The very mention of live-action roleplaying (LARP) will generally produce one of two effects in the typical gamer. Most commonly encountered are those who blanch, say "yuck" and protectively clutch their dice bag. (Optionally, they may begin to pelt the offender with d30s.) The other type of gamer will smugly produce vampire teeth or medieval garb and nod knowingly. Star Wars Live-Action Adventures is designed for the second type. You know who you are.

The good news about Star Wars Live-Action Adventures is that it's quite similar to the tabletop RPG. It's easy to adapt RPG material to the live-action rules (and vice-versa), because the systems were designed to be compatible.

The bad news about Star Wars Live-Action Adventures is that... it's quite similar to the tabletop RPG. The game mechanics are complicated enough that there will certainly be times when they get in the way of roleplaying. For example, to resolve tasks players have to roll a die and add the result to the relevant skill. If the total number meets or exceeds the target difficulty specified by the GM, the character suceeds. It's a simple enough system mechanistically, but it will certainly require a lot of out-of-character activity to work - and there will always need to be a GM hovering nearby.

This is in sharp contrast to simpler LARP systems such as that used by the IFGS, where relatively few tasks require GM intervention. The flip side is that in simple player-run systems far fewer tasks are possible. When you consider the richness of the Star Wars setting, and the desire to remain compatible with the tabletop RPG, the complexity of the Star Wars LARP makes a lot more sense.

Of course, characters in the Star Wars LARP rules are very detailed compared to characters from simpler LARP systems. You're going to need to carry a character sheet with you unless you have a photographic memory. This is a small price to pay though for all those skills and potent Jedi powers you may be toting around.

West End's decision to avoid contact combat is understandable; it's not fun for everyone, it's not as safe, and players would have to buy Nerf guns and make soft lightsabers. Most game conventions also don't allow people to tote around weapons, fake or otherwise. Moderated combat also fits in with the rest of the system, which is GM-dependent already.

While you don't get to shoot anyone or smack them with a lightsaber, you are encouraged to outfit yourselves with fake Star Wars gear and an appropriate costume, and some advice on this is provided. Tips on setting up and running live-action games are also given, as well as a good introductory adventure called "The Shard of Alderaan." If you're really new to the LARP scene you might want to see if you can get in on a live-action game of some sort at a game convention - it's the best way to learn. There are also many LARP resources available on the net.

Star Wars Live-Action Adventures is a fine addition to the LARP field. Hopefully, the draw of the Star Wars name will encourage some new people to try live-action roleplaying. Look for a game at a convention near you, or grab the book and run your own. Even if you've never LARPed before, you ought to be able to fake it pretty well with what you're given here.

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