Cheap Costumes and Boffer Weapons?

Okay! :)

My sister is trying to make a staff, and we got good directions on how to make one of those on here already. I'm just gonna make a basic sword. No need to get to fancy on my fist attempt. Lol. XD

We're going to try making them. If they don't pass, so be it. But it doesn't seem that difficult to do, so hopefully we'll be able to get it right! :)

I do have one question about the open cell foam. There seem to be many different kinds. Which kind should I get? Thanks! :D
 
We usually get ours from Joannes, it's the 2 inch thick stuff. That way all you have to do is cut it into 2"x2" squares, and you have the right size for the thrusting tips.

I'd make the suggestion, too, of cutting and bringing some extra tips (and some spare tape), just in case. Especially on staffs, they tend to get squashed and the weapon fails as a result.
 
Thanks! :) I'm going to Joann's tomorrow to get the foam. We got the rest of our boffer weapon stuff at Home Depot.

We got medieval-y clothes from thrift stores. I just need some kind of appropriate footwear, and we both need bags/purses to carry around with us. For the shoes, I have a pair of Ugg-like boots that the soles have holes in. I was thinking about cutting off the fabric and duct taping it to my regular sneakers. Comfy and stylish? :P For the bags, I'd like something with a long shoulder strap, a zipper, and no holes where stuff could fall out of (which happens in wool a bit). I figured people carry bags around to keep water and stuff in. :)

For armor, we each bought leather-looking vinyl at Joann's and we're going to cut it to work for vests, arm bands, etc. I hope we'll get some extra armor points for it! XD
 
Crossroads is a lower level campaign and suits itself very well to newer players. They have the friendliest and most helpful staff I've ever encountered. Check the website and read about the Wayfarer's Guild. It is basically an in game organization which welcomes all new players, and functions the out of game mechanic of helping ease you in to the game with adventures appropriate to your skill level, and mentors who will teach you everything you need to know.

As far as weapons, just make sure to get to the site a little early, and have someone check out your construction. If there is a problem, I'm sure you can get the help to modify them to pass safety check.

So, if you want to jump right into PCing, Crossroads is a great place to do it.
 
That's great advice! Thank you! :D
 
I can make simple pouches for around $10 out of cloth. I may have a couple with me as I will be at crossroads opener. For footwear I wear knee high minatonka moccasins. Yes I know I typed the name of the company wrong but idc. Other options that are good for first time Larpers is engineer boots, combat boots, sandals for summer, also if you have a stack of cash and want to burn it you could look up son of sandolar. They make custom fitted moccians but they run around $300-$1200. Like I said only if you have a stack of cash to burn, or you light your Cuban cigars with $50's.
 
jzick1984 said:
I can make simple pouches for around $10 out of cloth. I may have a couple with me as I will be at crossroads opener. For footwear I wear knee high minatonka moccasins. Yes I know I typed the name of the company wrong but idc. Other options that are good for first time Larpers is engineer boots, combat boots, sandals for summer, also if you have a stack of cash and want to burn it you could look up son of sandolar. They make custom fitted moccians but they run around $300-$1200. Like I said only if you have a stack of cash to burn, or you light your Cuban cigars with $50's.
Click to expand...

It's supet great news that I'm a bajillionaire, then!! XP

How big are the pouches? Any idea what a good size is?

*noobs all over the place* lol thanks XD
 
Toddy, who posts as Ithica on these boards, also makes and sells leather armor/pouches/weapon frogs. His site is here and I've had a pouch that he made for a few seasons and I love it. It's taken probably close to 70 games to start to wear a little spot on the belt loop.
 
Well for my pouches, and mind you I play a caster, they are 10 inches wide by 10 inches tall, and really it is nothing more than cloth doubled over on itself. Further I can make it one color or two , depending on your choice. If you want one shoot me a line and I can make one or two up for you for game. Also I would need to know what colors. Thank you.
 
Another idea is if you are already hitting up goodwill and thrift stores...just look for purses that can be altered to be made into pouches...I have 3-4 different "pouches" all are purses or handbags that I have removed the shoulder strap and made belt loops....you can find alot of stuff you can alter at thrift stores and goodwill...another good thing to do is to hit up tag sales and what not....you can pick up a few different items...and you can donate them to the game...getting you gobbies which you can then use to get a few monthly blankets and start with a little more than 15 build.. :thumbsup:
 
Kyle suggested; "Another thing I've seen a lot of people do (and I did at my first couple events) is get a cheap leather jacket from a thrift store for some extra armor points."

Is this okay? (ignore the green, I took it at a funny angle 'case I didn't want the phone getting in the way of the shot so I had to rotate it after.) It's not exactly period-looking but I'm going to be wearing robes that cover it. I figure it (plus the gloves - the hand holding the cell is ungloved for dexterity but I do have a full pair) is good for 8 points?

1 - Hands/Forearm
1 - Upper Arm
2 - Torso
2 - Chest
2 - Back

I picked it up at the Salvation Army near Myth Games (the store that the Calgary chapter Owner owns.) for $40
 

Attachments

  • photo.jpg
    photo.jpg
    120.9 KB · Views: 1,074
I would say to rip out the zipper....and throw some toggle buttons and loops at least....
 
