Questions about your LARP.

[Leveer Silverleaf]

I am currently an active player in a a LARP based out of Milan Michigan called "Kanar". I am hoping to add another LARP to my weekends that are always free and was wondering what I would have to do to get involved. Where are you usually located? I live in Chesterfield Michigan.

 

[Warlok]

They have the game site listed as:

Camp Kiwanis
676 W. Dansville Rd.
Mason, Michigan 48854

Next event is scheduled for Feb 25th!

Hope you enjoy Alliance as much as "Kanar" (or even better )

 

[jwconvery]

Welcome!

Knights And Nobles And Rogues! I have never actually played Kanar, though my friends have, so some of my comparisions might be off. Please don't be offended.

One of the big diferences I've heard is the difference in combat. Both Larps use the boffer weapons, Alliance hits tend to to be lighter then Kanar's. I've played with some Kanar players who didn't take hits because they didn't "feel solid" which is I guess a factor in Kanar. In Alliance a touch is a touch and you take the shot. So Alliance weapons tend to be lighter and built for speed. Alliance uses spell packets, bird seed in a cloth wrapper, to represent spells instead of tennis balls. Still the same idea, Incant -> throw, if it hits the target they take the effect.

If I am not mistaken, Kanar just has the one site in Milan. Alliance is a National organization, wait International forgot Alberta, with chapters coast to coast. So once you make a character you can take that character and 'travel' to other chapters to see different styles of play, or meet new people. All exp and treasure stays with the character, for the most part. Some chapters restrict the magic items from out of chapter, some don't. They do this to keep the feel of their home chapter consistant. So chapter A can play an epic high magic game, and chapter B can play a gritty game and the characters can go from A to B without wrecking the feel. Gold and production items travel everywhere.

Michigan has two chapters, one that plays in Mason MI, and one in Traverse City. We get a lot of players who play in both. So if you're looking to fill empty weekends with Larping, getting into Alliance will easily do that. Depending on your taste for driving you can head out to chapters in Chicago or Ohio.

Our site is in Mason MI. It has heated cabins, showers, a tavern building with commercial kitchen, etc. The facilities are great, almost too good. It is definately not 'roughing it' out at the site. We still have woods and trails and fields to run around in the dark and adventure in. But it's nice to be able to sleep in a warm cabin. Especially since our opener is in February.

All you need to do to get started would be show up. You need to sign the sandard Larp release form and your first event would be half-price. Which at Somi is $25, half of $50. I would also encourage you to get the .pdf version of the rulebook. It's $5 dollars. cut/paste the link

http://www.nerohq.com/books.php

If you want more information feel free to E-mail us. alliancesouthmi@yahoo.com is the main E-mail for the owner, Tom and for 'official' stuff. I am helping run Plot this upcoming season, and am happy to give you more information you can send me an E-mail at jwconvery@gmail.com

Hope to see you out this season,

-Joe

 

[Leveer Silverleaf]

What are the rules for shield sizes? I tend to use tower shields or tear drop shields that protect the legs. I can adjust to the light tapping stuff but I have heard that most LARPs have a rule against rushing an opponent.

 

[jwconvery]

What are the rules for shield sizes? I tend to use tower shields or tear drop shields that protect the legs. I can adjust to the light tapping stuff but I have heard that most LARPs have a rule against rushing an opponent.

Alliance shields must be no larger then, going from memory don't have the book in front of me, 521 square inches with the longest length not exceeding 36in. Also all edges must be padded with closed cell foam. "Turtling" behind a gigantic shield is not allowed, since historically the way to combat that is to rush the shield holder, which breaks one of our prime safety concerns. All contact in combat must be with safety-approved boffer or latex weapons. There are exceptions if you and your friends accept physical roleplay to carry a fallen ally, but there is never actual punching/slapping etc allowed in Alliance. Going off that rule, "Shield bashing/charging" is not allowed in any form.

That being said, many players use tear-drop shields very effectively. Since you cannot 'push-through' an attack, skilled shield uses fair very well.

Keep those questions coming,

-Joe

 

[Warlok]

Here are quotes from the rulebook to back up what Joe is saying:

Shields can be made of almost any strong material such as plastic, wood, and aluminum, or can be made out of light ridgid materials such as foam insulation.

Safety is the prime consideration when constructing a shield. All edges of the shield must be padded with at least 5/8 inch thick pipe insulation. Bolts or protuberances are not allowed. The longest dimension of a shield cannot exceed 36 inches. The maximum area of a shield is 531 square inches (a 26 inch diameter circle). This rule is enforced! Any recesses or voids in the shield silhouette will be ignored for calculating total surface area.

Shields do not protect the owner from any kind of trap other than a weapon trap, which uses a weapon blade or missile weapon to deliver its damage.

A “buckler” shield (a small shield that is strapped onto the arm) must still follow all shield rules—in other words, you cannot have a buckler on your left arm and still hold anything in your left hand. There is really no advantage in the game for a buckler, so it is advised that regular shields be used instead.

So 531 sq. in. and no more than 36 in. in the LONGEST dimension. My group of friends found corrugated plastic (double-thick, alternating the direction of the "grain") to be the lightest material that's sturdy enough to be effective. A 4' x 8' sheet (enough for 3 or 4 shields) at Tap Plastics was about $25-$30, I think.

Also related are the following:

Shield Bashing is the intentional use of a shield to gain physical out-of-game advantage over an opponent. Shield Bashing is a serious violation of the safety rules—it is similar to Charging. The potential for injury is great. Excessive use of Shield Bashing will result in warnings and possible loss of the Shield skill.

Charging: During combat, you must never come into physical contact with your opponent. If you are crowding your opponent so much that he or she must step back to avoid body contact with you, you are charging. If you have moved so close to your opponent that he or she can hold out a hand and touch you, you are probably charging. Anyone who is reported for excessive charging will be pulled from combat for being unsafe. As previously stated, any contact in combat must be with weapons.