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[[Image:Oslo Winterlarps_Heading01Winterlarp Origins09 KrutvassCabin.jpg|thumb|right| Winterlarps in forestcabins had a strong impact on nordic Nordic larps]]

The Oslo '''Oslo WinterlarpsWinter Larp''' tradition was a concept genre or series of quasihistoric semi-historic larps played in the Oslo area between 1992 and 2002. These larps that would involve reliving the daily life of a certain historic period as central aspect of the frame of the larp. The [[plotline]] was often partly mythological marking them as a transitional genrè between the fantasy of the [[Oslo Summer Larp tradition]] and the realism of larps such as [[1942]] and [[Europa]]. A tendency towards [[persistent play]] and the fantasyfiction of the [[Oslo SummerlarpHigh-resolution larp | high-resolution]]s of role-playing mark these larps as important precursors to the organisation Nordic style, as do their aspirations towards a [[Ravn360º]] illusion and an emphasis on cultural simulation and intra-personal relationships at the expense of [[Nosferatuboffer]] larps fights and epic stories.<br>Number of participants A typical "vinterlaiv", as it was called in Norwegian, would range from have between 50 up to and 100 participants. <br>The average playing time of such larps would , and be 3 played for four consecutive days and 4 nightsduring the winter months.<br>From Between 1992 to and 2002 these would be , a vinterlaiv was held almost yearly larpevents for , usually set to a different historical epoch and organized by an entirely different team than the larpers of [[Oslo]]previous year.<br><br>

Early concepts, techniques , and perceptions of [[playingstyle]]s in [[Norway]] is are deeply rooted from in the everyday situations that arise when from playing non-stop for days in a forest, living in cabins heated with firewood, and making and taking food together as a large family, tribe, clan or [[ætt]].<br><br>Pertaining to genderissues in the playergroup, the The winterlarps moved the action away from running in the woods with rubber swords into classic home and family situations of , including negotiating between groups about marriages, resources or religion. Girls were often more clever and conspicious conspicuous than the young male participants in improvising and driving the interaction between the characters in such situations. These games larps were a crucial factor for the relative genderbalanced participantgroups gender-balance of participants in Oslo, and also recruited ; they helped recruit a majority of the first female organisers of Norway.<br><br>Ultimately the The traditions among both organisers and participants of the Winterlarps in Oslo made provided the foundations for [[iconic larp]]s like such as the 2nd World War game larp [[1942]] to be possible. This is also the case for , and the westerngames westernlarps [[Wanted]] and [[Once upon a time]]. <br>[[1942]] and [[Once upon a time]] are included in the [[Nordic Larp Book(book)]].

Being [[Image:Enighet02 viking94.png|thumb|right| Daily life was depicted, friendship and marriage central themes. From Winterlarp 2002 and 1994.]]As [[360]] degrees degree larps these concepts , the winterlarps avoided [[off-game]] time by for example making it a part including every facet of character life -- including time spent sleeping -- within the game to also be [[in character]] when in your underwear , requiring people players to provide seemingly period underwear, nightcaps and the likefor a real [[in-character]] experience. [[Non-diegetic]] items not belonging to the characters a character's environment was were banned from the location. This would include included removing watches, flashlights, cameras, walk-mans and , after some years , beepers and cellphones.Participant would be Participants stayed [[in character]] also when while sleeping, when eating, when and visiting toilets. This made almost every location an active part of the game. People were at least trying to be Occasionally, players making dinner or doing dishes might make the kitchen temporarily or permanently into a [[in characeroff-game]] when in area, but apart from the kitchen and the toilets, in their organisers' own sleeping quarters , the ideal was that all the time and so forthspace available would be a part of the larp. Since the cabins would be relativily were relatively crowded with people it was viewed as limiting to , the game idea that any indoor location should was not be a part of the [[diegesis]]was viewed as limiting to the game. It might not have been a conscious choice of the organisers, but the relatively young playergroup would get so agitated anyway, that it was at this moment in time difficult to upheld a rule of not allowing ban participants to sneak from sneaking around other people sleepingplayers, or kidnap from kidnapping people when they went to the traditional outdoor toilets in the dark. On the contrary, the designers of the games promoted these kind of activities, urging participants to play with the borders of the [[diegesis]] by the design of secret cults of kidnappers, and by secret ritual brotherhoods that would demand that characters wake up at night to perform secret activities, hidden from each other. <br><br><i>Organizers tested the limits of participants' expectations and their commitment to the [[diegesis]] and [[360]] illusion, for example, by breaking a glass window as a part of the start of the game. [[In-game]], a couple of mercenaries shattered a window and crawled into the kitchen (See deemed by a few players by habit to be an [[off-game]] space). What really happened was that the participants playing the mercenaries' characters were told to crawl through the open window into the kitchen of the forest cabin in question. On the inside of the window, inside the building kitchen, an organizer waited in this photo to imagine a typical outdoor toilet the dark with an old window frame. When the mercenaries starting climbing into the window, the organizer banged the old window frame into the floor so the glass broke all over the place, and the racket woke up all the other players. Before anyone noticed, the organizer blended into the many people waking up and start the game and gaming location nighttime at these larps: check what was going on inside the kitchen. * [http://www.maion.com/media/b2c56340-3668-11df-9d3e-19590d98061b-outdoor-toilets)</i>See the building in this photo to imagine a typical outdoor toilet and gaming location nighttime at these larps]

