In an Armidale pine forest, participants gather for a weekend of medieval living, engaging in activities such as hand-to-hand combat and camping, aiming to escape modern life's digital distractions. Event organizer Luke Binks emphasizes the desire for authenticity and real-life connections among attendees. Amanda McCaughey, with six years of LARP experience, notes that these events offer a more present and genuine form of reality compared to constant engagement with social media or other technological distractions.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Piercing through the early morning bird calls comes a loud blaring horn.
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horn → pierce → calls
Be aware — the battle has begun.
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battle → begin → ?
In the Armidale pine forest a group of soldiers, merchants and knights have gathered to spend a weekend in the Middle Ages.
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group → gather → Ages
The soldiers are fuelled by simple food such as bread and cheese and their days are spent engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
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days → fuel → combat
Through the long nights they keep watch for the enemy.
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they → keep → enemy
Event organiser Luke Binks says visiting an old reality can help people find real-life connections away from the digital world.
"I think people are really craving some realism, they're craving escape from what feels like a lie to us sometimes," he says.
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he → say → us
Mr Binks has been taking part in events such as these for more than two decades and makes his living building period-accurate armour.
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Binks → take → armour
"People really want authenticity," he says.
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he → want → authenticity
"Not just authenticity in a historically accurate kind of way, but authenticity in a true understanding and connection to what they're doing and who they are.
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they → do → what
It's difficult to be 100 per cent immersed but … we're in a cool forest, we're camping for four days, you get to deploy out with a medieval military and you almost get to be part of what you see in the movies."
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you → immerse → movies
'More real' than real life
Amanda McCaughey, who has six years' worth of live-action role-playing (LARP) experience under her belt, says "the weird thing" is that "it's not about escaping real life".
"
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it → have → life
This is almost more real life, because if you get stuck in a doomscroll forever, how is that real?" she says.
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she → stick → doomscroll
"You can actually be present in the moment and that's what these events do really well."
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events → do → what
Ms McCaughey said preparation was vital, but not cheap.
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preparation → say → ?
"You're using natural materials only, wool, linens, which are very expensive," she said.
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she → use → materials
"The number [of dollars you spend] is infinite, because it's depending on how much gear you buy, how much equipment you buy to participate, whether or not you have someone you can stay in tents with."
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you → spend → tents
SKEMA Business School persuasive language professor Tom van Laer said LARP had its origins in the world of board games such as Dungeons and Dragons but evolved to the point where the board was removed, leaving only the people.
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board → say → people
"It brings back the social — not the social as in 'social media' … humans in the same space doing something together," he said.
"
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he → bring → something
That is becoming rarer because of technology."
Great escapes, emotional journeys
Mr Binks said the events also helped participants build confidence and allowed people a space to challenge themselves.
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participants → become → themselves
"People have a great time doing it," he said.
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he → have → it
"They get to explore themselves a bit, get to test their courage.
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They → get → courage
That may seem like a trivial something, but it's actually not.
uncertain
it → seem → something
Can I actually last?
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I → last → ?
I'm going to trudge around a forest for four days in soft-soled leather shoes, can I actually do it?'
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I → go → it
Sometimes it can feel like too much effort to get here, but as soon as you're here and doing stuff you're, 'Like this is actually really relaxing — I don't know if I want to go home.'
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I → feel → stuff
"
But Professor van Laer said some people could also experience what is known as "bleed".
uncertain
what → say → bleed
That happens when the fictional life encroaches on the ordinary, leaving some feeling dissatisfied.
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life → happen → some
"You learn about leadership, teamwork, all kinds of skills that you could use in your real life.
uncertain
you → learn → life
You know how to deal with stress, but there's also clashes," Professor van Laer said.
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Laer → know → stress
"Say that you slayed a dragon on the weekend, and then on Monday morning you're sitting in your cubicle with your emails.
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you → say → emails
You start to question, 'Are these the life choices I was meant to make?
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I → start → ?
"People actually use these LARPs to reflect on their own life and whether they need to make changes.
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they → use → changes
The Aporia