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EnglishWhat Is Live Action Role Playing, and How Does IFGS Practice It?
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Live action role playing (LARP) is a form of role-playing game in which participants physically act out their characters' actions in a shared space, rather than describing those actions while seated around a table. The International Fantasy Gaming Society (IFGS) is a society built around this style of play, and its site identifies it directly as "Live Action Role Playing." If you are trying to understand what LARP is and where IFGS fits, the short answer is: LARP turns the imagined scene into a played-out one, and IFGS is a membership society organized around running and supporting that kind of game.
What LARP actually involves
In a LARP, each player takes on a character and interacts with other characters and with a game world in real time. Actions that a tabletop player would narrate—talking to an NPC, searching a room, fighting a monster—are instead performed, within the rules and safety conventions the organizers set. The core elements are consistent across the hobby:
- A character: a persona with abilities, goals, and knowledge distinct from the player's own.
- A shared world: a setting and scenario prepared by organizers, often called game masters or referees.
- Rules for resolution: a system that decides whether an attempted action succeeds, so outcomes are not simply decided by whoever argues hardest.
- Physical performance: movement, speech, costume, and props carry much of the play.
The appeal is that the fiction becomes something you do rather than something you describe. The trade-off is that LARP depends heavily on organization: venue, safety rules, referee coverage, and a scenario that gives every participant something to do.
How LARP differs from tabletop role playing
The two share characters, rules, and a game master, so the distinction is often overstated. The practical differences matter more:
| Dimension | Tabletop RPG | LARP |
|---|---|---|
| Where play happens | Around a table, in conversation | In a physical space, in character |
| How actions are expressed | Described by the player | Performed by the player |
| Reliance on imagination vs. staging | Mostly imagination | Imagination plus props, costume, and location |
| Group size and logistics | Small group, easy to schedule | Larger group, needs venue and staff |
| Rules handling | Often resolved at the table in the moment | Must work while people are moving and acting |
For someone deciding between them: tabletop is easier to start and more flexible; LARP offers immersion that a table cannot reproduce but asks more of organizers and players in preparation and conduct.
Where IFGS fits
IFGS presents itself as the International Fantasy Gaming Society, with live action role playing as its stated focus. That places it in the category of a membership society that organizes and sustains LARP activity rather than a single game or a rules publisher. Two implications follow for anyone looking into it:
- It is a society, not just an event. A society implies ongoing membership, governance, and a community that persists between games—which is why the site's visible notice concerns upcoming 2026 society elections.
- Its activity is organized play. Expect games run under the society's structure, with the organizational layer (referees, rules, scheduling) that LARP requires.
The site's front page confirms the identity and the election notice but does not, in the material available, spell out the specific rule system, event calendar, membership cost, or regional chapter structure. Those are the details to verify directly with the society before committing.
Deciding whether to pursue it
Use these conditions to judge fit:
- Choose LARP if you want immersion, are comfortable performing in front of others, and can commit to scheduled events with preparation.
- Choose tabletop if you prefer flexibility, smaller time commitments, and resolution through conversation.
- Look into IFGS specifically if you want an organized society with governance and a persistent community, and you are willing to check its current membership terms, rules, and event schedule yourself rather than assume them.
The concrete next step is to visit ifgs.org and confirm three things before joining or attending: what rules the society plays under, when and where games are held, and what membership involves. The election notice signals an active organization; the operational specifics are the part you should read firsthand.