Mythological [[Image:Oslo Winterlarps_Plotlines02.jpg|thumb|right| The Faeryfolk could be Pictish Tribes from the Scottish highlands]]In the early years, mythological and religious elements would in the early years still be provided 30-50% of the plotelements plot elements available for the characters to explore.Characters would be included normal people in an of the appropriate historic age, and their with beliefs and superstitions would come that came to life through different technology and techniques employed in use by the organisers while the game unfoldedorganizers. Special charactergroups would have character groups used special makeup or costumes to enhance the belief of something supernatural, but in the end, they were most often based on secular explanations. The mysterious Elf in the forest was in the end the mentally retarded child of the parents, that they tried to hide away. The Faeryfolk would be Pictish Tribes from the Scottish highlands interfering with the rest (main body of the players playing) Celtic community.

The difference between [[summerlarps]] and [[winterlarps]] would be that the vast majority of players would not have access to any magical or supernatural powers. There might be characters like druid or a norse Norse volve would be present, but the supernatural would be in the hands of the organisers in forms of soundeffectssound effects, pyrotechnics like smokemachines, and especially in the form of staged visits of supernatural creatures dressed up and instructed by the organisers.

Over the years the pyrotechnics got less important and the relationshipwebs relationship webs between the players took focus.The overall plotlines plot lines moved from organiserdrivenorganizer-driven, to organiser fasciliatedorganizer-facilitated, to playerdriven player-driven and even player -initiatedplots.

*[[Boffer|Bofferweapons]]

==On-site preparationsPreparations==[[Image:Oslo Winterlarps Preparations03.jpg|thumb|right|The evening before larpstart people would practice folksongs relevant for the larp. Skalds would memorize legends. Priests would practice ceremonies and their Latin.]]Participants were divided into family groups of 10-20 people. Normally the size of the group would match a selected house which would be the base location for this groups play. Participant factions would meet regularly up to 6 months prior to the game, to decide on common clothing, plan for food, special customs or other appropriate exercises. In one game the group playing samipeople memorized some 100 words of Sami and used grammar intended to be totally incomprehensible to the rest of the participants. Skis that would give a period impression were prepared. Old tools were brought to the game. Axes for cutting trees and making firewood. Shovels for digging in the snow. The evening before the start of the larp , participants would decorate their living quarters, get into costumes, make food and be only partly playing their characters. They might do last minute practice of names of related characters. Individually people would be testing the way of talking [[in-character]], and often practice common songs related to the [[diegesis]] or the the overall [[genrè]] of the larp. More importantly , participants would discuss discussed routines like such as when to wake up, dishwashing, fetching water, maintaining the fire, foodmaking and establish cooking and established time and reponsibility responsibility for common meals and other practical matters. An organiser organizer would oversee this and balance it with the [[Scheduling]] and the [[Storyarc]] of the larp.

The reason for these These historic larps to be were held in wintertime was to be able , primarily to provide another form of larps that was suited to do in games during the traditional off-season period of the winter holidays. In contrast to their predecessors, the fantasybased fantasy-based [[summerlarps]] , winter larps required rented cabins needed to be rented in order to be able to handle the protect players from cold weather. The summerlarps ' use of tents or pineshelters pine shelters was inadequate due to the temperature and the snow. Cabins where were rented through active larpers that had connection with the organisations of connections to the Norwegian Scoutmovement (Scout movement [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouting)].<br>

<br>Many of these larps was were played during the Easter Holidays.Traditionally norwegian Norwegian families go into the mountains and visit old familyowned family owned cabins or farms during the Easter holidays.The cabins often have poor sanitation fascilitiesfacilities, no electricity and is are heated with firewood.<Br>These are holidays where the family spends a lot of time outdoor during daytime, and gather around a long table to share common meals evening time. Singing and playing cardgames is often also a part of this holiday. The winterlarps can be viewed as the larpers of Oslos mimicking these traditions into their larptraditionlarp tradition. <br><i>(Wikipedia article on Nordic Easter Traditions: * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_customs#Nordic_countries)</i>Wikipedia article on Nordic Easter Traditions]

==List of GamesLarps==

* 1993 - [[Kelterlaiven]] ([[The larp of the Celts]]) - Settlement of celts and vikings in north of the Brittish British Isles haunted by mythological creatures of those cultures myths.

* 1995 - [[Pestlaiven]] ([[The larp of the black death]]) - Based on old norwegian Norwegian folktraditions and faeries.* 1996 - [[Bronsealderlaiven]] ([[The larp of the bronzeage]])- Matriarchical bronzeage society where the male clanleader needs to be sacrificed through a series of rituals* 1997 - [[Et vintereventyr]] - ([[A winters fairytale]]) - First pan-nordic Nordic Larp ever, organised parallell to the first [[Knutepunkt]]).

* 2000 - [[Fremmede Drømmer]] ([[Alien Dreams]]) - Based on old norse Norse myths of the book Edda.

Photo here: http://www.laivgalleriet.no/gallery2/v/laiver/ravn/ravn94/album02/vinter_1994_drekka_mer.jpg.html TvTV-report made by the Youthdepartment of the National Broadcasting of Norway (NRK) in 1992 from the first Oslo Winterlarp {{#ev:youtube|_siS2M_h95g}}

  [[Category:GamesLarps]]