Weapons & Armour

Weapons

• All weapons must be at least 8” (20 cm) long
• All weapons must be a phys-rep of a weapon
• Some categories require you to use a set grip to fight with the weapon
• All weapons, bows, arrows, shields and armour, must be checked by a member of the weapon checking team

Daggers/Foci 

• Must be between 8” and 24” Long

One-Handed weapons/Foci One-handed

• Must be between 24” and 42” Long
• Flail length is measure from bottom of handle to head full stretched
• Flails must have foam links 

One-Handed Spear

• Must be over 60” and up to 84” long
• You must hold the weapon within 6” of the center of the shaft 
• Must be a phys-rep of a spear 
• Must have a thrust-safe tip and only be used for thrusting 

Two Handed Weapon/Foci Two-Handed

• Must be over 42” and up to 72” Long
• You must hold the weapon in both Hands 

Polearms 

• Must be between 72” and 84” long 
• You Must hold the weapon in both hands with at least 18” separating them
• Can have Thrust-safe tip

Pikes 

• Must be over 84” and up to 108” long 
• You must hold the weapon in both hands with at least 18” separating them 
• Must be a Phys-rep of a Pike
• Must have a thrust safe tip and only be used for thrusting 
• Pikes count under polearm skill
• Pikes cannot be used to make any Calls

Thrown Weapons

• Must be between 8” and  36″ long
• You cannot throw shuriken, rocks, or other small throwing weapons below that size
• Any core in a thrown weapon must be appropriate in weight and stiffness for its size, and non-rigid cores are preferred
• Throwing javelins in particular must have a “Collapsible” tip and a relatively lightweight core
• Please be mindful of avoiding the face when using thrown weapons 
• You may only use thrown weapons every ten seconds
• You must not throw normal melee weapons.

Weapon Safety

Weapons must meet the following guidelines:

• The rigidity of the foam must protect the core and must not have degraded and become too soft
• The layers of foam must be securely bonded to each other and not be delaminating
• The right kind of foam must be used. High-density foam is the basic material and low-density foam must be used appropriately in collapsible tip weapons or in large hammerheads. This stops weapons being too heavy and having too much momentum
• The whole length of the core must be held securely in place and must not be moving freely inside the weapon
• The tip reinforcement must not be protruding through the surface of the foam
• The core of the weapon must be made of an appropriate material such as fibreglass or carbon fibre – not of aluminium, wood or bamboo
• There must not be any protruding hard or sharp objects such as gems or studs
• There must be sufficient padding on the tip, guard and haft
• Pommels are preferred to be made of padding, we are allowing resin handles & pommels and wooden handles. This is not a striking area with any weapon.
• The handle must be securely attached to the rest of the weapon and must not be loose
• The choice of former must be appropriate to the length of the weapon and must not be too heavy and rigid (especially for thrown weapons) or too light making the weapon ‘whippy’ (long weapons)

Shields 

• A shield must be gripped by a handle held in the hand
• You can push with a shield. You are not allowed to shield barge other characters, or force someone out of your way. The aim of this is to allow people with shields to control and threaten an area but to do so safely in regards to other players.
• A shield that is simply strapped to the body does not protect the wearer. All blows that strike a slung shield are considered to hit the character wearing it.
• Each Shield type have maximum dimensions for a shield are based on the shape, listed below

Shield Types (sizes)

• Buckler
  • Up to 15” (40cm) in Diameter 

• Round Shield
  • Up to 40” (1m) Diameter
• Tower shield
  • Up to 40” by 24” (1m by 60cm)
• Kite/Heater Shield
  • Up to 48” by 24” (1.2m by 60cm)

Shield Safety

• A rigid former may currently be used during events, but shields should preferably be of full-foam construction
• If you use a rigid former then there must be at least 6mm of high-density foam on the face and no protruding bolts
• The rim must be padded all round. Note that pipe lagging will quickly degrade will likely be insufficient after a relatively short time
• Handles must be securely fixed so that they do not cause the shield to “flap” from the arm/ hand
• Wing nuts must not be used to secure straps and any protruding bolts must be cut short

Bows/Crossbows

Bows 

• Must have a draw weight less than 30lb on a 28” draw
• Must hold the weapon in both hands to shoot
• You must not block with your Bow

Crossbows 

• Must have a 30lb or lower draw weight 
• Must hold the weapon in both hands to shoot 
• You must not block with your Crossbow
• You must be over 18 to use crossbows 

Under UK law, participants under 18 years of age cannot be in possession of a crossbow unless under the supervision of a person who is 21 years of age or older. In terms of our game, this means that we do not permit participants under that age to use crossbows, except when supervised under controlled conditions (Such as a setup archery range, or a teaching session). 

Battlefield, encounters and any combat does not count as controlled conditions. 

