In Character Larp-safe non flame light sources

NightEyes

NightEyes

Newbie
A frequently occurring issue with LARP is darkness, and acting in that darkness, whether it is fighting in a field, or trying to disarm a trap in a dark building.

Solutions so far are 'chem light' sticks, either actual or battery powered, and an occasional attempt at a lantern or candle, which are usually poor looking, or very dim.

Within the big-box hardware/home improvement store, especially at this time of year, there are an assortment of solar powered individual light sources meant for placing in landscaping, these vary a lot more then I expected. While some are simple covered torch designs, there were glowing flowers and branches, glowing crystal (plastic) balls, and even one that was a glass mason jar full of tiny LED's on a wire to look like fireflies. One set is even designed to be small plastic orbs you throw into a garden pond that will float on the surface.

Light rating on these ranges from 1 lumen (roughly a standard candle) to 20 lumen. They have built in solar panels and rechargeable batteries, as well as automatic light sensors to turn them on, though some have a switch.

These are also not that expensive. A single 5 lumen ‘path light’ at Lowes costs roughly $3-$8 dollars. Wal-mart sells a larger and heavier 20 lumen path light for $15, and there are even 8 or 10 piece box sets for $40-$50. At Lowes the ‘mason jar full of fireflies’ style was priced at $15. I have no idea what light rating it had, but considering the money some of us spend on costuming and props, it’s still affordable.

If you are considering a light source, I recommend considering these. While having a poor light source does cast worse shadows and destroy light vision, having adequate light will make many things safer and easier for us all. The more electronicly inclined people can likely install a simple on-off switch to leave them off when not needed, but the ones I looked at all had standard removable AA batteries in them.
 
Sounds awesome!

Web links would be considerably helpful.
 
Just ordered 500 glow sticks for the season... they will be for sale at merchant's guild for OOG money. YAY!
Now, EXPECT fights in the darkness.
 
For the record: Night fights kick ***.
 
Night is fine but pitch black and hazard-strewn is not. I will not participate in that kind of scenario again (like we had last saturday night). The risk of serious injury is way too high and I really hope some of those glowsticks will be utilized by plot to atleast start marking said hazards, that would be a really good idea.
 
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For the record... a majority of the post event summaries were uspet when we lit the area up and a majority preferred fighting in darkness- both PCs and NPCs alike. In the future, at night, expect things to be dark and non-lit unless it makes sense in game to do so. That is, a goblin camp close to town is not going to announce their presence with firepits or liquid lights around their camp. However, a loud boisterous orc camp or the Miller House might have lanterns. If the light source comes from the players via IN-GAME means (within the parameters of the rules), that is totally acceptable. We will NOT be using OOG lighting in the future. Come prepared.
With that being said, we do care for the safety of our players and will do a better job in the future of scouting out the area and removing/eliminating any hazards. Keep in mind, you will never be forced to go on something that you feel is unsafe. You can ALWAYS sit it out.
 
The majority I overheard or talked to directly were not happy about it - PCs wise. But hey, if people changed their minds, so be it.

I know I wasn't happy because I:

Stepped in two holes and almost fell on someone one of those times.
Rolled my ankle on debris
Had an NPC step on my weapon and break it. That I could not see until I got back into a lit area, which could have been a direct safety hazard (But thankfully was not).

I'm aware of other people getting nailed in the eye by branches, losing footing, etc.

I'm okay with night fights. If there is enough light to be safe, and/or it's in a safe area. However, if the NPC crew and the PC crew is okay with repeated weapons to the face because people can't see and tripping over debris and terrain that cannot be seen - I'll accept that I'm in the minority and may sit out those fights. I have zero interest in a broken nose, or broken ankle in a situation that is preventable though, first real injury and I'm done with them for good. Accidents happen, but pitch black in ugly terrain is almost a for-sure thing.

Are we sure these situations are like, okay by our Insurance and Waiver?

-Porch
TPO Frank
 
Every individual on site will have our own threshold for what we feel is self for our own conduct -- based on our assessment of the environment, our night vision, personal health, athleticism, and general capabilities and preferences. I've been LARPing in this style of game a long time, and many times heard people call HOLD over terrain they felt was unsafe but at which I wouldn't batt an eyelash. Similarly, I've excused myself from situations which I felt were unsafe for me where other players had a blast. Personal responsibility is key here.

