At a NERO event, players gather at a group campsite (often a State or National Park) on weekends reserved by the local chapter.

A group of staff members write the plot and story for the event, while a cast of volunteer NPCs play the roles of monsters and townspeople.

Over the course of an event, characters earn treasure in the form of fake gold and silver coins, magical components, or enchanted items through battle with fantasy monsters and by solving puzzles or other challenges.

[1] Ivey heard of a role-playing game in New Hampshire called Midrealms Adventures that was played outdoors, where participants dressed up like their player characters.

Ivey scripted the game, bought some costumes for the non-player characters, and ran the event that he called Weekend Warriors for six players.

In a 2012 interview, Ivey outlined how NERO had developed the idea of LARPing, saying, "Live role-playing started in England, where there are a lot of medieval reenactment societies, but what we do is a fantasy game.

[2] The largest NERO event location became the "Duchy of Ravenholt",[8] where Ivey would oversee feasts and celebrations in the role of Duke Basil Ravenhurst.

In 1998, Joseph Valenti purchased NERO from Ivey and began selling franchise licenses to people who wished to open and operate a local chapter in their area.