Keep Your Equipment Safe

Keep Your Equipment Safe

By Artenen Aeolus 

Many larpers and game promoters move gear from vehicles to their homes, trailers, campers, etc. and after a while some begin to leave items in cars and campers. This can lead to many problems and equipment damage while also making a vehicle more tempting for thieves.

First, lets bring up the fact that many of the weapons, leather and other gear are not designed to handle prolonged exposure to high heat. Leaving a latex weapon of piece of waxed leather in a vehicle on a hot summer day can warp and melt the coatings, bindings etc. while the UV rays can break down the latex, foam, leather, glues, plastics and other things. One of our gamers experienced this first hand when his latex shield was exposed to high heat / UV damage from being stored in his vehicle. The latex began to get tacky and took on finger prints, colors on some things began to run and his equipment was never the same. This could have been avoided simply by taking the time to bring his gear in after a game.

Equipment Prep:
You always want to wipe your gear down after a game and inspect it for damage. In our experience you would want to do this right after a game so when you are in a mad rush to get everything ready for your next outing, you're not spending all night mending things or overlooking something. Take your time and get it done right well in advance so you don't show up to a game on a few hours of sleep (ya we know it is hard to sleep before a game due to excitement but it shouldn't be because you have to stay up to fix items).

Explosions / Fires:
Leaving a pressurized can of anything in a 200 degree vehicle is always asking for trouble. Many things like your latex spray, makeups, sunscreen and bug spray cans will burst (and possibly explode) which can injure people, start fires and things like WD-40 and bug spray will melt leather, plastics etc. Even if they don't explode, this high heat will ruin most things like makeup and prosthetics so their chemical compositions will not work right, colors will fade, etc.

Theft:
We had the unfortunate experience of someone breaking into our props trailer looking for our cash box and other items last night. They broke all the locks, ransacked the trailer and stole items. Leaving things in trailers, cars and out in the open will tempt folks... simply put... do not leave things out, even if you trust everyone. It is usually someone who is not in the game who will swipe something when you're not looking, especially in a park environment.

An officer dusting armor / trailer for prints after a recent burglary to our larp prop trailer.

You want to make sure that equipment is properly inventoried, locked and insured. The thief who did this was an expert. They left no trace and knew exactly what they were looking for / doing. They took over $20 thousand worth of machines, an open trailer and various other equipment like water tanks, hand trucks etc. It may not seem like much but some items you have may not be replaceable (handmade armors, leather tooled things, masks). Talk with your  insurance agent to make sure yo have the right coverage for theft and take anything like cash boxes, electronic equipment etc. out of these storage units when not in use. Simply put, experts can break into anything so don't leave them anything to take.

Many times a great game can be defined by a player or promoter who has planned properly and well in advance. These are simple steps you can take to make sure your next adventure is a memorable one!

Grimnak's Guide to Garb and Gear

Grimnak's Guide to Garb and Gear 

By: Grimnak of LarpCraft

Hello Everyone! This Article will go over my costume, and give new Orc player’s idea's for their costumes. But this Article is not strictly for our Orc players; Ideas from this costume can also go to our other players as well, this will be the focus of the first part of this article.

If you Plan on going to a WI-Larp or another Larpcraft event, you’re going to need a costume. Now, to make your costume, first look at your Race and Class. Also look in the Larpcraft Rulebook, and see if your Race has any costume requirements and or restrictions. Let's say you are a human Mage. You would probably want to have a flowing rope or a tunic. If your race is Undead, you’re going to need a mask, or prosthetics and face-paint that makes you look like a zombie or skeleton. Not to mention ragged torn-up clothes, and other accessories.

Now let's look at classes. Classes play a major role in making a costume. If you are a Barbarian, you’re going to need furs, slightly torn up clothes, tribal wear etc. If you are a warrior, you may want to wear a tunic and a cape. If you are a Rogue, you’re going to want to wear dark colored clothes or earth tone clothes, along with a cloak (of course this is up to you, the player). So all in all, look at your Race and Class when making your costume, look at others costume's and get Idea's from them, but don’t copy off of someone's.

