Some Musings on LARP/Prop Weapons
Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2020 6:02 am
So I’ve been mulling something over recently, and I wanted to share my musings here to see if anyone else has any particular feelings on the matter.
In the “Membership Tiers†section of the latest Edge of the Wild newsletter I noticed in the description of the “Society Member†tier (which is the most entry-level participatory tier) that foam or LARP style weapons are disallowed from members’ kits when attending Society functions (and naturally this would apply to all tiers above that one as well). This of course makes perfect sense, as the MERS is looking to curate an authentic portrayal of the various cultures of Middle-earth, and of course foam weaponry does not fit in with that mission statement. If authenticity is the goal, then weaponry, when appropriate, should be made in somewhat authentic styles out of somewhat authentic materials.
But that got me thinking...
There are a lot of ways I have tried to bring my kit up to a higher standard of “authenticity†over the years, and weaponry is definitely one of them. For instance, I upgraded from a cheap Chinese knockoff of Strider’s sword from the New Line movies to a much more authentic and functional “Bristol†from Valiant Armory. I also always try to carry a real bow and real arrows when I go out ranging. As a general rule, I want to make sure the things I carry with me on Ranger outings are functional pieces of kit, and not just props.
HOWEVER... I also realize that given the the nature of this hobby and the world we live in, any weapon I carry functionally IS just a prop. I can be skilled in their uses, and they can be totally battle-ready pieces, but ultimately I won’t be shooting or stabbing any orcs, and there’s only the SLIGHTEST TINY MINUSCULE CHANCE that I will end up needing to use them against a hostile animal (even less chance I’ll need to just them against a hostile human). Sure, the bow can technically be used to hunt, but I don’t hunt either, personally. So. They’re props. The only real reason I carry them is because I would feel INCOMPLETE without them.
Now, keeping this in mind, I still try to carry them whenever I am out in kit, and I appreciate the fact that I mostly live in a place where I have been able to do that. But of course not all countries are as open about their weapons laws as the U.S., and furthermore, many many places even here in the States have pretty tight restrictions on them anyway. For instance, I can’t go anywhere in Rocky Mountain National Park armed with anything more than a pocket knife (except in the case of firearms, in which case I could carry a literal arsenal strapped to my person without breaking any rules or laws, but that’s ultimately beside the point). As such, I have generally tried to keep my local group’s outings confined to the outdoor areas with the least strict weapons regulations, but this does limit us somewhat, and I confess that I would love to be able to venture into other parts of Colorado In kit without getting fined or arrested.
This has led me to seriously consider purchasing some LARP weaponry for this specific purpose. Since it’s foam, it doesn’t count as actual weaponry, but there are tons of makers now who offer some really beautiful and realistic-looking items. A few years back I also made a prop bow from foam and thermoplastic and a set of prop arrows that are imbedded in a block of foam and cannot be drawn. These were made for my screen-accurate Aragorn cosplay and worn to a couple local fan conventions that have pretty tight prop restrictions. In fact, those restrictions became even tighter the next year, so I was forced to re-make a set of arrows out of PLASTIC DRINKING STRAWS (lord, that was interesting) that also cannot be removed from the quiver.
All of these things could, of course, be carried with me into a national park or other location where real weaponry is restricted, because they’re “just props,†but then the question becomes, is it worth it? I know a lot of folks who would simply say “then just don’t carry weapons. Duh.†But I know I would feel... somehow naked without them? It wouldn’t really feel like a proper RANGER outing without them.
So what do you think? Are LARP/con-safe weapons and props a viable alternative to the real thing when one wants to explore areas with tighter restrictions? Or would it make more sense to just forgo weaponry? Or even still, would you just avoid any of those places altogether, even though it severely limits where one is able to trek?
In the “Membership Tiers†section of the latest Edge of the Wild newsletter I noticed in the description of the “Society Member†tier (which is the most entry-level participatory tier) that foam or LARP style weapons are disallowed from members’ kits when attending Society functions (and naturally this would apply to all tiers above that one as well). This of course makes perfect sense, as the MERS is looking to curate an authentic portrayal of the various cultures of Middle-earth, and of course foam weaponry does not fit in with that mission statement. If authenticity is the goal, then weaponry, when appropriate, should be made in somewhat authentic styles out of somewhat authentic materials.
But that got me thinking...
There are a lot of ways I have tried to bring my kit up to a higher standard of “authenticity†over the years, and weaponry is definitely one of them. For instance, I upgraded from a cheap Chinese knockoff of Strider’s sword from the New Line movies to a much more authentic and functional “Bristol†from Valiant Armory. I also always try to carry a real bow and real arrows when I go out ranging. As a general rule, I want to make sure the things I carry with me on Ranger outings are functional pieces of kit, and not just props.
HOWEVER... I also realize that given the the nature of this hobby and the world we live in, any weapon I carry functionally IS just a prop. I can be skilled in their uses, and they can be totally battle-ready pieces, but ultimately I won’t be shooting or stabbing any orcs, and there’s only the SLIGHTEST TINY MINUSCULE CHANCE that I will end up needing to use them against a hostile animal (even less chance I’ll need to just them against a hostile human). Sure, the bow can technically be used to hunt, but I don’t hunt either, personally. So. They’re props. The only real reason I carry them is because I would feel INCOMPLETE without them.
Now, keeping this in mind, I still try to carry them whenever I am out in kit, and I appreciate the fact that I mostly live in a place where I have been able to do that. But of course not all countries are as open about their weapons laws as the U.S., and furthermore, many many places even here in the States have pretty tight restrictions on them anyway. For instance, I can’t go anywhere in Rocky Mountain National Park armed with anything more than a pocket knife (except in the case of firearms, in which case I could carry a literal arsenal strapped to my person without breaking any rules or laws, but that’s ultimately beside the point). As such, I have generally tried to keep my local group’s outings confined to the outdoor areas with the least strict weapons regulations, but this does limit us somewhat, and I confess that I would love to be able to venture into other parts of Colorado In kit without getting fined or arrested.
This has led me to seriously consider purchasing some LARP weaponry for this specific purpose. Since it’s foam, it doesn’t count as actual weaponry, but there are tons of makers now who offer some really beautiful and realistic-looking items. A few years back I also made a prop bow from foam and thermoplastic and a set of prop arrows that are imbedded in a block of foam and cannot be drawn. These were made for my screen-accurate Aragorn cosplay and worn to a couple local fan conventions that have pretty tight prop restrictions. In fact, those restrictions became even tighter the next year, so I was forced to re-make a set of arrows out of PLASTIC DRINKING STRAWS (lord, that was interesting) that also cannot be removed from the quiver.
All of these things could, of course, be carried with me into a national park or other location where real weaponry is restricted, because they’re “just props,†but then the question becomes, is it worth it? I know a lot of folks who would simply say “then just don’t carry weapons. Duh.†But I know I would feel... somehow naked without them? It wouldn’t really feel like a proper RANGER outing without them.
So what do you think? Are LARP/con-safe weapons and props a viable alternative to the real thing when one wants to explore areas with tighter restrictions? Or would it make more sense to just forgo weaponry? Or even still, would you just avoid any of those places altogether, even though it severely limits where one is able to trek?