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.

Realms of Elzwehn - the Elevator Pitch

Last year, my friend Robb and I began work on a set of LARP rules called Elzwehn. Even as we prepare to launch a chapter of Way of the Sword, I have been fiddling around with Elzwehn. I've named the latest iteration Realms of Elzwehn. Here is my elevator pitch:

What is Realms of Elzwehn? 

An open-source, generic, universal set of rules for playing live action battlegames (LABs)

What is a live action battlegame (LAB)? 

A cross between a LARP and standard foam fighting. LABs are played in a series of connected combat scenarios that form an ongoing story. Players form 2 teams that take turns being PCs and NPCs.

Yes, I created my own term. This emphasizes that RoE is not quite a full immersion LARP but offers more than the standard foam fighting organization.

Why open-source? 

This gives the group organizer (which I call the Realm Master) the freedom to develop a setting, create adventures, run battles, and determine the effects of victory or defeat (which could include in-game awards and titles).

Why generic and universal? 

Once again, this gives the group organizer freedom to develop the setting. A group can also skip around between settings without having to learn new rules.

What does the name mean? 

It is intended to highlight two important aspects of the rules:

• We see each group as autonomous, without interference from a higher organization. Essentially, each group is an independent realm. I have taken to referring each setting (and a group can develop multiple settings) as a realm. Hence, multiple groups will form multiple realms.
• Elzwehn (i.e. elsewhen) emphasizes the universal nature of the rules. Settings may exist across time as well as space.