The Tolkien Effect

2002-2004 were the years of highest fantasy larp growth in Croatia, the unprecedented growth when the population of larpers doubled in three short years. This growth coincides with the release of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, from December 2001. to December 2003.

Peter Jackson's trilogy - an adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic - had a tremendous impact on the industry, popularizing the fantasy genre (both in literature, onscreen, in video games and in role-play), and making it it more mainstream and commonplace.

The Hobbit, which comes out this week, could make another impact. Probably not as much as LoTR, but significant enough to contribute to an increase in the general interest about fantasy in the next three years as movies come out (probably helped by the ongoing Game of Thrones on HBO, which already caused a spark of interest of its own).

This is a likely window of opportunity for all fantasy larps to gather as much interested people as possible and ride the popularity of the Tolkien Effect. Use this to enrich the hobby - get your friends to larp.

On a side note: I'm going to the movie screening this Wednesday evening with my wife. I also purchased the Kindle version of the book - interestingly, cheaper than the price of a movie ticket.

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The 15 rules of larp

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Diary of a Croatian larper

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