The first events were run in 1986 and the rules system was written and published by John Naylor and Steve Bell in 1986, by which point the national branch structure had already been established.
The advantage of this play style is that, unlike systems where dedicated crew teams must be employed, Fools and Heroes sessions have relatively low operating costs.
Other than an annual society membership fee to cover administration costs there is typically no charge to attend these sessions.
Fools and Heroes main event is Summerfest, which runs the weekend of the bank holiday in August, and was the first LARP to break the 1000-attendee mark in the early 1990s.
[4] It is a four-day event with on site camping and generally allows players to finish a national plot line that has been running over the previous 12 months.
FnH uses foam and latex weapons designed for use in live role play to ensure players' safety.
The combat system is referred to as location based; to reduce bookkeeping to a minimum during battles all weapons deal a single point of damage.
Their abilities depend on their position within their guild or church, which advances automatically after the character has played missions during a specific number of months.
The Guild of Mercenaries are the front line of a battle, protecting their allies and usually suited with metal armour.
Some typical potions include those used to heal a wound instantly, to protect yourself from a single blow, or even become invisible for a short time.
Guards, who are found in cities, and Foresters, who are usually in the wilds, can issue arrest warrants, check adventurers for their permits, and also declare people Outlawed.
Thirdly, there are four Knightly Orders of Ithron, all of which serve the church of Sidhe, the god of justice, to a greater or lesser degree.