So you're considering playing a LARP ? Here are a few pointers...

Choosing a game/Character

• I love to say that there is more larp type than players, you have super-immersive games with a strong focus on emotion, you have the “classic” 3 days heroic fantasy game in the castle ruin, you have mass larp with thousands of player may-be you’ve seen that (kind of) video, and to some extend even airsoft belongs to the larp family. So there is no one size fit all answer. Unlike TTRPG where if you sum-up D&D, PTBA, Cthulhu you have like 75% of the market, most games are run by independent club with their own rule/lore/community/culture.
• To find a game, the best thing is to used your favourite seach engine/social media and look for larp near you. Beware, many games don’t need that much advertisement as they are sold-out like 6 month in advance. Usually, they describe the kind of game they plan to play, I see more and more game having a letter of intent explaining on a few pages what kind of game they want to play. And then contact the game-staff for any questions.
• Do not create a character before knowing where you’ll go. Just like in TTRPG where your lawful Good Paladin won’t work in a chaotic Orc campaign. An elf shaman might not fit in every-game, to which one can add the balance and lore issue restricting certain roles (Because if you have 20 elves and no orcs you might to take more orcs so the elves have someone to fight against). It’s not uncommon for larp to give you a pre-written character (which would fit perfectly in the story

Before the game

• Layers and accessories are an easy and efficient method to create a costume. You start with something simple and generic, and add extra layer of it to define your character. To take an example, a pirate-shirt and a harem pant can mean anything, but add a tricorn-hat and a large earring, and used some tooth colour to get dirty yellow teeth and nobody would doubt that you’re a pirate. Better using “safe shoes” than context appropriate shoes, safety first…
• Read the documentation you’ll get from the game-staff. Well it’s fine to not know by heart the potion list and the lineage of the 2 rivals emperors but knowing who are the different factions and the key mechanics (if any) is important
• Interact with other players, that’s where game having a forum gain over games having a facebook. It’s nice to read some “RP” post about the game preparation like the Baron claiming that he is the legit heir for the throne, and the snake-oil merchant telling how they’ll cure every disease. But it’s also great to discuss “logistic” stuff like bedding/food (if not provided)/carpooling can be discussed before the game.

During the game

• In case of doubt, say yes to anything. Yes of course the snake oil merchant will scam you, and that Nice Sorceress looks for some virgin boy for human sacrifice, that’s fine it’s how you get involved in the game.
• Don’t forget to drink water. It’s fine to get a bit too much wine, you’re sleeping on the game-site tonight but don’t forget to stay hydrated, I’ve seen to many people leaving the game in an ambulance, and dehydration/heat-stroke are the usual suspect.
• Most game have some form of emotional safety mechanism. Let’s say you hear to player insulting each other as loud as possible in the council room, may-be they know each other for long, and are having a great moment role-playing that scene while everybody watch them. But another person less comfortable in the same scene might burst in tears and never come back, Same if you play hedonists, for some people role-playing an orgy is about licking nutella on their finger, for some it’s about mimicking sexual acts while moaning loudly, talk with other players to know their limits.

Afterwords

I’ve seen that kind of question asked every so and on, on the larp subreddit and thought that as we still lack content on lemmy, it was worth making such a write-up (Actually, it’s may-be where kbin’s microblog feature could be useful). I most likely forget many things, and tons of things might apply to your case (remember first point every larp is different)