Gen Con LLC Community

This came up in the True Dungeon thread, but got off-topic, so I decided to move it here.

Cobos and I will be running a LARP event, and we are considering including boffer (padded) weaponry. As the setting is contemporary, we're not talking halberds and greatswords here, but maybe things like small knives, etc. This is the norm in Norwegian LARP, but given that boffer weaponry is apparently considered a security risk, would we need to clear this with the Con? I should stress that this is not a combat LARP - the weapons would merely be there in case someone needed to use them (it's a murder mystery).
 

I would say you definitely need to clear this with the Con.  There are some boffer events already, but put in your comments section to Gen Con that you'd like to have boffer weapons available to reserve combat if needed, just so they are aware, and can talk to you about it if they need to.

Yeeaah, but... that's just it. They won't be used for "combat". At least not in the sense I've come to understand "boffer LARP combat" is. It'll be a matter of weapons (and perhaps various other items that, if real, could be used as weapons) being in play, and possibly being used. To give a concrete example - a player might have a knife on him or her, without anyone else knowing. He or she may choose to use it, in which case it would be a matter of stabbing someone, not flat-out combat. Would it still be an issue? Meh, I suppose we could always contact them regardless...

Katrine Myra:

Yeeaah, but... that's just it. They won't be used for "combat". At least not in the sense I've come to understand "boffer LARP combat" is. It'll be a matter of weapons (and perhaps various other items that, if real, could be used as weapons) being in play, and possibly being used. To give a concrete example - a player might have a knife on him or her, without anyone else knowing. He or she may choose to use it, in which case it would be a matter of stabbing someone, not flat-out combat. Would it still be an issue? Meh, I suppose we could always contact them regardless...

Yeah I think it would be an issue; because they are there and can be used. It's not a big issue, but I think it's something you want to make the Gen Con people aware of, just in case.

I'm glad this was brought up, because it's something I honestly would not have thought about. You couldn't hurt anyone with these if you tried.

Katrine Myra:

I'm glad this was brought up, because it's something I honestly would not have thought about. You couldn't hurt anyone with these if you tried.

Oh, is that a dare?

No seriously, it might be fine, but I know that Gen Con does have some restrictions about Boffer Weapons, so it's better in this case to ask and make sure it would be ok first.

LI wants t'know...

WHAT is a boffer weapon?????

Boffer weapons come in all types and sizes. Sword, dagger, flail, axe, spear. They can be homemade from foam around a solid core and covered in either tape like duct-tape and/or cloth or they can be made of closed-cell foam around a fiberglass rod and covered in latex.

Here are links to some sample pix:

Homemade style spear: http://www.edhellen.com/images/spear/spear2b.jpg

Homemade style flail: http://www.edhellen.com/images/flail/flail3b.jpg

Homemade style sword: http://www.edhellen.com/images/blue/blue3b.jpg

Selection of Latex Weapons: http://www.by-the-sword.com/acatalog/images/lw-12.jpg 

marimacc:

Oh, is that a dare?

Let me put it this way - Norwegian LARPS have no security waivers for you to sign. So yeah, you can imagine that any weapons they allow people to use have to be impossible to hurt someone with. They test them by hitting the person who has made it with it has hard as they can. You'd be surprised how big an incentive that is.

Those are some neat examples Joe! However, few of the weapons in the pictures you linked to would have been acceptable at LARP we are holding. The homemade ones because they don't look realistic enough, and some of the latex ones because they're not safe enough (I can tell because of the relative sharpness of the edges). We'd require somewhat softer edges.

 

 

I'm not sure I follow you, Parody?

joecarver:

Boffer weapons come in all types and sizes. Sword, dagger, flail, axe, spear. They can be homemade from foam around a solid core and covered in either tape like duct-tape and/or cloth or they can be made of closed-cell foam around a fiberglass rod and covered in latex.

Here are links to some sample pix:

Homemade style spear: http://www.edhellen.com/images/spear/spear2b.jpg

Homemade style flail: http://www.edhellen.com/images/flail/flail3b.jpg

Homemade style sword: http://www.edhellen.com/images/blue/blue3b.jpg

Selection of Latex Weapons: http://www.by-the-sword.com/acatalog/images/lw-12.jpg 

 THANK YOU Joe :)  I had an idea that's what they were but I don't think I've ever called them that in my head (I call them 'foam weapons' lol.  I can see "Boffer" being a good term though.

Katrine Myra:

I'm not sure I follow you, Parody?

Then again I'm not sure Gencon would be against it, considering how many people I saw smacking each other with the boffer weapons last year in the halls after they bought them.  (I got smacked by a kid swinging one around.  I had to show him the proper way to use the weapon).

 I love me some boffer larps.

Nothing says stress relief like beating the crap out of your friends.

 

Parody:

Katrine Myra:

I'm not sure I follow you, Parody?

It was something I'd read a while ago about overseas LARPs allowing players to hurt each other (with or without weapons) so long as they didn't get hurt too badly. Must not be as common as I'd been led to believe. :)

No, you were right the first time. I just wasn't sure what you were referring to. This is what I describe in my seminar as the "common sense" rule. Even with a very, very safe padded weapon, you could inflict... I wouldn't say pain, but you could make someone uncomfortable. That's usually OK, but sometimes it isn't. Players are expected to exercise caution, and use common sense to determine how hard they can strike someone. In the vast majority of cases though, this is not a problem, as you really, really have to work hard to try to inflict any kind of pain with a padded weapon with our safety standards. There are some safety measures taken, naturally. You may not target someone's head, genitalia, or the chest area on women. Spears, bows and arrows and other "pointy" weapons are usually not allowed, or restricted to "trusted" players, usually people the orgianizers know personally. A weapon may have NO sharp edges or hard parts.

Generichick:

Nothing says stress relief like beating the crap out of your friends.

 

This wouldn't be a boffer LARP though, which makes me wonder... if I note that boffer weapons will be included, will people think "BOFFER LARP!!" and show up expecting combat?

America is a far too letigious society, so I would think extra warnings, waivers, etc would be the norm in a GenCon event of boffer weapons.  I don't know how much you have to sign for Gamer Olympics (and don't get us started on the efficacy of waivers.).

I would think in a LARP where the weapon is simply being used for a sneak attack of some kind, a 3x5 card with "Hello, you have been assassinated.  Have a nice day." on it would work just fine.

 

 

Vallan:

I would think in a LARP where the weapon is simply being used for a sneak attack of some kind, a 3x5 card with "Hello, you have been assassinated.  Have a nice day." on it would work just fine.

 

 

Not in a system where the overal goal is total immersion. Basically, we don't allow anything that isn't what it appears to be. If we can't have padded weapons, then there just won't be any weapons in play. But that'd be too bad.

So basically people use boffer weapons to beat on each other?

Oooh... violence... I can dig it!

LOL this topic made me think of that scene from Star Wars. Where that Alien pulls the blaster gun on Obi-Wan and the bartender shouts "No Blasters! No Blasters!" and Obi_wan chops his arm off. He probably allowed Guns in his bar but they were not supposed to be used that way. ^_^

What I think is the need for approval is less what they are going to be used for an more what they COULD be used for. Even with a foam weapon you can still assult someone. And lets face it, for every 10 good larpers there is that one unbalanced fellow/lass that occasionally takes it too far.  And no matter how much the person running the event says "They were not meant to be used that way. We told them the rules." the damage is done and the con staff has to deal with the hassle. With walking around the con it's less an issue but once Gencon sponcers an event they tend to become responcible for it. So the con probably wants to keep tabs on events they showcase that include foam weapons to keep an eye out the event isn't getting out of hand.