skeletonmug asked: “I’d love a post about dealing with OC physical limitations in an IC manner I.e. IC reasons and explanations for not being very mobile, not being combat safe etc. and how to make it look good and not boring.”



Hi! This is a super interesting question and one that’s really close to my heart. I’ll deal with some accessibility theory first, then come on to suggestions and recommendations!

There are two main ways to manage your OC disabilities while playing a LARP character.

One is to overlook and ignore them as much as possible, and ask others to do the same. This is a totally OK and appropriate way to manage your OC disability in LARP.

The other is to come up with an IC explanation for the disability, and play a character with congruent limitations. This is a totally OK and appropriate way to manage your OC disability in LARP.

Photo by Tom Garnett, from Odyssey LARP.

IS ASKING SOMEONE TO OVERLOOK MY DISABILITY REASONABLE?

Broadly, “yes”. It falls under the category of “reasonable adjustment” - a change that other people can make which helps you access the same opportunities as someone without a disability, but which doesn’t totally wreck others’ game. Nobody should have a big problem overlooking a wheelchair or partial facial paralysis if you ask them to. If you want, they can and should just gloss over it and not make it a part of their roleplay.

It becomes trickier when you’re asking people to imagine that you can do big, obvious things IC that you can’t do OC. LARP is pretty good at this in some ways - nobody has a problem with imagining that mage is throwing lightning bolts, or that sword is really steel. However, in most games it will be difficult for others to pretend that you’re moving faster than you can OC, or that you are speaking perfectly clearly when you have a speech impediment that means people need to ask you to repeat yourself. (They can avoid talking about your speech or speed IC, and indeed should if you don’t want them discussing it.)

There are some circumstances, like a Mind’s Eye Theatre game, where it is perfectly reasonable to ask people to imagine you are taking physical actions you cannot physrep. If your game is one of those, then asking them to imagine you’re zooming around the room at superhuman speeds in a Time Stop is just as reasonable if you have a movement disability as if you don’t.

This LARPer has an invisible disability. Photo by Oliver Facey, from Pioneers LARP.

WHAT DO I HAVE TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT MY DISABILITY?

The only thing you have to tell people is anything that will impact on safety, or anything they might need to know in the event of a medical emergency.

I think you should warn people about any limitations you have that will impact on the game, and how you would prefer them to respond IC. Examples: “I’m bad at reading facial expressions, so my character might laugh at inappropriate moments. Please just roleplay it out, I’ll treat it as IC.” “I might suffer a joint dislocation if I fall over. I’ll need a moment OC to get myself together if that happens.” “I need to read your lips to understand what you’re saying - monsters and players, I’d really appreciate it if you could face me when you’re talking and not make a big fuss of it if I don’t hear you.” “I’m fully combat safe but please don’t hit the wheelchair too hard.” “I won’t be engaging in combat, and please don’t hit me; just call damage if your character is attacking mine, and I’ll respond appropriately.” “I need to camp in a place with easy access to clean and comfortable toilets in an OC or "safe” location.“ "I need ramp access or steps no more than 10cm high to get into and out of buildings.” You may choose to tell people the nature and background of your disability. This is your choice, and if someone’s hassling you for more information, you are fully within your rights to tell them you’re not comfortable discussing it.



In some cases, a detailed discussion of the background to your disability will aid their understanding and help them think of innovative ways to enhance your involvement in the game. In other cases, you may worry that it will put ignorant people off with “too much information” or make them think you’re asking for special treatment. (Spoilers: You’re not.)

This LARPer has an invisible disability. Photo by Oliver Facey, from Projekt: Ragnarok.

HOW DO I ASK FOR AN ADJUSTMENT?

When you are asking for reasonable adjustment, it is not required that you be polite and friendly about it, but that will get you a better result most of the time.

Phrases like “I’d really appreciate…”, “It would be easier for me if…”, and “Please think about…” will get more traction with people who don’t live and breathe accessibility.

This is an artefact of living in an ableist society, not a part of equality theory, and one day it will surely be the most normal thing to ask for reasonable adjustment, but we’re not there yet. Unfortunately I must advise you that you’ll get better results if you talk like you’re asking for a favour or concession instead of - the truth - a species of equal treatment to which all humans are entitled.

