Contributor: Torrin
Submission: Behind the Curtain: LARP Combat
Ultralight boffer weapons look pretty harmless, and the combat looks like a bunch of people flailing at each other, shouting and throwing bags of birdseed. I find YouTube videos of LARP fighting particularly silly looking, mainly because, frankly, it is. Everything in a LARP is geared toward the experience of the participants and the safety therein. It is NOT a "spectacle" experience, like stage combat. So with all the focus on the participant experience how it "looks" to an audience, takes a back seat.
Combat at a boffer LARP, even though it may look random is really anything but. Since ultra-light boffer weapons do seem so harmless the training to use them can get overlooked. Unfortunately any "sport" that requires controlled impacts against unarmored bodies really needs some training to do correctly and safely.
What can a new player do? If you are showing up to your first LARP and have never done boffer combat before the first thing you should do is ASK FOR AN ORIENTATION AND SOME TRAINING. When you do get out there in "the thick of it," keep your cool at all times, control is EVERYTHING in this activity, not power. There are usually rules about how close you can get to another player, RESPECT THOSE! If you are a PC make sure everyone you are running with knows you are a very new player, if you are with people you don't know in a field fight or walking to a module, say something "in game" about your unfamiliarity with LARPing like "I am new to town, I have NEVER adventured before." NPCs, don't be shy with stating if this is your first or first few events or LARP experience. Especially if you are working with folks you haven't really gotten to know yet. Staff at LARPS like people to return again and again, they SHOULD help you and ease you into the game.
What next: Learn how this sport is played, and treat this aspect of LARPing with the commitment it deserves. There are body mechanics to LARP combat, as there is in tennis, golf or any other sport. Don't assume that if you know Kendo, Escrima, or a medieval sword style that you can fight OK in a boffer LARP. Some skills will transfer, but there will be some things you have to learn. If you have never done anything like this before you will need to start with the basics. Footwork: Moving with balance, moving safely to avoid running into people, and minimize tripping over obstacles and rough terrain. Work on defense, how to block and control your weapons. Then, when you get to striking your opponent, concentrate on control, hit what you are aiming at. Lastly, bring up the speed of your strikes. In LARPing the best defense is NOT a good offense. We are responsible for the safety of our swings and hits. I will say this again: CONTROL IS EVERYTHING! Your movement, your defense, your strikes must be totally under your control at all times.
I always try to make time to help folks with their combat if asked, both when staffing and as a PC. Time will always be a factor at a LARP though, so that is not the best time for "in-depth" training. Ask around to see if anyone is holding practices in LARP combat, SPAR-B-QUEs and the like. If the game your are in has an OOG section in an on-line message board, ask there. Just posting the question may prompt folks to hold a practice. Don't be shy in asking for help and pointers. Not all of what you are told will help you, but it rarely "hurts." I find when I am learning a new technique it's like panning for gold, I will get pan after pan of useless gravel, then a nugget of knowledge shows up and *bang* there is something cool that really helps me out!
NPCing for practice. This is a great way to get familiar with new weapon styles, try out fighting/ranged/casting roles, all without "commitment," so to speak. After you get the basics down, it can be a great way to hone skills. It comes with the added benefit of helping out fellow LARPers with their experiences. Keep in mind, as an NPC you will impact a greater number of people than you usually will as a PC. A big thing to remember, as an NPC, you are NOT there to "win." Even though it's great "practice" you are supporting another's vision and need to keep that in mind. Also when NPCing, take your hits! It can be daunting keeping track of the combat, what effects are what, where the line is in a melee and then, before you know it, you have been hit seventeen times in the leg and arm without realizing it. I'm serious, I've seen new NPCs and/or PCs just get overwhelmed in a night time, grueling fight. It happens. If I can address it quietly, I will, if I can't, and there is not safety concern, then I just let it go. (I will break game so people don't get hurt.)
Now why am I writing this? We come together at a LARP for a shared experience, staff, NPCs and PCs, all of us. The combat can very much enhance this experience, but it can also profoundly detract from it. One weekend, just three hours into the game, I received the fifth hit to my head, the third in my right ear alone, from different NPCs. I had a pain-induced fit of temper and took myself out of combat for about an hour. It took a lot of mental work on my part to bet back into the head for playing again. (I did get apologies each time I was struck, but the sheer number of hits got me angry.) I've seen new players so roaring to go "hit something" that they go make mistake after mistake. It makes their experience "less than positive," and detracts from the folks they are fighting against. Don't get me wrong, it's combat, the object is to win your fights, but since we are not "really" trying to hurt each other, everyone must take responsibility for the overall "experience." Understanding combat's role, and the level of commitment it entails to be an effective "combat character" can, in my opinion, only enhance someone's personal experience and the overall experience we share.
