IGA

>These are a relatively recent development. In games of this type, players leave the table and interact with their environment directly. In games of this type, the role of the Games Master (GM) is not as prominent as there are less gaps in the surroundings to fill in. There tends to be more players involved in LARPs as characters which would usually be portrayed by the GM are now taken by other players.

Within the grouping of LARPs there is a further division between those which focus on combat and those which don't. LARPs which focus on combat typically make use of latex weapons with which the players simulate fights (a bit like re-enactments, only it's based on fiction rather than history). One of the biggest combat oriented LARPs is an event known as The Gathering which takes place in England every August. Over the course of this weekend long event, players take the part of members of different Clans, who meet to socialise, talk politics and occasionally take to the filed of battle and butcher each other.

By far more common in Ireland, are political LARPs. These games focus on social interaction and very often a problem, which must be solved. An example of a LARP of this type might be that the leader of a small republic has been found dead. The players are all members of the cabinet and must decide what to do. Over the course of the discussions, each character's personal agenda will influence the course of the game as they try to manipulate others to their way of thinking. A Murder Mystery Weekend is also a good example of a LARP.