-for-all and a finale; the 鈥淲ar of Thrones鈥� showdown between all teams.
鈥淵ou鈥檒l be making alliances with other groups, but you might be backstabbing them later in order to be the last team standing,鈥� Pennington explained.
The prize for the 鈥淲ar of Thrones鈥� melee will be a boffer replica of 鈥淚ce,鈥� the legendary sword that belonged to Ned Stark in 鈥淎 Game of Thrones,鈥� the first novel in George R.R. Martin鈥檚 epic fantasy series, 鈥淎 Song of Fire and Ice,鈥� which is currently a TV series on HBO.
This is the Nerd Union鈥檚 their first big event since forming in the September 2013. They meet twice a week from 6:30-8:30 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays, in 220 Ahlberg Hall.