having the right gear

[Wraith]

That's one of the tradeoffs for armor. Lots of it is good for absorbing damage, but not getting out of the way of it. On the other hand, if you're stuck in a front line, dodging isn't as much of an issue. But "armor class run away" is pretty good protection when you can move and aren't interested in a fight...

Assuming you can outrun the NPCs. They tend to have armor values and not need to wear reps, the dirty cheaters. :lol:

 

[MathGwyson]

Assuming you can outrun the NPCs. They tend to have armor values and not need to wear reps, the dirty cheaters. :lol:

:tears: ... oh well, that's why I stay in town! And if the monsters attack the town in the middle of the night again, I'll just hide in my cabin :sweat: (No weapon skills, just first aid, alchemy (and it's pre-reqs), teacher, merchant, and craftsman: astrology. It could have been built for a page character, but it's not! :whistle: )

 

[evi1r0n]

Assuming you can outrun the NPCs. They tend to have armor values and not need to wear reps, the dirty cheaters. :lol:

Unless you are referring to a monster's natural armor, all NPCs should have repped armor. Having and using an armor tag and not wearing armor (even for NPCs) is not a thing I've seen allowed (disclaimer: I have only ever played 2 chapters).

 

[Wraith]

Assuming you can outrun the NPCs. They tend to have armor values and not need to wear reps, the dirty cheaters. :lol:

Unless you are referring to a monster's natural armor, all NPCs should have repped armor. Having and using an armor tag and not wearing armor (even for NPCs) is not a thing I've seen allowed (disclaimer: I have only ever played 2 chapters).

Armor reps are expensive and a pain in the *** for NPC camp to haul, so 95/100 times you'll see an NPC with armor, it'll be either natural armor or Arcane. Real armor's probably more common in chapters with their own site and someone local willing to build it, but really that's a lot of money that could go to something that makes more difference in the feel of the game, so I don't mind at all.

 

[Lurin]

This is true, SoMN is feeling extra priviledged now adays with out new site and recent donations, and we've only got 3-4 suits of armor sitting in Monster camp currently. That makes it hard to rep 'waves' of armed Orcs attacking.

(Course extra armor donations are a great way to get goblin stamps, Shameless Plug)

Further disclaimer - The majority of our cards for npcs won't have more than 10 points of 'heavy cloth' armor unless it's fully repped, just like our players.

 

[Toddo]

At HQ if you don't rep it you don't get points. Natural armor needs to be on the monster card (not all that common in the DB) and Arcane Armor is a rare commodity reserved for when it makes sense and the NPC has the resources to afford it. It's been the same at the 4 other chapters I've played. The only exceptions to this are when it is too hot or cold for armor to be worn safely and even then I don't suddenly start sending out NPCs with armors tags just because I don't have to rep the armor. Heck, I don't even do an eval for NPCs to give them their in period or master crafted bonuses. I've never seen what you're describing done.

 

[Breten]

Assuming you can outrun the NPCs. They tend to have armor values and not need to wear reps, the dirty cheaters. :lol:

:tears: ... oh well, that's why I stay in town! And if the monsters attack the town in the middle of the night again, I'll just hide in my cabin :sweat: (No weapon skills, just first aid, alchemy (and it's pre-reqs), teacher, merchant, and craftsman: astrology. It could have been built for a page character, but it's not! :whistle: )

The Cabins get raided too ya know.

 

[Polare]

Armor reps are expensive and a pain in the *** for NPC camp to haul, so 95/100 times you'll see an NPC with armor, it'll be either natural armor or Arcane. Real armor's probably more common in chapters with their own site and someone local willing to build it, but really that's a lot of money that could go to something that makes more difference in the feel of the game, so I don't mind at all.

I have not experienced this in the last 6-7 years, though it was not uncommon before that in the chapters I went to. These days I would be very surprised to see NPCs going out with points for 'suits of armor' (i.e. anything more than the "heavy cloth" like Lurin talked about) in *any* chapter, quite frankly.

-Bryan

 

[phedre]

Most monster cards have specifications about what armor can be worn. Some have natural armor, many say "can wear armor, must rep" and the rest say "cannot wear armor."

