LARP Weapons Part 2: History of Weapons

Introduction - Why A Blog About LARP Weapons 

This is our second blog in our series about LARP weapons. We picked this topic because weapon vendors like B3 Imagination Studio, Calimacil, Mytholon, Epic Armory, Ateliers Nemesis and “Do it Yourself” (DYI) weapons videos are so popular. As we stated in PART 1, we have three goals with this series; to build our knowledge of this important part of our industry, to provide something meaningful to the LARP community, and to be a bit nostalgic, taking a bit of time to “remember when armor weighed a ton and spell packets left a cloud.” 

After two blogs about weapons, I’m a bit less intimidated with the series. I’m still no expert, but I’m having so much fun talking about weapons with both old and new players. It’s my hope that this blog brings some smiles to the faces in our community as we take a step back in time to remember just how far we’ve come from the weapons and armor of the late 70 - 80’s. If you missed Part One: Types of Weapons, please check it out. That one was a bit of heavy lifting - because it included lots of research. This one was like hanging out with friends, even those who I’ve recently met but who graciously reminisced with me. 

The Blog Series 

 PART 1: Types of Weapons- In this blog we describe weapons and armor, categorize by type, and reference where they may be used by different LARPs. MAR 2024 

 PART 2: History of LARPing Weapons- We take you back to the late 1980s and early 90s and trace the changes in LARP weapons over time AUG 2024 

 PART 3: Weapon Making- This blog will talk about the materials and process of making a weapon. COMING SEPT/OCT 2024 

 PART 4: Merchants: In our final blog we will provide a list of merchants where you can purchase weapons and an evaluation of their offerings and websites and any testimonials or feedback we have gathered from our interactions with LARPers over the course of our interviews. COMING NOV/DEC 2024 

In this blog, we are also featuring a merchant who specializes in making and selling weapons. We’ve invited “Uncharted Fabrications” to share their favorite LARP stories, lessons learned, and advice. We are excited to do the research and bring this series to LARPers and we are interested in your input and engagement, so please see the call-to-action at the bottom of the blog and reach out if you are a merchant, know a merchant, or have any weapon information to share. Let’s go on this learning journey together as a community. 

History of LARP Weapons 

In the US, LARPing began in the mid to late 1970’s with Dagorhir. Dagorhir is a full-contact, live-action combat game that uses foam-padded boffer weapons. “Boffer" weapon refers to the earliest type of LARP weapon construction. The original LARP weapons were made of PVC pipe and pipe foam covered with duct tape. Short Swords, Long Swords and Poles were simple, easy and inexpensive to make. The boffer weapon still exists today for much the same reason; easy and inexpensive to make, but campaigns have more rules to ensure safety. 

Here is a look back on LARP Weapons over the past 4+ decades.  

1980-1990

My first LARP was the New England Roleplaying Organization LARP (NERO Ravenholt) in the late 1980’s. Boffer weapons were simple and made from PVC. They were heavy and hard to wield. There was little to no variety outside of swords and shields. A pair of short swords that had red duct tape meant you were fighting a NPC with claws.  

When I recently visited with Brian Poor (Coach), an early NERO teammate, he reminded me of just how much those early weapons stung when hit if they were wet. The one and only time I made my own weapon was in the very early days of NERO Ravenholt. I made a dagger. It was an embarrassment. It was so bulky and didn’t look much like a dagger. A fellow player took pity on me and made me a much better replacement. 

Another early memory from several players is about armor worn by fighters. They all recall the incredible weight, metal rings linked together, and how difficult it was to heft an additional 50 or more pounds on the battlefield. I recall my brother saving aluminum can tops so he could have a lighter weight suit fashioned. In the end, many players decided that the extra hit points were not worth it, especially in a closing battle on a Sunday morning.  

1990-2000 

Scott J from Kyranthia (LARPer for 33 years) told us about his early days where events had 700 players and the battles were large and chaotic, at times involving well over 500 people. 

 “I would get hit with so many things at once, I could only guess and would just fall down”, he said. “The spell packets were made of tissue paper filled with cornstarch that would explode on impact. The room was so filled with cornstarch dust you could barely see.” 

Scott shared some early memories of pooling money with his friends to visit the hardware store and buy supplies and walking through town with costumes and weapons on the way to practice in the woods. He remembers how it was a struggle to get parents to give permission to go to NERO events, a struggle to convince parents that LARPing wasn't a devil worshiping cult.  

Scott was not alone in the DYI weapon making. Lots of players experimented with material to reduce the weight and increase the speed. Early PVC transitioned to kitespar as the standard for many LARP weapons.   

The typical shield was made from either layered cardboard or an inexpensive plastic round sled. Players wrapped the edges in foam pipe insulations and covered everything in duct tape. The consensus - they looked about as bad as you'd imagine but they were utilitarian and a great place to paste a list of your skills. Hiding a list of skills on your shield is still a technique used by many today as depicted above in a recent photo, but the shields definitely look a whole lot cooler.  

And what about those spell packets? Do you remember the days before cloth and bird seed? LARPs became more environmentally and physically safe after a Brood weekend in about 1992 when cornstarch and tissue were swapped out for cloth and birdseed.  

“We were sweeping out the mod building and there was like an inch of cornstarch”, Scott recalled. “I believe they kept them for alchemy packets for a while until they switched to orange for gas globes.” 

It was also in the 90’s that the first ultra lights were introduced. They were easier to wield and faster to strike. The lighter weapons were especially welcomed by female LARPers. Ben Becker who owns B3 imaginations was extremely influential in the evolution of weapons in the 1990 when he owned and ran the Adventure’s Outlet, one of the first vendor options for players.  

