We’re back and we’re acting up. While we are normally pretty sedentary gamers, we have been convinced to try some LARP techniques and see if they can make our roleplaying more immersive. The props seemed like a good idea, but maybe we should have paid more attention to the safety tools. Now we’re learning all about bleeding out…
Main Topic: Using LARP Techniques at the Table
Live action and tabletop roleplaying share common roots and many similarities, but they have become quite separate hobbies. Each has evolved a unique set of forms and tools. So what can the world of tabletop roleplaying, particularly Call of Cthulhu, learn from LARP? Which LARP techniques lend themselves best to tabletop play? And which games blur the line between tabletop and LARP?
Our Guest Host
We are delighted to welcome Ericka Skirpan as our guest host for this episode! Ericka is a LARP creator, consultant, and facilitator. She writes extensively about LARPs at The Space Between Stories. Currently, Ericka is working with Mooney Bin Entertainment on LARPs such as “Conscience” and “Dresden Files 1923”.
You can find Ericka’s article “LARPing Made me a Stronger Person” in Scientific American. She has also written for 7th Sea, Vampire: The Requiem, and Changeling: The Dreaming.
Links
Things we mention in this episode include:
- Leaving Mundania: Inside the Transformative World of Live Action Roleplaying Games by Lizzie Stark
- Sinking Ship Creations
- The Mortality Machine
- Ain’t Slayed Nobody
- Push the Roll With Ross Bryant
- Harold improv
- “Lord of Lies” by Atropos
- “The Forbidden History” by Atropos
- “Miskatonic University” by Chaos League
- Intercon LARP convention
- Consequences LARP convention
- Gen Con
- Paranoia
- Elder Entertainment
- The Smoke LARP festival
- Chamber LARP
- Boffer LARP
- Drachenfest
- NERO
- Mystic Realms
- Empire LARP
- Treasure Trap
- Chislehurst Caves
- Maelstrom
- Dystopia Rising
- Parlour LARP
- White Wolf LARPs
- Black Box LARP
- Blockbuster LARP
- Conscience LARP
- Tombstone (1994)
- Westworld
- Conscience LARP in Montana
- Project Ascension
- Scapegoat
- ARG
- Darker LARPer
- “Head of the Family” by Jacqueline Bryk
- Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
- Succession
- “La Cena” from Taroticum and Other Tales
- “Jailbreak” from One Shots
- Nordic LARP
- Knudepunkt
- Nordic LARP book
- Secrets and Powers LARP
- Vampire: the Masquerade
- Isles of Darkness
- The Camarilla fan club
- The Dresden Files
- Helicon
- Ten Candles
- Tap out
- Amanda Rose Villarreal
- ConTingency Convention
- Inside Hamlet
- Method acting
- Marathon Man (1976)
- Bleed
- Vampire: the Requiem
- Top drop
- Heaven & Earth
- “Lamp Posts in Bloom”
- Sign by Thorny Games
- Nicaraguan sign language
- Dialect by Thorny Games
- ViewScream
- Pictures in an Exhibition
- Something is Wrong Here
- Twin Peaks
- Psychomanteum
- Holding My Breath by Witchstitches
News
October Horror Movie Challenge
Scott recently wrapped up his annual October Horror Movie Challenge for 2025. He spent the month posting daily reviews of horror films on this very site, and he has written a post mortem of the best, worst, and weirdest picks. You can find the main discussion about this on the Good Friends Discord server or over on Bluesky.
Scott on Pretending to be People
Scott recently recorded another batch of episodes with our good friends at Pretending to be People. Once again, he is voicing Beck Wilder’s mother, Kim, in the main arc, as season 2 builds to a very weird conclusion.
Matt and Scott at the Miskatonic Repository Convention
Both Matt and Scott appeared on panels at the recent Miskatonic Repository convention. Since we recorded the news segment, we’ve found that the videos are now available on YouTube but have been removed from Twitch. You can watch them both below.
Scott on Symphony Entertainment
The recent livestream Scott did with Bridget Jeffries and Graham Walmsley on Symphony Entertainment’s Twitch channel was also recorded and can be found below. This was a completely improvised freeform game based on audience suggestions, and it was very strange indeed.
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If you think that soundtracks, sounds, Sound Bords are helpful, I suggest checking out:
https://tabletopaudio.com/
You can use it for free. I like it a lot.
I use the soundboards (which you can also create customized boards) and a separate “normal” background soundtrack. Which you they have also there for all different kinds of genre settings.
Greetings to you all
Frank, the strong friend of the good friends