Armour - minimum costume requirements

I’m wondering what players want to see at games for costume, but armour specifically. Armour is one of those tricky things because it’s typically more expensive than general costume… What do people believe should be the minimum effort?

  • Only actual armour should represent armour. Made from appropriate modern materials (steel, leather, horn etc)
  • Only actual armour should represent armour. However, it may be made from lighter materials as long as they are mostly appropriate (thinner steel, aluminimu, titanium etc are okay)
  • Only things that look like actual armour may be worn. Latex covered foam, resin, fibreglass etc are all fine.
  • Obviously modern equipment is fine (football pads, plastic kiddy armour, cardboard covered in duct tape etc)
  • Just writing "armour" on your character sheet is fine

0 voters

I’m wondering what players want to see at games for costume, but armour specifically. Armour is one of those tricky things because it’s typically more expensive than general costume… What do people believe should be the minimum effort?

I went for the second option. While I would attend a game with the third option, I’d prefer the real deal or something that looks almost exactly like it.

I chose the third option, but I suspect I have a higher expectation of “looks like armour” than the question intended. I think this would also allow for more “freeform” armour in fantasy settings, eg. you may have an insect species with an unusual exoskeleton that’s really made of moulded plastic.

Not-real armour should require the same level of physical representation as anything else in the game.

It would be cool if everyone could afford real armor. Real armor doesn’t fit 100% of the Larp situations/settings. Its also likely to be murder on foam weapons especially if you had steel spikey bits or something.
If someone has made an effort and it looks the place in the setting then thats cool and it may be the only course of action for fantasy games.
Its better they try than not bother at all
EDIT: Thats option 3 in short
Jared

I picked “Only things that look like actual armour may be worn. Latex covered foam, resin, fibreglass etc are all fine.” even though I really like high quality armour. With the number of different periods and genres in larp it’s nice to be able to physrep something on the cheep :smiley:

I also agree with you on this one Derek, the sheer number of potential genres that armour can be used for opens up a whole range of armour types that can be used, not juits full metal or leather fantasy armour, but ballistic vests, mad max leather jacket and sports bits techno barbarism styles, hell even powered armours if people wanted to go that far.

So long as it looks good, it should be ok.

I picked option three, with the proviso that I would prefer very much that it be a high-quality look-alike.

Wow. I’d say that’s pretty conclusive. Stands at 94% for option 3 at the moment with the only differing vote saying he’d find that option acceptable.

personaly i would go for the additionaly option where armour level is based on the weight of the armour…something like 1 AP for each 20% of your body weight

it would discourage plastic armour and the classic “mithril” gauze shirt…

you could ofcourse buy “master worked” armour or something that would count as being heavier…

Plus I’d just love to see someone coming in twice their weight in armour to try and get 10AP :smiley:

You ticked the wrong box then… Option one was “realistic weights”.

I weight about 60kg dripping wet. If I put on full steel legs, a mail shirt, breastplate, steel arms and a visored bascinet with mail aventail, pick up a sword and shield I weight in at a touch over 120kg. Surprisingly, I can still move reasonably quickly.

The pain in the arse with this much armour is the full face helm restricts visibility and airflow and you tire quickly. Your feet ache the next day, and you can’t feel boffer weapons at all when they hit you.

But the biggest problem with real armour is if you’re running around in the dark and accidentally knock heads with someone not wearing a helm, you’ll have blood.

That’s one of the main reasons I’m in favour of softer and lighter armour options.