Hi all, been looking at the prospect of coming to empire for quite a while now and it looks like I may finally be able to make it to my first; E3 this year!
So I have been looking around for things I need. Currently I have mainly been focusing on costume but the question of weapons and armour is always around. I am interested in going into battles as they look a lot of fun, my only worry is that a full set of equipment is looking to be fairly expensive; on top of everything else for being my first Larp event.
Camping Wise and other essentials I am sorted with but I was wondering what the most viable options are with regards to weapons and armour for a first event. Do players tend to have equipment to lend? Are there any must haves when it comes to battle wear?
I have heard also it is best to get this equipment, especially weapons, at the event from the onsite traders to try them out before?
I am planning to join Navarr with a friend aswell. I am more interested in two-weapon fighting / sword and shield/buckler. My friend more interested in one/two-handed spear fighting (Suitable for Navarr!)
Any thoughts on the matter are very welcome!
Yes try weapons out before you buy is great advice, and often a simple but ell made sword is of a higher quality and lower or similar cost to some of the fancy fantasy stuff out there.
In terms of dual wielding swords I always say LARP is real it’s not D&D, if you are not ambidextrous or capable of dual wielding…don’t try it as you can be a liability. (remember at Empire you cannot parry arrows with a weapon).
So go t the event, look around the trade stalls,try swords out (balance is important) If you find one you like buy it, OR look and see if another trader is selling the same cheaper…have fun and welcome to Empire
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Buying armour online is not too much of a risk. As long as you are honest about sizing and realise you want some extra movement. Plate can be tricky because of the shape. But chain is reasonably safe. FYI the sizing for chain can be pretty ambiguous. Assume you will have an extra layer of padding and then want some space on top.
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Hmm, you and a friend, joining Navarr at E3…
you’ve got the time to bounce around on their FB page, asking if anyone has spare/2nd hand armour they’re willing to lend/sell. Or indeed, hunt around online and at ebay.
If you can find a group to play with, it’s liekly that they’ll have a spare weapon or two that you can borrow for your first event,even if you don’t find something good at the traders.
And I concur with those above. Go to an event, try the weapons, see what takes your fancy, buy it then.
Armour is okay for buying online and 2nd hand. Weaponry is not.
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I would add that some of the ‘Indian’ chain on Ebay has odd sizes XL may actually be huge or medium
Thanks for the replies.
I think we are going to aim to get at least our own weapons from the traders whatever they’ll be. My main concern is armour sets, you need at least 3 items to make it count in game for extra hp and then there is cleave protection. Is it feasible to go into battle without it?
Planning on sorting out, either buying or most likely borrowing at least for the first, but just intrigued on your thoughts?
That’s a fair point. Butted chain is fine for larp, easy to care for and straightforward to repair.
Don’t get me wrong, butted chain is fine, but some of the cheap stuff is poor buttted chain and the sizes are ‘strange’ . I really think with chain it’s best to try before you buy as you can waste a lot of money buying stuff until you get something that fits properly, that is all 
Theres a lot of folks who go on the battlefield with no armour. There’s the battlemages (often wearing mage armour for +2 hits), and the healers and physicks (who are in a wide variety or armour) and the occasional supporting ritualist magi who may be mostly standing at the back. And the archers, who tend to rely on their ability to outrun everyone else anyway…
But if you and friend are playing melee characters, I would definately suggest some light armour if at all possible. As I recall, the rules are torso + 1 location. This means that a large leather vest (torso), leather bracers (1/2 arms) and leather shinguards (1/2 legs) would be enough for the minimum of [suit of light armour = +2 hits]. That won’t stop CLEAVE or IMPALE anywhere, but that’s another issue.
In the think of battle, it’s trivial to take a couple of blows, quite quickly. You go in with your basic 2 hits, you’ll be knocked down a LOT.
Lightly armoured fast and dodgy Navarri warriors is a classic look and build.
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My first battle i had a long gamberson and metal bracers, it’s light armour so +2 hits but my forearm couldn’t be hacked off, gambersons are really cheap i got mine for about £40-50 i think. You can put belts around it and tie stuff to it, probably wrap the bracers in brown or black wraps so it’s not shiny or get dark metal ones.
I’ve got a Mythlon Gambeson I picked up from one of the on the field traders to go under my plate armour. I’ve kept it to use with my monster armour and it’s done me really well so far. It’s good to use as light armour and as padding for heavier armour as you gradually acquire it.
I bought another similar one to yours but it’s one piece without arms, i havent tried it with my plate armour yet as it’s really big, might use current one for now and use the oversized one for when it gets cold at night.
Mytholon is a great website.
Just looked then, the Gustav gambeson with short sleeves, multiple sizes, on special for 35 euros.
Leopold bracers another 8 euros. Thats torso and 2 full locations in light armour for less than 60 euros, including shipping. Stupid cheap.
Even cheaper if you can stitch …
Nasty duvet armour: buy a really nasty synthetic duvet for 10 quid. Chop it in half. Chop a splayed handspan strip off the long side of each big piece. Hack a slit for your head in the middle of each big piece, poncho style. Do the worst hand stitch seaming in all history to stop all cut edges from unravelling.
Sleeves: Get the 2 long thin strips and cut them in half. Form them into sleeves using 2 quid shoe laces as joiners/spacers, so where your arm is fatter, the gap between edges is bigger, where narrower edges may even touch. Cut a scoop at the armpit end so it’s brilliantly ergonomic under your arm. Bodgy stitching holds it together. More rubbish stitching to attach sleeves to poncho.
Now apply light coats of spray can acrylic brown paint so your 2 incredible suits of armour gradually become brown. Now don your armour, hold it together with your sword belt … and strut your awesome strut.
2 suits of Navarr-legit light armour for about 10 quid a pop. It sounds rubbish, but if you dress up with woodsman accessories and face crayon action, you’ll do fine.
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That’s the craziest armour making I’ve heard of since I made bracers out of bamboo and my old socks, but it might just work…
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IKEA Sofa covers work very well as gambesons too. They’re made of the right material on the outside, pre quilted, and can be cut into the t-tunic pattern and secured with a belt. they’re also relatively easy to find at car boot sales for not alot.
Bonus - you’re slightly fire retardant too!
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On a related note: there are combat roles that won’t put you in the front line and therefore can be taken on without any armour to speak of (or very light armour as suggested above). There are also in-game means of gaining more global hits, from XP to the skills to potions/tonics and enchanted items.
Being a new-ish player myself (E2 this year will be my second event) I probably would have loved a more front line combat build, but armour prices can be quite discouraging. But what I found was that with some battle awareness, quick legwork and a little training it’s perfectly possible to fight without armour and with only your main weapon(s) and come back in one piece.
The battles especially are really a team sport, you might find you rely on your friends, group or nation more that your own equipment.
Heck yes. Biggest cheat code for the game is lots of friends working together in a well-drilled team. Actually, this works in any other game, including Real Life.
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I dont use magic items i just make them, if you trust your group you could go with just gamberson or nothing as mages do