Are Mega Games Larp?

The Condo Selling/Home Buying is going well. But it's still massively distracting. As you can imagine I have little time to be writing larp rules at the moment. One of the distractions lately is Shut Up and Sit Downs annual attending of the Watch The Skies Mega Game. Part board game, part theater, packed full of mini games... Is Watch the Skies actually a larp?

Here is the 2014 Watch the Skies Mega Game. Let's see, players have roles? Check. Players wear garb? Kind check? Not just Quinns wears garb. But there seems to be no express rule about wearing garb. Massive time and resource commitment? Check. Being done for fun? Check. Big check. I need a check graphic.

But is it larp? In a previous post, I labeled it as a 'Blended Style' larp. Some people may not feel its exactly a larp, or at least not what they want in a larp. Mega Games seem like a good way to play a Sci Fi larp without owning a battleship. A Mega Game could be used for transitioning games high concept Sci Fi, like say Eclipse Phase, from strictly table top into a larp like game structure.


In the 2014 run they played with 60 people. In the 2015 run they played with 300. That is fantastic growth. Hopefully this trend continues and the MegaGame Makers keep up this amazing work. There are even a few U.S mega games which are starting up. The 2016 Watch the Skies run will provide another data point about the trajectory in popularity of this kind of game. With video online, and players knowing the plot before heading into the game, will players still turn out? With some of the fundamental mystery solved and in public, will there be as much interest? I think so.