Now you may be wondering, how do I get such clothing? Well, the easiest way (and in my Opinion the best way) is to make your own. Not only is this easy, but it’s cheap, great for players that are on a budget! Now, let’s say you are a Human Warrior, and you want to make your costume before the next big Larp event. With the Human Warrior combo, there are endless costume options. One of the Best beginning costumes I have seen is a simple tunic, black long sleeve shirt (or short sleeve, for hotter weather) and some simple khakis (black or tan). It’s cheap and it looks great! Not into tunics? No problem, a baggy white shirt, cape made from a bed sheet or other fabric, and some simple black pants and you’re ready to go! These are just a few of the thousands of options available to you, the player.

Not interested in making stuff? That’s fine! Let’s say you’re an Elf Warrior. Buy some elf ear Prosthetics, maybe a wig? If you’re buying your costume and not making it, chances are that what you buy will be better quality and maybe better looking. The only down side with buying your costume, is that you may not get exactly what you’d like.

Now for armor, the number one protection in Larpcraft. Well, until you gain the skill, you cannot use armor, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start working on it! For Leather armor, you can go to your local leather seller, buy the tools and materials, and make your own, custom armor! Not the building type? Then buy high quality leather armor offline, or have it custom made. Medium armor. Are you good at metal working, if so cut some rings and put them together, and you now have chainmail. Or do you want scale mail or splint mail? And of course, there is Plate armor. You can make your own, or buy a set of armor.

Ah, now you have your clothing on, and possibly your breastplate, your boots are strapped and you’re ready for a quest. But…something is missing….ah! You need a weapon! Weapons are one of the most crucial aspects of your character. For weapons, buying is one of the best options. Many weapons are under $100 and are perfect for Budget players. However, one of the easiest ways to make your weapons is to take a ½ inch PVC Pipe, take a Foam pool noodle and some duct tape and put those together. Or, you could make more advanced and better looking weapons, you can make Latex weapons. There are many tutorials on youtube on how to do this. So now your set and ready to quest!

I hope those above Ideas helped any new players, or ones who haven’t made their costumes yet.

This next Part of this article will go over my costume. When making my costume, I looked at other, more advanced costumes and got many ideas from them. I also looked at my Race and Class. As an Orc, my costume would have to be ripped up, dirty and tattered. As a barbarian, my clothes would be more earth tone colors and Furs.

So the first thing I did was went to my Local Goodwill and got a Black Long sleeve shirt, an XL tan T-shirt, and a Brown T-shirt. First I took a Box Cutter (ALWAYS have an adult watch and help you with this part of your costume, if you need to use sharp objects) and slashed my brown and tan shirts, I then ripped and cut the sleeves of my Black Long sleeve shirt. Since most of this shirt is covered, I only cut the sleeves a bit. For hotter weather, I bought a Tan long sleeve shirt and just used the brown t-shirt that I already have. 
Next, I worked on my Pants. First I got a simple pair of drawstring pants, which I found In the Pajama section at my Local Wal-Mart. These were meant to be used as pajamas, but these are just my base layer. I then looked up how to make wrap Pants online, and this was the best tutorial I could find: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-wrap-pants/ 
after making the wrap pants, I slightly ripped them and put some dirt on them. (If you plan on getting your costume dirty, don’t over do it. Also, if you’re really dirty, and you ask someone if you have "Permission to Touch", you may want to tell them your dirty.)

Then there are the boots. Actually I have two pairs. The first pair are snow boots, covered in leather strips and pieces. The other is a pair of black boots with some suede wrapped around them.

Then, there are the accessories. I currently have a crossbelt, regular belt and some half finger gloves. For the crossbelt, I went to my Local Tandy Leather Factory store and bought a wide leather strip. I then riveted it together; and attached a piece of leather to it that goes over my right shoulder. For the normal belt, I used, well, a normal belt. I then used some suede string and I now use it to hold my XP/Life Bands. And for the Gloves, I just took some cloth gloves and cut the fingers off. 
Now for make-up and Prosthetics. Unfortunately, I don’t have any prosthetics at the moment. But make-up is a different matter. Currently I am using Green, cream based make-up and a green character make-up kit, both found on Battlestuff.com. 
I wrote this article so that new players would get some Idea's and so they could start making their costume and get out there and Larp as soon as they could. I hope this will help you in your journeys!

