Last Updated 8/17/24
This is a comprehensive guide on weapon construction parameters and gameplay associated with
melee weapons intended for use at the club. I must preface that our games are not LARP or any
kind of training for a martial art, so safety considerations must be made to ensure a safe and fun
playfield. This guide will not cover restrictions on blaster performance or ammunition in any other
context except for how they affect melee weapons and shields.
NOTES BEFORE MOVING FORWARD:
- players that are not as experienced as other with melee weapons are free to build and play
with their melee weapons as long as it is built to the standards that will be covered below. - While personally, or professionally (3rd party) constructed weapons are preferred,
commercial products are also allowed for use depending on how the product fits into the
club parameters. This frees players to buy commercially available LARP weapons, but these
like all melee weapons will be subject to inspection.
WEAPON CONSTRUCTION PARAMETERS - Weapons must of reasonable length and usage compared to the user. If a weapon is
deemed as not being able to be used safely by the player, it will be barred from use. - Weapons made by a 3rd party LARP weapon manufacturers will generally be allowed,
although this may require a safety inspection to ensure that it will be safe to use in play. - Most LARP compliant boffer constructions are allowed for use but may still require a safety
inspection before use. - Weapons will be made of closed cell foam, EVA or other that is flexible and not rigid.
- Weapon blades must have a relatively rounded edge and tip with enough compression to
absorb blows. - Weapon rigidity may be provided with the use of a solid, flexible core. The core may either
be a more rigid foam, vinyl rods, graphite golf club shafts, fiberglass, or PVC wrapped with
some kind of fibered tape or fabric. Cores may not be made of wood, metal, plexiglass, etc. - If a core is used there must be at least 1.5 inches of foam padding on the striking surface
and at least 6mm/0.25inches of foam on all sides that cover non-striking surfaces. All
weapons must have at least 2 inches of foam in between the tip of the weapon and the core. - All rigid weapon cores must have some kind of safety measure applied to avoid piercing
through foam when stabbed. Such implements like a Kevlar safety tip or hot glue buffer are
acceptable. - Solid/rigid material with the intent of increasing weight may not be used.
- The size of the weapon will be calculated as a rough estimation of area using the longest
measurement of the overall length and the widest overall width. Overall length of a weapon
cannot exceed 2m/6.6ft in length, an overall area of 2m/6.6ft, and cannot weigh more than
10 lbs. - Handles may be made with other materials, but it is recommended to avoid sharp edges
and to have surfaces that may potentially strike other players be padded to avoid injury, i.e.
crossguards, pommels, hafts, ricassos, etc. - Hooks or weapon designs used to catch/hook into other player’s equipment to immobilize
or disarm is prohibited. This prohibits sickles, scythes, bill hooks, hook swords, war picks,
and in some cases axes and hatchets may be considered. - Gravity weapons, and weapons that rely on a cord or chain to function or gain momentum
are prohibited. This prohibits morning stars, nunchucks, rope darts, kusarigama (chain
sickle) - Weapons that focus on punching are prohibited. This includes types such as push daggers
and brass knuckles. Large foam fists may be allowed on a case-by-case basis.
BLADED WEAPONS: SWORDS/KNIVES - General blade construction rules follow the rules for weapons listed above.
- Knives may be constructed either with cores or without. Lanyards, if attached, may not be
used to aid in the use of swinging a weapon. - Bladed weapons will not be used for throwing if a rigid core is part of its construction.
- Only the blade may be used to strike opponents. Other parts of the weapon may be used if
the construction of said weapon was built for the purpose striking.
BLADED WEAPONS: SPEARS/POLEARMS - Spears must not have a shaft that exceeds 1.75m/5.75ft, must be made from a sturdy but
light material such as PVC, cannot be made of wood, metal, plexiglass, etc. And must be
covered in a fibrous tape, wrap, or insulating foam. - The head of the blade must adhere to the construction rules for bladed weapons.
- Spears cannot be thrown.
- Any weapon that incorporates a spike must do so by building it entirely of foam with no core.
The point must have a rounded tip to prevent injury. The point cannot be use to grab or
disarm other players of their weapons.
