What does LARP stand for?
If you have ever heard the term LARP you know it stands for live action role play. This is where you dress up in costumes and pretend to be a fictional character. The other part of LARPing centers around combat events. The events are staged in quests similar to table top gaming. With rules and hit points. The combat is completely safe and uses primarily foam weapons.
The use of bows and arrows are also part of the combat. This may sound unsafe but LARPing uses a special types of arrow that are completely safe. Bows and Arrows play a huge role in LARP combat events.
What are typical rules in LARPing
Typical rules in LARPing center around safety, fun, and respect for each other. Quests and character progression have rules that differ from event to event. The combat on the other hand has very similar rules.
– hit points on body parts require the person receiving the hits to modify their fighting style. Drop shield for example.
– healing rules vary in different events (you might consult your event coordinator about healing and re spawning)
Where can I find out more about the rules of LARPing
Events are staged by guilds that are decades old. They host these weekend long scenarios all over the United States and a few of them overseas. To find out more about the specific details check out this small list of guilds
Darkon has an 87 page PDF rule book.
– darkon.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Darkon-Rulebook-2020-07-1.pdf
Amtgard has several PDF documents, including one about being a monster.
– amtgard.com/documents
Belgarath has their rules posted online.
– belegarth.com/getting-started/rules/
The typical safety rules about LARP bow and arrows
The typical rules for LARP Bow and Arrows are that you should use recurve bows and foam arrows. Another safety rule for bows is that they should not exceed 35lbs of draw weight. Consult your event organizer for compatible bows.
The same can be said about crossbows, you must consult your game master on the use of crossbows.
Rules for the bows and arrows are just the start. You must follow certain obvious guidelines such as distance and strength of your pull. As arrows hitting shields can bounce and do actual damage. Also using bows as melee weapons are generally against the rules in LARPing.
Arrows can fly straight and hit their target as long as you know how to use them safely. The effectiveness is up to you, so make sure you know how to shoot them before hand. Also make sure of the rules of your event concerning their use.
Where can you get LARP bows
You can buy the safety LARP bows and arrows online. You want to make sure that you are getting them from a LARP focused website. This is because major online vendors like Amazon also sell Cosplay arrows that look like LARP round tip arrows but are not designed for actual combat.
You want to make sure you are buying highly effective LARP combat arrows. Make sure to consult your events rules before purchase. Your event may offer some great websites to get them from.
If you want to start looking right now at some great websites to buy LARP bows and arrows from here are a few links.
Medieval Collectibles
– Medievalcollectibles.com/product-category/weaponry/larp-weapons/shop-by-larp-weapon-type/larp-arrows/
LARP Distribution
– larpdistribution.com/product-category/weapons/larp-weapons/larp-arrows/
LARP Adventures
– larpadventures.com/archery
Epic Armoury
– epicarmoury.com/archery/arrows/c-333/
Gorg the Blacksmith
– gorgtech.com/category/foam-archery/
How to find a LARP event year you
Finding a LARP event near you is easy. There are many guilds and hundreds of locations all over the United States. Here are links to “event finders” of the many different LARP websites.
Here are some combat focused games:
Amtgard
– play.amtgard.com/
Dagorhir
– dagorhir.com/wordpress/chapters/
Belegarth
– belegarth.com/getting-started/realm-locator/
How to do LARPing in the time of covid
With a lot of places being off limits to large crowds, LARPing events have been switching to Online events. Facebook groups around LARPing are growing every day. They center around live chat, table top game rules, and discussion groups. Covid has created the need for video conferencing and this helps everyone stay connected in character.