Modern LARP - Different way to fight?

[UnrisingMuffin]

Hello all,

We've ran a Medieval/Fantasy LARP for about a decade and it has been quite a success. We took a break for about 5 years and now, we're ready to start a new LARP.

We - and our players - aren't getting any younger (player base is 30-50 yrs old) and so, we're trying to find a different way to solve hand-to-hand physical conflicts while still making them fun and engaging.

I found a few ideas on the net, but they're not exactly what we're looking for:
- Buffer/latex sword fights (enough with the bruises already, LOL)
- Rock, paper, scissor (how do you coordinate a fight of 80-100 players with this? nah... pass)
- Flip a coin or a dice (er... no. The idea of a LARP is to avoid rolling dice)
- Compare character stats (booooring)

I'm thinking of my childhood time in Summer camps where we had those tournaments of chicken fights: players would attach a scarf to the back of their pants and the opponent would have to take it off without losing theirs. Simple, effective, fun and no bruises... almost applicable to a LARP?

I'd like to hear from you if you have any suggestions or would like to discuss.

Cheers!

Muffin.

[Wolven]

Trick for implementing character skill for fights with players who aren't physically as capable as their characters that we've used sometimes:

1) Have a 'combat' stat. It can be anything, but let's say it's a number between 0-5. 0 = no combat skill, slapfighting and completely ineffective, 5 = mastery of combat in all its relevant forms, superninja, warrior lord etc.

2) Have a randomizer. For this we've used playing cards, pieces of paper, basically anything that can be randomly drawn from a pouch. Assign values of 0-4 for this example, so that master fighter can never be matched evenly by an unskilled commoner (by drawing a 0 for their card and unskilled drawing a 5). Alternately, unskilled can't get cards at all.

3) On an issuance of a fight, pull card, add to skill number, and then proclaim this using taunts/boasts (not always applicable, but easy enough). Evens means fight ends up even with both sides exhausted, difference in numbers means higher ends up winning (not necessarily killing the opponent, as I think that's something best left to the player to decide)
For example:

"I, the slayer of six men, shall show you what it means to insult my honor!"

"You boastful boar, I shall beat eight different shades of crap out of you!"


4) Act out the fight, using proper dramatics or making it simple, whatever works.

5) Reshuffle the randomizer without discarding the score.

For larger group battles, well, those are a bit clunkier, but you could average the scores of fighters, and then let commanders draw cards, then compare notes, or whatever strikes your fancy.

This is not an end-all best possible system, but I've used it before, and found that it seems to work well enough. If it gives you ideas for a better system, all the better.