The World of Larp Weapons

 The World of Larp Weapons
By Nicholas Farseer of LarpCraft


Hello LARPers and LARP fans, today we will be talking about the world of weapons, what weapons would work for certain characters and how to match that to your price range, starting off with the most common type of character: the human warrior! (Note: unless stated otherwise, all weapons can be found on battlestuff.com)

The human warrior is a very good starting point for the newer LARPers because the weapons can be a wide range and the story is (usually) very simple to make. For the budget minded and newer LARPers, I would recommend the Simple Medieval Sword from the Epic Armoury "Ready for battle" series. It is a simple short sword that can fit with any warrior. If you have a bit more money in your pocket and a bit of extra XP I would recommend the Valiant Sword from Museum Replicas. It is a very good looking long sword that is themed around the knights of the round table. These are just some of the possibilities.

Medieval Sword (Video) 
 Valiant Sword

The next common combo will be the Orc Barbarian. The Orc Barb. is a very crude warrior that usually uses a axe or mace, one handed dual wielded or two handed. For the budget minded, I would recommend the Orc War axe. The axe is a one hander that could be used in any situation and could also be dual wielded with the Dark Ages Equalizer, another inexpensive weapon that would work great with any orc. For the more expensive types there is the one handed Skullsplitter axe or the Uruk Hai LOTR sword. If you are looking for a two handed weapon then I would recommend the Orc Big Axe.

Dark Age Equalizer (Video) 
Orc Axe  
Skull Splitter Axe 
Uruk Hai Sword

For the magic mages there is not a lot of choice for types of weapons, but oh my is there varity. One thing to keep in mind before making a mage, save some money, a lot of the stuff is expensive. Starting off for the (kind of) budget minded, we have the very simple Wooden Quarterstaff from the R.F.B. Epic Armoury line. For a big more magic for you buck you could also choose the Raijin The Magic Staff. For the people who have money to spend you could choose from the well crafted Staff of Enlightenment, the Staff of the Arch Mage, or the Dark Elven Staff. For the magic throwers, I would recommond the Bilitheren spell balls or for more expensive types I would recommend the Elemental Balls.

Wooden Staff (Video) 
Raijin The Magic Staff  
Staff of Enlightenment  
Staff of the Arch Mage  

Bilitheren Spell Balls (Video) 

Last, but not least, the rogues! These sneaky devils have very cheap weaponry. For the cheapest of cheap choose the Medieval Dagger from the R.F.B Epic Armoury line. For a bit more expensive but nice looking you chould choose the Elven War Dagger or the Warriors dagger. For amazing quality maybe the Assassin's Creed Short Sword (really a dagger) or the famous Sting from LOTR. Now daggers are all nice but what about the throwing knives? Simple but effective are the Three Hole Throwing Knives. For some nicer quality and expense are the Damas Knives. If you like those fancy Shurikens then the Calimacil Shuriken will fit your need.
Simple Medieval Dagger  
Elven War Dagger  

Assassin's Creed Dagger (Video) 

Sting LOTR Dagger (Video)http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=I6IEiUYEkMc
Damas Throwing Knives 
Shuriken 

All of these possibilities are just a few of the many amazing LARP weapons that the world has to offer, if you would like to find more I would recommend googleing Epic Armoury, Museum Replicas, or Medieval Collectables. Hope this was helpful and have a nice LARPing season.
~Nick "Nicholas Farseer" 

Using Monsters and NPCs
By: Sigmar

Hello fellow LARPers, this article will explain a bit about what NPCs and monsters are needed for a typical game as well as how you can get people to do these roles. Each game is different and it is important to have enough support / npc roles so everyone has fun! 

You will need to create Monsters and NPCs to interact with players and make your LARP more immersive. Monsters are usually the ones who roam the realm searching for players to kill, and NPCs are the ones who are more friendly (most of the time) and talk to players. But these people don't come out of no-where.

You are going to need people to play as NPCs and monsters for your events. Of course you and your team of elders can do some roles, but most of the time there is going to be a lot of spaces left that need to be filled.

What can I possibly do to get more NPCS and monsters?! I cannot ask any players to volunteer can I?! 

Yes, you can and should ask players to volunteer to NPC for you.

