Information

Below you will find out a bit more about us and what we do.

What is LARP?

LARP - or Live Action Role-Playing - is an interactive experience in which the players (characters) and the volunteer staff (non-player characters) together create a story by enacting it in real-time. It's been compared to "Real life Dungeons and Dragons", improvisational theatre retreats, and immersive story-telling. Click here to explore the Wikipedia definition of LARPing.

How would you rather spend your time - vegged out in front of a computer game at home, or actually saving the world alongside some of your closest friends? The second option? Yeah, us too... and that's why we LARP.

Alliance LARP, which is the "parent" of Alliance Calgary is also the ruleset we use. Itis a Live Action Role-Playing game that mixes elements of high fantasy (think a Game of Thones) with traditional story-telling, improvisational theatre, and safe combat with foam-covered boffer weapons. The tagline for the organization is "Be all that you can't be", and we take that to heart! Players have the opportunity to find and fill whatever niche is nearest and dearest to each person's heart.

You can vegetate in front of your computer screen or TV set with the latest game and pretend to be a great warrior, battling evil monsters...
OR You can play Alliance LARP and actually battle the monsters yourself, in real time, and interact with people who have three dimensions!
You can go to a Murder Mystery party and pretend you’re a great detective, trying to figure out whodunnit out of the eight other people there...
OR You can play Alliance LARP and be a great detective as you deal with literally hundreds of suspects who may be criminals and evildoers!
You can play Monopoly and try to amass a fortune using a limited set of rules and restrictions against a few other challengers...
OR You can play Alliance LARP and become a medieval merchant, making important deals and trades while building up your assets and avoiding the pitfalls!
You can go to a Renaissance fair and watch the action take place all around you, without any input from you...
OR You can play Alliance LARP and actually be part of the action, knowing that you can affect the story as a whole!
You can go camping to enjoy the great outdoors or play sports to get the exercise you need...
OR You can play Alliance LARP and enjoy the outdoors while playing a sport with an infinite amount of possible endings!
You can read a novel full of dashing heroes and heroines dealing with the King’s latest court intrigue and political situations...
OR You can play Alliance LARP and actually be part of the court intrigue by becoming a nobleperson or part of a noble's entourage!
You can go to the movies and vicariously live out Robin Hood’s adventures as he fights against injustice...
OR You can play Alliance LARP and become a local legend by hiding in the woods and stealing from the rich and giving to the poor!
You can dream about being a spy for an international power, selling your information to the highest bidder and sneaking around in the night...
OR You can play Alliance LARP and play being a spy for a conniving King, gathering information on the current political situation while avoiding your enemy spies!
You can wait until Halloween to put on a costume and feel the excitement of being scared as you enter a “Haunted House”...
OR You can play Alliance LARP, put on a costume, and experience that feeling at least once a month

What is Alliance Calgary?

We are a group of players from Calgary Alberta and surrounding area. We are looking for a fun and safe way to play out our High Fantasy adventures. Alliance LARP has a fantastic set of rules that we use to bring this High Fantasy to life! A great way to meet new like-minded people from all over the province and even further away. Our Chapter is one of many and the character you bring to life with us can travel off to other Chapters and jump right into their action!

Where Can I get, uhm, Stuff?

There are a ton of resources that we have locally to help you get into the LARP experience:

	Myth Games has a large supply of Latex/Foam LARP weapons and gear: Located at #4 3434 34th AVE NE Calgary
Don's Hobby Shop (Centre Street and Crowchild Locations)
	The Costume Shoppe on Blackfoot Trail
Epic Armoury: Myth Games can bring in any of their equipment for you!
	A bit pricey, but extremely well made, also a choice of many fighters. The stuff is combat grade and hardened.
Guides on how to build your own armour!
Another Armour building guide:	http://www.arador.com/construction/construc.html
http://gwenscostumecloset.blogspot.com/	Gwen's Costume Closet. Gwen is a local seamstress who loves to create costumes and fantasy garb!
RingMesh.com, a great and inexpensive way to get into chainmail.

A Guide to the World of Calandonia

To help you understand our world and a bit about the history. laws and "Cruchy Bits" on our world you can download the World Guide:

For those playing "Humans" or "Common Folk" here is the Noble houses Guide.

A Racial Primer of Calandonia

For many new players the question of “What Race to pick” is a hard one to really nail down without some help. Our Racial Primer below is here to help (somewhat!).

Some races have very “private” histories and motivations so we cannot give out every detail. When you pick your character and send us the starting build (using the rules in the Alliance Rulebook) we will then forward you the “complete” racial package so you will be able to learn an in depth history and role-playing pieces for your race.