Lastly, WHEN the mistake happens: You run into someone, you hit someone in the head etc, the thing to do is apologize! Make it quiet so it doesn't detract from other folks game, then try not to make that mistake again, AKA Learn from that mistake. If you are the recipient of a "bad hit" take a minute if you need it. Especially for eye hits. Never swing a weapon if your control is compromised. This may sound hackneyed, but try to "forgive and forget." Holding on to anger and resentment will color the remainder of your weekend. We all put good time and money into this shared endeavor, why spend your energy to make it negative. If you feel yourself getting truly OOG angry, about something, take a break. I promise you: retribution in anger will NEVER be a good thing, and in some LARPs may get you tossed out. If it's a safety concern, talk to a staff member, then LET IT GO!
So, who am I? Most folks know me as Torrin, I have been knows as the Gypsy T'Kari, the fighter Winterborne, the Changeling Valacar and a myriad of roles staffing Madrigal. I have been LARPing for about 6 years, and I have done medieval weapon combat for 27 years. I have fought with everything from (non-LARP) Daggers to 9 ft. spears, broad swords and maces to rapiers and foils. I don't do "stage" combat, and I have always treated any weapon I pick up like a dangerous enterprise, even LARP ultralights. I have studied a few "empty hand" forms (although my passion has always been the weapon forms.) I could go on and on about combat, balance, sword work, shield techniques, etc. There are many facets of LARPing that touch on the combat, in this, I wanted to talk about the basic ideas that drive combat mechanics! I hope my point of view on this topic is at least entertaining, if not somewhat helpful!
Thanks for reading!
Submission: Behind the Curtain: LARP Combat
A behind the scenes guide to combat in a boffer LARP. This is directed at boffer LARPs that are more story-based with mods, wandering monsters and field fights as part of plot lines, rather than the combat-only LARPs that are out there. No disparagement is intended, just clarification of focus.
Ultralight boffer weapons look pretty harmless, and the combat looks like a bunch of people flailing at each other, shouting and throwing bags of birdseed. I find YouTube videos of LARP fighting particularly silly looking, mainly because, frankly, it is. Everything in a LARP is geared toward the experience of the participants and the safety therein. It is NOT a "spectacle" experience, like stage combat. So with all the focus on the participant experience how it "looks" to an audience, takes a back seat.
Combat at a boffer LARP, even though it may look random is really anything but. Since ultra-light boffer weapons do seem so harmless the training to use them can get overlooked. Unfortunately any "sport" that requires controlled impacts against unarmored bodies really needs some training to do correctly and safely.
What can a new player do? If you are showing up to your first LARP and have never done boffer combat before the first thing you should do is ASK FOR AN ORIENTATION AND SOME TRAINING. When you do get out there in "the thick of it," keep your cool at all times, control is EVERYTHING in this activity, not power. There are usually rules about how close you can get to another player, RESPECT THOSE! If you are a PC make sure everyone you are running with knows you are a very new player, if you are with people you don't know in a field fight or walking to a module, say something "in game" about your unfamiliarity with LARPing like "I am new to town, I have NEVER adventured before." NPCs, don't be shy with stating if this is your first or first few events or LARP experience. Especially if you are working with folks you haven't really gotten to know yet. Staff at LARPS like people to return again and again, they SHOULD help you and ease you into the game.
What next: Learn how this sport is played, and treat this aspect of LARPing with the commitment it deserves. There are body mechanics to LARP combat, as there is in tennis, golf or any other sport. Don't assume that if you know Kendo, Escrima, or a medieval sword style that you can fight OK in a boffer LARP. Some skills will transfer, but there will be some things you have to learn. If you have never done anything like this before you will need to start with the basics. Footwork: Moving with balance, moving safely to avoid running into people, and minimize tripping over obstacles and rough terrain. Work on defense, how to block and control your weapons. Then, when you get to striking your opponent, concentrate on control, hit what you are aiming at. Lastly, bring up the speed of your strikes. In LARPing the best defense is NOT a good offense. We are responsible for the safety of our swings and hits. I will say this again: CONTROL IS EVERYTHING! Your movement, your defense, your strikes must be totally under your control at all times.
