Allied Kingdoms

Have you ever participated, or are you planning on joining a LARP? Do you know what a LARP is? LARP stands for Live Action Role Playing.

LARPing can be a very entertaining hobby. Typically, a group of players, which can range in number from ten to a hundred, gather together at a campsite. Once there, they all develop a character. They come up with the character’s name, interests, jobs, etc. Then the group will role play being those characters and will interact with one another.

There are often times a number of people who actually run the game and progress the story. They do this by presenting challenges, playing character important to the world of the story, and by playing monsters or villains. Most LARPs actually involve live combat through the use of latex weaponry.

Once the weekend event starts, the players are in the world of the game constantly. You live, eat, and sleep as your character. That means that even when you are sleeping, you can be attacked. It is this completely immersive nature that keeps LARPers coming back for more.

One of the key elements for your character is your costume. You’re going to be in this costume for an entire weekend, do you definitely want to look for something that is comfortable. You’re also going to want a costume that looks impressive, to help maintain the atmosphere of the game world.

If you are in need of a handmade, high quality, durable, and authentic fantasy costume, then you should look no further than PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com. We have a vast selection of costumes for a variety of characters for both men and women. All of our outfits are handmade, comfortable, and sure to last. So make sure to browse through our selection, so you can find the costume that makes you stand out amongst the rest.

Which LARPs do you attend? Tell us about your favorite LARPs, LARP stories, or about your character by leaving a comment!

Here at PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com, we pride ourselves at providing you authentic costuming for both the Renaissance and Medieval era. Our Renaissance costumes can help you fit in at a Renaissance Faire, a Medieval reenactment, or a Live Action Roleplaying (LARP) game.

But we also recognize that there are many other aspects of this exciting time in history that you may have questions about. In order to help you find the answers you may have about the Renaissance, we wanted to introduce you to a new ally of ours: Renaissance Spell.

Renaissance Society Informational site about the history of the times and culture of the Renaissance movement.

Renaissance Spell has many subcategories where visitors can learn a vast majority about a number of topics. If you are interested in learning about Renaissance art such as Leonard Da Vinci, Michelangelo, or Raphael, you can find almost anything you need to know. Interested in architecture? There is a section all about the buildings of the Renaissance. Almost anything you want to learn from an artistic standpoint, you can find at this site.

We’re happy to call them our friends.

If you love the Renaissance or Medieval period as much as we do, you probably want to immerse yourself in that time period as much as possible. That is why we love to wear costumes, go to Renaissance Faires or LARPs, and get a feel for what life was really like back in those times.

But there is another way to access the Renaissance era that does not require you to leave your house: Literature. We’ve recently had the royal privilege of meeting Leslie Carroll, a historical fiction author. Leslie has written a plethora of books, but the two that focus most on the Medieval Era are Royal Affairs and Notorious Royal Marriages. Both of these books are excellent reads and should certainly be on your shelf if you are a fan of history, romance, or the Renaissance Era.

Leslie Carroll also has a blog that keeps all of her readers up to date with information regarding her publications and all things Medieval: Royal Affairs Blog. In fact, right now on her blog, Leslie is hosting a competition for one of our Elven Princess Tiaras. So if you are interested in Leslie’s books, or want to see how you can win our own free Elven Princess Tiara, make sure to stop by the Royal Affairs Blog and tell Leslie we said “Hi.”

All of the Renaissance costumes that you find at PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com can be put to a variety of uses.  As we’ve discussed before, one such avenue for our Medieval clothing can be a Live Action Role Playing game or LARP for short.

LARPs are fully immersive games that put the player directly into the game world.  You create your character and you actually play that character anyway that you’d like.  There are various genres and types of LARPs out there, but once that we’ve recently come to know very well is Wyvern Rising.

Wyvern Rising is a high fantasy, low body, boffer combat LARP.  This group is based out of Hazleton, which is located in North Eastern Pennsylvania and they typically hold their events at Hickory Run State Park.

Currently in its 7th season, Wyvern Rising has been providing LARPers the opportunity to place the dashing hero or the sinister villain.  You can play a human, elf, dwarf, orc, or a number of other races that are unique to their world.  You can be the gallant warrior, the swashbuckling rogue, the devout priest, the studious mage, or a skilled craftsman.  With all of the different combinations of character types, really the only question that can be asked it, “What role will you play?”

At PearsonsRenaissanceShopp.com, you can be sure to find the finest Medieval clothing in all the land.  But clothing is just one important element to understanding and appreciating the Medieval era.  There are countless ways with which one can study and interact with this important historical period.

We became very aware of this fact when we met Will Kalif, who runs the site Heroic Dreams – All Things Medieval.

Heroic Dreams is a virtual treasure trove of information on and endless list of topics that is sure to peak anyone’s interest.  The site is well maintained and the archives date back to August 2006.  The site is even broken down into categories so that you can conveniently browse through the topics of your choice.  Some examples of the categories include:

• Movies
• Books
• Wargames
• Board games
• Lord of the Rings
• Dark Ages
• Medieval Weapons
• For Writers
• Websites
• Siege Engines
• Dungeons and Dragons
• Blacksmithing
• Comics
• Many, many more

One post we loved was a post that instructed you on how to make cardboard shields for your Halloween costume.  These shields can be used for any other type of occasion, look great, and are simple to make.

So make sure to stop by Heroic Dreams.  And if you do, let Will know that we sent you!

We at PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com would like to take a few moments to introduce you to a good friend of ours, Joyce DiPastena.

Joyce is a Medieval and Renaissance enthusiast who is the author of Illuminations of the Heart, a historical romance novel that was a finalist for the 2009 Whitney Award.  She is also currently in the process of a second novel, also set in the Medieval era.

We met Joyce through her blog, Medieval Research with Joyce, where she offers a wealth of information about the Medieval era, based upon the research she conducts for her books.  This information covers a number of aspects concerning Medieval lifestyles, historical events, and historical figures.  You will be sure to find a lot of interesting and entertaining facts, stories, and fables throughout Joyce’s blog posts.

So if you have a few moments in between dressing for the ball, holding court for potential suitors, or attending the joust, make sure to visit Medieval Research with Joyce.