Bicolline tour | Inside a medieval fantasy LARP town 

I saw people saying non-decorum camping was far away from the action but it's really not far

@@solotraveleurope "really far" is subjective... i call a 15miles walk "just around the corner" ;)

I hope you can visit Bicolline someday. As a veteran LARPer, you should be able to connect more than I did. The sense of community here is wonderful.

That's really sad.

This comment made me so sad. People can be horrible and often those we think will be the most supportive often are the ones that disappoint us and doubt our abilities. I have no doubt that had you pursued your dream you would have been very successful. No reason you couldn't still try, Bicolline is only one example. The world needs more of these beautiful places. You can do it, And I truly hope you give it a shot!!! Sending lots of Hugs from South Africa.

It's kind of like the idea behind the book/movie/TV series Westworld, but without the awful dehumanizing depravity that characterized so much of the concept when it made its way to HBO. Pretty cool idea when you get right down to it!

@@EldradWolfsbane we have a little place in Germany as well, they have built a medieval fantasy village and are still continuing finishing the second one, a Nordic village. If you search for Bogenwald & Jyrlund on RU-vid you can have a look…it‘s much smaller but very cohesive

such a cool guild

From what I've seen of the Dwarven Engineers....they're amazing, wonderful work! Thank you so much!

I am so interested in learning more about your guild!!! Is there a website I could visit? I would love to know how to contribute to the guild and what it takes to join. Thank you!

@@Sleipnirseight Our guild is mostly compose of friends but come see us in-game, we are very friendly!

I am so happy you were able to have this experience at Bicolline. I hope you make many more good memories there. Thank you for watching!

You're welcome. There are a number of great Bico videos on RU-vid but all of them have left me with some logistics/experience questions (like the car line thing - what's the entrance like? Or getting a good look at The Voyage North) so I made this to address that. There is a nonperiod camping area as well, so you won't have to buy a period tent if you have a modern one.

Glad you had a great trip. March Wardens or Nova Vitae? What are the interactions like between guilds? This is a solo travel channel but I agree Bico isn't maximized if you're alone.

@@solotraveleurope Based on being in the background of some of the shots i would presume a Marchwarden(as was I, sorry I don't recognize your out of character name), we were in the purple and gold tents adjacent Ordo Cervi. For inter guild interactions the 3 TVN guilds have a lot of interaction, with most events run by one guild open to members of the others, the 3 guilds being in an alliance for battles and the geopolitics side of the game, and meals and meetings were had together. Beyond the voyage north guilds I heard there was a good deal of interaction with other guilds for the geopolitical aspects but that is not something I was engaged with this year, so other than guilds being introduced as our allies on the battlefield I imagine interactions with the other guilds was pretty similar to what a non guild affiliated player would experience.

@@DavidDean Thanks for sharing

How much do the packages cost? I’ve tried looking but can never find a straight answer…

It varies but it's not cheap. I've seen $1500-2000 floating around? The price is different for each person based on what customized package you get from TVN (you can bring the cost down by working or bring it up by getting extra experiences designed for you) but I can make several other videos with that money so I didn't do TVN.

Hope you get to go

Incredible!😊

It was such a cool experience. I think you'd love it. I want to learn more about the SCA as well and go to Pennsic someday.

The SCA is set pre 1600. The idea is to be as period as possible but some modern things still show up. People will still have their phones, kids will have tablets, and of course, any necessary med equipment. We don't "not allow" things like Bicolline, but I think that is really cool. Because we are anachronistic garb is required to be perfect just a best attempt. You'll see plenty of modern tents mixed with period tents or people wearing sneakers with their garb, stuff like that.

Forgot to say that another difference is the weapons, SCA weapons are made of ratan with some padding and the armor is either steel, leather, or lamellar with all the necessary padding. If you fight in the SCA you will at least get bruises. There have been cracked or broken bones, but we do try to avoid that. You have to go through actual fighter training and have your fighting and armor signed off by the marshal before you're allowed to fight. You must also be 18 or over. Under 18 we have youth combat and training with is done with foam weapons

Glad it was helpful!

:)

I'd love to check out Twin Mask someday

You're welcome!

You're welcome

The best part is how everything was built by members!

Thank you for letting us visit! It was super fun

Nice to "meet" you again!

thanks!

Thank you. Being informative was my top goal for this video.

:)

Thanks for watching

Thank you

The immersion is awesome

I hope you can visit someday

it's just going to look better every year!

But it's true, and annoying.

Yes the Wild Hunt setup is interesting!

I also recognized that immediately, and then had ptsd flashbacks, that movie was brutal. One of my all time favorites.

Hope you have a blast

I hope you can go

Those villages look amazing

It doesn't look international though, seems like all communication is in German, is that correct?

@@Sylvaantye Larp orgas generally also offer english information and most Germany can speak understandable english. Its about as international as Bicoline, which is mostly french speaking. So you will be able to partake in the game, but don´t expect everything to be served in an international way as the majority of players is German. I always reccomoned to build it into your character. Traveling from far away or something along the lines, it definitely streamlines your experience.

I thought (maybe mistakenly) that Drachenfest was a fairly huge thing

@@ElenaNearpass Who are you answering? And yes, Drachenfest is a fairly large event. Second largest in Germany as far as I know. With the biggest being Conquest of Mythodea with like about 10.000 visitors.

I forgot about that one

beautiful way to put it

Thanks so much for your comment! I put a lot of work into my videos so I really appreciate it when someone watches all the way through. Ordo Cervi/The Voyage North works with influencers so seems to have a more flexible attitude towards cameras being out.

awesome!