BLADED WEAPONS: AXES/HATCHETS - Axes and hatchets will follow the same construction techniques as spears and bladed
weapons. - The axe head must not have a separate core from the shaft and must be made entirely of
foam. - Hatchets may be thrown if a solid core is not part of its construction and does not have rigid
material to increase weight.
BLADED WEAPONS: BAYONETS - Bayonets of any kind must adhere to the melee construction parameters of the type of
mounted melee weapon it is based on. - Use of a bayonet requires padding of the main weapon that it is affixed to. I.E: If a blade
bayonet is mounted to a blaster, the blaster must also be padded on all potential striking
points on the blaster. - The weapon the bayonet is mounted to cannot be used for intentional striking, only the
blade can be used for that purpose. - Bayonets are also considered a combination weapon, see below for further guidance on
combination weapons.
BLUNT WEAPONS: HAMMERS/CLUBS/MACES - All aspects of the striking surfaces must adhere to the blade construction parameters.
- All shafts must be wrapped or padded to prevent injury.
- No part of a weapon may have the primary striking points be attached my chain or cord to
perform its primary function such as a morning star, flails, nunchucks, or 3 segmented
poles.
BLUNT WEAPONS: STAFFS/BO/KALI STICKS - In the case of sticks and staves the padding, while similar to bladed weapon striking
surfaces, will be allowed to have a slightly thinner padding thickness. The minimum padding
should be at least 0.75 inches in thickness and the minimum width of the padded weapon
should be no thinner than 2.5 inches in diameter. This should be about the width of a
commercial pool noodle.
BLUNT WEAPONS: LIGHTSABERS - Lightsaber styled weapons must have the same thickness of padding throughout the entire
blade. - The core of the lightsaber may be made with PVC/CPVC fitted into a handle. The tip of the
lightsaber must have at least 3 inches from the tip of the blade to the tip of the core. - It is recommended but not entirely necessary to install a safety tip onto the core, but it is
requested that the open hole at the tip be filled to prevent jabbing with the core due to
compression of the foam.
THROWING WEAPONS: - Throwing weapons are to be restricted in size of a general area of 4sqft.
- Throwing weapons cannot weigh more than 1lb.
- Throwing weapons cannot have a rigid core.
- Weights may be used to balance a throwing weapon if it is of a non-rigid type.
- Throwing weapons can be used as a standalone weapon, although viability of said weapon
cannot be guaranteed depending on style and design. - Foam stress balls and socks can be used as a throwing weapon.
- There is no limitation on how many throwing weapons one may incorporate into their
loadout.
COMBINATION WEAPONS: - Combination weapons are allowed but must follow all weapon construction parameters. All
potential strike areas on combination weapons must be protected to prevent opponent
injury. - Combination weapons include but are not limited to: Gunblades, bayonets mounted on
blasters, blasters mounted on melee weapons, etc. - Bayonets are allowed to be used as standalone weapons, but when affixed, the weapon it is
mounted to must have padding on all potential striking points to prevent injury to others.
SHIELD CONSTRUCTION PARAMETERS: - Shields may be made of various materials, but anything not made of foam must have
padding in the form of foam or pool noodles secured to the edges to prevent accidental
injury if struck by a shield. - Shields will be no larger than a total of 2.4m/8sqft.
- Ranged weapons are allowed to be attached to shields, and bladed/blunt weapons are
allowed to be stored in the shield, but when stored the weapon must fall within the
maximum area allowed for shields.
GAMEPLAY RULES FOR MELEE:
HANDHELD WEAPONS: - All weapons are subject to inspection and must be cleared before use. This
- All weapons are allowed for use with different combinations of blasters and shields.
Although, the success of a cumbersome loadout is not guaranteed, and it’s advised that
players accept whatever risk comes with poor melee weapon selection. - Using a weapon as a shield falls under the club’s rules for tags done to weapons, meaning
that a melee weapon can at times be used as a shield. This may not be the best way to gain
defense since the maximum area covered by a melee weapon is comparably less than the
maximum area allowed for a shield. - If a player is found to be continually unable to handle a melee weapon or shield safely, they
will be barred from further use until a decision is made to assess the safe use of the weapon
or shield. - Players may not swing their weapons with the intent to injure. Intentionally injuring or
attempting to injure another player is grounds for at minimum, removal from play and may
even necessitate removal from the club. - Players must reduce their power when striking to avoid injury. The recommended power is
40% of what a player’s maximum power would be. This hobby is not LARP, HEMA, or training
for a martial art. A single tap counts as a tag there is no need to bludgeon the opponents.
