I just noticed something in the current 2.1 Rulebook that I want to bring attention to and discover if it is an error or an intentional rules change, with the latter having significant impacts on many players, chapters, and their equipment if true.
In a Weapon Construction Guidelines change in September 2012, the requirement for all weapon heads or protuberances to be made of open cell foam was removed, allowing for closed cell foam options for such weapon heads/protuberances. The full text of this official change can be found here: https://alliancelarp.com/forum/threads/weapon-construction-guidelines-change.14871/
The main relevant portion of this update post is included here for reference:
7. Changed verbiage of “All weapon heads or protuberances above the crossguard must be made of open cell foam regardless of size” to “… foam with no core …” instead (allowing closed cell, not just open cell). Most latex weapons ignore this prohibition, and many homemade boffers can be made safely with closed cell foam instead of open cell foam. Added verbiage at the end of the applicable paragraph for “As always, safety is paramount and protuberances which are found to be unsafe will be rejected.”
This change was accurately reflected in subsequent rulebooks, with the most recent 2.0 Rulebook prior to the release of 2.1 listing requirements for weapon heads/protuberances as the following, in various sections (rulebook text in green, emphasis mine in red):
Page 83: All crossguards must be below the blade or shaft of the weapon. Crossguards can be made of open cell or closed cell foam. All weapon heads or protuberances above the crossguard must be made of foam with no core regardless of size. As always, safety is paramount and protuberances which are found to be unsafe will be rejected.
Page 84: Blunt weapons, axes, one handed spears and pole arms must have a padded head that is shaped appropriate to the weapon type. This padded head must be made out of foam and it must be placed over the 5/8" pipe insulation that covers the core. The head must be noticeably thicker than the pipe insulation and should squash easily. Everything above the grip area must be padded—like all weapons, any part that might come into contact with your opponents should have foam padding. Note that blunt weapons may never be used to thrust.
This is all in line with the 2012 ARC update, with "foam" left unspecified in order to allow either open or closed cell foam on these areas.
However, the 2.1 release of the rulebook appears to include the requirement of open cell foam for weapon heads, possibly including copy-and-pasted text from a far older rulebook, in various sections (rulebook text in green, emphasis mine in red):
Page 23: Physreps with a protruding striking surface, such as blunt weapons or polearms, should be properly padded with open-cell foam.
Page 24: Blunt Weapons, Axes, One-Handed Spears, and Polearms These physreps must have a padded striking surface shaped appropriate to the weapon type. The striking surface must be made out of open-cell foam and placed over the 1/2" closed-cell foam that covers the core. The striking surface must be noticeably thicker than the rest of the physrep and should squash easily. Everything above the grip area must have at least 1/2” foam padding. Blunt weapons may never be used to thrust.
To my knowledge, this weapon construction requirement change was NOT voted on by the Owners and directly contradicts the precedent of the 2012 ARC posting of weapon construction changes posted above.
So: was this an error during the rulebook rewrite edits, or an intentional rules change?
If this is an error, please confirm and update the 2.1 Rulebook text accordingly to allow closed cell head/protuberances on weapons, as they have been allowed since 2012. Thanks!
If this is an intentional rules change, please understand the magnitude of this change, since it is a massively regressive step for weapon construction with significant ramifications and virtually no benefits whatsoever. Many weapons that have been and currently are in use by players/chapters across the country would be deemed technically illegal, despite having been perfectly safe, approved, and legal for more than the past decade. It is not an exaggeration to say that thousands of dollars of weapon reps would be affected by this, and suddenly having to rebuild/purchase new weapon reps may even have an impact on some players’ willingness to attend Alliance events at all (ie: “Wait, my axes are illegal now? Screw that, I’m not remaking them or buying new ones, I’ll find another LARP that lets me use my gear…”).
The backyard days of LARP are behind us; classic boffers made from pool noodles and upholstery foam are no longer the only avenue for weapons, and our rulebook needs to accurately reflect this. If I’m honest, a lot of the weapon construction section could be rewritten entirely (ideally by someone with experience in both basic and advanced weapon construction techniques) to reflect more general/modern techniques and materials.
As someone that has made a truly staggering number of weapons for this game and likes to see players have a variety of accessible options when it comes to weapons, their styles, and their construction methods, I am very passionate about this subject. I will make no secret of the fact that if the requirement for open cell heads/protuberances has indeed been dredged back from the dark ages for some bizarre reason and is going to be enforced as currently written, I will be making immediate requests to the Owners to vote to revert it back to how it has been ruled since 2012.
