Light head shots

Community Larp discussion
#1

Would you attend an that allowed light head shots?

  • Yes, no problem
  • Hesitant, but I’d give it a try
  • Definitely not

0 voters

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How would you feel about attending a live combat event that allowed for light head shots?

Assume that one head shot would take you down, so you won’t be hit repeatedly in the head.

Most UK larp allows light head shots but encourages players to strike other areas if they are available. In most other places in the world head shots are banned.

I’m inclined to think that light head shots in a system where one strike to an unarmoured location takes you out would be adequately safe, and would make the fighting more believable. It would give helmets a purpose, and give another location to threaten when fighting opponents who have large shields or who are forming shield walls.

#2

I would. I happily swim in the stupid end of the gene pool.

But even though I’d be into this type of thing, I still think larp combat should be reasonably gentle and “attractive” to all levels of participation.

I’d hate to see combat in the main stream larp games be violent enough that some people don’t want to play.

#3

With no head shots you still get hit in the head. With light head shots you just get hit in the head harder. I wear glasses normally. I don’t want to get hit on them.

If you have head shots, then all players must wear helms. Even the monsters. Those pretty faeries and green slimes must also wear helmets. Destroy the beauty of the game, come on I dare you.

#4

I have a delicate head and a pretty face and I don’t think the “light” thing would be followed. I worry that the head would become a “preferable” place to hit, even if it was a “bop on the head” it would end up being quite frequent. Just 'cos my brain is fragile and loose I don’t like getting sapped at Mordavia. But I’m not going to spoil the fun or nothing…

#5

I voted No. IMO, some participants already strike too hard, allowing them to make a “light” strike at my head is not on. Beccah got bruises from Endgame by experienced larpers who know how to pull their blows but didn’t. Why encourage even more dangerous play ?

Also, some of us come from cultures where it is inappropriate to touch people on the head, let alone intentionally biff them on the head.

If you are going to allow headshots, then all participants will need to have metal helms and keep them on at all times. It certainly raises the cost of entry if, to be safe, everyone has to make/buy metal helm.

#6

[size=200]Go for the head shot, it’s the only true stopper [/size] Peter Jackson, Bad Taste

#7

As I see it, if people are allowed to hit people on the head, eventually someone will hit hard. Thus that’s a No from me.

#8

Can I mentioned again, for all those saying “it would get more dangerous”, that UK larp is no more dangerous than here and allows light head shots?

Given that they have battles with thousands of people, you’d think that if allowing head shots in that way made things statistically more dangerous, it would have been born out in actual head injuries by now. That doesn’t seem to be the case.

I mean, hypothetical speculation is all good and well, and I’ve thought the stuff people are saying here for years, but it just doesn’t seem to be born out when people actually do this. At least in the UK.

Experience and observation trumps theory, that’s all I’m saying.

It might be worth visiting the UK larp forum Rule7 and asking how they find battles that allow head shots.

I can’t comment on the cultural Maori / pacific island issue with touching the head, it’s familiar but I don’t know much about it. How is it handled in sports where touching the head is normal, for example wrestling? I wrestled for years against many polynesian people and never encountered an issue with it.

Personally I’m sick to death of combat and the larp grinding to a halt every time someone gets hit in the head by accident and has a loud whinge about it. People are far too eager to drop out of character to enjoy some self-righteous complaining, I think. Besides the combat advantages and making helmets meaningful, I think allowing light head shots would get rid of a lot of whining.

#9

Yeah, right.

#10

I agree. When I first started playing Mordavia, I was struck by how many people bleated about accidental (and light) headshots. I mean, sure, tell me that I hit you in the head (so I know my tag did not count), but why whinge about it ?

Nobody whines about being headshot in Skirmish. Instead, we celebrate them. How so ?

Well, there is an IC advantage to getting headshot. It heals you a HP, even if that takes you over and above your natural maximum. So, it’s extremely useful to be headshot. It has saved my characters on many occasions. Of course, you aren’t allowed to cheat with it and all that.