In a nutshell-
Humans- “Common Folk” to other races. The most numerous of the races. Most of their history is spelt out in the Guide to Calandonia. The humans do not have a Race Packet per se. They will get a list of notable houses in Calanda, where the main story takes place. The humans are based on middle ages European Culture (for dress, armour etc) and any fantasy setting you can think of!

Elves- There is 4 distinct types of Elves in Calandonia:

Rocholm Elves: Militant Elves with a high code of honour
Valdenhold Elves: Seafaring Elves! Think Pirates of Swashbucklers
Faybridge Elves: Money-loving neutral Elves. Traders and merchants
Kanask Elves: Isolationist Elves

Hoblings: Merchants, mischief makers and more! Think “Ferengi” from Star Trek TNG. Main city is in the “Free States of Fathom’s Deep”

High Ogres: Mighty Fighters with a love of nature and a strict honour code. Either from the Edgeland Desert Mountains or the Middenvale Mountains.

High Orcs: these orcs see themselves as better than their mountain dwelling cousins. They have a higher calling and supposedly a higher intelligence. Major force in the Edgeland Desert.

Mystic Wood Elves: the “Tari-Nor”. They live in a free society of “Glades” in the Turom Forest. Cannot stand Necromancy or Slavery in any form. Think 1960s “hippies”.

Barbarians: More than just the brutes of the “Conan” movies:

Winter’s Edge barbarians- Think Vikings and Frost!
Edgeland Desert- Structured lands ala Prince of Persia. Work closely with the High Orcs.
Middenvale- These barbarians for Clans with a Scottish “Highlander” system.

Dwarves: what more can you say about dwarves? There are several clans that a player can be from:

Durom Falls
Ral’Endas
Kelech’ mor
IronRidge

The dwarves use different colors in their beards to differentiate which clan they are from. Your clan choice will determine role-playing aspects. You do not have to pick your clan at character building (when you submit the character to PLOT), but you will have to pick one before your first event.

Saar: The Cat race. This is very much drawn from the Japanese culture with different feline types in different castes. They have a main island in Fathom’s Deep, but can be found all over Calandonia

Wylderkin: these are drawn from any animal/human concept you are looking for. The creature cannot be feline in nature though (to keep from confusing with Saar). Ran from persecution in the Great Wars to an island inhabbited by Hoblings in Fathom's Deep.

Gypsy: these are drawn from the gypsy culture of our real history. Fun loving wanderers with a quick temper.

Stone Elves: These are logical beings (think Vulcans of Star Trek). They live in both Faybridge and Turom Forest.

Biata: These are a race of gryphon/humans. They are semi-isolationists on their island in Fathom’s Deep but they have a longing for adventure that keeps them on the mainland as well.

Meta-Organizations

Meta what? Meta-Organizations are well, Organizations that your character may join. They give you some more depth to your character and help you pick some skills to help you progress along it's Ranks. Ever wantted to be a Commader of a Battalion of troops? Or how about head of the merchant guild, the High Mage of an arcane order etc. Well these are here to help guide you along on your character's career path.

Below is a listing of the organizations and a brief synopsis of what they are about. We fully expect players to want to make up their own Meta-Orgs and we will glady help you get everything set up!

The Home Guard:The King's Army. Defenders of the land etc. Ranks for enlisted men and officers.
The Arcane Sanctum: The Mage Guild of Calandonia. Its reach is far and all Celestial Casters find themselves amongst its ranks as the Sanctum must monitor all Celestial Casters.
The Earth Weavers: The Order of Earth Casters. Must less "rigid" in their structure than the Arcane Sanctum. They do keep a record of all Earth Casters in their "Sphere of Influence".
The Silken Alliance: A Hobling run merchant house specializing in the trade of rare Silks from the island of Auric. (this organization may only be entered into by invitation)
The Uruzaries: A High Orc/Ogre organization in servatude to the Barbarian Shariah of the Edgeland Desert. High Orcs find themselves "on special assignment" to the King of Calanda.
Hammer Outfitters: originally a Dwarven guild for craftsmen, specifically Blacksmiths, this group has taken on members from other races in the last 100 years, growing in diversity and knowledge.
The Purple Dragon & Silver Rose: The only "mentioned" guild of ill repute! They hire out "experts" in the ways of Ledgerdemain, body guards and other "asset requesitions and removals". Barely tolerated by the King, they do serve a purpose. (this organization may only be entered into by invitation)