The law in your country may differ, but if you need to introduce people to the concept of reasonable adjustment, this link sets out quite clearly how the UK treats it. You may not be able to put legal pressure on a LARP to give you the access you need - particularly smaller, not-for-profit clubs - but sending them this link is a great start to help them understand why they should make adjustments.

This LARPer has an invisible disability. Photo by Charlotte Moss, from Odyssey LARP.

HOW DO I INTEGRATE MY DISABILITY INTO MY CHARACTER?

So here’s the question the OP actually asked! I’m sorry it took a while to get here. Here are a few suggested ways you can give your character similar limitations to yourself and add a bit of interesting backstory flavour.

Just to be clear, you don’t have to use any of this. If you are partially sighted, and want to say “I’m partially sighted” IC with no further explanation, that is absolutely fine and people can and should just deal with it.

This LARPer is using a shooting stick, like the one I talked about in this post. Photo by Jo Pryor, from Serenity LARP.

1. War Wounds

Physical limitations can be explained by your character’s past injuries. If you want to play the “tough grizzled veteran” archetype but have mobility limitations, then try working out injuries which might lead to the same restrictions - and link them into an IC backstory of warfare / campaigning.

Healers will want to know why they can’t deal with your “broken shoulder” or “twisted knee” or “blind eye” the same way they could deal with such an injury gained in uptime. The classic explanation I use is “I injured it far from home, and it healed crooked before I could get to a doctor”.

Old spinal injuries are a good one for fatigue conditions and mobility impairments which don’t affect specific limbs.

You may choose to play a character with PTSD or a combat stress variant if you have an anxiety disorder - though I would always approach playing a mental health problem I don’t have OC with caution, and recommend you go read this post first.



This LARPer has an invisible disability. Photo by Tom Garnett, from Odyssey LARP.

2. Oaths

A religious or spiritual oath to not do certain things, or to perform actions in a certain way, can be a great way to work your way around some restrictions. “Never to raise a weapon in anger” is the obvious one if you have to explain why your character doesn’t fight. Oaths can also be used for conditions which restrict what, or when, you can eat (blood sugar, gastric issues etc.) - explaining that you have a very strict religious schedule of prayer and mealtimes, and can only eat specially prepared food.

3. Curses

The lingering effects of a magical curse (or setting equivalent) can be used to explain almost anything which limits your range of action. Some people may not be comfortable playing this - or seeing you play it - because it ties into historically ableist narratives of disability as a “punishment” or “curse”, so approach this with caution and sensitivity.

This LARPer has an invisible disability. Photo by Charlotte Moss, from Odyssey LARP.

4. Poison and Plague

LARP worlds are dangerous. An early poisoning or the aftereffects of disease could explain any number of disabilities, from impaired movement to difficulty reading. These can be particularly useful for people who have experienced disability since birth or early youth, and who want their characters to have the same relationship with their limitations.

5. The Price of Power

In some settings, your character’s backstory might include a deal with a supernatural being where they offered up something suitably epic (“The sight from my eyes”, “The strength from my limbs”, “The breath from my lungs”) in exchange for knowledge, power, or being fucked over royally because demons are better at this than you.

This LARPer has an invisible disability. Photo by Oliver Facey, from Rockets, Rayguns & Really Nice Tea.

6. It’s Just Who I Am

There may be activities or behaviours you will undertake IC, either as coping mechanisms (like leaving a noisy room) or involuntarily (like tics or twitches) which you feel the need to explain or justify. If you’re lucky, your setting may have room for these behaviours as part of a characterisation which is not considered ‘disabled’ IC.

For example, a setting with Kender might allow your character to be hypervigilant or to speak very quickly without anyone considering it a defect. In Profound Decisions’ Empire setting, the Naga race’s “Relaxed Demeanour” roleplaying attribute gives a great IC reason for why you’re sitting down as often as possible and stretching to relieve back pain. Your setting may have a race, or class, or background, which helps explain why you stim, framing it as a typical behaviour for someone with your character’s origins.

