That comment led me to wonder how we could turn video games into real life. I went down a rabbit hole, studying outdoor engagement through role play.
That year, I received a grant to run two free outdoor camps with quests featuring gold coins, quests, swords, monsters and more. That was the start of Wild Craft Play. Little did I know that this activity had a name: Live Action Role Play (LARP).
What is live action role play?
According to Wiki, LARP was invented independently around the 1970s in North America, Europe, and Australia. It involves stepping into a fantasy world where you dress up, take on a role, and dive into a living story. The character you play may be like you—or wildly different.
A LARP quest is a mission, challenge, or task given to players by a Story Crafter, who presents the beginnings of the story, or a non-player character (NPC), who enacts different characters and events to get the action going.
A quest, which can last from one to six hours, has a specific goal, like retrieving an item, solving a riddle, helping a character, or defeating a creature. It’s like conducting a live play, in nature. We all refer to a large manual called The Playbook, yet the way each quest’s plot thickens is entirely up to the players.
For example, a wandering NPC might tell the players, “A sacred stone has been stolen by the Shadow Thieves. Retrieve it before nightfall, or our village will fall under a terrible curse!”
That’s when the fun begins. Players must decide how to proceed: Find clues? Confront enemies? Or hatch a plan to steal back the stone? Every choice players make may affect other characters, or the entire game.
How Wild Craft role play works
Wild Craft Role Play is currently pursuing quests at Dragon Isle (i.e. 60 acres on a private property off Headquarters Road with trails, tall trees, and ponds). At each quest, folks arrive, mingle, get dressed in their kits, and purchase any required potions, elixirs, spells, and swords.
(One of the best parts of LARP is building your “kit” over time. Newbies can rent costumes or wear an orange sash identifying them as an Innocent Bystander until they’re ready to jump into the action.)
Then everyone learns the basics: swordplay, spellcasting, how to “die,” and how to carry gear in pouches, pockets, and belts to keep hands free—in case of bandits!
Both between quests and during an event, some participants prep items for the Travelling Trade Post, the Adornables shop (where you can rent costumes), the Armory (for swords and shields), and the Apothecary. That’s where the Wild Craft part comes in—we source herbs and supplies from the land in advance, turning LARP into a sneaky way to teach deep nature connection.
What players can expect
In a single quest, players might face ten wild encounters: bandits, kobolds, dragons disguised as humans, zombies, and more. They may also have to deal with emotions, smells, awkward group dynamics, physical exertion, and natural consequences.
It’s fun, but there’s also a lot of learning going on: listening, storytelling, group decision making, compassion, sharing, teamwork, forgiveness, and—because mistakes happen—resilience.
Who can participate and rewards
LARP is still relatively new to the Valley. Wild Play is open to all skill levels, ages eight to 108, and all kinds of players—some new to spending time in nature, some with autism or varying needs. We’ve had as many as 40 players participating in one of our quests. We’re supported by the Medieval Chaos Productions group based in Duncan, which has over 100 members.
Individual players can collect rewards such as in-game currency, power, knowledge, or status. Over time, they can earn XP (experience points), level up, unlock skills, and build value as a teammate.
They can even earn money from LARP: last year, five of our younger members with autism were hired to attend a festival and stage a mock duel: sword playing, dying, and respawning over and over again for about an hour.
LARP is not a spectator sport—it’s a full-body, full-hearted adventure where all are welcome and everyone has something to offer.
To join the club visit WWW.WILDCRAFTPLAY.COM