2000-2010

More ultra light weapons with greater variety and style emerged after 2000. While many NPC camps still favored inexpensive PVC boffer weapons, fancier, more realistic looking weapons were being made and purchased by players.  

Kim from Resurgence LARP, an LFE game, began LARPing in 2003 and said she almost immediately began making her own weapons with lighter weight materials like golf or fly rod cores because she wanted more speed and endurance as a fighter.  

LARPers started building or buying more customized weapons. After 2000, weapons were no longer generic. There was a lot more variety in weapons and weapon types. PCs and NPCs had distinctive character weapons, armor and shields. Several players reminded me that for a time weapons had a cloth sleeve for the outer layer. I also heard from many that the DIY manuals online did not have comprehensive instructions so it was a great deal of trial and error. This likely contributed to a new niche marketplace. Individuals as well as companies started selling to larger audiences. I purchased a set of customized claws for my Mirror, Mirror character from Dave Inkpen.  

Dave shared a memory from his NERO days. He said that  about 2003-2004, several players ordered weapons  from Museum Replicas believing that they were NRO approved, only to learn that the weapons were not approved. Evidently the website erroneously showed a NERO seal of approval.  

Making spell packets changed in this time frame as well. To be even more safely conscious, the guidelines changed from 6 inch cloth to 6 inch stretchy cloth and from birdseed to birdseed with no sunflower seeds. The guides also require that you can touch your fingers together preventing a rock-like packet.  

2010-2020

In the past decade, LARPers have chosen more realistic looking latex vs boffer weapons There has been an explosion of weapon types and buying options. Latex offers more variety options. Foam is more shaped, and covered with layers of latex instead of duct tape. Some weapon makers use plasti-dip to make swept-hilt rapiers, staffs with specialized or themed tops, and intricate spears. Latex weapons are the next generation but it does come at a higher cost and a concern from some with latex allergies. 

Cosplay and LARP conventions contributed to the increase in the number of individuals and companies selling realistic looking weapons.   

2020-Today

As I talked with weapon makers and players alike, I’ve learned that most use the same ultra light materials they were introduced in the early 2000s for everyday weapons. Fantasy inspired Latex weapons are built or bought for character players or “big” NPC characters. Many still use the same ultra light inner cores that they transitioned to after PVC but each LARP weapon maker has their preference for materials and finishing techniques. Nick from our PART One blog likes to use leather to reinforce his tips, where Kim favors thin surgical tubing and super glue.  

Most NPC camps no longer have the heavy PVC, foam and duct tape weapons of early days and while some teams build their own, many rely on vendors for the safety and durability. Campaigns need their weapons to last for many seasons.  

Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention some tips I heard along the way about just that, protecting your weapon so it lasts many seasons.  

• Dos: Do take care of your weapon and store in a temperature controlled environment. 

• Don’ts: Don’t let them get too hot or too cold, don’t put under heavy objects, or poke with sharp objects 

A Special Merchant Story - Uncharted Fabrications

Our second featured merchant “Uncharted Fabrications” is located in Georgia and owned by Kim Whitehead. Kim is also the Owner and GM of Resurgence LARP, a Living Fictions Entertainment (LFE) game. You can find her business on FACEBOOK and one of our newest LARP Portal campaigns Resurgence on our “Find a LARP” tool. The tool makes “Finding a LARP Near Me” quick and easy.  

Kim started LARPing in 2003 and she has played NERO, Accelerant and Independent games. She started making her own weapons out of necessity, the need for lighter weapons and now she makes weapons for her own LARP as well as other LARPS. She favors “specialty weapons” that are nicer to look at, less utilitarian.  

Kim still uses golf and fly rod cores as her weapon cores because of the weight. She finishes off her weapons with flat foam and plasti dip. Over the years Kim shared that she experimented with other materials and methods to construct her tips. In order to make the tip more durable, she now uses ¼” surgical tubing and superglue.  

The first time I met Kim she shared one of the coolest stories about LARP Weapons. Kim was approached by Disney+ Marvel Studios to supply her weapon and prop workshop for the mini series Hawkeye. The series was filmed during Covid and the lockdown. She initially was very skeptical and hesitant but eventually agreed. In Episode 4, "Partners, Am I Right?", which aired on December 8, 2021, parts of Kim’s workshop and weapons made for Fealty, another LFE game, were showcased in the episode that involved LARPers and retrieving Hawkeye’s arrows.  

Kim not only provided what they asked for, but has been a paid props and weapons consultant on other movies since. It’s so cool when real life intersects with fantasy, when our everyday is interrupted with experiences we think can only happen in the movies… or yeah, making a movie.  

Kim is located in Georgia and you can check out her weapons and props on her “Uncharted Fabrications FACEBOOK” 

Closing

This blog took a nostalgic tour of LARP weapons from the late 1980s to current day. Just like with our old war stories, some of the newer players may not truly understand what it was like back then. I truly appreciate the anecdotes and descriptions of the transformation from standard heavy weapons to the variety of high performance light weapons we have today. I know I will never be a skilled swordsman but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the skill of the weapon maker and the weapon wielder. Thanks to everyone who humored me in this journey, especially Kim for giving us such a special look into her business.  

Call to Action 

If you are or know of a LARP Weapons merchant, have a great weapon story to share, or have any feedback about this article we’d love to hear from you, please reach out to weaponsblog@larportal.com.  

If you are a game owner or thinking about starting a game, let LARP Portal simplify your administrative processes and give you and your players more time for LARPing. Contact us at demo@larportal.com today for a free demo.