Happy Easter!

 "But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him." Acts 2:24

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3

Kit Update

I made some progress on my kit. Here is an update.

ARMOR

Leather lamellar is complete.

I put the leather lorica segmentata on hold.

I plan on selling my plastic kit from Red Dragon. This means I'll be without greaves. I'm thinking about making some leather greaves.

WEAPONS

Current inventory.

• Sword - I have plenty so no planned additions right now.
• Shield - I have a couple. I'm working on a 22" round shield for villains.
• Spear - I made one then gave it away. I also made a javelin, which can stand in as a spear.
• Bow and Arrows - Still need to replace a couple of arrows.
• Great Weapon - I made a falx!
• Dagger - I have one.
• Javelin - complete.
• Buckler - I have one partially complete.
• Throwing Weapon - I made a holy symbol throwing weapon

Here is a picture with my newest weapons. From L to R, a falx, holy symbol throwing weapon, and a javelin.

GARB

• Loaner garb - want to get one of these in Legion colors.
• Monster garb - working on a death knight kit

Clearance

I finished my leather lamellar a few months ago. This means that I have some extraneous armor I'd like to sell.

Contact me if you are interested. I can meet you so you can try it on.

CLEARANCE - Plastic Lamellar

I no longer need my plastic lamellar, using plates from Plastic Lamellar.

I designed it to be front opening. I also used a leather backing rather than overlap the plates. Because of this, it is not so rigid as a standard lamellar. But is also weighs less.

It is used. Not much wear but you may need to tighten some knots. Looking for $25 or best offer.

CLEARANCE - Red Dragon Armory Plastic Plate Set
This plastic set includes helmet, pauldrons, bracers (not visible in the picture), and greaves. The set comes from Red Dragon Armory. Measurements in the link.

It is used so there is minor wear. Looking for $200. Available new at Medieval Collectibles for $428.

Merry Christmas

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."

Luke 2:11 (NIV)

Botticelli's Nativity

May the Lord bless you in the new year.

Kit Planning

I am quite happy with my kit right now, which you can see here. But I am planning some additions and upgrades.

Armor

I plan to upgrade from plastic lamellar to leather, in order to save weight.

The leather lam is close to being done. I have all the plates completed. 

I just need to lace them all together, add shoulder straps, and laces to tie it shut.

I may also try my hand at leather pauldrons, similar in design to those on the lorica segmentata.

Who knows? Maybe I'll make a lorica next.

Weapons

To qualify for 6th level in Valiant LARP, I need to complete my weapons collection.

Here is an inventory, with items I have complete in bold.

• Sword and shield - got them, although I am considering some upgrades
• a fancier sword in the form of a Roman spatha
• a smaller, round shield
• Spear and dagger - Just need the spear. While I could make one, I prefer something more professional, at least for the spearhead. Thinking about the Fakesteel pikehead.
• Bow and arrows - need 2 arrows.
• Great weapon and dagger - Have them but I want to upgrade the great to something more Roman era. Thinking about a falx. I should be able to make it similar to the makhaira I did years ago.
• Javelin and buckler - I need to get a javelin and finish the buckler. For the javelin, I found an interesting design based on the Roman pilum. Just need to figure out how to make it.

LARP pila

Garb

Items I need for 6th level.

• Loaner garb - I have tabards I can use, but I'd like to get one in Legion colors.
• I can use my wool robe for feast garb but I'd like a fancy hat.

Other Gear

• A quiver

An Update

I've been silent on this blog far too long, so I want to add a quick update.

The Kit is Coming Along

My Aurelian officer kit has come along nicely.

Naturally, I am on the left.

I have since painted the shield red with gold trim. The rest of my kit has not really changed. I am wearing a plastic lamellar cuirass over a black faux leather subarmalis while wearing a spangenhelm.

I really like how it turned out. I am planning one change - replacing the plastic lamellar with a leather one.

Another New Beginning

We finally decided to leave WotS and strike out on our own. We formed our own LARP organization called Valiant LARP.

We gained 4 or so new recruits this year, which has made battles more interesting. Our third season is well underway. This year we are battling the machinations of the Faedwyr (dark elves). Read more about it at Legends of the Legion.

A&S is Dumb

RANT MODE ON

I saw a post on Facebook promoting an A&S (crafting) contest. It set me off because I HATE crafting. I was working on a long argument explaining why but it got to be too much. Instead, I give you my TL, DR version.

• I hate it when I see A&S promotions because they push A&S like it's something everyone should do. No, people don't need to craft. It is NOT part of the game.
• Think about it. You can enjoy the game without ever crafting.
• I hate A&S contests for a variety of reasons. One major flaw is that we reward people who craft for the sake of crafting. In other words, they craft something for themselves and the judges, but it does not enhance the game in any way.
• Instead, we should promote crafting that enhances the game.
• Like sewing? Help make garb for new players.
• Like cooking? Make a feast for the group.
• Like weapon making? Craft some high-quality loaner weapons.
• And so on.
• Want to reward crafters? Reward them for the service they provide to the group.

I could elaborate, but I'm tired of crafting this post. Feel free to chat with me about it at an event.