So, perhaps this approach could be used if you goal is to stop the bleaters bleating ? I’d much rather not have headshots.

Would you still allow headshots for swung weapons (axes, hammers) ? These contain much more energy than a sword swing, so are more likely to cause injury such as concussion.

#11

I voted NO.
I wear glasses, so do a number of other people and until you’ve been burdened with wering them day in, day out, you will never have any idea how fragile they are, how easy it is to knck them off, and how expensive they are if needing fixing or replacing.
I try to wear contacts when LARPing but they are a pain in the arse, and my sight isn’t as good with them vs. glasses.

If the problem is people stopping to winge about head shots them fix the problem. Teach people not to stop and winge, a simple ‘headshot’ call i find is most effective if struck in the head adn then usually don’t have any further problems.
The only times I’ve personally dropped OOC to winge about headshots both times the blow was so powerful that it actually left me dazed - one of those was when i had my contacts in and thought Id had my glasses knocked off because the blow had actually shifted my contacts to the corners of my eyeballs.

I think if you allow headshots a certain segment of LARP poplulation are going to go to town on it.

#12

I’m a steel sword trained person, and I flinched dramatically, dropped my weaponand went to check if they were allright when some one deliberatle ducked into a head shot which was aimed for the upper arm! I got slaughtered for my concern. Oh well, a learning experience.

Oh hell yes!

#13

I have had my glasses broken by an accidental shot to the head, ( a wild swing without even seeing where the target was) and not only was it expensive to get them fixed but it meant that for a week I was less than effective in my job that i had only started a few weeks before hand.

how about a page from NAAMA, in NAAMA there is head blow combat, (Yes with steel) head blow means that the ONLY blow to the head ALLOWABLE is a CONTROLLED descending blow to the crown, no other blows to the head are permitted, and are punished.

In my memory No one has been seriously injured in a head blow contest at NAAMA.

If it was something like this then yeah i would be in.

I will say now that i have a much higher pain tolerance than a lot of people, and it takes a lot to put me down for the count, hell I have been knocked out five times in my life.

the list of injuries I still carry sounds like a car wreck, but i also like to push my limits physically, which is where i am coming from, and although LARPing pushes me mentally and spiritually, i have yet to be really pushed physically.

#14

I’m concerned about the panic factor. I’ve noticed that when people are in desperate combat, they go into a sort of survival mode and pull their blows much less - I’ve seen it happen to both, newbies and people trained in swordfighting. I’m fairly certain this would extend to the strength of the headshots too.

#15

I’m in the Definitely Not camp. I’ve been hit on the face and head in Larps by accident, and it bloody hurt. Oddly, I’d be less worried in a steel combat, but in that case I’d know that my opponent would know what s/he is doing and would pull the blow far more consistently. Larp fights generally have less experienced fighters, and they’re far more chaotic, with rather less pulling of blows than there ought to be. Basically, if head blows were permitted in the combat for a Larp, I wouldn’t be turning up to it.

#16

For comparison, here’s a similar discussion on the UK forum Rule7. In the UK many larps allow light headshots but encourage people to take other shots where possible.

forums.rule7.co.uk/Topic31474-4-1.aspx

#17

Interesting, quite a number voted “yes”, but I only really see comments from the "no"s (with some obvious exceptions).

Where is the statement of reasoning from a few more "yes"s?

Incidentally, I voted no.

#18

I voted yes, mostly on the basis that it’s the norm in the UK and it hasn’t caused issues there. Allowing light headshots opens up more tactical options in combat.

I think they pull their blows more fully in the UK too, and I’d like to see more of that as well.

I’m not so keen on the European total avoidance of thrusting, seems a bit overkill to me.

#19

If we allow head shots, it means we can’t wear the pretty make up.

That means no more smurfs wrestling in jelly.

#20

I must have missed that game… Thinks: “Smurf larp”. Hmmm.