Natural armor is the only one I know about that isn't repped.

 

[Warlok]

At HQ if you don't rep it you don't get points. Natural armor needs to be on the monster card (not all that common in the DB) and Arcane Armor is a rare commodity reserved for when it makes sense and the NPC has the resources to afford it. It's been the same at the 4 other chapters I've played. The only exceptions to this are when it is too hot or cold for armor to be worn safely and even then I don't suddenly start sending out NPCs with armors tags just because I don't have to rep the armor. Heck, I don't even do an eval for NPCs to give them their in period or master crafted bonuses. I've never seen what you're describing done.

This is what I've seen in SF as a player, NPC, and working for Plot, too.

-Luke

 

[siriuslyyellow]

Just to throw in my two cents to the "LARPing is expensive" problem...

As far as costuming goes, I found a handful of different shirt, vest, and skirt options at thrift stores which I can mix and match. They cost me about $15 total for 6 pieces of clothing. And that required no sewing at all.

Shoes are harder, but I'm convinced I can either find an old pair laying around or put something over my sneakers to make them work or buy a pair for under $15.

I also got leather-looking vinyl and suede lace from JoAnn's for about $20 total. I cut it into a vest, put the vest together by punching holes in it and lacing it up with the suede lace, and I have plenty of material left for other things--arm bracers, leg bracers, a helmet, shoe covers, you name it. Again, none of that required sewing. Just my time and energy.

The stuff I made might not last more than a handful of events, but I think it's totally fine for someone who's trying Alliance for the first time and doesn't want to look out of place.

I think the MOST expensive thing is the cost. I believe you have to buy yearly membership for each chapter you want to play in, or just buy it for the weekends you attend. And if you want to PC it's $65 for each event. Even just playing in one chapter for the whole year will be about $300.

A good idea is to NPC. You have to pay the yearly membership, but the events are free. Something to consider if you want to play but you're on a tight budget. Then all you need are black pants and a black shirt.

Pc or NPC, you're gonna need a sleeping bag, pillow, changes of clothes, toiletries, bug spray, a battery powered light, snacks, and transportation.

And I almost forgot about a boffer weapon! You can make one for relatively cheap. Maybe under $10?

Gosh, listing all this is making my wallet cry. But honestly, a lot of the more expensive stuff is only one-time purchase stuff, or stuff you won't need to re-buy often.

If you tried, you could probably NPC one chapter for under $100-$150 a year. That's less than $20 a month, which is really cheap by any standards.

 

[phedre]

Especially when you consider that many chapters feed NPCs without them paying for it, or paying a nominal cost (generally less than $20 per weekend).

 

[Talen]

I'll also point towards cunning monster cabins following the path of many a movie nowadays and building themselves some of what's called "WETAmaille"- that is, PVC-ring "chainmail".

Voila, lightweight, low-maint but goodlooking armor physreps that don't rust in your props locker. If it worked for Lord of the Ring's orcish hordes, it'll work for YOUR hordes too! A few starter links *ahem* :

http://www.larp.com/orcs/PVCmail.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-Chainmail/

 

[phedre]

Ask Meg (GM of Catskills) about her purple and black ring-mail, or her husband Will (Logistics/Head of Rules).

It's pretty cool, and probably didn't cost much to make in terms of money. I'm sure it took her a while to weave all of it, but it's a good project to keep your hands busy while watching movies or shows.

 

[siriuslyyellow]

I've also found that it gets me excited to work on my costume. It makes me want to go out and LARP right NOW!! XDD

 

[MathGwyson]

I've also found that it gets me excited to work on my costume. It makes me want to go out and LARP right NOW!! XDD

I know! I WANNA GO! :hahaha:

Been so excited I was a flurry of activity the last week and a half (or so) and spent way more than I probably should have :sweat:

 

[siriuslyyellow]

I've also found that it gets me excited to work on my costume. It makes me want to go out and LARP right NOW!! XDD

I know! I WANNA GO! :hahaha:

Been so excited I was a flurry of activity the last week and a half (or so) and spent way more than I probably should have :sweat:

Heh, you and me both!! :hahaha: