About LARPing
Welcome to Refuge LARP Portland's website! If you've come here, you've probably heard of the idea of LARPing before, but if not, we're the place for answers!
Wikipedia defines LARPing as "A live action role-playing game (LARP) is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically portray their characters. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by real world environments while interacting with each other in character. The outcome of player actions may be mediated by game rules or determined by consensus among players. Event arrangers called gamemasters decide the setting and rules to be used and facilitate play." (Wikipedia, 10/1/2021)
In its purest essence, LARPing is basically like Dungeons and Dragons or your other favourite table-top game, but you dress up and act out your character. Instead of rolling dice to determine outcomes, you actually swing your weapon, or block with your shield, or throw a bean-bag to represent casting magic. LARPs come in all different varieties - some, like ours, are all about acting out your actions, especially combat. Others, known as parlour LARPs, can solve conflict with cards, rock-paper-scissors, or discussing what you want to happen out of game, then making that happen in game. There are as many flavours of LARP as there are roleplaying games, and trying them out is the only way to figure out if one is right for you at the beginning!
About Refuge LARP
Refuge LARP Portland is a chapter of the international Refuge LARP game. Our chapter uses the same basic rules set, combat system, magic system, etc, as every other Refuge LARP chapter in the world. Refuge LARP Portland (Refuge PDX as we often shorthand it) is proud to be a founding member of the game.
Refuge is a high-fantasy medieval-inspired boffer LARP related distantly to other boffer LARPs like NERO. Refuge has been an organization since 2021, and is proud to serve the west of the United States and Canada. We have chapters in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Boise, Edmonton and Calgary, here to meet your needs as a LARPer. If you would like, you can read more about the Refuge organization as a whole on the national organization's website.
About Refuge LARP Portland
Refuge LARP Portland is based out of Portland, OR. We generally play games in the southern Washington/northern Oregon area. Our main sites are:
Brooks Memorial State Park
Location: 2465 US-97, Goldendale, WA 98620
We're on the south side of the freeway
Our Games
Refuge LARP Portland runs two campaigns currently: Palla and Broken Shards.
Palla
Palla is a brand-new campaign that is just getting started. It is a high-fantasy game with ready access to magic, both the regular variety and ritual magic too. There is no level cap, and players from all across the Realms of Refuge are welcome. You can read more about what's happening with the setting here.
The Palla campaign runs approximately 5-6 times per year in a standard non-COVID year.
The Broken Shards
The Broken Shards campaign is our lower-fantasy game. This game is level capped at 64 build at the time of this writing. You can find more current build cap information on our Discord Server.
Characters from other Realms in Refuge can play, even if they exceed the level cap, but those players must "squish" their characters down to the appropriate level using the Freeplay Database, and may not bring in their magic items unless they were made in the Broken Shards campaign. We also ask that players coming into game only bring in the starting-loot equivalent from their gear, unless they acquired their loot IN the Broken Shards campaign. This keeps the game feeling the way that the Plot team is aiming for. If you have questions about this, our Discord Server is a great way to get ahold of us and ask questions.
The Broken Shards campaign runs approximately 2 times per year in a standard non-COVID year.
What next?
Interested in what you've read here? Great! Your next steps should be to join our Discord or Facebook groups. Then, if you would like to learn some more, check out our New Player FAQ. Once you've read through that, browse the PCing or NPCing sections - whichever one you're more interested in! You can also read all about what to expect at Your First Event, if you like. If you have questions at any point, please feel free to email our New Player Council or ask for help on our Discord or Facebook groups. There are always players hanging around ready and willing to help answer questions!
Welcome, and enjoy!
