Goofing Around with Armor

I'm a fan of the look of lamellar. I even made myself a cuirass using plastic plates.

I have has two issues with this cuirass, however,

1. It's a little heavier than I'd like. I want to shave off a couple of pounds.
2. It fastens on the side, which I find awkward.

I recently saw this video of a front-opening lamellar. I love it!

Anyway, that got me thinking of armor designs. I think I have a way to redo the plastic lamellar and save some weight. However, I've gone on a tangent and am thinking about doing a cuirass entirely of leather.

Anyway, I decided to try out my design in cardboard first.

The front

And the back.

Instead of individual plates, I'm using 12" long bands. I then scored them and, at top, curved them, so they look like lamellar plates. For this experiment, I tied the pieces together with twist ties and then used Velcro for the shoulder straps and the front fasteners.

It fits pretty well if I am just in a tunic. I need to make it a little wider to fit over my subarmalis. Also, the top jabs me in the throat when I bend over. I can remedy that by removing the bottom row. Still, I'm pretty happy about how it turned out.

Christmas Wish List

Jotting down kit I want to get.

Updated 10/29

Wagon

I'm interested in getting a portable wagon for carrying stuff from my car.

Here is one on Amazon - link

Helmet

I moved this up. This is my top armor priority.

From Wyrmwick (https://www.wyrmwick.com/larp-armour-all-helmets/spangenhelm)

in gold with plain nasal and no plume.

or a cheaper alternative from Dark Knight Armory - https://www.darkknightarmoury.com/product/horse-lord-helmet/

Bronze Hoplite Greaves

Also from Red Dragon (https://www.reddragonarmoury.com/bronze-larp-leg-armour) or

Dark Knight Armory (https://www.darkknightarmoury.com/product/bronze-hoplite-greaves/)

Bronze Hoplite Cuirass

I moved this down. I was wearing my plate recently and found it uncomfortable when I sat down. I'm now thinking about something more flexible. Nevertheless, I'm leaving this up for reference.

From Red Dragon Armory (https://www.reddragonarmoury.com/bronze-larp-body-armour) or

Dark Knight Armory (https://www.darkknightarmoury.com/product/bronze-hoplite-cuirass/)

It appears cheaper to get it from Red Dragon. They are in England, however, so shipping may be more expensive

Rescue Maid Marian

Here is another LARP scenario

Backstory

The evil Sheriff has captured Maid Marian. He stages an execution to draw out Robin.

Naturally, Robin and the Merry Men plan to rescue her.

Set Up

• Set up 2 spawn points (the flags) at opposite ends of the field.
• Set up a pole (or use a tree) in the middle of the field.
• You need a volunteer to play Maid Marian. She begins the game "tied" to the pole in the middle.
• I recommend not actually tying her up. Have her place her hands behind her back and pretend she is tied up.
• The Sheriff and his men begin surrounding Maid Marian.
• Robin and his men begin at their spawn point.

Objective

Both sides seek to bring Marian to their spawn point.

Special Rules

• All players have unlimited lives. They respawn at their respective spawn points.
• Designate two players to represent Robin and the Sheriff. They get 1 point of bubble armor.
• Robin and the Merry Men can untie Marian by touching her with a weapon and shouting "Cutting" three times. If a player is killed while trying to untie Marian then the count must begin from the start.
• Once freed, Robin or his men may escort Marian back to their spawn. The escort must remain by her side the entire time.
• Marian is is no shape to run. She can only walk.
• If Marian's escort is killed, Marian must stop where she is.
• The Sheriff or his men can recapture Marian by touching her LIGHTLY with a weapon. Marian must then follow her new escort back to the Sheriff's spawn until the escort is killed.
• The process of freeing and recapturing Marian continues until one side gets her to its spawn point.
• The Sheriff or his men cannot move Marian until she gets untied.

This is essentially a version of Heavy Object, except with a person instead of an object.

Hastings Scenario

Recently, someone posted on the Florida LARP Facebook page asking for assistance in coming up with some scenarios. First up is my take on the battle of Hastings.

Set Up

• Divide the players into 2 teams - Norman and Saxon
• Designate one player on each team to be the king - William for the Normans and Harold for the Saxons.
• You may want to give each king a crown made of paper or foam.
• Set up the battlefield as shown.
• Flags are the spawn points for each team.
• The oval is a hill. You can mark it out with rope, paint (if allowed), or even a real hill.

Objective

• A team wins by killing the other team's king.

Rules

• Kings get 1 point of bubble armor, which allows them to ignore one hit per life.
• Saxons get 1 point of bubble armor when on the hill.
• This also applies to Harold, so he has 2 points of bubble armor when on the hill.
• Unless respawning, players must remain 10' away from the spawn point.
• When killed, players may respawn at their team's spawn point. They need to touch the point and then count to 5.
• I suggest giving kings 4 respawns. Soldiers have unlimited respawns.