Arrows and Bolts

Arrow Shafts

• The shaft must be made of fibreglass or wood. Carbon fibre, aluminium and dowel are not allowed
• The shaft must not be cracked or damaged
• Flights must be adequate to keep the arrow stable in flight and must be properly attached to the shaft
• Arrows must have a maximum draw position of 28” clearly marked if the possible draw length is greater than 28”
• The shaft must have a proper nock which is securely attached

Arrowhead

• The arrowhead must be at least 50mm across and have a circular cross-section
• The arrowhead must be securely attached and not move on the shaft
• The soft foam portion of the arrowhead must be open cell foam (often called furniture or upholstery foam), be at least 25mm at the thickest point and must collapse fully under firm pressure (so there must be no latex within 5-10 mm of the face)
• The arrowhead must have some kind of blocker between the shaft and the foam of the arrowhead to stop the shaft pushing through
• Domed arrowheads are allowed as long as the width of the widest part of the soft foam dome, and the foam behind it are of the appropriate thickness

Not Acceptable

• IDV tear-drop arrows are not usable at our events
• Archery Tag screw-on arrowheads are not usable at our events

Bow Competency

You must take your bow and your arrows to be checked by our weapon check team. You will be asked to demonstrate that you know how to use it safely: You will be required to string and destring your bow, and asked to demonstrate a full arrow or bolt check to show you understand our safety checks

You may be asked to fire the weapon at a nearby target. The aim of these checks is to ensure that you know how to use your bow or crossbow safely at our events.

If our weapon check team are happy that you are competent with a bow or crossbow they will give you an archer card, Meaning you have completed the Bow Competency, You must carry at all times whilst using your bow

Full arrow check

• Feel the foam on face of the arrow to check it is free from debris and the foam not waterlogged
• Feel the soft foam to check it is still firmly attached to the arrow head and that the head is securely attacked to the shaft
• Flex the shaft to ensure it is not cracked or split
• Feel each flight to check none are missing or loose
• Examine the nock to ensure it is not loose or split

Shooting

• The draw of a bow must be less than 30 lbs at 28” draw. Crossbows are also limited to 30lbs draw weight
• You must perform an full check of every arrow or bolt each time before you nock it
• You must not aim at the head, you must aim at the chest or below when shooting at your target
• You must reduce the draw of your bow when firing at targets closer than 10m away, you may not fire a crossbow at targets under 3m
• You must aim at the stomach or below when firing into a crowded melee or when aiming a bow at targets closer than 3m
• You must be able to see the area you are aiming for if you are arcing your shot
• You must not shoot through narrow openings or gaps, such as between branches, fences, or through hedges
• You must never attack with a bow or crossbow or use it to parry if your bow or crossbow is hit with melee or an arrow you take one point of damage 
• You must have both hands free when using a bow or crossbow
• You must not have another arrow in you hand while shooting 
• You must not put any arrows in your mouth
• You must be in full control of your weapon and aware of your aim while moving around with bow drawn
• Participants under 18 years of age cannot use a crossbow under any circumstances

Armour

Light-weight flimsy materials such as cardboard, tin foil and paper cannot be counted as armour. You cannot use knitted wool or other fabric which is coloured to look like chain as armour either.

Armour can be constructed from EVA foam however LARP armour has the potential to be subject to damage in combat. As with armour constructed from other materials we will be checking that foam armour is robust and safe for both the wearer and other people. All Foam armour must be checked by the weapons check team.

We are conscious that Larp Combat is a contact sport so Armour may not have Spikes or sharp points. (studs on leather armor is fine)

Light Armour

• Padded cloth or thin leather armour (between 1.5mm and 3mm).
• Must be Piece of armour Leather clothing or similar does not count

Medium Armour 

• Leather or armour made to appear as if constructed from leather 
• Must be 3mm or Thicker 

Heavy Armour 

• Metal armour or armour that looks like its metal 
• No Sharp edges 

Banner

At Menhirs Fate we are allowing banners as we think they are great items for the fantasy setting.

• Banners can have wooden poles 
• Must follow the Menhir’s Fate Behaviour guidelines regarding iconography and symbols 
• Banners can be taking on adventures but those that carry them must never engage in melee. Ranged magic may be used while holding a banner.
• Banners must never be used to parry blows
• Banners are unaffected to the shatter call 
• Banners come under Item for enchanting. The rules for combat still apply and you may not use melee attacks while holding a banner.
• Banners should not be made with Larp safe materials as they are not safe to be used a weapons in combat. Banners should also not be attached to Larp weapons

Fighting safely

• You must ensure your weapon has been checked by the weapon checking team at each event before you use it
• You must pull all of your blows so that they land with virtually no force
• You must avoid hitting the groin, neck or face
• You must avoid hitting the breasts or head where there is an alternative target
• You must not strike another character with the pommel or hilt of your weapon
• You must not thrust with any weapon unless it is a thrust-safe polearm
• You must not throw a weapon unless it is a throwing weapon
• You must use the specified grip for a two-handed weapon
• You must drop a flail if becomes entangled in your opponents weapon or costume
• You must not attempt to parry an arrow or bolt with a weapon
• You must not grab or trap an opponent’s weapon when they are wielding it
• You must follow the bow-safety guidelines if you use a bow or crossbow
• You must not partake in combat if you are drunk
• You must not take camping knives on quests, skirmishes or battles under any circumstance.

Banned items, items cannot be used at events, either for reasons of safety or because they are unsuitable for the campaign. The traders are permitted to sell these items but only on the condition that they are collected at the end of the event during time in. Items sold before time in may be stored in tents or cars and not brought out during time in. You must not carry these items on site in an IC area.

Banned items

• Real weapons, including bayonets, re-enactment weapons, real world grappling hooks and any sort of non-replica firearm
• Modern or futuristic items such as chainswords or power armour as well as novelty items.
• No fireworks or pyrotechnics of any sort may be brought onto the site without the prior permission
• Any item deem inappropriate by Menhirs Fate