A live action event is many things, and because of that its hard to summarize. For those who have never attended such an event, perhaps the most similar experience could be found at a “dinner murder mysteryE event. In some ways, live action is an extension of the idea of a dinner murder mystery Eas in a dinner murder mystery, an imaginary scenario is created, and the participants act within that scenario to resolve issues. In a sense, a dramatic setting has been created with an overall plot, and the participants work in that setting to achieve goals.

However, there are several major differences between live action and a dinner murder mystery. One of these differences is that the participants are given a basic overview of the setting for an event (or a series of events that take place in the same ‘worldE, and they are asked to create their own character to fit into that setting. In other words, whereas at a dinner murder mystery you are ‘playingEyourself, in live action you create a character to play that fits the general setting. This character could be very similar to you, or his/her personality could be completely different from yours Eit’s up to you to play the type of character that you enjoy. Your character might dress, act, and speak differently than you do in your regular life, and he or she might react differently to the events that happen around him or her.

For this reason, acting like someone else in an improvisational manner, or “role-playing,Eis a major aspect of live action events. But don’t be afraid if you’ve never acted before Erole-playing a character of your own design is much easier than playing a character that has been dictated to you. Also, because everyone else around you is also role-playing, stage-fright is not as much of an issue. Most people adapt to role-playing very quickly, and many find it to be the most enjoyable aspect of a live action event.

Another major difference between live action and a dinner murder mystery is that in live action you (or technically, your character) accrue experience as you perform tasks and achieve goals. This experience is used to obtain new skills and thereby increase the abilities of your character to perform advanced tasks. The model for this relation of “growth of experience equals increased abilityEis quite common in today’s video games, and just like in some of the most popular video games, you can pick from a broad range of skills to grow you character in the direction you choose. The experience you gain by performing tasks and resolving issues at one event carries with your character to subsequent events, and over time your character can become very skilled and powerful, allowing you to do things that you yourself could never do in real life.

Finally, the ‘worldsEof live action events are not necessarily bound by the same laws that the real world is. Some worlds have monsters and magic like that found in J.R.R. Tolkein’s “Lord of the RingsE trilogy. Other worlds might be set far in the future, with cyborgs, A.I.’s, and humans with potent psychic powers. Many of the skills that your character gains through experience give you access to the supernatural powers that are available in a given world. In summary, live action is part acting, part game, and 100% entertaining. What we do, as live action event organizers, is to provide the “worldEfor you to play in, as well as some overarching plot lines for you, the participants, to interact with. How you choose to interact with the situations we create Eor whether you decide to create plot-driving situations yourself Eis completely up to you.