Looking for general advice

New Players
1

So im thinking of coming along to the next event, I’ve been skimming over the nations and the look of the navar, the varushka and the wintermark are appealing the moment.
Im liking the idea of trade, I was going to make some stuff up out of character and sell it in character for IC or OOC money (I didn’t know that was a thing till I watch a YouTube video and damn it sounds cool). Figured it would be a good way to meet people and learn more about the world. “hi I’m new to this land I come to trade these items tell me about yourself”

Just wondering tho how much would it be for basic larp stuff? I plan on doing IC camping as I’ve found a few decent priced tents. My first idea was Archery as I do it as a hobby but larp arrows are expensive and I’m guessing I would lose more than a few so now I’m looking at short spear and shield.. With a hammer as backup

Would it cheaper to buy material and attempt to make my own clothing? Or just buy something?

Any other advice you can give would be appreciated (particularly on the nations)

Thanks :slight_smile:

Training for battle
2

First of all welcome, look forward to meeting you in future events. I am joining the great Navarr myself :stuck_out_tongue:

As for skills, if you are not sure yet what you want to take you can do Apprenticeship or talk PD after or during your first event and they would usually be happy to change it around for you. E.g. you pick Marksman but later realise its not something you want to keep doing.

As for gear, charity shops and 2nd hand stuff from other larpers can be cheap but set yourself the budget and buy and wear anything you’re happy with, within reason that it fits your nation of course :slight_smile:

3

Welcome! You’ve come to the right place - So many of my questions were answered here before my first event, and now hopefully I can pass on that wisdom to you!

Absolutely, definitely, 100% try and make something OOC to bring with you. Like you say it’s a great way to get a conversation flowing. It is also an easy way to get hold of plot or story! There are loads of things you can make, I personally have made some necklaces to sell IC. What I will say is that it’s much more likely that you will be trading for IC coin, as most people will be carrying this as opposed to Barbarian money (OOC cash). Most of your trading will happen by exploring the various nation camps, and really OOC money only really changes hands in the trader’s square and tavern.

There’s no specific answer for how much LARP stuff costs. I went really basic to my first event, but ‘basic’ is subjective, but to give you a rough idea, a basic tunic, belt, trousers, boots and cloak just under £100. Obviously you get what you pay for but my outfit served me very well all weekend.

I would advise against going for archery on your first character as, like you’ve rightly pointed out it’s more expensive and you have a chanced of losing arrows, as well as the poundage of LARP bows is not the same as what you are probably used to. Each arrow varies from around £6.50 to £9.50 but I’m sure if you shopped around you would find deals. HOWEVER. You need to make sure the arrows (and any weapons for that matter) adhere to Profound Decisions rules. My advice for this is to buy your weapons in the field, as the traders are highly reputable. I bought a sword online before the event and I knew as soon as I saw a weapon at the event that mine would definitely NOT be suitable!

A lot of people do get their gear from charity shops - belts were by far the easiest thing for me to find as most charity shops have appropriate ones! But you could easily find cheap materials and make something. Should you decide to join Wintermark for example, we’re very furry! I used a women’s fur shawl as a mantle for my character and it worked a treat.

It’s all about trying things out really. You have the added bonus of quite a big gap until the next event to save up, and experiment!

And I would also recommend camping OOC for your first event. It was recommended to me before mine and I am so glad I did that - IC camping is a whole other level of immersion, and you don’t have the luxury of being able to store OOC items or be near your car!

Hope this helps, if you have any other questions feel free to give me a message.

4

Join the Navarr, we have bushes and stuff:)

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Also your Songs & Stories is brilliant, I spend A LOT of my IC time there!

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Hey guys thanks for the advice, I’ve looked at the navarr again and they seem to be the one I’m drawn to the most, I do have a friend that goes to empire (listening to his storys got me interested) so he’s filled me in with some advice (particularly good shops to try, he also mentioned I’m better waiting till I get there before I buy a weapon)and explained the combat system a little but he’s not sure if he’s going to the next event so chances are I will be going down solo(he’s wintermark).

As for tradeing I was thinking of making up small jars of different types of tea eg earl/lady grey, smokey lapsang and other varieties and sell them as foreign drinking herbs (oc cost dependent).

Is smoking alowed? I smoke a tobacco pipe occasionally and feel like a clay or churchwarden (gandalf) style pipe would add a nice feel.