Thanks,
Alexander
In a Weapon Construction Guidelines change in September 2012, the requirement for all weapon heads or protuberances to be made of open cell foam was removed, allowing for closed cell foam options for such weapon heads/protuberances. The full text of this official change can be found here: https://alliancelarp.com/forum/threads/weapon-construction-guidelines-change.14871/
The main relevant portion of this update post is included here for reference:
7. Changed verbiage of “All weapon heads or protuberances above the crossguard must be made of open cell foam regardless of size” to “… foam with no core …” instead (allowing closed cell, not just open cell). Most latex weapons ignore this prohibition, and many homemade boffers can be made safely with closed cell foam instead of open cell foam. Added verbiage at the end of the applicable paragraph for “As always, safety is paramount and protuberances which are found to be unsafe will be rejected.”
This change was accurately reflected in subsequent rulebooks, with the most recent 2.0 Rulebook prior to the release of 2.1 listing requirements for weapon heads/protuberances as the following, in various sections (rulebook text in green, emphasis mine in red):
Page 83: All crossguards must be below the blade or shaft of the weapon. Crossguards can be made of open cell or closed cell foam. All weapon heads or protuberances above the crossguard must be made of foam with no core regardless of size. As always, safety is paramount and protuberances which are found to be unsafe will be rejected.
Page 84: Blunt weapons, axes, one handed spears and pole arms must have a padded head that is shaped appropriate to the weapon type. This padded head must be made out of foam and it must be placed over the 5/8" pipe insulation that covers the core. The head must be noticeably thicker than the pipe insulation and should squash easily. Everything above the grip area must be padded—like all weapons, any part that might come into contact with your opponents should have foam padding. Note that blunt weapons may never be used to thrust.
This is all in line with the 2012 ARC update, with "foam" left unspecified in order to allow either open or closed cell foam on these areas.
However, the 2.1 release of the rulebook appears to include the requirement of open cell foam for weapon heads, possibly including copy-and-pasted text from a far older rulebook, in various sections (rulebook text in green, emphasis mine in red):
Page 23: Physreps with a protruding striking surface, such as blunt weapons or polearms, should be properly padded with open-cell foam.
Page 24: Blunt Weapons, Axes, One-Handed Spears, and Polearms These physreps must have a padded striking surface shaped appropriate to the weapon type. The striking surface must be made out of open-cell foam and placed over the 1/2" closed-cell foam that covers the core. The striking surface must be noticeably thicker than the rest of the physrep and should squash easily. Everything above the grip area must have at least 1/2” foam padding. Blunt weapons may never be used to thrust.
To my knowledge, this weapon construction requirement change was NOT voted on by the Owners and directly contradicts the precedent of the 2012 ARC posting of weapon construction changes posted above.
So: was this an error during the rulebook rewrite edits, or an intentional rules change?
If this is an error, please confirm and update the 2.1 Rulebook text accordingly to allow closed cell head/protuberances on weapons, as they have been allowed since 2012. Thanks!
If this is an intentional rules change, please understand the magnitude of this change, since it is a massively regressive step for weapon construction with significant ramifications and virtually no benefits whatsoever. Many weapons that have been and currently are in use by players/chapters across the country would be deemed technically illegal, despite having been perfectly safe, approved, and legal for more than the past decade. It is not an exaggeration to say that thousands of dollars of weapon reps would be affected by this, and suddenly having to rebuild/purchase new weapon reps may even have an impact on some players’ willingness to attend Alliance events at all (ie: “Wait, my axes are illegal now? Screw that, I’m not remaking them or buying new ones, I’ll find another LARP that lets me use my gear…”).
The backyard days of LARP are behind us; classic boffers made from pool noodles and upholstery foam are no longer the only avenue for weapons, and our rulebook needs to accurately reflect this. If I’m honest, a lot of the weapon construction section could be rewritten entirely (ideally by someone with experience in both basic and advanced weapon construction techniques) to reflect more general/modern techniques and materials.
As someone that has made a truly staggering number of weapons for this game and likes to see players have a variety of accessible options when it comes to weapons, their styles, and their construction methods, I am very passionate about this subject. I will make no secret of the fact that if the requirement for open cell heads/protuberances has indeed been dredged back from the dark ages for some bizarre reason and is going to be enforced as currently written, I will be making immediate requests to the Owners to vote to revert it back to how it has been ruled since 2012.
Thanks,
Alexander
