Advise on LARP softcombat

[Spanish_Paladin]

Hi!!, i'll be attending a LARP on august and it is my first time. I have been trained in kendo and "verdadera destreza" style of fencing and i know that softcombat has a very restrictive rules, it is forbidden to hit the head, neck and the weapon`s arm. I'll be very grateful if you give me some advice on combat and tactics on these events.

P.S. I'll use a foam bastard sword with fiberglass core.

[Aran Thule]

The rules really depend on the system, the system i played you could hit anywhere and tbh if your facing someone with a tower shield the only place you can hit is the head.
But in our system you couldn't use physical attacks so no shield rush or grappling.
All weapons should have been weapon checked before the event (as should armour) the main thing to remember is safety.
Worst case we had was someone who wrapped a claymore in Gaffa/Duct tape, they got banned but not before three people needed medical attention
The main thing to think of is to avoid thrusting if possible, the tip is the easiest part to get damaged, don't lean with your sword point down on the ground as this can damage it.

As for combat, you just need to make contact so speed is better then strength, with a bastard sword you can so it one or two handed depending on the situation.
If duelling i would suggest using a parry and riposte if you are fast enough otherwise try to strike and step back.
Your main problem would be against shields, watch your legs.

Its very hard to advise but i hope something here helps

[Spanish_Paladin]

But the thrust (i translate it as the attack with the point of the sword) is one of the most effective and quickest attacks, ¿Is it wise to avoid it?.

Ah yes, the legs, it is easy to forgot them, i´ll watch out. Thanks for the advice ^^

[Daremonai]

But the thrust (i translate it as the attack with the point of the sword) is one of the most effective and quickest attacks, ¿Is it wise to avoid it?.


It's also a really good way to impale someone with the fiberglass core and seriously wound them. Avoid thrusts.

[Spanish_Paladin]

Uhmm, i have been hit with a steel sword (a dull practice sword) repeatedly and it do me nothing more than a little bruise, but i`ll follow your advise.

[Lost Demiurge]

It really depends on the LARP. The ones in my area, the forbidden hit zones are head, hands, groin, and feet. Everything else is legit. So check the rules, make sure you know where your LARP puts them.

Things to look out for in LARP combat... Thrusting is really good, a lot of people you run into won't know how to handle that. Just make sure you don't thrust too hard, or else you run the risk of damaging the person or the weapon.

A good solid beat can often take the weapon out of a foe's hand, and is perfectly legal. Lots of people in LARP don't keep as good of a grip as they should. Feel free to educate them.

Binding is legal in some places, not so much in others. If you can bind without pinning their weapon to a tree or obstacle, then that's usually legit.

Shields tend to dominate in LARP. Either get one and learn how to use it, or have a plan for dealing with them. Most LARPs rule out shield-bashing, for obvious reasons.

Two-handed weapons have reach but they're slow and have trouble with shields.

Two weapon-fighting is a thing. Takes a lot of practice to make it work. Gives you better odds at blocking than fighting one-handed, but is still worse than a shield.

I don't know about Destreza, but Kendo tends to emphasize one-on-one fights. If Destreza's the same, then you'll have some habits to unlearn. In action LARPs, one-on-one fights are very rare. You'll probably have to learn to fight with a team and against groups. Learn to keep an eye on your surroundings and an awareness of the fight. Learn to relocate to your advantage, and when to refrain from doing that because it'd screw your team over.

Most LARPs I've played in have rules against "machine gunning." This is the act of hitting someone over and over really fast in the same place. Far better to aim for different spots with each hit, that way you won't get called out on it.

Most LARPs I've played in don't want you swinging that weapon faster than you can call damage. Does the one you're going to have damage calls? If not, then disregard.

Biggest key I've found in LARP fights is footing, movement, and battlefield usage. Learn how to move through woods or bad terrain without turning your ankle. Find the chokepoints or cover you can use against archers or flankers. Never run backwards. Remember that in the morning dew makes things slicker. Learn how to deal with mud. If you have good mobility, the fight's one hundred percent easier. And if the fight goes sour, you have a better shot at disengaging and escaping. Also, you don't want to be that guy who falls down a hill and then they have to stop game to call an ambulance for your broken leg and everyone has a bad time because you couldn't be bothered to look where you were running.