I was having another look at the ic type tent and yeah… I will go oc, I don’t drive and that thing is heavy so bringing it down from Scotland on public transport will be… Difficult..

Thanks again for the advice guys, if yous think of anything else that would be good to know (or things you wish you knew before going) it would be good to hear them :slight_smile:

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We do have quite a lot of bushes though

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8

You’re fine to smoke, and a pipe would look very cool. Just keep it out of other people’s tents and be aware of the wind direction and where the people you’re talking to are sitting when you light up.

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9

Hi and Welcome.
As said above, 2nd hand shops/charity shops are a treasure trove of kit. Also if you have some basic sowing skills, tunic tops, trousers ect are reasonably simple to make and while not cheaper by much to begin with( I’m learning from almost scratch) will get better as you get better at it. Also being able to customise your wardrobe is a huge plus.
Weapons are usually best bought in field, but have a look at the traders shops and ask them about the weapons and kit and for them to bring something you like the look of in to the field to have a swing with and try. I would recommend this with spears as the weighting can change quite a bit depending on the maker.

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Not a bad idea, but keep in mind that you’ll be competing against trading players who, for example, run tea-houses. Because of how busy Empire is, people on the whole prefer to buy consumables that are good to go, rather than something they have to finish themselves (at least, in my experience). It’s not to say you couldn’t and wouldn’t be successful, it’s just a consideration!

11

"hi I’m new to this land I come to trade these items tell me about yourself”

Your character has to be an Imperial Citizen, so “new to this land” seems a bit off: see the “Can I play a foreigner” question at https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire-wiki/Nations_FAQ#Can_I_play_a_foreigner.3F

It’s fine to be new to Anvil though, not having travelled before.

Travelling from Scotland, it’s possible you might be able to get a lift with another player; I know there are some based in Glasgow. Still, OOC camping is certainly easier to start with.

Making your own clothing can certainly be cheaper in money, but it takes time, skill and equipment.

I don’t think you need necessarily rule out the idea of playing an archer.

Definitely a good idea to try out a bit of larp-combat before deciding what to buy, though: you might get on well with spear-and-shield or you might find it an awkward combination.

12

My advice would be not to worry too much for the first event, espectially if you’re travelling so far. Get basic kit (Navarr is perfect for this as their style is more rough and ready than most) camp OC and get involved with as much as possible. If you adopt the mentality that your first character doesn’t need to be your permanent character it may be easier to throw yourself into stuff. Talk to as many people as you can, ask questions of everyone that looks interesting (if you annoy them, good! that’s roleplay!) and if you’re not sure what weapons you want to use, all the traders on site will be able to give you advice and let you swing them around a bit.

My partner is a big fan of the shortspear and shield combo (he came very close to winning a tourney at E4 with that loadout) and it can be devastatingly effective. Most of the Navarr are skirmishers who use long spears or ambidextrous weapons, so maybe wait until the event to see what suits you best.

Re: “new to this land”, Anvil is like London - everything’s way more expensive than everywhere else in the empire and only a very small percentage of the population have the funds or inclination to actually go. This is how they justify military units (my character is in charge of 100 pitchfork-waving bog dwellers who will never actually show up) and mean it’s very easy to be new to Anvil and uncertain about how every nation other than your own does things. If you’re Navarr you’ve grown up as part of a steading or a striding and may have had limited contact with outsiders, so read everything you can on the navarri and general pages on the wiki but don’t be afraid to ask others in the field.

Hope this helps, andto echo Thiromar, drop me a message if you have any other questions

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I’m from Canada and I never done a larp before in my life. When I saw a documentary about larping for the first time ever. I was interested the larp that I was most interesting to me was Empire plus I love England.
I know I Live far away but it be cool to injoy new experiences IRL I A’m a filmmaker/ Actor I think it well fit my skills set and personality. I hope I can save up and see Empire for the first time in my life.
Redfighterwilder

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14

Going off-topic here (maybe RedfighterWilder’s post and this reply of mine should be a new topic?) but…

I had a quick look for Canadian LARP for you:

and found some things that might be good:
https://larpwiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl/LARP_in_Canada

A video trailer for Bicolline: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvPL5c_w7V0
http://www.zworldlarp.com/ (warning: autoplays music)
http://www.neroarmonia.com/
A shop selling kit: https://artisansdazure.com/
…and on and on.

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