The first thing you can do is create a reward for players so they can volunteer. You can give them an added bonus by giving out 1000 experience for a whole day. It will make old and new players want to NPC so they can get some experience in return. Some people may just want to take a break from playing their character... 

The second thing that you can try is if you have players that are either high level or just do not want to NPC at all. If this happens you can use a system that makes players NPC if they have the lowest amount of points. You start with 2 points, if you NPC once, you gain 2 points, and if you play you lose 1 point. This makes sure that each player has to NPC at least once in their time playing at your realm.

Example 1:
Two new players play at an event.

The first player decides to NPC, and the second one plays.
The first player gains 1000 experience, but the second one only earns 150 in his adventures.

Example 2:
All three players play their first event as a player.

Player A plays again. - 1 point.
Player B plays again. - 1 point.
Player C NPCs. - 3 points.

Now the Elder needs 2 more people to NPC so he picks player A and B since they have the lowest scores.

Now that you have read this article, you know how to use monsters and how to find people to play them. I am forming a LARP group down in Texas and wrote this to help people like myself. We plan to have many monsters such as cyclops and undead, as well as NPCs like the tavern keep. I am learning as I go so maybe you will see more articles from me coming your way!

An undead monster (above)

Making buildings

Ok we learned that building everythign out of wood is not going to cut ti and that the foam can't supper itself sooo I'm not trying to build structures that combine the two so that we can quickly deploy a medieval looking building for use as a game prop, but have it quickly able to be set up. 

Tonight I tried to build an A frame building and it worked pretty well. I have the foam sheets on the frame and an now making the board / cobblestone cuts. Tomorrow I should be able to finish that and get started on the paint. 

The structure is light enough that I can dolly it into position myself and we will fill in the a frame with sheets cut down the middle so you can't see if someone is inside or not. 

I know this won't look the greatest but it will be a "lean to" kinda thing able to hold up against wind and rain. This is 4' x 8' and the picture above looks like a big sandwich board in this form. After the boards were together, I tossed the foam on with screws and liquid nails. The outside of the thin boards are frames in 2x4s as the plywood sheet was too thin to support itself. BUT in doing this, we then have the ability to toss some handles, chains and other things on the building. 

We came up with some 10x10 designs, pyramids and some other things to make some different buildings all with the intention of quickly being able to deploy and retract them for public park uses. 

The Vale Realm Event Story Follow Up and Lead

Selyn Birchvein posted a follow up scroll to the Vale event last weekend entitled - Post 7/7 Event And Some Lead-in For The Next One...

This day's events boded both well and ill for us. Dar went to assist the hobgoblins 'gainst the ogres that have begun to come to the West Wood, but they seem to have uncovered another path, and attacked us repeatedly.

Our defenses were thrown wide, and our home nearly sundered, but those of other realms who traveled to us rendered unto us honourable aid. With the assistance of their valour, the ogre invaders were defeated and our gates were able to be repaired. However, it is feared that there are more and they've a leader of great strength and magic -- some of the beasts that attacked us were enchanted to resist our magics. Perhaps we may be able to find the path they took and defeat this greater foe.

Also, the infernal creatures known as gimps seemed to have bred with more vivacity during the spring, as they harassed many throughout the day. One of the travelers seemed bound and determined to mow the high grasses of the Low Wood completely only using his axe until he found 'grass that bleeds and squeals', as he put it. The gimps must have lairs in the Low Wood, but we've been unable to find them. It may be a reprieve upon us if this could be rectified.

Even more gravely, a caravan for the dwarf merchant Ironbeard was waylaid as it passed through the Nordvald by ghouls. While not as strong as the soldiers of Delkath we needed to defeat a century ago, their paralyzing touch makes them foes to be reckoned with. The cargo was able to be recovered, but all the guards and caravaners were eaten.

Some of the travelers from the Maywood area that are known to us managed to restore our deficient knowledge of the Low Wood and West Wood, but the southwestern corner of the Nordvald remains a mystery to us. It is possible that is the area where the ghouls are coming from... or if they've a master, where it resides. However, if the ghouls are indicative of the foul strength their master has, I fear we are unready for such a tilt.

-- Zilong

Tavern Image from the 7/7/12 Event at the Vale Realm, Berlin WI


See more about the vale at - http://www.larpcraft.com/forums/index.php?categories/the-vale.124/