I always try to make time to help folks with their combat if asked, both when staffing and as a PC. Time will always be a factor at a LARP though, so that is not the best time for "in-depth" training. Ask around to see if anyone is holding practices in LARP combat, SPAR-B-QUEs and the like. If the game your are in has an OOG section in an on-line message board, ask there. Just posting the question may prompt folks to hold a practice. Don't be shy in asking for help and pointers. Not all of what you are told will help you, but it rarely "hurts." I find when I am learning a new technique it's like panning for gold, I will get pan after pan of useless gravel, then a nugget of knowledge shows up and *bang* there is something cool that really helps me out!
NPCing for practice. This is a great way to get familiar with new weapon styles, try out fighting/ranged/casting roles, all without "commitment," so to speak. After you get the basics down, it can be a great way to hone skills. It comes with the added benefit of helping out fellow LARPers with their experiences. Keep in mind, as an NPC you will impact a greater number of people than you usually will as a PC. A big thing to remember, as an NPC, you are NOT there to "win." Even though it's great "practice" you are supporting another's vision and need to keep that in mind. Also when NPCing, take your hits! It can be daunting keeping track of the combat, what effects are what, where the line is in a melee and then, before you know it, you have been hit seventeen times in the leg and arm without realizing it. I'm serious, I've seen new NPCs and/or PCs just get overwhelmed in a night time, grueling fight. It happens. If I can address it quietly, I will, if I can't, and there is not safety concern, then I just let it go. (I will break game so people don't get hurt.)
Now why am I writing this? We come together at a LARP for a shared experience, staff, NPCs and PCs, all of us. The combat can very much enhance this experience, but it can also profoundly detract from it. One weekend, just three hours into the game, I received the fifth hit to my head, the third in my right ear alone, from different NPCs. I had a pain-induced fit of temper and took myself out of combat for about an hour. It took a lot of mental work on my part to bet back into the head for playing again. (I did get apologies each time I was struck, but the sheer number of hits got me angry.) I've seen new players so roaring to go "hit something" that they go make mistake after mistake. It makes their experience "less than positive," and detracts from the folks they are fighting against. Don't get me wrong, it's combat, the object is to win your fights, but since we are not "really" trying to hurt each other, everyone must take responsibility for the overall "experience." Understanding combat's role, and the level of commitment it entails to be an effective "combat character" can, in my opinion, only enhance someone's personal experience and the overall experience we share.
Lastly, WHEN the mistake happens: You run into someone, you hit someone in the head etc, the thing to do is apologize! Make it quiet so it doesn't detract from other folks game, then try not to make that mistake again, AKA Learn from that mistake. If you are the recipient of a "bad hit" take a minute if you need it. Especially for eye hits. Never swing a weapon if your control is compromised. This may sound hackneyed, but try to "forgive and forget." Holding on to anger and resentment will color the remainder of your weekend. We all put good time and money into this shared endeavor, why spend your energy to make it negative. If you feel yourself getting truly OOG angry, about something, take a break. I promise you: retribution in anger will NEVER be a good thing, and in some LARPs may get you tossed out. If it's a safety concern, talk to a staff member, then LET IT GO!
So, who am I? Most folks know me as Torrin, I have been knows as the Gypsy T'Kari, the fighter Winterborne, the Changeling Valacar and a myriad of roles staffing Madrigal. I have been LARPing for about 6 years, and I have done medieval weapon combat for 27 years. I have fought with everything from (non-LARP) Daggers to 9 ft. spears, broad swords and maces to rapiers and foils. I don't do "stage" combat, and I have always treated any weapon I pick up like a dangerous enterprise, even LARP ultralights. I have studied a few "empty hand" forms (although my passion has always been the weapon forms.) I could go on and on about combat, balance, sword work, shield techniques, etc. There are many facets of LARPing that touch on the combat, in this, I wanted to talk about the basic ideas that drive combat mechanics! I hope my point of view on this topic is at least entertaining, if not somewhat helpful!
Thanks for reading!
I totally love NPCing for practice. I can't think of a better way to get to experiment with all kinds of roles. Also the whole time you're helping out your fellow larpers and earning CP for your own PC. It's win/win/win.
ReplyDeleteAlso it's fun, that's another win.