More Changes

A lot has happened over the past month or so.

Explorators Fizzle

In June, I raised the possibility of doing a ranger-themed campaign. The explorators were to be the rangers for the army. I felt I could run this campaign with small numbers. I even began considering options for a ranger-ish kit.

Well, that's already gone by the wayside. I came up with a better campaign idea. I'm not sure if I'll run it this season or next, but I have effectively shelved the explorators.

WotS Changes

There is new leadership at Way of the Sword (WotS), my group's parent organization. I had lunch with the new president, CJ, and discussed the future of the organization. I plugged some of the Legion's house rules. CJ seemed intrigued. Anyway, I am optimistic.

Recruiting

I'm planning a recruiting push for this fall. I'm already having some success with social media. I have a few interested parties. I set up a meet and greet / game day for us at Tate's.

I'm also creating some flyers. Here are samples of the front and back.

More on an Explorator Kit

Storing some ideas and links for my new kit.

I'll be adding to this as I get new ideas.

Epic Armoury RFB Tunic in green. Unfortunately, I cannot find this in stock.

Breeches in brown. These are knee-length trousers, which should be nice for hot weather.

Gaiters, for when I want to cover the lower legs.

An Explorator Kit

The Exploratores

In my LARP's Olden Wyrld setting, the Exploratores are the scouts of the Aurelian army. 

In real world history, they were the mounted scouts of the Roman army. They would have dressed and been armed akin to light cavalry.

In the Olden Wyrld, however, there is no cavalry. Instead, scouts are light infantry. I imagine them to be like Middle Earth rangers.

What do the Exploratores look like?

If we base the exploratores on rangers, we can find no better model than Faramir (on the left).

He wears a lot of green and brown, with a light leather jerkin. It's not shown here, but he also wears a greenish cloak with an integrated hood. Bow and sword comprise his armament.

But, there is a problem. His appearance is very much High Middle Ages, whereas the Olden Wyrld's Aurelian Empire is patterned after Late Rome / Early Byzantine. How can we tweak the ranger kit so it looks more Roman? I have some ideas.

Constructing an Explorator Kit

Here are my current plans for an explorator kit.

Undertunic

Right now, I'm using a modern, long-sleeved SPF shirt as an undertunic. It provides better protection vs. the sun than something more period. If anyone asks, I call it "elf silk."

I have an SPF shirt in green that I'll use.

Tunic

I prefer short-sleeve tunics in Florida's heat. I feel it provides more ventilation, keeping me cooler.

I love my Epic Armory tunic. 

They also have it in green so I am considering an order. It is out of stock right now, however.

I also have a long-sleeved Gadaric tunic in burgundy that I don't really wear. 

I'm planning on repurposing it. I'm going to remove the sleeves and dye it brown.

Pants

My brown hosen will work well enough. I could also use my black hosen and breeches.

If I wear breeches, I'll need protection for my lower legs. I bought a pair of cloth greaves but they do not fit all the way around my leg. Perhaps I can upgrade to these gaiters by Burgschneider.

Shoes

Wearing sneakers for now, but looking to upgrade. More on that later.

Headgear

I have a hood that works.

Armor

Of course, none of this screams Roman. How can I tweak my kit to give it a Roman flair?

My idea is to wear a light subarmalis. I found one if brown but it looks thick. 

Perhaps I can make one out of leather.

Change of Plans

Some thoughts and notes about my current LARP state of mind.

The Elzwehn Campaign

We completed our first campaign set in the Olden Wyrld of Elzwehn.

• The campaign began with our heroes confronting a necromancer.
• It ended with the destruction of the Dark Magi's totem and the rout of the enemy forces.

There were a number of other encounters recorded in the Annals

While I enjoyed the campaign, I was disappointed that we were not able to find more players. At the end, it was pretty much just 4 of us.

Full Immersion Follies

I've become interested in trying out a more immersive LARP experience.

First up was Mythic Adventures in Central Fla. Basilius and I went up in March for a weekend event. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a disaster. I got overheated while playing an NPC. That orc mask just retained too much heat. Also, there was not much for 1st level characters to do, and then we got murdered by orcs while supposedly in an OOC area. At the time, I said I would not return.

In May, we learned of a full immersion LARP (Exile) starting in Broward County. But then, inexplicably, Basilius and I got banned before the first event! Does one (or more) of the organizers have it out for Republicans? Anyway, so much for that.

We've been writing rules for our own full immersion LARP. I just don't think we have the numbers to pull it off.

This has led me to considering alternatives.

A "Ranger" Campaign

Because we can only rely on 2 to 4 players, I've been thinking of a campaign structure that will work with small numbers. I'm leaning toward a "ranger" campaign. Instead of planning larger, set-piece battles, design smaller skirmishes. We can go trekking along some nature trails and then have some combat encounters. Details TBD.