Now, once you get good? Don't be afraid to be a little flashy. Bonus points if you can do it in a way that doesn't humiliate the other people, and doesn't sound/look arrogant. LARPers love the fantasy tropes, and if you can give them big, showy fights where awesome stuff happens, you'll make a lot of friends.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

But the thrust (i translate it as the attack with the point of the sword) is one of the most effective and quickest attacks, ¿Is it wise to avoid it?.
Thrusts are generally fine, so long as the weapon is built appropriately. I did a stint in Dagorhir, and there was a specific designation for thrusting tips on weapons. You had to pass a weapons check for any weapon with a thrusting tip; if it got cleared, you could use the weapon to thrust.

[Daremonai]

Uhmm, i have been hit with a steel sword (a dull practice sword) repeatedly and it do me nothing more than a little bruise, but i`ll follow your advise.

I do reenactment fighting with dull steel swords as well, and haven't come away with anything worse than a bit of bruising, but that's not the point here.

Imagine the situation: You have your fiberglass-core sword in hand, lined up for a thrust. Then, in the chaos of the fight, someone trips or jumps towards you. Unless your weapon is specifically designed for thrusting, that fiberglass core is going to cut through the foam layer and into their flesh, possibly even between their ribs and into a lung. People fighting with steel weapons are going to have a minimum amount of armour on; in a larp you can't even guarantee they'll be wearing a shirt.

[tyckspoon]

Thrusting depends a lot on the kind of weapon and LARP you're playing. If you're using Amtgard/Dagohir/Belegarth-type weaponry, which tends to be built much more heavily (these games use heavier contact fighting rules than many), those are typically fairly safe for thrusting. The weapons also tend to be swordish-shaped blunt objects which are typically built to survive that kind of fighting rather than for the appearance of a fantasy weapon - the construction rules generally require the tip to be made of at least a couple of inches of fairly stiff foam as well as having the core blunted off with something that will not slip through that foam as easily as the tougher solid core material.

Latex foam weapons, on the other hand, are generally a lot more attractive, and are the favored weapon styles in soft-touch LARPs and where character appearance is valued more highly. You generally don't want to thrust with those, both for safety and appearance issues - the construction material isn't made to be stressed in that direction, so you have a pretty big risk of crumpling the tip, which will wreck the look of your weapon and weaken it so that further attempts to attack in that fashion are more likely to destroy it all together and result in poking somebody with the solid core. (Also, in my experience, thrusting attacks are harder to pull and still maintain enough speed and force to make a reasonable attack.. so you're more likely to hit somebody full-force, in a game which is supposed to be soft touch, using a weapon that is probably not intended to be deployed in that way.)

[Lost Demiurge]

I do reenactment fighting with dull steel swords as well, and haven't come away with anything worse than a bit of bruising, but that's not the point here.

Imagine the situation: You have your fiberglass-core sword in hand, lined up for a thrust. Then, in the chaos of the fight, someone trips or jumps towards you. Unless your weapon is specifically designed for thrusting, that fiberglass core is going to cut through the foam layer and into their flesh, possibly even between their ribs and into a lung. People fighting with steel weapons are going to have a minimum amount of armour on; in a larp you can't even guarantee they'll be wearing a shirt.

You can't rule out thrusting entirely based on what might happen. No way to enforce that. You can't account for every possible accident and situation and microsecond of movement.

You're better off saying "Don't do stop-thrusts, and don't thrust at people who are falling down." Which is pretty much common sense. You can also say "Don't thrust like you're trying to ram the goddamn foam through someone's body" which is also common sense.

Because if the other people are FOLLOWING THE RULES and NOT BODILY CHARGING OR FALLING ON OTHER PEOPLE then thrusts are perfectly fine and a legit combat tactic.

As for the rest, accidents happen, and it's part of the social contract to minimize accidents and trusting other people to make the same judgement to keep everyone safe.

Honestly, I've seen way more injuries from people who get caught up in the fight and run backwards into a tree or forget there's a gully to their side. In fifteen-years off and on I've never seen anyone significantly injured from a thrust.

[Tyndmyr]

Read the rules for your local larp, and ask for advice from people there. I've participated in several, and they vary wildly.

