Exposing a subculture often dismissed as "geeky" by mainstream America, Leaving Mundania is the story of live action role-playing (LARP). A hybrid of games--such as Dungeons & Dragons, historical reenactment, fandom, and good old-fashioned pretend--larp is thriving, and this book explores its multifaceted communities and related phenomena, including the Society for Creative Anachronism, a medieval reenactment group that boasts more than 32,000 members. Author Lizzie Stark looks at the hobby from a variety of angles, from its history in the pageantry of Tudor England to its present use as a training tool for the US military. Along the way, she duels foes with foam-padded weapons, lets the great elder god Cthulhu destroy her parents' beach house, and endures an existential awakening in the high-art larp scene of Scandinavia.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Published: 05/01/2012
ISBN: 9781569766057
Pages: 258
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.54h x 5.58w x 0.54d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2012