Paddywhack - March 2012 order

Hey folks,

I’m putting together an order in time for the Teonn weekend game. Visit the Paddywhack site and browse through the categories under “Special order” to see what’s available:

[size=150][color=#FF4000]www.paddywhack.co.nz[/color][/size]

I’ll be taking orders until next Friday, 23rd March.

I also have some swords, leather armour, and a scabbard still in stock if you want something immediately.

For the new larpers - about twice a year I bring in latex swords and leatherwork from Europe through my company Paddywhack. A lot of the swords you see people using are from Paddywhack, as well as sword holders, belts, scabbards, leather armour, etc. It’s excellent quality stuff, and usually much cheaper than if you sourced it yourself, especially once you figure in shipping. I usually take payment in advance for these orders, but I can be flexible with that if you’re short of cash at the time the order is being collected.

Also, if you’re a member of NZLARPS you get 20% off your purchase total.

You can order through the site, or drop me an email at ryanpaddywhack@gmail.com with orders or questions.

Cheers,

Ryan

Oh also, I’m happy to deliver gear anywhere in NZ at cost.

Query regarding your greaves/bracers …

Is there a sizing guide for what counts as a “medium” arm/leg (or other sizes).

Or is it more on the scale of petite - normal - the hulk?

I’m guessing there is some degree of adjustability via the straps, but a rough idea would be useful.

Thanks.

I would say the medium tends to be on the smallish side. Fits me fine, I’m 5’9" and slim. The small bracers are almost child-sized.

Attached are Palnatoke’s guidelines for greave and bracer sizing.

The “Horseman” and “Mercenary” lines are the ones I list as Deluxe, they have padding inside that takes about 3cm off that measurement. Also, I just generally find the greaves and bracers to be a touch smaller than what is stated in the attachment.

Here’s a bit of a selection of kit and prices that I think are especially useful or cool, starting with leatherworks.

Sword hangers
$14 (or $11.20 for NZLARPS members)
Wandering around with your sword in hand at all times is kinda impolite. Here’s an ultra-cheap hanger.

Scabbards
$94 (or $75.20 for NZLARPS members)
Prevents yourself and others getting cut on your latex sword. Note this is just the tube, you also need a scabbard mount so you can hang it from your belt or back, or on a baldric.

Deluxe baldric
$230 (or $184 for NZLARPS members)
The aforementioned baldric. These are the cool leather straps that go diagonally across your chest. Also comes in a less eye-wateringly expensive version.

Rogue bracers brown
$51 (or $40.8 for NZLARPS members)
These are incredibly cheap for such a cool looking armour option. I reckon the brown leather has a bit more character than the black, which can look a bit flat.

Wishlist compiled … now for the hard part. Budget shuffling!

Any idea if any of those baldrics might be able to hold my two hander? I’ve been struggling to find something to hold it nicely.

Is it length or thickness that’s the trouble with the two-hander?

If it’s length, then a backholder with a quick release might be an idea. A couple of people have bought those, I’d be interested to hear back how practical they’ve found them to be.

In terms of thickness, I don’t know that the baldric has any more allowance than the other holders & scabbards.

As promised here are a few highlights of my favourite latex weapons from the Paddywhack range. In my experience they always look better in person than in these photos.

Champion, 101cm
$124 (or $99.20 for NZLARPS members)
The classic arse-kicking sword for heroic characters, and coming in at under $100 for NZLARPS members it’s a steal. If you’re not sure what length you want, you probably want this full-length one: in larp combat, length does matter.

Dao, 98cm
$124 (or $99.20 for NZLARPS members)
There’s something I just love about the design of this sword. It’s asian-inspired, but it could work equally well as a sabre for a pirate or some other dodgy type. There’s something sinister about its curve, without it being cartoon evil.

Footman, 98cm
$145 (or $116 for NZLARPS members)
The combination of a subtle hilt design and the blood gutter gives this sword an extra-realistic look, and you pay a bit more for that detailing.

Ranger dagger, 46cm
$75 (or $60 for NZLARPS members)
Very pretty dagger, goes with just about any kind of character.

Warrior sword, 76cm
$68 (or $54.40 for NZLARPS members)
Amazing value for a decent shortsword, suitable as an offhand weapon or for characters whose main focus isn’t combat.

Arrow
$19 (or $15.20)
If you’ve ever looked into larp arrow prices, you’ll find this is very cheap. These IDV arrows are commonly used in the huge battle larps in continental Europe with thousands of participants. Suitable for larp when used with a low-powered kid’s bow.

Those are just some thoughts, check out paddywhack.co.nz and browse thruogh the “Special order” area for the full product list.

Tomorrow is the last day for orders.

Is there any particular set of hoops to jump through to get the member discount?

Yeah, be a nzlarps member Igni.

Good price on the arrows… are you likely to bring in and stock some? I am not ready to pay for some but I would like to see some in the gear shed to be honest because crew NEVER have bows. I am looking at these bows trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing … =459116886 and am awaiting some feedback as to their suitability.

