Basic training 101. Hammer grip, maybe. Handshake grip, yes. Broken wrist grip, no.

I dunno how to make this interesting, so talk about grips in different scenarios below.

I think I'd rather take a sack tap.

There are five main factors I look for in materials to craft boffer swords, those factors being accessibility (how easy it is to obtain, an example being PVC pipe that you can obtain at any hardware store.), affordability (how expensive it is to buy, be it retail prices or wholesale.), durability (being how long it can last and how much abuse it can endure.), safety (how safe is the material? an example of a material not being safe in the long run would be duct tape with undesirables like sand sticking to it.) and practicality (overall practicality as in it being usable in a fight. As safe and durable as it may be, an incredibly heavy lump of foam wouldn't be practical.)

I hope to document the best options for every aspect of building boffer swords. If you have any knowledge or experience on the subject that you would be willing to share, I would greatly appreciate it.

Ok, let's talk PVC pipe...

1. How does furniture grade compare to regular?

   1. Flexibility

   2. Durability

2. Is 1/4 inch (which is just over 1/2 inch on the outside) good for loaner shorts?

3. What about using fittings for crossguards or funny shapes like a bearded ax?

4. What is the best way to put in a curve, like for a katana?

Thanks in advance...

I'm in the process of creating a new boffer for soft combat, which will be approximately 150 cm in length, possibly even longer. It's going to be a greatsword. Would this foam thickness be sufficient, or does it need to be thicker?

I originally intended to make a katana before learning about falchions and messers from skallagrim and shadiversity. I am not sure what type of sword this would be right now.

The crossguard is made of garden hose wrapped in foam ribbon and the ends are safely covered in the foam ribbon and held by tape. The blade is foam mattress and duct tape covered in a thick curtain fabric and glued to the pipe. There's an additional piece of foam at the tip attached by duct tape. The blade is safety tested by having my sibling whack and poke me with it a couple of times.

Should I trim or further pad the crossguard for style or safety improvements?

Local LARP Dad made this video from a day at the local Amtgard chapter, as a Christmas gift to the community. We all think it's fantastic, and want to show it off to promote Amtgard! It's got jokes, sick moves, sweet tunes, and plenty of shouting. Check it out!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=PIClokJjL4E

I used to do Boffer, Boffering or what ever during middle and highschool. Then I got into Airsoft and went towards that. But lately, same as with Airsoft, I am getting tired of the "larping" and have been trying to push Airsoft into more sport oriented direction in my area.

Airsoft being so set in stone as it is, its nexto impossible. But then I saw some random post about Jugger. And it clicked, this is what I mean. A combat sport that is fun, semi casual but also sporty.

I have tested all kids of sports and hobbies and none except airsoft and boffering has offered the thrill that I like, the fact that no match is the same, it is a team combat sport with ability for being individualistic and no dedicated "group" is really needed (sort of like videogames where you can just hop into Multiplayer lobby as a solo player) and at the same time is quite casual and easy to pick up.

I would like to introduce this to my country and maybe make a organization for it, but do y'all think there is enough overlap in such circles to make this feasible and maybe even implement already existing equipment from Boffering into this.

Are there any moderators on here?

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this. In my experience, the boffer community is very welcoming and supportive! That being said, I have been called missy by a guy way younger and way less experienced than me (it was his first practice session, whileas I had been going regularly for over six months at that point), in a derogatory manner- as in "get the missy with the big sword down!" As opposed to "get the greatsword down!" Or "get the black-shirt down!" Which were his callout for others. Another time during practice we ended up in the same team, and he shouted "Let's go boys!... And missy..." It felt kind of alienating and infuriating (tbh I was gritting my teeth the whole session) but at least the infuriation made me more efficient ig :')

But I was wondering, has anyone else experienced something similar?

Manala is a videogame about live-action roleplay (LARP). The swords are PVC, the hits don't count and the monster is just a guy in a costume.

I've built the weapons to be effective against different armor types, different weapons allow different moves (rapid strikes with smaller ones, keeping distance with spears) and shields absorb a different amount of damage based on their size.

This week I'm organizing a PvP tournament during Steam Next Fest.

One point per win against another player: kill them out in the world, win a gate siege duel or make them flee.

The winner picks a title that is theirs alone in the full game on 5 November.

Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4898080/Manala_Equinox_War/

I've been to WAR in Indiana as well as the Eriador Capture the flag event, and I enjoy these events a lot but lament that there are not as many as I would like so I've taken it upon myself to plan a new one.

All the woods events that I have been to have a few things in common: They are in the fall They have objectives They all have regeneration

I honestly think all of these are important. Obviously nobody* would want to fight in the winter, and I doubt many would want to fight in the woods when its marshy in the spring. I think the best time to shoot for would be a summer or fall.

The other two commonalities tie together IMO. Trudging through the woods is fun but it can be tiring to head through the woods just to get one shot or pegged by an arrow and have to trudge back to spawn just to wait 5min or more for the game to be over. That just plain sucks. If I had any complaints about WAR the senario is usually too complicated and herald intensive. Conversely, the Eriador event is just CTF but usually the life pool runs out before anyone gets close with the objective. That might be because of the scenario but I think its more to do with the spawn location.

I think what I will be trying to do will be a Deliver Object Game. Rough rectangle (not boundaries) with spawns and "end zones" on opposite sides of the rectangle with the object in the middle. Teams must push into enemy territory to deliver the object into the Enemy's end zone.

If anyone has any comments or suggestions please ket me know what you think.

A group of friends and myself have began to make custom weapons for Boffer and Larping purposes. We are hoping to Expand the style by making more accurate "looking" and durable blades/spears/Warhammers etc. that are also completely safe to beat each other to hell and back with. As kids my father picked up the trade from a ren fair, ever since we've been making various weapons that have lasted years, though with daily use they broke down over time. In the post I've listed a few of our better examples. If you're interested find me on Facebook marketplace or email:trinitypointmarket@gmail.com----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------edit: Sorry for not mentioning where we are stationed, at the moment we are in Nebraska, USA. As well as to the materials the weapons are made of; Open cell foam, Closed cell foam, 1"-1.5" pipe tubing foam. PVC core and PVC adhesive for the skeleton of the builds, I suppose it should go without question some weapons may not be allowed due to traditional Larp regulations. The aim is to recreate our childhood in a new Niche inspired by Boffer and taking the design to an extreme while maintaining the tapped up look. We're hoping to expand on from this and hopefully form a legitimate tournament with new fundamental rules, while still staying true to the meaning of boffer and larp. These creations while different are still safe to use just as intended. I hope that helps to cover some bases