No headshots is pretty much the most universal rule, and no nut-shots is, if not outright banned, then at least greatly appreciated. Rules from there sort of branch out. Some are full contact, some are lightest touch, some ban stabbing altogether.

****, some games allow you to shoot other people in the face with longbows, while others have highly regulated contact at all. Look at the specific system to stay out of trouble.

[Wraith]

Spend your first day Monstering. That is, approach the staff and ask if you can play an NPC role or join in as one of their plot-related henchmen.

The best way to learn the rules of the game and the etiquette of the system is to play a variety of roles while a referee looks over your shoulder, especially in LARP systems where the mechanics tend to win out over actual fighting prowess. Also, the staff will adore you forever if you help them out from time to time by being their designated gofer/victim, and it's always nice to give a little something back to the guys who are having to stand around for safety, security, etc while everyone else is having fun. :smallsmile:

Generally speaking, try not to touch anyone without their express permission. In 'real' martial arts, hands-on contact is usually assumed but some LARPs actively forbid it for reasons of safety as well as preservation of dignity and protection from any kind of accusations of assault or interference. Forgive me if this sounds obvious and redundant, but different systems have different standards and I've met people who - with the best intentions in the world - had no idea that it would be a problem, so it's often worth pointing out.

[Knaight]

How to fight depends on the rules. I'd imagine a fairly restrictive rule set overall (head and neck are one thing, but the ban to weapon arm hits is just bizarre, and probably indicative of a large collection of banned shots), so things like slamming into people as hard as you can with a shield, grabs, various grappling throws, etc. are probably out. How hard you have to hit also varies, from things that allow tiny taps to things that require fairly hard shots that would do real damage if they were real weapons. Similarly, how hard you are allowed to hit varies. There are groups where light taps are all that you're supposed to do, and then there are groups where you can lift and throw someone with a spear lunge and the response will be something along the lines of "dude, nice shot". Shield handling in particular varies, in some you're allowed to hit other shields, in some it is totally reasonable to charge a shield into someone. There's also different standards on backstabbing, feigning death, and other things, so knowing those is generally a good thing.

With that said, there are specific things that tend to apply regardless. The big one is weapon interaction, collisions between two foam weapons lead to bouncing, so you won't be getting much out of winding techniques or anything else that requires prolonged weapon-weapon contact. There's a bit of an exception in polearm fights sometimes, but you're using a sword. Weights vary, and while I'd expect everything to lean a bit lighter than what is being imitated, balance is generally worse, so handling can end up roughly comparable for most things. Shields on the other hand are inevitably both faster and easier to push around than they would realistically be, so take that into account. If we knew the specifics of weapon construction, rules, etc. we could give much better advice.

There's almost certainly group fighting, and that's a very different situation than just dueling. Keep an eye out on the field in general so you have at least some idea if someone is getting behind you, or if there is a spot elsewhere you can be more useful, or if there are troop concentration issues like a small group luring away a big one so that the rest of their allies have a numerical advantage. Small groups of dangerous people fighting unusually defensively are pretty much inevitably buying time for the rest of their now numerically superior army to mop up before they gang up on you, so don't get lured into that. There's also the intimidation factor - speaking as someone who's both good and tall, a large part of the reason I'm able to handle group fights as well as I do is that I'm intimidating enough that people hesitate enough to turn a group fight into a series of one on ones. Don't let that happen to you. Taking out one person, then another, then another, is vastly easier than taking out three people who all attack you at once. Defensively, it's also useful to be in the habit of protecting allies whenever possible. If you have a shield and an arrow goes by you, stop it when possible if it is going to hit someone else. If you have a polearm, shield breaking weapons are in effect, and someone is swinging one around, block for your allies with shields. Stick with groups when group fighting; there are times when you'll want to break this rule to do things like set up a quick flank, but there are also ways to get groups to split up so you can take them individually, so be wary of that.

There might also be magic, or classes, or some other ridiculous nonsense that gets in the way of the fighting that you went there for*. In the event that you need to deal with that, and there isn't another group nearby you can defect to that isn't plagued by it, make some effort to learn it. If there's a bypass of some sort, take it. For instance, Ampguard has classes. It's obnoxious, and a lot of them have various magical powers involving chanting and pointing, or chanting and throwing, or whatever. One of the classes is Monk, with the main feature being that you can completely ignore most of the magic system. I'd recommend taking it.


