The Swedish campaign Krigshjärta (Heart of War) is known for running great war larps several times a year. Every other summer a bigger event is held, and this year it was Krigshjärta VI. In this post you will find some stunning photos from the larp as well as concept art inspiring the participants into making all the amazing costumes and gear that makes Krighjärta come to life.
Krigshjärta VI – Svart Vatten (Heart of War IV – Black Water) was held in Blekinge in Southern Sweden 22 – 28 July 2013. It had about 380 participants divided in the two fighting fractions; The fascist nation of Cordovien and the ultra-capitalistic organization The Guild.
The threshold in turns of costume to attend a Krighjärta is not extremely high, so don’t get scared by the pictures if you want to attend one of the larps. Instead see it as inspiration. I also want to mention that the main focus of the larps is war, this does not make it into an larp only about the boffer-fighting. The conflict between cultures and the relationships within fractions and groups makes the role-playing ongoing 24/7.
Photo gallery
I did not attend Krigshjärta VI myself, but I have in this post gathered photos from the larp to show you a great example of craftsmanship and high aesthetic ambitions in the Nordic larping scene. Most were taken off-game and not during the larp and a few were shot discretely in-game.
The campaign aims high when it comes to equipment, esthetics and special effects, and players are usually expected to create a thought-through character with a suitable costume.
Krighjärta at the Nordic larp Wiki
Concept art gallery
Many things has been done to inspire participants into making great costumes and to visualize the different soldier types as well as the cultures of the two fractions. For the web page and other campaign material a lot of concept art has been produced by the Krigshjärta participant Peter Edgar.
In the war setting, many different stories can be played, and this is highly encouraged by the organizers. This makes Krigshjärta a larp suitable for many types of players and it becomes a meeting place for people interested in boffer, war strategy and action as well as emotional immersion, social realism and oppression themes.
Krighjärta at the Nordic larp Wiki
Campaign trailer
During 2011 and 2013 a trailer for the campaign was made by Terje Walberg and Nicolas Lennman. Mainly filmed during the larps Krigshjärta 5 and Krigshjärta 5.8. And yes, it is a bit inspired by Age of Empires 2.
Organizer thoughts
I ask Maria Rodén who have organized several of the Krigshjärta larps on her thoughts on the aesthetics of the campaign and what it does for the look and feel of the larp.
Maria Rodén
One of the main organizers of Krighjärta VI
Heart of War would not have been the same without all the involved participants who help to create a world that feels very much alive.
The different cultures in the world of the campaign contains distinct costumes which has taken numerous hours to create. The inspiration is ranging from a period from the vikings to the renaissance, with elements of the First World War and steampunk.
Further reading
Krighjärta at the Nordic larp Wiki
Krigshjärtan – Main site for the campaign (In Swedish)
Krigshjärta VI – Main site for the larp Krigshjärta VI (In Swedish)
Rapport från Krigshjärta 5 – My report from Krigshjärta V (In Swedish)
Petter Karlsson 
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