My first time trying Quebec poutine!

It was on mine!

have fun!

I want to go back, there were things I didn't get to do this year. What about you?

@@solotraveleurope For sure ! I don't know if you are on our Bicolline Discord channel to help out new players, but if not, let me know, and I will send you an invite :)

You can go everywhere in the park without knowing French. Most people can speak or can take you to someone who can. I recommend coming with a group of friends or joining an English-speaking guild if you don't know French, because it will be lonely if you're totally alone.

Do it! Bicolline is a WYSIWYG LARP so if you have the real skills, your character has them too

I could only go for Sunday and Monday. I wish I could have seen more, like the battles and trollball.

I'd love to see more Bico videos. Bico has a "discovery day" on Friday, which is aimed at newcomers at a discounted price ($70, still not cheap). It's the only one day ticket option. I'm pretty sure cameras are also allowed during the Saturday grand battle.

There are modified caravans in the decorum area and you can have a modern Rv in the non decorum area. There's spouts for water and washing. Port a potties are cleaned daily and free but if you really want a real one, a shower + bathroom access at the inn is $6.

No, I used music from RU-vid's free audio library. You can see and listen to the tracks in the video description (Christmas Village, Running Through The Forest, Central Park, Forest of Fear, Imperial Forces)

The cars go away after day 1!

Day 1, for building

Happy to answer all your questions! First, can you tell me more about your situation?

hunting orcs at night? I'm in

love it. any other changes?

I think the parking lot never closes. It is not a long drive but it can restrict the amount of drinking you do because someone needs to be sober to drive, and drinking is a big part of the evening festivities. I liked staying in a hotel because I had a real bathroom and internet/cell service. You can't make calls or go online at Bicolline since it's remote.

@@solotraveleurope Thanks for replying, it makes me feel much better about being able to go! Before this I've only seen information and videos about Bicolline from people who camp there. It's probably a way better experience, but for someone who can't do that I'm so glad there is another option. (And I'm going to really like having a real bathroom too :) I'm so glad I came across your video. Thanks again for sharing.

Hope you can experience it soon!

No shuttle but the Discord group is very active so you should be able to ask someone to carpool.

You will not be able to get into deep geopolitics in the online game without French but for the Grand Bataille just English is fine, and it is getting more English-friendly each year. A few years ago the website had no English but now it does. I think it's a good idea to join an English guild for the social aspect more than the language aspect.

@@solotraveleurope Coming from a German Larping tradition, is it necessary to join a guild? If I go out of germany I am more of a "just go alone and go with the flow" player.

@@theexchipmunk I did not join a guild and had a great time. It was my first time at a LARP so I had no experience but was able to go with the flow, so I think you'd have fun. I recommend going with at least one other person so you can react to things together.

Glasses and sunglasses are allowed for people who need them to see

Transport to Bicolline will vary depending on where you come from. I spent around $400. The weekly ticket is between $300-400 Canadian dollars. If you camp in the non-decorum area using modern camping gear, it is free beyond the cost of normal camping gear like a tent, etc. assuming you already own that stuff. I stayed at a hotel in town instead of camping so my cost was way higher but most people don't stay in town and I don't recommend that. The costuming cost depends on personal taste but I think $100 is enough as long as you're careful and creative about it. I spent less than that. Food is cheap if you cook but I bought all my meals so it was $20-40 CAD/day for that. The Voyage North seems to be a four figure sum so if you aren't prepared to pay four figures on top of transport to Bicolline, your ticket, and costuming, it's probably not for you. Bicolline is unique for everyone so everyone's costs are different but you can see from my costs that this LARP is not a budget experience. Hope this helps and feel free to ask for more details.

The full immersion rule doesn't apply to medical tools, so you can bring and wear what you need. There's also a medical tent across from the entrance with trained staff.

There is a first aid station right across from the main gate staffed by professionals

IKR

The cars are gone by the night of the first day

@@solotraveleurope nice

Joining a guild gives you a built-in community

It's a LARP so you have a lot of control over what you say/don't say. It's not a video game with set scenes.

What are some of these hoops?

@@RubSomeDirtOnIt He does- but honestly, that was a funny first reaction for me too.

DECORUM

The vehicles go away after day 1. This is just day 1 footage

The entire grand battle event is a full week long. Guilds begin loading up the week before if they can, but much needs to be brought in at the last minute to last out til the end. I've had to haul my weeks stuff in from the gate by hand when the mud was too deep to allow vehicles .... starting out a week's adventuring exhausted is no way to enjoy yourself.

Fantasy novels never talk about the bathroom situation!

The cars are only allowed on site for the first day until 4PM. We don't see them until the last day.

I'm under the impression RP is really good at Pennsic even with the modern stuff

Pennsic war is a fantasy larp no matter what anyone says. There very littel actually historical about it.

It's fantasy, not historical medieval, so there is some magic

The cars go away after nightfall on the first day!

This was filmed during the setup period before the event really kicked off. I didn't film after the event started, even though everything looked better, because the tech would've affected immersion.

My main focus is Europe but this trip was too cool not to share. I also think it's inconvenient Pennsic is at the same time because a lot of people would be interested in both

The cars go away after the first day. I could only film on the first day

The cars go away by the second day, but I could only film on the first day

The cars are only there for a day

Probably first day for building, then again after the last day.

The cars are only there for day one, setup day. I was only allowed to film during setup day.

You did not read