What Is Age Of Iron?

Age of Iron is LARP system run by, and for, members of the University of York Sci-fi and Fantasy Society.

During term times, we run two sessions of role-play each week. In these, you take on the role of a character of your own devising, and throw them into a world of high adventure. Your character will have the opportunity to mingle with heroes, fight against villains, and gain great riches, all while you have a fantastically fun time!

If you want to know more about how the game works, we recommend checking out the players guide that can be found here. This includes an introduction to LARP, the rules of the game, and a guide to making your own character. It also contains a brief introduction to the setting, sharing some similarities to the one that follows!

An Age Of Iron... And An Age Of Heroes!

It is said that the land itself wishes death to all who live upon it. Mud rises underfoot to pull travellers down through the dirt. Plants tear roots from the earth to lumber after their prey. The mouths of caves close to devour any fools that shelter within. All this and more offers ample proof for the old adage; there is a rot in the world, from crust to core.

Nature itself seems to teach that might is right, for even the most peaceable of herbivores are monstrous in form. The hulking sauropods, armoured ankylosaurs, towering mammoths, and vicious megatheriums, all display their power plainly. Even the smaller animals, the velociraptors, the smilodons, the doedicurus, have been gifted with all they need to carve out their own territories amid the chaos.

Is it any wonder then, that the people of such a world are steeped in savagery, that they beg the gods for protection no matter how high the cost, that they fail to see the value of life, for they are too inured to death.

There are the reptilionoids, as varied in shape and temperament as they are in name and culture. Some scavenge through the endless dregs of fallen civilisations, while others hold out against the rot behind ancient stone walls, knowing they are only putting off the inevitable.

The mammals fare little better. Whether human or mud-folk, they lie trapped in a vicious cycle of fighting or fleeing. The ogres, though viewed by humans as blood-thirsty cannibals, have a pragmatic approach that has seen their kind cling to existence. 

Humanity, at first glance, seems to be the most successful of these species, but how many have fallen in violence and bloodshed, that a paltry few may rise to prominence? Monarchs may draw borders around their empires, but how much land is left unattended between their cities? What horrors stalked the forests of Luxantium? How much do the Gedrosi really know of the valleys and mountains they claim to control?

Only the people of Magna Thule have managed to claim back the abyss. Their god-given grain sanctifies the land, and they have carried both grain and faith across their continent. Now they turn their attentions across the seas, seeking new lands and new civilisations to unite in common progress. Some have claimed this is a futile endeavour, but others believe that it is the only way to bring peace to this troubled world.

This then is the game of Age of Iron. A game in which the brave adventurers of Magna Thule, be they human, beast, or reptile, must take all that their savage world can throw at them. Before them lies the opportunity to stand as exemplars of liberty and courage, or else fall to the desperation and malice that gnaws within us all.