The Blood Games
The Blood Games is an annual LARP event, the most recent of which was held from the evening of August 21 through mid-day August 23, 2009. It is designed to bring together players from all LARP groups near and far in a large gathering. All LARP groups are invited to send their contingents to compete for glory and showcase their Realm in these Games. Player characters will spend the weekend fully in game, immersed in the excitement of the Blood Games and the plot surrounding it. The event will be filled with numerous competitions, both physical and mental, as well as a plethora of auxiliary action and intrigue throughout the weekend.
In 2010, we have the pleasure to be able to offer great prizes sponsored by LARP Distribution, the US distributor of LARP supplier Epic Armoury.
1st Prize: Two Handed War Sword
2nd Prize: Adventurer Sword
3rd Prize: Ready For Battle Knights Fighter Sword
4th Prize: Three Throwing Knives and a Three Knife Holder
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The setting of the Blood Games is rooted in the LIONE universe, which has developed a rich mythos of deities and spirits over its 19 year existence. The Blood Games were conceived in the third LIONE campaign some years ago, and we are thankful to the past and present owners and players of LIONE for providing such an excellent background for this event. The current campaign, End of Seasons, is set in a primitive and dangerous time long before the Blood Games hosting city of Waxaclajuun was a village.
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The primary theme of the Blood Games is a series of challenging competitions, culminating in a mega battle. The contests include individual exhibitions of skill and talent, as well as team competitions of various types. Although competitors may compete as individuals, many will no doubt compete for their Faction, and ultimately, their Realm.The Realm that distinguishes itself most throughout the Games will carry home the Blood Games Prestige Trophy for this year.
Throughout the event, you will also have opportunity for small group action in forays against darker elements threatening the competitions, as well as against Factions and Realms other than your own. |
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The Blood Games are organized by Ye Olde Commons, a facility dedicated to supporting the LARP community and to providing opportunities for LARPs to shine and grow.
You can also check out the Event in Facebook, where you'll find pictures and people.
The Blood Games 2009
In 2009 a total of 10 realms with over 80 competitors participated in a hot jungle weekend. The realms presented an exciting mix of games, with visitors outside the standard fantasy milieu (gun-toting time travelers from Melenica) and LARPers from beyond New England (Kingdom of Novitas). We're happy to say that the Blood Games rules held up well to let all these varied styles compete against each other. The competitions were challenging, but civility reigned even in the cut-throat Survivor Caves. The Kingdom of CRO, represented by a large contingent of 25 competitors, by Saturday night had pulled ahead in Prestige Points, but was closely followed by the Dogs of War, Realm of Seasons, and Melenica, due to a very even distribution of wins in various competitions and a gift of life tokens by the Mesa to Melenica. After the Kingdom of Novitas decided to merge into CRO, The mercenary Dogs of War followed suit by joining with the Realm of Seasons. Diplomacy then carried the key to victory, as the realms of Melenica, Arden and the Realms jointly gave their life tokens to the Realm of Seasons. Unable to catch up with this combined Prestige Point total, the Kingdom of CRO nonetheless showed its mettle on Sunday, as they defeated the combined allies in the Grand Melee in record time.
Pictures can be seen at in this album, and also in this one.
The Blood Games 2008
The inaugural Blood Games in 2008 were an exciting and intense event, featuring exhilarating challenges, memorable performances, and superb battles. Tensions started high with an inadvertent attack by a visiting team on the Jaguar's Voice herself, and increased from there as the points from the hard-fought competitions added up. By Saturday evening tempers were hot, diplomatic intrigue was rife, and melee skirmishes rang in the night. Sunday morning the battle lines had been drawn, and the Grand Melee quickly resolved into a hard-fought fight between two closely matched alliances. The CRO / Knight Blades alliance prevailed, and then decided to rest to full strength before engaging each other in a final battle. The points from their ultimate victory in the Grand Melee sealed the overall victory of the Kingdom of CRO in the Blood Games 2008, giving them claim to the grand prize of an Iron Liege shield and the right to carry home the Blood Games trophy for display.
What is LARP?
LARP stands for Live Action Role Playing, and the acronym is often used to mean the game or the event at which such activities take place. The term “role playing” means that you take on the persona of a fictional character, and play the role of that character.The term “live action” means that you are actually acting out the actions of this character, rather than just talking about them or describing them. If you’ve played tabletop D&D, or played on-line in a MMORPG, or participated in an improvisational theatrical show, then you have experienced some of the components of a LARP. Combine the fictional characters of D&D with the real-live action of improvisational theater, and the quests and large-scale interaction of an MMORPG, and you have some idea of a LARP.
There are many flavors of LARP games, differentiated by genre, setting, and the detail of the rules of interaction. The Blood Games is a LARP with a distinctly fantasy flavor, in a setting where magic is real, and with the opportunity of physical battle. In order to accommodate the interaction of many players coming from many different LARPs, the rules used in the Blood Games are kept very simple.