MKing said:
I would say to rip out the zipper....and throw some toggle buttons and loops at least....
Click to expand...

Thanks for that tip! Your right, the zipper's really the main thing that's anachronistic. What is a 'toggle button' in this context please? (I'm only familiar with that in GUI computer terms, and googling it didn't yield any other definition.)
EDIT: Googling 'toggle button +leather' clarified it a little
http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/leather ... utton.html

The robes will cover up the zipper, but it's good to have it look better in case I'm not wearing my robe for whatever reason.
 
MathGwyson said:
MKing said:
I would say to rip out the zipper....and throw some toggle buttons and loops at least....
Click to expand...

Thanks for that tip! Your right, the zipper's really the main thing that's anachronistic. What is a 'toggle button' in this context please? (I'm only familiar with that in GUI computer terms, and googling it didn't yield any other definition.)
EDIT: Googling 'toggle button +leather' clarified it a little
http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/leather ... utton.html

The robes will cover up the zipper, but it's good to have it look better in case I'm not wearing my robe for whatever reason.
Click to expand...
Yup, something along those lines.
 
Nice find with the jacket! :thumbsup:

I could have bought a leather jacket for $15 or $20 at a thrift store, but I just didn't like the look of them. Instead I got leather-vinyl-stuff from JoAnn's. I'm in the process of making it a vest. I have tomorrow off, and I'm planning on finishing it then. I'll post a pic when I think it's ready! :D
 
It takes a little bit of time, but you can hack up a thrift store jacket and make it look very good.

Just remove the sleeves, the zippers, the collar, and the pockets.

Slice down the sides, and add grommets and lace up with leather

Add toggles to the front.

Now, if you stud the whole thing (you can use brads from a craft store), you can get 2 points per location.
They count for double points on chest, belly, and back, so this gives you 12 armor points, and enough scrap to make arm bracers, and probably fashion something for upper arm or legs as well.
 
It takes a little bit of time, but you can hack up a thrift store jacket and make it look very good.

Just remove the sleeves, the zippers, the collar, and the pockets.

Slice down the sides, and add grommets and lace up with leather

Add toggles to the front.
Click to expand...
This is exactly what I was talking about before. A cheap leather jacket can become a really nice piece of mostly in-period costume/armor with a little bit of work. You can find everything you need to do this at any fabric store or craft store. This works best with a real leather jacket, but a decent looking fake leather jacket could work, too.

Now, if you stud the whole thing (you can use brads from a craft store), you can get 2 points per location.
Click to expand...

I know I'm just being an armor nerd, and I know that in Alliance studs give you more armor points, but I hate studded leather. It never existed and studs wouldn't actually provide any protection unless they were so tightly packed that it was effectively plate armor. The idea of studded leather probably came about when somebody saw brigandine armor and didn't realize the rivets actually connected to metal plates underneath.

That said, go for it. Another option is to make ring armor by sewing washers or thick wire rings (at least 14ga AWG or 16ga SWG) to the leather. It would be a little more work, and honestly, it probably wouldn't look as good, but it's another option.
 
Both the leather jackets I came across were really hot and heavy, which I thought would be uncomfortable in the heat. They were also huge on me, which I thought didn't look good, even taking into account the changes I would make to them.

Instead I got leather-looking vinyl and suede lace. I folded the fabric in half, made a hole for my head, cut that hole down to be more vest-like, made better arm holes, poked holes in the sides to lace them up with the suede, and cut down the center so I could poke holes in it and lace it up with suede. I might use the suede lace on the shoulders and lower back if I feel like it. I'm not sure yet.

But honestly, it's been super easy to do! No sewing involved at all. It doesn't look perfect or anything, but I think it looks reasonably good. I'm having a bit of an issue because I need it to look relatively good, but I think I'm not going to get as many armor points. I can't think of a way to solve this, since anything that covers up a bunch of me is going to look silly because I'm really short. So I figure I'll make a vest and some forearm covers with the leftover fabric. Maybe I can scrounge up 6-8 armor points? :wacko:
 
Well, if it looks reasonably like leather and covers your chest, abdomen, and back, you're already at 6 points. Bracers give you another 1 point - considering how sweaty even light bracers can get, they may or may not be worth wearing. If your costume is at least mostly in period, you get another 2 points, and if your costume and armor end up looking awesome, you can get 1-4 extra bonus points. You're looking at anywhere from 6-13 points depending on how it all turns out.
 
Okay, so here's what I have so far... I might edit it more. I'm not sure yet. What do you all think? :)
9qqbm6

9qqc79


In case the pictures don't show up, here are the URLs. XD
http://twitpic.com/9qqbm6
http://twitpic.com/9qqc79

It definitely covers my back and abdomen. I'm gonna guess it covers maybe a third to half of my chest? Kinda hard to tell. lol XD

EDIT: I tried uploading the pics as attachments. Hopefully that'll work! XD
 

Attachments

  • 2012-05-29 16.21.06.jpg
    2012-05-29 16.21.06.jpg
    92.9 KB · Views: 991
  • 2012-05-29 16.24.05.jpg
    2012-05-29 16.24.05.jpg
    113.5 KB · Views: 991
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top