That and I would like a set for myself… any chance they also get cheaper the more I order?

I realise that … just wasn’t sure where to mark that on the order form. I couldn’t see a spot.

Thanks for the reminder, I forgot to say. When you’re checking out via the shopping cart, put your NZLARPS number in the “Promotion code” field. I usually check the member list anyway though.

[quote=“Jared”]Good price on the arrows… are you likely to bring in and stock some? I am not ready to pay for some but I would like to see some in the gear shed to be honest because crew NEVER have bows. I am looking at these bows trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing … =459116886 and am awaiting some feedback as to their suitability.

That and I would like a set for myself… any chance they also get cheaper the more I order?[/quote]

I’ll probably only bring in a small number of extra arrows, to sell at Teonn (maybe 3). I don’t like to carry a lot of stock because it’s very random who wants what, and when.

I can’t offer a discount for bulk arrows sorry, they’re already very marginal.

I’m not sure what if any bow draw/weight limits Teonn or other NZ larps have. I think the key question about that bow on Trademe is this: what is the poundage at the max draw of 22"? The phrase “15lb upward” leaves that unanswered, I think.

Mordavia had a limit of 15lb at 25" pull (basically a kid’s bow), but few people used bows and we were trying to keep it very low poundage because we weren’t teaching bow safety (where you learn to reduce your pull at close range, not to shoot into crowds or in the dark, not to do high arcing shots where you’re not sure of the target, etc).

I think UK larps have a max poundage of 30lb at 28" draw. For example the Maelstrom safety rules have that, and I know they allow IDV arrows.

I personally have never had arrows fired at me while knowing the poundage and draw of the shots, so I don’t have a personal feel for how a given weight of shot feels. I got Zara to shoot her arrows and my IDV arrows at me with her bow. I don’t know the poundage of those shots, but I wouldn’t want it any higher than Zara’s bow at that draw length, so that’s my personal upper comfort limit for weight.

Zara’s is 29.5lbs at 30" - maximum allowed at UK larps (I know this cause it’s my bow :wink: )

Thanks. So basically, I thought the hitting power of that bow was okay but I wouldn’t like to see bows with a stronger draw than that at games. It packed plenty of punch and had good range, especially with the IDV arrows which lose less speed and height as they fly as they’re more aerodynamic.

I just realised I had put “25lb” for the Maelstrom bow limit at 28" draw, which was wrong. I’ve corrected my previous post now to read 30lb at 28" draw, which is what their site says.

I can’t seem to find the Lorien Trust draw/weight length, although I see people on forums saying it’s 30lb at 28" draw, and your bow sounds like it’s under that (slightly less weight at a slightly higher draw).

Curious Pastimes say 30lbs or less at full draw, which I actually think may be a better rule in some ways because people may accidentally over-draw if the arrow length allows it. So basically, an upper draw weight of 30lb seems okay to me, so long as the archer knows to draw it less at close range etc.

How can you calculate your poundage & draw?
Obviously the further you “pull back” the string, the more speed you’re going to get.

Could someone put it in lay man terms? I’ve used my bow a few times in combat and no one has mentioned it being a problem, but it would be nice to have the information to give people, should they ask.

Cheers

Hey ryan, i sent an email and i’ll order from your website now.

Thanks Jordan.

[quote=“TazzyD”]How can you calculate your poundage & draw?
Obviously the further you “pull back” the string, the more speed you’re going to get.

Could someone put it in lay man terms? I’ve used my bow a few times in combat and no one has mentioned it being a problem, but it would be nice to have the information to give people, should they ask.[/quote]

The proper way to do it is to use a bow scale, it’s got a hook on it that you pull the string to the desired length, and then you read the weight (for that length) off it. An archery shop would probably have one you could use. You could also improvise something with some other kind of scale like the ones they have in physics classes or a hanging fish scale.

However, most bows will tell you the weight at a given draw on their packaging or instruction, and that’s probably good enough. It may pay to check how far you actually draw the larp arrows you’re using too - the advertised weight is specific to a given draw, so if your larp arrows are longer than the arrows the bow comes with you may be drawing it longer.

Drawing fully is probably only a good idea at medium to long range, at closer range (maybe up to 10 meters or so?) you probably want to draw the arrow less so it doesn’t hit too hard. You need a full draw to get long distance, but at close range it’s hairy. This is especially true with the IDV arrows.

Personally, I think the best thing is to have a feel for your bow and your arrows. Practice with it with a friend, shoot them at various distances and get a sense of what’s an appropriate draw so that you can hit them accurately without it impacting too hard. Get them to shoot you too. Don’t expect it will be the same with a different bow or different arrows, each combination will vary a lot. Consider putting marks on the shaft of each arrow (near the head end), one for short length draw (for close range) and one for full draw (which is usually less than the full length of the arrow).

PS: I’ve read that with composite bows, they will only increase in weight to a certain draw length, and if you draw beyond that they decrease slightly. As opposed to traditional longbows, which continue gaining weight the further you draw them.

Thanks Ryan,