Regardless of how much a player reduces their power, they can still be asked to reduce
further if they are still swinging too hard. - Special consideration must be taken by the player when a spear is in play. Both the player
and opponent must be aware of how much force and reach can be affected by the spear
due to it acting as a lever/force multiplier. A player using the spear may need to refrain even
more, and the opponent should be aware of the speed and reach capable of a spear. Spear
throwing is not allowed. - Throwing any weapon with a rigid core is not allowed.
- Throwing any weapon without a rigid core is allowed and cannot have added weight that is
solid. - Grabbing or hooking a weapon or shield with the purpose of disarming is not allowed.
- Physically grabbing someone else’s weapon or shield with your hands to disarm or avoid
getting tagged is not allowed. - Using a melee weapon to intentionally knock a blaster away to avoid being tagged is not
authorized. - Using a melee weapon to block darts is authorized, but tag rules still adhere to dart effects.
A dart contact to a melee weapon from anything larger than a standard micro dart will still
count as a tag or breaking the weapon. Although referees may decide to allow blocking of
larger ammunition depending on how “cool” the block was. - When stowed, a melee weapon is considered worn gear, and will be treated as such when
considering tags. For example: A large sword is stowed and worn on the back, an opposing
player tags the sword, not said player, this still counts as a tag on the player since the
weapon is being worn.
COMBINATION WEAPONS: - Combination weapons are allowed to be used as the primary weapons they are based on.
I.E: primary blasters, pistols, bow types, etc. - Combination weapons are classed in loadouts by the non-melee component they are
constructed from. I.E: An full-automatic blaster with a bayonet is classed as a full auto
blaster and cannot be used with a large shield. - Bayonets, and other mountable melee weapons of the type can be used as standalone
weapons. But when mounted, padding for the weapon it is mounted to is required.
SHIELDS: - Players are allowed to use whatever handheld melee weapons they can manage with their
shield. - Standalone shields cannot be used as a striking weapon (NO SHIELD BASHING). Although
this does not bar large weapons from being used as shields, but still under the limitations
covered by the rules for weapons construction. - Shields can be pierced with:
o a throwable weapon
o mega darts
o mega XL darts
o rockets/missiles - Blaster restrictions are considered by class of blasters and the class of shield, and certain
shields can only include certain blaster classes in the loadout. - Mounted shields (I.E: mountable nerf shields, etc) Are allowed for use as a shield of its
class, and loadout restrictions still apply. - Shield Classifications:
o Small shield/buckler (0- 2ft sq)- NO WEAPON RESTRICTIONS
o Medium shield (2-4ft sq)- mag-fed pump action and mag-fed flywheel blasters using
medium capacity (less than 20 round) magazines. Pistol style blasters that use
medium capacity magazines or any turreted blasters also allowed.
o Large shield (4-8ft sq) No automatic weapons allowed. Semi-auto and pump action
pistols only. Mag fed pistols must use low-capacity magazines. Magazines that use
no more than 15 rounds are allowed. All turret sizes for turreted pistols are
authorized. - Shields must be held in the hand or affixed to the arm while still being able to be
manipulated. It cannot be shoulder mounted as that would delve into the realm of worn
gear which cannot be used as a shield. With this logic, capes are also not able to be used as
a shield as it is worn, not handled. - Weapons are allowed to be stored in the shield, but when stored the weapon must fall
within the maximum area allowed for shields and when stored changes the shield
classification changing the weapon/blaster restrictions. - Expanding shields are allowed for use, but in play will be classified by the largest overall
area of said shield regardless of whether it is expanded. A player may request to take the
smaller size into consideration but if so may not use the expanded size unless they comply
with the appropriate loadout restrictions that come with the size of the shield.