Imagine the situation: You have your fiberglass-core sword in hand, lined up for a thrust. Then, in the chaos of the fight, someone trips or jumps towards you. Unless your weapon is specifically designed for thrusting, that fiberglass core is going to cut through the foam layer and into their flesh, possibly even between their ribs and into a lung. People fighting with steel weapons are going to have a minimum amount of armour on; in a larp you can't even guarantee they'll be wearing a shirt.

So design it for thrusting. There are tons of ways to prevent exactly this issue, most of which boil down to having something hard between fiberglass core and softer foam. A penny or a bit of plastic held on by two yoga-mat strips that go over the head and are perpendicular to each other will do just fine. On top of that, fiberglass is a lot less dangerous than you're making it sound. I've been stabbed with just fiberglass (some of the fencing equipment that the neighborhood kids and I used back in the day was somewhat questionable in retrospect), and while it hurts it's not that bad.

* I realize some people appreciate it, but I'm not going to reach objectivity on this one, so I might as well just leave the bias where people can see them.

[Spanish_Paladin]

It really depends on the LARP. The ones in my area, the forbidden hit zones are head, hands, groin, and feet. Everything else is legit. So check the rules, make sure you know where your LARP puts them.

Things to look out for in LARP combat... Thrusting is really good, a lot of people you run into won't know how to handle that. Just make sure you don't thrust too hard, or else you run the risk of damaging the person or the weapon.

A good solid beat can often take the weapon out of a foe's hand, and is perfectly legal. Lots of people in LARP don't keep as good of a grip as they should. Feel free to educate them.

Binding is legal in some places, not so much in others. If you can bind without pinning their weapon to a tree or obstacle, then that's usually legit.

Shields tend to dominate in LARP. Either get one and learn how to use it, or have a plan for dealing with them. Most LARPs rule out shield-bashing, for obvious reasons.

Two-handed weapons have reach but they're slow and have trouble with shields.

Two weapon-fighting is a thing. Takes a lot of practice to make it work. Gives you better odds at blocking than fighting one-handed, but is still worse than a shield.

I don't know about Destreza, but Kendo tends to emphasize one-on-one fights. If Destreza's the same, then you'll have some habits to unlearn. In action LARPs, one-on-one fights are very rare. You'll probably have to learn to fight with a team and against groups. Learn to keep an eye on your surroundings and an awareness of the fight. Learn to relocate to your advantage, and when to refrain from doing that because it'd screw your team over.

Most LARPs I've played in have rules against "machine gunning." This is the act of hitting someone over and over really fast in the same place. Far better to aim for different spots with each hit, that way you won't get called out on it.

Most LARPs I've played in don't want you swinging that weapon faster than you can call damage. Does the one you're going to have damage calls? If not, then disregard.

Biggest key I've found in LARP fights is footing, movement, and battlefield usage. Learn how to move through woods or bad terrain without turning your ankle. Find the chokepoints or cover you can use against archers or flankers. Never run backwards. Remember that in the morning dew makes things slicker. Learn how to deal with mud. If you have good mobility, the fight's one hundred percent easier. And if the fight goes sour, you have a better shot at disengaging and escaping. Also, you don't want to be that guy who falls down a hill and then they have to stop game to call an ambulance for your broken leg and everyone has a bad time because you couldn't be bothered to look where you were running.

Now, once you get good? Don't be afraid to be a little flashy. Bonus points if you can do it in a way that doesn't humiliate the other people, and doesn't sound/look arrogant. LARPers love the fantasy tropes, and if you can give them big, showy fights where awesome stuff happens, you'll make a lot of friends.

Shields are difficult i know, i can overcome them with thrust between the shield and the weapon using the guard to cover the counteratack or with lateral movements and a slash (i hope i am writing correctly).



Thrusts are generally fine, so long as the weapon is built appropriately. I did a stint in Dagorhir, and there was a specific designation for thrusting tips on weapons. You had to pass a weapons check for any weapon with a thrusting tip; if it got cleared, you could use the weapon to thrust.

I have a calimacil foam sword with fiberglass core, friends tell me that are of good quality.