Let's trust Jesse and the game administration now to keep a keen eye not only on safety but also presentation (i.e., few people could clearly see the Undead Dargok encounter due to poor lighting and inability to hear dialog clearly at a distance). Meanwhile, I encourage every player to exercise personal responsibility. If you feel that a certain environment is unsafe for you for any reason, excuse yourself from it. It's literally self-regulating, and therefore shouldn't be a problem.

No sense arguing about, "That wasn't safe," "Yes, it totally was!" Some people thought it was fine, others didn't. Both groups were right. Now we all know that in the future, every individual gets to make that determination for themselves.

Trace
 
I think that would violate the light restrictions on page 35 of the rulebook... ;) Though I suppose technically one could point it at the ground or up in the air and cover it with a cloth to diffuse it. o.o;

In order to use a flashlight for in-game purposes, you must have someone cast a Light spell. The flashlight must be diffused by either taping a cloth over the end or using a red filter and must be pointed towards the ground or up in the air. A flashlight can never be pointed near or at a person’s face.

If you want to use your flashlight to represent a candle or a small torch, you must have in your possession somewhere a real candle or torch that the flashlight represents.

It should be noted that flashlights are highly discouraged, as they distract from the medieval feel of the game. Camping lights that look like lanterns are a much better choice.

Liquid Light elixirs are encouraged and are usually represented by chemical light sticks.
Click to expand...
 
Ya, I was trying to think how many light spells would be needed to use a source light this. It clearly isn't a "small torch" As a PC, I think you are totally correct. But there is no reason plot couldn't come up with a reason to have a bigger light. :)

Edited - An actual lit torch is around 100 lumens. This would be equal to 150 light spells. Or...750 production points of light scrolls.
 
100 lumen for a lit torch? That seems a bit high. I'll have to keep an eye for some really bright ones.

IMG_20140527_025349965.jpg 20 lumen solar path light for $15 6" metal scale in pic for scale. (Bananas are silly)
IMG_20140525_154035439.jpg glowing crystal ball path lights
IMG_20140525_153936866.jpg Mason Jar of fireflies, and floating glow orb lights.

All of these are under $20 and solar rechargable stand-alone units. no wiring, no plugs. Going to a store and looking at their selection firsthand is recomended, and checking for light ratings. 1 lumen will create a small glow... 5 lumen casts a bit of light in an area.. 20 lumen is considered 'brightest' for these. above 20 lumen and you start seeing localized spotlights.

Walmart/Target toy section also sometimes has things like light up glowing or blinking silicone balls that could be used for arcane lightsources. an item you could easily throw into a darkened room with no worries about hitting anything or breaking it.

Walmart had a box of silicone squishy light up flashing finger rings the other day, which are about the size of a spell packet. Imagine if spell packets at night were actually glowing flashing balls flying through the air. Probably against some area of rules for the group, but a cool effect to think about.
 
Red light can be a bit kinder to night vision, and might be a good option for non-magical lanterns.
 
Wich reminds me. I would like to introduce everyone to the magical world of Gels. http://www.barbizon.com/store/categ...-filters/expendables/gel-and-lighting-filters .

With this stuff, you can make your lights any color you want. And this is VERY different from putting colored celophane over a light- the color will be much richer and the material is unlikely to be hurt by heat.

As long as the plastic isnt actually touching the bulb of your lantern, it will be fine. You can tent-it ovr porch-lights or other exposed lightbulbs too. I recommend amber (Dark orange, red-brown and dark orangy brown color) colored filters for convincing fire-light look. Can be easily taped or glued to stuff. Ignore the expensive roll size, the single sheets are like 7$. This place is also local, so you can physically go to their shop and pick out sheets and skip shipping
 
On the note of gels, LED's make very little heat, so you can usually place a piece directly onto things like the lens of a flashlight with no worry. Tail light repair tape is also one I have heard of using, where it's a thin red adhesive tape that you can buy an entire roll at an auto parts store for a couple bucks. Yellows and oranges better for things like a simulated lantern that has a cleaner brighter light, with the heavier oranges and reds being good for crude sources like a torch. You can also buy things like plastic disposable food storage containers that just happen to have colored plastic sometimes. I've seen people use an old orange plastic medicine bottle as a light filter too. (also available in more wild colors like purple and green from Colorado's new 'medicine' suppliers for posible magical light sources)
 
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