Unexpected Events > Wasteland UK

About Wasteland UK

Wasteland UK is a Live Action Role Play (LRP or LARP) game, set an alternative timeline Post-Apocalyptic Britain. See the setting page for more details.
Our first event ran in September 2011, at The Grange near Coventry. Since then we have run other events, running into double digits, with plans for many more in the future.

Sam Webb and Andie Figgins founded Unexpected Events Limited in 2013 as a parent company for Wasteland UK, Spy! and other events around the country bringing new and interesting genres to the LRP community.

Event Organisers

SAMUEL WEBB ("WEBBY") started Live Roleplaying in his last year at Drama School, where he trained to be a theatre director, and was introduced to large events like Curious Pastimes by fellow student Charlie ("Native Ref".) Wasteland UK was born out of an idea that he and friend Ben Macey had to start up a Fallout inspired post-apocalyptic LRP. Wasteland UK quickly grew in popularity, attracting live roleplayers from a mix of backgrounds and hosted its first event in September 2011. When Andie ("Bugs") came on board in 2012, the game developed and with it a business partnership into Unexpected Events Limited. As system co-creator, Webby is your ref to go to for rules questions, group background ideas and anything else in general. He can be reached at: sam@wasteland-uk.org

ANDIE FIGGINS ("BUGS") has been involved in Live Role Play for over 20 years, starting her LRP hobby in her early teens. She was involved in one of the longest running LRP systems in the world for nearly 15 years as a referee, crew member, player and staff member. She says that gave her a fantastic understanding of all aspects of LRP in the UK. In 2008 she started a hobby business making costumes for friends, that became her full time job in 2014. Bugs started her Wasteland UK career as a player at the first event, and was asked to join the Game Team less than two months later. Since then she and Webby formed Unexpected Events Limited, moving on to new projects, bringing something new to UK LRP. Bugs is usually seen on event as Player Ref, looking after the players IC and OC needs. Outside of event she answers the WLUK phone, as well as spending time writing plot, organising sites and dealing with all things player related. Reach her at: andie@wasteland-uk.org

System Referees

CHARLIE RIVERS ("NATIVE REF") attended Rose Bruford drama college with Sam, and came on board to the Wasteland UK team when it was in development. He studied Scenic Arts and still makes weapons and props for friends and Unexpected Events. He has been LARPing for many years, since his teens and has attended a number of different systems from mainline Lorien Trust and Curious Pastime events to Labyrinth, Aftermath and Heart of Pargon. Charlie earned the nickname "Native Ref" after the first couple of Wasteland UK events from his crazy encounters and going off-script... like playing Fallout: New Vegas with Wacky Wasteland turned on... You can tell him your engineering ideas at: charlie@wasteland-uk.org

ROB ELLIOTT ("N.P.R") is Wasteland UK's monster ref. Rob has been Live Roleplaying for five years, starting at Curious Pastimes where he met Charlie and Sam. Rob started his Wasteland UK career at Event 1.5: Robbery Bottom where he monstered and was then asked to organise the monsters on event at Event 2, becoming a referee for the game at the same time. Rob is "Not" a "Proper" "Ref" and therefore gets away with a lot more than the others. You can ask him about crewing for us at: rob@wasteland-uk.org

What is LRP?

Live Action Role Play is a interactive theatre experience, which allows the participants to choose a character, what that characters skills are, what their backstory would be. On the event, they act as that character for the full event, fighting with LRP weapons and shooting realistically painted NERF guns at the enemy, talking to anyone with information and interacting with other participants to achieve personal or group goals, as well as the goals set in the event by the ref team.

Costume

The nice thing about Wasteland UK, and the setting, is that costume should be easy and cheap to assemble. Wasteland UK is set in a post nuclear wasteland that is now Britain 80 years after a 2 hour war between many countries (see the setting page for more information). Because of the war effort, popular culture and fashion became less of a priority, fashion has to an extent stayed the same since the 1940’s/1950’s, although there have been some changes to make clothes last longer and protect the wearer. You can see some examples of costumes in the Gallery section of this website.

Most players raid their wardrobe for old or tired looking clothes they no longer wear. Topping these up with cheap purchases from charity shops. Props are very much the same in terms of making or buying them. Most towns have charity shops with some old looking items that can be repurposed!
This means Wasteland UK is a great place to start your LRP hobby, or to try for the first time if it is outside of your usual LRP genre, no need for expensive new kit. Unless you want to, of course!

Weapons

Wasteland UK uses two different types of weapons, LRP safe melee weapons and NERF guns.

LRP safe Melee weapons have a rod core running through the centre, this is then surrounded by foam and painted to look realistic with latex. Our players use anything from daggers and maces to “Bricks on sticks”. It really is what you are comfortable using.

NERF guns are ideal, reasonably priced, physical representations of the kinds of guns now available and used in a post-apocalyptic world.
These can be easily modified from the standard colours available on the market, by filling down the logos and painting them with model and acrylic paints bought from any art or model shop.
There are many photo’s in our gallery that will give you some good ideas of the kinds of things our players and crew already use.

Never LRP’d before? Don’t worry!

We have a diverse range of players and crew, that includes the kinds of experience they have within LRP. From players who have never been to an event before to those with years of experience. Everyone is welcome, and all of our participants are more than happy to help with any questions you have outside of an event (as well as quietly on event).

We also have a team of refs who are available via email, phone or our Facebook page ready to help with any questions you have before you come for the first time. The refs are always on hand to have a chat and help with anything you need to know, don’t understand or just are curious about on event too. No question will be laughed at, or will be seen as silly. We promise.

Player Numbers

Our events usually have between 30 and 35 players. This is a great number for plenty of time with refs, and excellent roleplay opportunities, as well as allowing our refs to be able to write plot based on your character as well as “world plot” that everyone can get involved in.

How can you get involved?

Check out our bookings and events pages for information on up-coming events. Then decide if you want to play, or crew.
Players buy a ticket, submit their booking form with their personal details, as well as a character background and list of skills, you can find full details of game mechanics, rules and character generation on our Rules page.
On event, you will play your character at all times from Friday, Time In (start of game) to Sunday, Time Out (end of game). Facing everything the crew, and the other players, say and do. Reacting the way your character would and facing the consequences of those actions.
During the weekend crew members will play parts with vital information for the players, once that information has been delivered, the players then have free choice as to how they deal with it as a group, or individual!
Crew volunteer their time to “play the other side” for the players. The Ref Team write a plot document for the event, which details the parts they will play, and a Ref will be briefing them and guiding them throughout the event.
These parts could be anything from non-intelligent Feral Ghouls to very intelligent “real” people with important information. So there is a good mix of fighting and talkative roleplay to be had as a crew member. We also try to have a part of each of the crew, that is in some way interesting or “special”. This means that most crew members get a special part that they can make their own – almost like being a player for a length of time.