I do reenactment fighting with dull steel swords as well, and haven't come away with anything worse than a bit of bruising, but that's not the point here.

Imagine the situation: You have your fiberglass-core sword in hand, lined up for a thrust. Then, in the chaos of the fight, someone trips or jumps towards you. Unless your weapon is specifically designed for thrusting, that fiberglass core is going to cut through the foam layer and into their flesh, possibly even between their ribs and into a lung. People fighting with steel weapons are going to have a minimum amount of armour on; in a larp you can't even guarantee they'll be wearing a shirt.

I see your point, i don´t want to hurt anyone, thanks :smallsmile:

[lord_khaine]

I have a calimacil foam sword with fiberglass core, friends tell me that are of good quality.

You are set in the sword department then, that brand is most likely the best and most durable one there are on the market.
Its so solid that even if you actively try to break it your not certain to succed, i have seen people in full place jumping on it, then picking it up for a fight.

Anyway, those weapons are 100% safe to thrust with, as long as its not against the actual rules.

[AdmiralCheez]

The one I go to actually has a ban (or at least heavily discouraged) on Calamacil weapons because the foam is too hard, and have apparently injured people in the past. So, swing lightly on unarmored opponents.

Anyway, another key thing to remember is that these things are supposed to be fun. If you keep in mind that everyone there is out for fun, you'll probably do well in combat. Is it fun to be hit so hard that you need to be rushed to the hospital for stitches? Is it fun to have someone right in your face, "machine-gunning" your hit points away with tiny daggers while you can't reach your sword around to properly hit them? Is it fun to be body-slammed into a tree, twisting your ankle, and putting you out of the fights for the rest of the event? In most cases, I would say no, so I would never do that to someone else. Remember, it's not an actual fight to the death, so don't fight like it!

[Knaight]

Anyway, another key thing to remember is that these things are supposed to be fun. If you keep in mind that everyone there is out for fun, you'll probably do well in combat. Is it fun to be hit so hard that you need to be rushed to the hospital for stitches? Is it fun to have someone right in your face, "machine-gunning" your hit points away with tiny daggers while you can't reach your sword around to properly hit them? Is it fun to be body-slammed into a tree, twisting your ankle, and putting you out of the fights for the rest of the event? In most cases, I would say no, so I would never do that to someone else. Remember, it's not an actual fight to the death, so don't fight like it!

The actual serious injuries are never fun, but fun and rough are by no means opposed universally. There's a local group where I am which is nominally a Dagorhir group, but with some changes. The weapons are generally under padding minimums, it's full contact, you come home every time with multiple large bruises and everyone has broken at least one bone fighting with the group. It was rough, is my point, and a fair few people fought once with them and decided never to do it again. The core group though? They have a ton of fun, and while they are now a little less local and I no longer fight with them, I miss it a lot. Something like machine gunning hit points away would be seen as fine by everyone in the group, although it wasn't relevant as one torso hit always killed by their rules. It would also be the sort of thing likely to get countered with some combination of aggressive shield use and grappling for a lot of people.

[Adaon Nightwind]

Would you happen to attend the ConQuest of Mythodea, or maybe the Drachenfest, both in Germany?

[Spanish_Paladin]

The one I go to actually has a ban (or at least heavily discouraged) on Calamacil weapons because the foam is too hard, and have apparently injured people in the past. So, swing lightly on unarmored opponents.

Anyway, another key thing to remember is that these things are supposed to be fun. If you keep in mind that everyone there is out for fun, you'll probably do well in combat. Is it fun to be hit so hard that you need to be rushed to the hospital for stitches? Is it fun to have someone right in your face, "machine-gunning" your hit points away with tiny daggers while you can't reach your sword around to properly hit them? Is it fun to be body-slammed into a tree, twisting your ankle, and putting you out of the fights for the rest of the event? In most cases, I would say no, so I would never do that to someone else. Remember, it's not an actual fight to the death, so don't fight like it!

