Online larp

Online larp is live-action role-play conducted over video calls or text platforms, suited to players who cannot attend in-person events.

Online larp moves the core ideas of live-action role-play — character, shared fiction, and real-time decisions — into digital spaces such as video-call platforms, text channels, or a mix of both. Instead of a field or a hall, the playing space is your screen, and scenes happen through what your camera shows, what you type, or what you say aloud. The format opened up significantly when in-person events became harder to attend, and many communities have kept it running alongside their physical events because it removes barriers around travel, mobility, and geography. How a session is structured depends on the group. Some games run entirely through video calls, with players using their home environment as a loose set and dressing in partial costume to help settle into character. Others use text channels for slower, asynchronous scenes, which suits people in different time zones or those who find real-time performance difficult. A hybrid approach lets some players join remotely while others gather in person, though this takes extra care to make sure remote players are not left out of key moments. Safety tools travel into the online space just as they work in person, though the delivery changes slightly. An off-game hand signal shown to the camera serves the same purpose as one used face to face — it flags that a player needs to step out of the fiction for a moment. Text-based alternatives, such as a word typed in a separate safety channel or a specific emoji agreed on before play, work when video is off or when a player finds it easier to type than to gesture. Organisers often set up a private message route so anyone can reach a moderator quietly. Whatever tools your group uses, they should be explained and agreed on before the first scene begins, just as they would be at a physical event. Younger players should only join groups a parent or guardian knows about, and nobody should share personal details such as a home address or school in a game space. Presence and immersion work differently on a screen. Lighting, a small amount of costume, and a tidy or themed background all help signal to yourself and others that play has begun. Some groups use a clear opening ritual — a count-in, a shared phrase, or a brief out-of-character check-in — and a matching closing ritual to mark the end of the session. These bookends help players shift in and out of character cleanly, which matters for wellbeing whether you are playing online or in a field. Each game's own briefing documents and safety rules remain the authority on how their specific mechanics and calls are handled in the online format.