Disclaimer: Don’t use forums so have no idea if this is in the right place or acceptable format so… enjoy
I am completely new to LARP and shall be going to Empire in the new year. However I am struggling to meet the costs, specifically concerning weapons… I have debated making my own yet have never attempted such a task before and would not know how to make it LARP safe, so any tips on how to do so would be great! I have also heard and read much about the expensive yet seemingly worthwhile Calimacil swords but seen numerous complaints about them being too dangerous, which although I find hard to believe I don’t wish to invest in a weapon that Empire doesn’t allow! So I would like to know if any of you use a Calimacil weapon at Empire (and any advice about the product, whether its worth it or not etc., would be greatly appreciated).
Btw I just have to say I have wanted to LARP since 2008 (I am 17 years old) and couldn’t wait to try it, after seeing Empire I couldn’t look back. The brilliant community on the forum and online (and of course, that will be on the field), the incredible wiki and amazing costumes, it is awesome!
If you’ve never LARPed before I would not recommend making your own weapon. Many pages on the internet about making weapons are US pages and concern ‘boffer’ weapons which are not suitable for empire. Similarly Calimacil weapons are a mostly US thing I think.
I think Calimacil weapons tend to be made of harder foam than what most UK weapon makers use, and I have seen someone buy a pair of lovely looking Calimacil swords for over £100, bring them to Empire, and have the fail weapons checking. During Empire events there are a good handful of weapons traders who set up stalls in the middle of the field, and most people would recommend that you bring cash to the event and buy your weapons from one of the. You avoid delivery costs, get the chance to feel the weight of a weapon and swing it around before you commit to buying it, and if it fails weapons check before you’ve had a chance to use it then you’ve got a good chance of getting a refund there and then.
Ah okay that may be a wise choice thanks. I had heard that some people do sell weapons on site but wasn’t sure if they were at all events and so couldn’t run the risk of turning up with no weapon and no weapon vendor! But if they are always there that settles that, how much cash would you recommend? I hope to use a sword and shield (original I know).
There will always be weapons traders in the field, it’s too good an opportunity for them to miss.
A decent main-hand sword is going to be somewhere in the £50-80 region, depending on what exactly you get; less sure on shields.
And it’s time for the recommended method for choosing a weapon again: walk around the traders picking up swords that look like what you want and swinging them around a bit; buy the one you don’t want to put down!
I use a Calimacil (an Agrippa) and I have never failed a weapons check in any of the three systems (Empire included) I have used it in. The one thing is that Calimacil weapons are apparently made to meet the requirements of a Canadian system called Bicolline, not UK events.
My advice would be that Calimacil swords seem more robust than most, with a maintenance-free coating (most other swords need coating in silicone from time to time) and mine has survived some abuse while still passing later weapons-checks. They are heavier, firmer and lack the balance of other brands (my rapier has awful balance) to my mind. They also cost more than most.
Now the Calimacil stilettos, on the other hand, look like they might be very nice…
Hmmm so some pass the checks and some don’t… I think I won’t buy a Calimacil sword for my first weapon however its good to know these awesome bits of kit are sometimes allowed, the stilettos do indeed look great but perhaps not for my kind of fighter, a mighty sword or axe for me I think! Cheers.
Wintermark and using a sword or axe and shield, however I am having growing concerns that wintermark is already too big? I have read that there is not effective space in IC as it is… However my group of 5 have already begun planning costumes however if another nation were to persuade us we might think again - no investments apart from our time have been made as of yet.
I don’t think there’s such a thing as toooo big, but it is the largest nation by far. On the one hand, plenty of other players who like a similar to style to roleplay with, on the other, it’s easier to make your mark on a small nation.
It depends what grabs you from each nation brief.
Personally I’ve always wanted to play in either Highguard or the League, and have so far played in Dawn, Varushka and (currently) the Brass Coast. Each one has a bit of brief that I loved (Highguard = hoods up serious business, League = people and plots and power, Dawn = music and high drama, Varushka = everything has a cost, Brass Coast = flamboyancy and colour).
Have a read through each and see if anything jumps out at you, you might discover a hidden Freeborn corsair or a Dawnish knight lurking in your head…
For what it’s worth, there is a lot of basic costume overlap between Wintermark, Navarr and the earlier historical periods inspiring the Marches.
So provided you add some appropriate top layers and accessories, you can get a lot of mileage out of a simple “arming sword” style weapon, a tunic and trousers in natural colours.
The key thing for a nation is to jump on the idea of hats, jewellery, belts and other accessories that define that nation’s look.
Hm. I bet I could do some sort of Who Wore It Best picture set out of my LARP kit, doing just that. One set of base layers, many nations.
You want convincing to come and join a different nation?.. Well then my good Biped, allow me to tempt you to…
THE LEAGUE!!!
People, Politics, Power.
Money is not our master, merely our scoring system. The more you have, The more you must flaunt it.
Come join the Greatest* Military force in the world.
Do you like hats?!? Well we have the fanciest!!!
Wintermark is the largest nation in Empire by a long way. I think a lot of new players are drawn there because of the Tabletop Weekly videos and the presence of Mark, Smiffy and Trott.
It’d be nice to see new players bulk out the other nations. Each nation has amazing stuff about it.
I will admit to being biased, as I’m a die-hard Highguard player.
