Approved Weapons

T

Tiberius

Newbie
I apologize if this question has been covered already, but this has been bugging me for a while. Some sites like www.medievalcollectibles.com/ sell LARP weapons that they claim are approved for use. I'm sure the rules differ from place to place but I wanted to find out for sure.

So I wanted to know if players are allowed to use the weapons purchased from these sites. I hope so because they look great and they claim the weapons are safe. Here are the specs on a typical sword they sell:

Specifications:
# Approved for LARP use
# Sword length: 44 inches
# Blade length: 31.5 inches
# Handle Length: 8 inches
# Haft: 5 inches
# Foam thickness depth to core on striking surface: 5/8 inches
# Foam thickness depth to core on all non-striking surfaces: 3/8 inches
# Foam thickness from core to end/tip: 1.5 inches
# Foam weight: cross-linked polyethelyne, similar to Trocellen (tm)
# Handle firmness: medium
# Core composition: fiberglass
# Weapon tip pointed
# Striking surface beveled
# Core capped to prevent tearing, splitting, punch-through of the foam
 
These specifications are insufficient to meet the Alliance safety standards. Most notably "Foam thickness depth to core on all non-striking surfaces: 3/8 inches" ... We require 5/8'' thickness on all surfaces and "Foam thickness from core to end/tip: 1.5 inches". We require a minimum of 1 inch past the end of the core plus an additional 2 inches of open cell padding.

I recommend reading through the weapon specifications in the rule book.

-Devon
 
Chapters may still approve them for local use under the auspices of "alternate weapon construction" at their discretion, so it's always worth bringing to a game (or better yet, marshal-attended fighter practice) and asking (just be prepared for a "No"). There are a few other companies that put out great looking weapons
"approved for LARP use" is kinda vague, like saying "approved for playing tennis". Different groups have different expectations of safety. Sadly, none really care enough about safety to require balloon swords coated in marshmallows.

Devon said:
Most notably "Foam thickness depth to core on all non-striking surfaces: 3/8 inches" ... We require 5/8'' thickness on all surfaces and "Foam thickness from core to end/tip: 1.5 inches"
Click to expand...
You might have missed the part where it says "non-striking surfaces". We do not necessarily require that (Spears and bows being the first two obvious examples). Some larps use padding on grips and crossguards, we do not require grip padding, nor a crossguard (and crossguards have no min thickness).
 
Many of these latex weapons refer to the flat of the blade as a non-striking surface, or in the case of hafted weapons, the haft itself (and only the head is 5/8"). I would not pass a weapon that did not have 5/8" thick on the entirety of the blade/head/striking end of the weapon. If you told me that the whole blade was considered a striking surface by their standards and as such does have 5/8" padding on the whole blade, I'd at least take a look at it and consider it.
 
Depending on any given chapter's preferences, I might. The 5/8" designation is fairly arbitrary. Good standards for safety are "cannot feel core", "unlikely to break over the course of the weekend" and "unlikely to cause lasting injury". I'd fail weapons designed to the rulebook guideline if they fail those three standards, and I'd pass weapons that are designed outside of rulebook guidelines if they meet those three. Guidelines are a good thing, mind you. But it is far different to say "You will more frequently pass these three standards of safety if you use 5/8" padding" than to say "anything less than 5/8" is unsafe".
 
I've been hit with less than 5/8".

I had the same idea as you so I've tested weapons at 1/2" and 3/8" foam thickness, keeping all other elements the same (UL core, tape etc). Getting hit with less than 5/8" padding hurt a whole lot more than I thought it would - even with long sleeves. Is it scientific proof? Nope. But I don't want to get hit with it.

I might consider it on a bow, as you shouldn't be hitting people with a bow in the first place, but *shrug* not a fan of the lesser padded stuff. Now if somebody came out with a new kind of foam that was more shock-absorbent but still made good, safe, lasting weapons, that's possibly another story...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top