(Behaviours which might upset other people still might upset other people if they’re the result of an OC disability. Neither OC disability nor IC character traits are excuses for not making your best effort to be OC kind and understanding to others, and alert to their needs.)

7. Shit Happens

Your character’s disabilities might well be the result of perfectly mundane IC misfortune. You may have no desire for the incident or circumstance that led to your character’s disability to be part of their Hero’s Journey:

“I fell off a horse when I was a kid”.



Early malnutrition leading to fatigue problems.

“I was born short-sighted and don’t read well.”

“It’s just always been like that.”

You may want it to be something you can talk about IC, but not something that would be a “big plot point” in a novel. While this may fall under the OP’s original description of “boring”, if it’s what makes you comfortable, it is completely acceptable. I don’t feel the need to come up for an exciting IC explanation as to why my characters have my strong leg muscles and neurotypical communication skills - you shouldn’t feel pressured to come up with a clever explanation if yours don’t.

This LARPer has a disability that is not immediately obvious. Photo by Tom Garnett, from Empire LARP.

WHAT PITFALLS MIGHT I ENCOUNTER?

In many cases, almost any IC explanation you pick for your disability will be more temporary and more fixable than your OC disability. The worlds we LARP in often have all sorts of fantastical magical or scientific “solutions” to conditions that are permanent and not “fixable” in the real world.

This may be exactly what you want - you may find a “regeneration story” therapeutic. If I ever suffered a traumatic lower limb amputation (I’ve thought about it a lot), I’d be very likely to play a character with the same condition, and allow the possibility of “magical regrowth” in play to match timelines with my prosthetic fitting and training.

This may be exactly what you don't want - the IC “fix” may effectively render your character unplayable, making them able to do things you can never physrep yourself. Be on guard from day one for people looking for a “magical solution” to your condition. Have a quick OC chat with the refs and your group if you don’t want plot or IC action to touch on this area, and make sure they know where you stand. They should act to help protect you from well-meaning PCs doing something that is going to make your life awkward.

This LARPer has an invisible disability. Picture by Oliver Facey, from Masquerades & Massacres.

THE ABLE-BODIED PERSPECTIVE

Finally, a word from someone who is currently able-bodied:

As a player of small and large LARPs, I find it easier to help out my disabled fellow LARPers when they tell me about their requirements OC in advance. It means I can keep an eye out for situations or areas that might be difficult for them, and help handle the issue with minimum fuss. If someone feels comfortable talking to me about their disability, I take that as a sign of trust and a compliment - never an inconvenience.

If my disabled fellow LARPers only mention their access requirements at the point they become relevant in play, that’s absolutely fine too. It means I haven’t been able to pre-plan ways to assist them, but it’s my responsibility to roll with that and work something out on the fly.

As someone who provides setup/site crew for large fest LARPs, I find it easier to help out our disabled players when they’ve told us in advance about their access requirements. It means I can keep an eye on reserved camping spots, measure up tent doorways as we’re pitching rather than having to go back and re-peg afterwards, and help make sure toilet placement is considered carefully, among the hundred other little jobs I’m happy to do.

If we get a surprise last minute player with access requirements, that’s totally cool too - we’ll shift to make whatever changes we can to help. The player experience might not be as smooth as we would hope, but we’ll do our best to alleviate that.

This LARPer has an invisible disability. Photo by Al Pulford, from Maelstrom LARP.

The main reason I’m saying this stuff:

If you are a disabled LARPer and are wondering whether you should disclose your requirements to a game or not, you will make it easier for your fellow LARPers to help you if you tell them - preferably in advance. If you are worried that you “aren’t disabled enough”, or that you’ll be seen as “asking for special treatment”, or you “don’t want to be an inconvenience”, please strive not to let those fears influence asking for the adjustments you’re entitled to.

Not only will asking for adjustment help out your game, it will make it easier for the next disabled LARPer who comes along - if they see you getting the help you need, they’ll feel more able to talk about their own requirements because they will see the environment as accepting.

If you don’t feel comfortable talking about your disability or access requirements yet, that’s OK too, but it may mean a delay in getting additional support at a LARP game. As long as you know that in advance, everything’s golden!

Photo by Oliver Facey, from Insurrection LRP.