Of course, it's roleplaying, fun is the most important, own fun and others fun :smallsmile::smallsmile::smallsmile:

Don´t worry i am always careful


The actual serious injuries are never fun, but fun and rough are by no means opposed universally. There's a local group where I am which is nominally a Dagorhir group, but with some changes. The weapons are generally under padding minimums, it's full contact, you come home every time with multiple large bruises and everyone has broken at least one bone fighting with the group. It was rough, is my point, and a fair few people fought once with them and decided never to do it again. The core group though? They have a ton of fun, and while they are now a little less local and I no longer fight with them, I miss it a lot. Something like machine gunning hit points away would be seen as fine by everyone in the group, although it wasn't relevant as one torso hit always killed by their rules. It would also be the sort of thing likely to get countered with some combination of aggressive shield use and grappling for a lot of people.

I know what you talking about, rough fight can be very fun


Would you happen to attend the ConQuest of Mythodea, or maybe the Drachenfest, both in Germany?

Oooh, no... i wish, but no. I'll attend a more humble LARP here in Spain

P.S. I am very grateful of all your adivice, perhaps i don´t answer all but i have read all :smallsmile:

[AdmiralCheez]

The actual serious injuries are never fun, but fun and rough are by no means opposed universally.

Hey, some groups love that stuff, and that's great! My point I guess was to make sure that everyone in the game is on the same page as far as how hard to hit. If you go in fighting hard-core, and everyone else is tapping lightly, someone's going to have a bad day. We had a guy hospitalized for a ruptured kidney (might have been spleen, I can't remember) during a fight, so we toned down the combat to avoid that from happening again. We also had an influx of teens and children join, so the owner of the game decided she didn't want to deal with child injuries on her watch. Even with signed waivers, the hit to reputation would take a long time to go away.

[Adaon Nightwind]

Quote Originally Posted by Adaon Nightwind View Post
Would you happen to attend the ConQuest of Mythodea, or maybe the Drachenfest, both in Germany?
Oooh, no... i wish, but no. I'll attend a more humble LARP here in Spain

I see :) I could have gone on for quite some time about how to fight, then. But I'll just give you the Two Rules governing every LARP i've been on.

Rule One: Safety for everyone, for body and mind.

Rule Two: Play for the others.


Some explanation. Rule one: Look out in a fight, see the ground, see it for your opponent as well. (Holes, Tent lines, sudden drops. Exhaustion. Heatstroke. Dehydration. Emotionally taxing scenes. Overstepped boundaries, and people who go along with it, even if it is too much for them.) Rule Two: Everything you do in-game is an offer. Do not expect people to act the way you want them to. Accept what comes, play with it, give offers back. Sometimes, be the hero, sometimes, have a nice fight and loose. It's all in the game. Sure, "winning" is fun - but LARP is a game were everyone plays together. If you play towards living the story of your characters and the plot, you will win the goal of creating memories for a lifetime.

[Knaight]

Hey, some groups love that stuff, and that's great! My point I guess was to make sure that everyone in the game is on the same page as far as how hard to hit. If you go in fighting hard-core, and everyone else is tapping lightly, someone's going to have a bad day. We had a guy hospitalized for a ruptured kidney (might have been spleen, I can't remember) during a fight, so we toned down the combat to avoid that from happening again. We also had an influx of teens and children join, so the owner of the game decided she didn't want to deal with child injuries on her watch. Even with signed waivers, the hit to reputation would take a long time to go away.

Absolutely. Know the group standards and stick with them, whatever they are.

[Aran Thule]

As someone mentioned above, be very careful around tents esp at night, we had several people breaking legs because of them.

Also be very careful if you fight children, aside from not wanting them to get hurt they have an amazing knack of hitting you in the places that hurt the most and they don't pull their blows. I learnt that the hard way.

[Aran Thule]

As a side question do any of your lrp groups play Jugger based on the 1989 Rutger Hauer film, Salute of the Jugger/Blood of heroes?

[Knaight]

As a side question do any of your lrp groups play Jugger based on the 1989 Rutger Hauer film, Salute of the Jugger/Blood of heroes?

There's a local group that does essentially nothing but that. They crop up at big events occasionally, so I've done some of it. I favor groups that lean more towards just beating on people, but it was fun for a short while.

[Lorn]

Weighing in on the thrusting debate...

So I LRP in the UK, which I understand is pretty different to American style boffer LRP. I'm also the (present) weapons safety officer for my local group.

I believe weapon construction is functionally the same across both UK and American LRP. Might be wrong, if I am please correct me.

