Architecture of Live-action Roleplay
What happens when a LARP-community buys land?
Empire, the UK’s largest LARP event, has made history by purchasing a permanent site in the Midlands—crowdfunded by over a thousand fans—which will now be transformed into a community-built fantasy village, part movie set, part theme park. As an architect and long-time participant, I’ve been invited to help envision what this new “Anvil” could become, drawing from interviews with attendees and the eclectic creativity seen in their costumes. My design proposals focus on DIY construction, reused materials, nation-specific styles, and immersive elements like magical symbolism and themed vegetation. This is more than a LARP site—it’s a living experiment in collaborative, imaginative architecture.
Redesigning the Sentinel Gate
In this video, I explore a redesign of the Sentinel Gate, the most iconic landmark in the Empire LARP—a portal said to teleport heroes during the solstices. Inspired by a staircase project I built in 2019 using hand-cast octopus tiles and modular construction, I propose rebuilding the gate in stone using interlocking, ornamented blocks and a keystone system, all assembled without adhesives. My goal is to stay true to the original timber design while enhancing its detail and permanence, showing how a mix of fantasy symbolism, sculptural techniques, and DIY craftsmanship could bring this structure to life as a permanent part of the new Empire site.
When an Architect goes LARPing…
I attended Empire, Britain’s largest LARP event, along with 4000 other adventurers. I did an architectural survey in character. I discussed with the community what kinds of structures they would like to see built as the organisers are planning on purchasing a permanent site. This is what I found:
First time at Empire
I recount my first experience at Britain biggest LARP event sharing various thought my partner and I had.
Using AI to generate highly detailed fantasy maps
As part of researching the the lore of Empire, I drew a giant map of the fictional world, using a combination of Blender, Photoshop and Stable Diffusion.
