The LARP community is a broad and diverse group of individuals who participate in a range of different activities that come under the heading of LARP. These can be vastly different, ranging from competitive LARP, to LARP with immersion as a goal, to solo LARPs and LARPs with thousands of participants. The community is made up of individuals, and it can be difficult to frame discussions of community because of the differences in what LARP is.

The LARP community can be supportive and come together in times of need, as seen when the majority of LARPs were cancelled due to COVID-19. When organizers announced their decision to disappointed players, they were met with almost universal support. However, the community can also have issues. It can be perceived as a separate entity that individuals are not part of when trying to address the problems that it has. In this view, the individual has no responsibility, and the community as a whole needs to change and improve – to be more inclusive and less toxic.

There are some activities that can be taken by individuals to help improve the LARP community as a whole. Educating oneself as a designer and player is one such activity. Considering what choices you’ve made around accessibility and why, reading up on why people may feel excluded even if you aren’t actively excluding them, and being mindful of logistics are some ways to help improve the community.

There are also organizations such as LARP Alliance, Inc. that aim to improve communication, support, and education regarding Live Action Roleplaying (LARP) throughout the entire community and with the general public.

Here are some of the LARP communities in the USA:

1.     Alliance LARP: A fantasy boffer LARP in the United States and Canada

2.     Amtgard: A fantasy boffer combat group in the United States, Croatia, and Canada

3.     Belegarth Medieval Combat Society: A fantasy boffer combat group in the United States and Canada

4.     Bicolline: A fantasy campaign with physical combat in Quebec

5.     Dagorhir: A fantasy boffer combat group in the United States

6.     Darkon: A fantasy boffer combat group in the United States

7.     LARP Alliance, Inc.: An organization that promotes LARP and runs events throughout the United States and Canada

8.     Lorien Trust: A fantasy physical combat system in the UK

9.     MagiQuest: A family-friendly fantasy game in the USA that uses IR wands

10. NERO International: A fantasy boffer combat group in the United States and Canada

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, and there may be other LARP communities in the USA that are not included here.