Ban Latex Weapons

M

mikestrauss

Squire
With today's announcement by Mike V., that I can only describe as the most upsetting thing that has ever happened since Ashbury started, latex weapons are legal in Alliance.

The one bright side of this announcement is that each individual chapter can ban them. I am calling for a HQ ban of latex weapons.

I'll be straight. I have been hit by these things before and they hurt, especially when blade edge strikes the same location multiple times and especially on bare skin. Thinking of NPCs, they already get battered enough during a weekend. These weapons would make them so sore that many might not even be able to finish a weekend, let alone how they will feel later in the week.

They are also dangerous. They do not have proper padding and have nearly sharpened tips and edging. Despite the Alliance rule that prevents thrusting with a latex weapon, an errant swing that hits the head is MUCH more likely to seriously injure someone's eye.

I can think of no other issue that has ever made me consider retiring, but this might be the one. I don't think I am willing to be hit by these weapons all weekend long and I don't feel I should be forced to make that decision. I know I will not attend any other chapter that does allow these weapons and I hope HQ makes my decision easy for HQ.

This is not only a request to staff (GM and Owner especially), but a request to players to help prevent these weapons from ever polluting our game.

-MS
 
I'm honestly sorry you feel this way Mike, HQ's policy on Latex weapons is:

HQ will be accepting latex weapons on a weapon-by-weapon basis, we do ask that you please bring alternate boffer weapons with you as well as we cannot approve a latex weapon in advance.
 
Alot of players have never been allowed to try latex before so we have no opinion other than "that looks cool, wish we knew what it was like to play with them".

I am happy HQ is deciding to let us try them out and make our own decision about it before outright banning them as you are calling for. If there is enough negativity toward them and we pester the owner and GM, then I am sure they would ban them... but for now, lets try it out, see what happens. maybe players will be safe with them and it will improve the overall gameplay experience. I'm excited to see for myself.
 
I've had the chance to play with a couple latex weapons in the past and will this year try out a larp that uses them almost exclusively. Latex weapons get high reviews from games that use them. I say give them their fair chance.
 
Toddo said:
I'm honestly sorry you feel this way Mike, HQ's policy on Latex weapons is:

HQ will be accepting latex weapons on a weapon-by-weapon basis, we do ask that you please bring alternate boffer weapons with you as well as we cannot approve a latex weapon in advance.
Click to expand...

That is it, huh? That is the policy? No discussion, no other option?

Fine. Needs to be approved by a weapon marshal, right? I officially would like to start testing to become a weapon marshal.

-MS
 
Having played around with latex weps quite a few times, I can say that they are for the most part no more dangerous or "hard" then our present weapons. Obviously they need to be case by case, the big issue being sword tips.

Becoming a Marshal should be for teh good of the game as a volenteer. We are expected to make fair and UNBIASED calls on each senerio we are presented. If you are not a fan of the latex gear thats one thing, but remember that we are all here to have fun and that those of us who do take on the resposibility to keep things fair and clean are expected to remain unbiased in our approch to the rules and policies of our respective chapters. Just a thought.
--bill

PS: As teh guy who gets hit in the head/face/nether regions/ect fairly regularly, I can still say its a case by case situation.
--bill
 
Mike Strauss, even if you become a HQ weapons marshal it doesn't mean you are allowed to fail latex weapons on general principal. It doesn't work that way. In fact, that is a good sign that you shouldn't be a weapon marshal.

I'm going to get a latex weapon, and I am totally going to try it out at HQ. I bet that no NPCs will get decapitated or have any latex weapon related injuries. Bill Gibbs doesn't count he is going to get hurt regardless.

-Brian Bender
 
In my experience it def depends on the weapon/maker. They've come a very long way. As someone who is only 5'1 117 and a wimp (ie, a little girl who does get hurt easily), I have found no difference between the good latex weapons allowed in the other game I've played and our weapons as far as them hurting. I've also been hit directly in the eye with one and again, just like our boffers. You may want to check out some of the newer ones before you rule that all are unsafe.
 
Last time i played in cold weather or in the rain i do remember that the duct tape weapons either constrict in the cold or get waited down in the rain and those hurt but i have never seen or heard anyone complain.

If its bare skin it hurts on but on a long sleeve tunic
 
ARC is currently discussing this Toddy.
 
They're pretty. No denying that. They also cost a lot of freaking money.

I've been hit with them in the past, and it hurt like hell. While I personally am not a fan (of the sting or the expense) I do understand that they've been making some advances with them in the last few years, so I'm trying to be a little more open minded.

I have generally felt better about maces/axes because they just plain have more foam on them. My main concern is that while many companies boast a 5/8" foam thickness on the sword's striking surface, what they refer to as "striking surface" is the blade EDGE, and the majority of our fighters aren't used to having to turn the weapon while fighting in order to hit you with that edge (in fairness, they've never needed to), so you're likely to get smacked with the flat of the blade, where the foam is generally 3/8" or less.

That being said, I am putting my faith in our weapon marshals. As the weapons are being tested on a case by case basis, just like any other alternate construction, I trust our marshals to adhere to the safety rules of construction on the initial check, as well as call out players who are not fighting safely on the field. If we fail on either of those considerations, that's a different issue.
 
Statistics and science will back me up when I say that latex weapons will in no way harm a player while they are talking about LARP combat on message boards... which is just about the extent of the original posters activity anyway.

Bravo to HQ!

Brian, I am very interested to hear your take on their use.

