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The closest I've come to a LARP experience is watching some of my friends practice their skills for SCA league they are in.
For those of you who don't know it's a historical reenactment that involves the dark ages. You dress up in real armor (chain and some plate, helmet and shield), the swords are obviously fake and made of wood but they will still leave marks and bruises. Think of it as UFC in Dark Ages garb. I've never participated in a fight but they don't pull hits. The hits are hard and real and if you are lucky you will only wake up bruised and sore the next day; if you are unlucky you'll end up going to the ER to get stitches or a broken wrist or finger cast.
I've seen guys knocked cold from blows to the head. Pretty enjoyable stuff. You also aren't allowed to fight in tournaments until you've completed a certain amount of hours practicing with a licensed instructor. Basically you learn to fight with various medieval type weapons, like sword and shield, dual sword, great weapons, polearms. Everyone is required to wear some sort of helmet and body plate. Shield is optional, just depends on preferred fighting style. Thigh and forearm guards are a good idea. When the instructor feels you won't get yourself sent to the ER with a fractured skull you will get certified and can fight in official sanctioned matches.
Any body part not protected by plate armor CAN and would most likely end up broken.
It's not cheap. My buddy made his own helmet and forearm guards but if you don't have blacksmithing skill you can buy from reputable companies. Though a nice looking well built helmet can run anywhere from $100-$600.
--The whole concept of government granted and government regulated 'permits' and the accompanying government mandate for government approved firearms 'training' prior to being blessed by government with the privilege to carry arms in a government approved and regulated manner, flies directly in the face of the fundamental right to keep and bear arms.
“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government.”
[DCM]
Chief Deputy Sub Assistant Trainee Squig Handling Intern
Meh. Clankies are overrated. You just leg it around for a bit, wait for them to get knackered, then wade in and kick their arses into next week.
Or you cast 'Heat Metal; and watch the buggers burn to death, as they cannot get their chestplate off.
It might look impressive, but you give up so much just for the protection. You'll never get caught off guard by a clanky...you hear them coming a mile off! Plus their helmets screw with their field of vision, perfect for sneaky flank attacks.
Fed up of Scalpers? But still want your Exclusives? Why not join us?
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
[DCM]
Chief Deputy Sub Assistant Trainee Squig Handling Intern
Meh, I'm a one hit squishy with a penchant for being a sneaky bastard! Why fight fair when you can club your enemy round the back of head whilst someone else occupies their front!
Automatically Appended Next Post: Morathi's....ever been to a Curious Pastimes event? The system is pretty damned smooth, loads of people and best of all, cateringis top notch and the Tavern rules!
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2010/01/27 21:15:09
Fed up of Scalpers? But still want your Exclusives? Why not join us?
No I haven't, thanks to that mention I've just found their site and read a little about them on Wiki, seems they where a Lorien Trust breakaway.
Interesting, as the Vipers, Wolves and Lions are former members of the same factions as they are in LT. Even same homelands and such. Possibly some cross over both, who knows, but going on the pics I've seen, there are some faces/armour styles ringing bells.
But yeah, Larp is something I will get back into, just a matter of when. Curious Pastimes may well be interesting as it uses the same system in essence, but is a more compact organization.
LT's success can be its own downfall, as being a solitary figure among 3K or whatever it is now, may not appeal to me as much, especially as when we do go again we'll probably be taking the kiddies.
Its certainly something I'll take on board, cheers MDG.
"That's not an Ork, its a girl.." - Last words of High General Daran Ul'tharem, battle of Ursha VII.
Two White Horses (Ipswich Town and Denver Broncos Supporter)
You can go with something like this. $2250US though so only someone really serious about staying safe would spend that kind of money for head to toe armor.
You really only need chest, head, neck, groin and thigh protection, possibly forearm as well. The goal in SCA fighting is to score "killing" blows (like in a martial arts competition) so those are all legal places to hit. Shin guards and forearm guards are mainly used for extra safety. Purposely smacking someone in the shin won't get you any kind of a kill point but smacking someone in the shin on purpose with no protection would most likely get you banned and kicked out.
If you know anything about metal working and leather working you could make most of your own stuff. Just starting out training you could even use hockey padding on your shoulders and thighs (though padded steel helms are still required) and then once you become certified you could than move up to real plate and/or chain.
It is supposed to be authentic. They even have people dress as scribes and use real parchment to record battle results on. It's like a mini-Renaissance festival at the bigger SCA tournaments. Women and daughters will normally dress for the period and the boys and men that aren't fighting will dress as bards and squires.
It's not so much roleplaying as reenactment like the Civil War reenactments. No real weapons but everything else is authentic, down to the tabards that ALL fighters are required to wear.
--The whole concept of government granted and government regulated 'permits' and the accompanying government mandate for government approved firearms 'training' prior to being blessed by government with the privilege to carry arms in a government approved and regulated manner, flies directly in the face of the fundamental right to keep and bear arms.
“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government.”
Wear all that armor in texas and you would quite literally die...
I'm saddened at the lack of Roman armor
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
Romans at show's i've been to won't do contact - they're too scared of damaging their armour. It does cost a fortune though. The multi period battle at kelmarsh last year was good. After the crowd went there was everything from 10C (vikings) through to American WW2 on the same battlefield. The pikemen were surprisingly hard to shift. Might as well run into a brick wall than them guys.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:Oh there's a Legion of Romans at CP events, part of the Viper encampent.
Romans and child pornography? What is going on in England?
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:Shame they aren't much cop in a fight, though it is funny watching the Jhereg going through clankies like a dose of Delhi Belly!
You just made all those words up.
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
I've never LARPed and I doubt I ever will, but I am intrigued by it all and I do like to play with the weapons (they look quite realistic, I've played with a few, but a good whack can break the core and leave them useless).
If I were to be intrigued enough to look at a LARP event I'd want to know there'd be lots of people there and the rules would be fair and make sense. Beyond that... well, price is a big consideration, but I pay £35-50 for a concert ticket to see a big band, so I don't see how £100-200 would be over the top for a weekend event (above that is a bit iffy).
[DCM]
Chief Deputy Sub Assistant Trainee Squig Handling Intern
Ahtman wrote:
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:Oh there's a Legion of Romans at CP events, part of the Viper encampent.
Romans and child pornography? What is going on in England?
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:Shame they aren't much cop in a fight, though it is funny watching the Jhereg going through clankies like a dose of Delhi Belly!
You just made all those words up.
No I didn't. The all exist.
Fed up of Scalpers? But still want your Exclusives? Why not join us?
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:Shame they aren't much cop in a fight, though it is funny watching the Jhereg going through clankies like a dose of Delhi Belly!
You just made all those words up.
No I didn't. The all exist.
I can back him up there, it made perfect sense to me!
[DCM]
Chief Deputy Sub Assistant Trainee Squig Handling Intern
One I went to was £95 for 4 nights camping, which was pretty awesome! And even then that's including a £20 surcharge for turning up a night early, so we could setup and be ready roll at the first time in.
Automatically Appended Next Post: And this year, I am threatening to learn the Fiddle, that I might attempt to entertain the camp of an evening. In particular, and should I prove suitably proficient with the old bow, I'd like to re-work Tenpole Tudor's 'Swords Of a Thousand Men'. Ought to make a decent ode to victory after the big battle. Simply swap the reference to English hearts to Jhereg Hearts. Lovely!
And in case you haven't heard this little gem, here it is!
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2010/01/28 13:41:33
Fed up of Scalpers? But still want your Exclusives? Why not join us?
Romans and child pornography? What is going on in England?
DO try and keep up America.
The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
I'm coming to get you 
Defenders of Obscurus 