Fibreglass or carbon fibre core, foam surrounding the entire core such that the core should not be felt through the padding, whole thing glued that there are no loose bits. Latex/isoflex overcoat.

When you thrust, it's not just a case of safety, it's a case of "am I going to break my weapon and by doing so, make it unsafe." If you thrust (or lean a weapon on its point too much) the core will eventually pierce through the foam tip and potentially protrude out. Due to the width of the core (frequently less than 2cm) and the power you *can* get behind an accidental thrust this runs quite serious risk of injury far beyond that which you would expect to get with a LRP weapon. If a weapon has a protruding core, it can also be drawn across someone's flesh and potentially cut them. Shattered or splintered carbon fibre or fibreglass is a thoroughly unpleasant thing.

There do exist collapsible tip weapons, a number of makers in the UK are rather good at producing them. These are (very basically) designed as a standard weapon, with an additional layer of very soft foam on the end of the weapon, the latex/iso coating them having a small airhole. These are safer to stab with, if the system allows them - I know many do not (including the one I am at this weekend.)

Basically, in re-en, with steel, you have an acceptable risk of being hit with a steel weapon. In LRP combat, wherein a weapon is primarily foam, whilst yes you are still running the risk, having a carbon fibre rod stuck in you (or the end of it cutting your face open) is some way past the limits of the acceptable risk.



Beyond that, some basic tips: Footwork is your friend, make sure you find a weapon you like the balance and feel of, Me And My Five Mates is basically the best thing in the world and is better than almost any amount of being a good fighter/statistically hard as nails. I've never been to a big event that I haven't seen a few people sparring/teaching at, though again my experience is very much limited to the UK, so look around and see if there's people willing to give you pointers there and then,

[Knaight]

When you thrust, it's not just a case of safety, it's a case of "am I going to break my weapon and by doing so, make it unsafe." If you thrust (or lean a weapon on its point too much) the core will eventually pierce through the foam tip and potentially protrude out. Due to the width of the core (frequently less than 2cm) and the power you *can* get behind an accidental thrust this runs quite serious risk of injury far beyond that which you would expect to get with a LRP weapon. If a weapon has a protruding core, it can also be drawn across someone's flesh and potentially cut them. Shattered or splintered carbon fibre or fibreglass is a thoroughly unpleasant thing.

If it's designed for thrusting, it won't do this. I've broken plenty of weapons (bamboo cores for the most part, fiberglass doesn't work particularly well for polearms), and never once has any of them come anywhere close to the tip coming through. Neither has anyone else I've ever fought with, and I've never been in a fighting group which bans thrusts. I also generally fight with groups that don't do the whole RP part, and only do fighting, with varying degrees of roughness that tend to lean high. I'm one of the weapon safety people for one of them. Maybe commercial products are different, but punching through foam all the way and doing real damage has never been a concern.

[Raimun]

A twohanded sword can work pretty well. All it takes is a bit of skill, since your only outstanding advantage is improved reach when compared to other boffer weapons. That and the very fact that a twohander offers the best overall balance when it comes to boffer weapons, especially if you can use the sword onehanded as well (like if a hit can disable a limb). That means it's a solid weapon in all kinds of situations, unlike more gimmicky stuff like sword and board, flails, bows, polearms, dual wielding, twobladed swords and one single handed weapons.

I haven't trained kendo but I would say that in general martial art sword training is an advantage. Remember your training and adapt it to the rules of the game so that everyone is safe but you still remain effective. I guess you can rule out that chop to the head that those kendo fellows like to train. :smalltongue:

By the way, isn't it possible that fiberglass cores can splinter, unlike plastic tube cores? Or was it some other material I read about? I've always used plastic, so I don't remember.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

I believe weapon construction is functionally the same across both UK and American LRP. Might be wrong, if I am please correct me.

Fibreglass or carbon fibre core, foam surrounding the entire core such that the core should not be felt through the padding, whole thing glued that there are no loose bits. Latex/isoflex overcoat.

There's multiple weapons construction styles. It's best to check in with people who are experienced with the LARP in question. Generally, there's a specific bit of padding that's glued over the tip of the weapon after the normal padding, and I know that Dagorhir at least puts a cloth cover over everything.