Larp swords

[Chief]

Okay lets go at it from that direction. So some questions.

What are you using now?

Why do they break, and how do they break?

What limits if any does your LARP put on weapons?
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Nothing beats a friend like a rubber sword...

[Jupe]

Okay lets go at it from that direction. So some questions.

What are you using now?
mostly latex weapons

Why do they break, and how do they break?
usually they don't... During last four years, only two of my latex weapons have taken somekind of damage... tip of my sword ripped off, now it's fixed and my naginata-like spear had it's spearhead broken ... it was blocked with two weapons and it just snapped (too much strength behind the hit...) Apart from that, no damage done to any of my weapons.

What limits if any does your LARP put on weapons?
we usually don't bother to test latex weapons if they are made by LatexDragon. If they don't look like the LatexDragon stuff we just check if they have safe thrustpoints if any, check if they have been made right kind of materials and maybe hit their owner couple of times with the weapon. We allow thrusting if the weapon is made for it, we allow using of strength, we are still wandering about limiting the speed of fighting.
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Very few rules, very good games and ... Awesome food.

[Chief]

Sorry for any confusion, my question was directed at the person looking for new weapon tech. I agree, latex is the way to go. I have never had a sword bust and we don't limit power and allow thrusting. Build em tough and they will last
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Nothing beats a friend like a rubber sword...

[Jupe]

these thing happen... especially when I'm tired...
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Very few rules, very good games and ... Awesome food.

[Ottosson]

we had latexswords that were ripped at the first fight...
do u allow gripping locking your opponent?

[Chief]

Well, ripping could mean a lot of things.

One problem with latex is that unlike duct tape [and when done right] it is more flexible of a coating. Because of this the foam under the latex needs to be a bit on the firm side. A lot of US half breed latex weapons are being made with softer foam to sell them to the market, but this has been can cause problems with the latex coating.

Secondly, another big problem with tearing can be the actual latex mix [a common problem with home brewed weapons], or the amount of latex put on the weapon.

Thirdly, a lack of foam on the weapon can cause it to tear because it is not thick enough to absorb a lot of force. Really thin weapons are cool, but they often can't survive things like hitting armor or ill padded shields.
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Nothing beats a friend like a rubber sword...

[Ottosson]

has anyone tried carbonfiber cores? are they worth the cost?

[russiasan]

Are wooden cores gunna result in immediate "U fail. GTFO"'s from common US LARP's? Because when I was younger, me and a bunch of my friends would get the pool noodles, ram them onto misc. pieces of wood we could find that held the pool noodles on, and would beat the tar out of eachother. (And usually the further the handle would go into the pool noodle, the better.)

[BaronBlackRose]

Wooden cores is a big no no. Like in you could end up with broken bones or even worse. Wooden cores is a very bad idea. PVP piping works actually. Light and durable.
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Just when you thought the worse was over. Here I am. :0)

[psparks]

I have been part of a few LARP groups. And thrusting was never allowed. Even though most tips have a kevlar core supposedly to ensure safety (the retail manufactured brands), it's not a good idea to allow it. A sword may pass the safety test going in, but wear and tear can get the best of any sword even over the course of one day. That's my observation at least.

[russiasan]

So That's a big negative to wooden cores. Got it. (Strikes "Core" off the list of stuff I have to get a good larp character together)

[va_wanderer]

[quote="psparks"]I have been part of a few LARP groups. And thrusting was never allowed. Even though most tips have a kevlar core supposedly to ensure safety (the retail manufactured brands), it's not a good idea to allow it. A sword may pass the safety test going in, but wear and tear can get the best of any sword even over the course of one day. That's my observation at least.[/quote]

That honestly is a US/EU divide there. Why?

In the US, you see a lot of boffer weapons. PVC core, 5/8 inch or so foam around the core, with open cell foam tips. They're quite thrust-friendly, despite being ugly as sin compared to a latex weapon. And cheap and safe to boot.

Mind you, I like latex better myself. But it seems a lot of US players are on much tighter budgets with much lower do-it-yourself skills, and tape + foam > latex weapon making.