Stephen
 
Air Raksa said:
Bill Gibbs doesn't count he is going to get hurt regardless.

-Brian Bender
Click to expand...

Poor bill! Saddly its true. :(
 
Honestly I have no take on the use of latex weapons. I don't know that much about them.

What I do know:

-They are expensive (65$-200$)

I doubt they are better than Utra-light weapons for the purposes of landing "speedy" hits. I doubt we will see very many of them on the East Coast this upcoming season.

I want to get one or two so that I can try them out and decide for myself. I saw some on-line and I don't think there is any competition (with boffers) as far as looks go. Will K and Paul B probably still make a better weapon overall for alot cheaper.

I wonder if it would be that hard to make an existing latex weapon (say a katana or an axe) look white, without resorting to white duct tape. Maybe there is a paint that bonds well with latex and wont flake after a few uses.

I also wonder how smart it is to make a non-spirit linked latex magic weapon. Say I shell out 200$ for a sweet katana, then I get rolled by Riddick the Destroyer in the woods and he steals my weapon. Am I out 200 beans?

-BB
 
You know, we play a medieval based larp. You know what people in medieval times who thought they might get into combat wore? Armor. Seriously, they did. You can even look it up on wikipedia.

Even a thicker sweatshirt, let alone a padded gambeson, will make a huge difference.

And it's agreed that getting hit in the eye sucks. It sucks with regular boffers too. Most have squared tips, so even at 2" they can catch an eye. If you are very worried about getting hit in the eye, wear a light helmet that protects them or even some sort of light safety glasses. You pretty much know when you're going into combat. put them on. I wear a very light leather helmet as one of my character and it protects my head tremendously. And headshots also often happen because someone ducks into it. At 6'4" tall, the vast majority of headshots I've handed out are due to people ducking down into it. Not only must the "attacker" be safe, the defender needs to show some common sense as well.

Nero and then Alliance has been incredibly cranked up safety wise and cranked down athletic wise over my 15 years of involvement. While it was too far the other way in 1989, IMO it's going too far the other way now. And there is a large part of this game who is against that as well. We try to reach a middle ground, so it's safe but still challenging. But for a decade and a half, it's been the more intense players that have had to compromise. How about the less intense maybe helping out for a change. It really is as simple as wearing a little more than a t-shirt and tabard and maybe doing some physical activity outside of the weekends (which will benefit your entire life). That is one of the HUGEST problems at Alliance events. People do nothing for a month but sit on their butt, and then show up and wonder why they are sore or get hurt. I don't think I've ever seen anyone stretch before a battle, which is intrinsic before ANY physical activity.

I know some people might get offended by this, but I feel it needs to be said on behalf of so many of us who have been polite and caring for 15 years and moved further and further away from the game we want to play. Is throwing on a little more padding or getting out and getting some exercise a few times a week too much to ask? I'm not saying everyone has to be a superjock, but people really should prepare for what can be a very vigorous activity.

Otherwise, we might as well start playing rock/paper/scissors for combat.

Scott
 
Air Raksa said:
Honestly I have no take on the use of latex weapons. I don't know that much about them.

What I do know:

-They are expensive (65$-200$)

I doubt they are better than Utra-light weapons for the purposes of landing "speedy" hits. I doubt we will see very many of them on the East Coast this upcoming season.

I want to get one or two so that I can try them out and decide for myself. I saw some on-line and I don't think there is any competition (with boffers) as far as looks go. Will K and Paul B probably still make a better weapon overall for alot cheaper.

I wonder if it would be that hard to make an existing latex weapon (say a katana or an axe) look white, without resorting to white duct tape. Maybe there is a paint that bonds well with latex and wont flake after a few uses.

I also wonder how smart it is to make a non-spirit linked latex magic weapon. Say I shell out 200$ for a sweet katana, then I get rolled by Riddick the Destroyer in the woods and he steals my weapon. Am I out 200 beans?

-BB
Click to expand...

I can answer the last bit of your question, it is already stated policy that players may choose to retain their Reps when an item is stolen, and the person now in possesion of it must come up with a rep that is similar.

As to Scotts comments, I don't entirely agree, any player in my chapter, and the chapters I usually attend, would be dealt with very harshly if their response to someone being wounded or concerned by their fighting style to 'Wear more padding'. Unfortunately I was concerned the last national chapter by what I suppose is being presented in that post as a 'silent majority' and I saw all sorts of unsportsmen like conduct, everything from pressing attacks while players where dealing with exceptional steep portions of a hill (literally hunching down to grab the ground to keep from falling) unbelievable speed and baseball bat styles of combat in others.

As an Owner who now must set aside his personal disagreement with this change, I would like to see more consideration for those on the 'losing side' of this debate so to speak as opposed to using this as an excuse to tell folks to 'Man up'
 
To support David's point...

"If you have a very expensive or personal item that gets turned magical (say, a very nice suit of armor) and the item is stolen in-game, you have the right to refuse to turn over your personal item. You must still, of course, turn over the tags for that item. In exchange for keeping your own item, you forfeit your right to “recognize” your special armor later when the thief wears it in-game (using your tags with his or her own physical representation)." (78)

I think the question then becomes... is the thief required to replace the rep with another latex item, or may they make a boffer so this doesn't create out of game disparity based on income? Does this alter how it's currently being done... where people can't trade in their PVC magic item sword reps for ultralights, so therefore latex reps have to remain latex? Or is it a special case?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top