What Can I Use as a LARP Sword?

LARPing, live action role playing, has become a hugely popular phenomenon over the course of time. Whether a member of a large reenactment group or a small scale interactive group; the world has never been as full of LARPers as it is today. People that are new to the genre or those who are seeking to upgrade will often find the amount of equipment on sale for any given period of time they might be playing in to be too large to sift through.

What Should I Look For in a LARP Sword

There are in effect two kinds of LARP sword available. These swords are either created or purchased. Created swords will depend on the skill of the maker and may be anything from a curtain rod to a proper historical replica if the one making it has such skill. The most often seen of these created specimens however will be the equivalent of a nerf bat. There is nothing wrong with this as it allows for safe and dynamic role playing fun.

However, for those who can't create their own historically accurate or fantasy based replica swords there is the option to purchase them. There are many places that seek to sell historical and fantasy swords for any given type of LARPing experience. For instance, who wouldn't want to have Drizzt Do'Urden in their forgotten realms based LARP? There are places online that actually sell high quality replicas of Icingdeath and Twinkle.

While nerf bats and curtain rods are excellent tools to play a campaign with there is something to be said for wielding a mighty claymore or lifting The Atlantean, the sword wielded by Conan the Barbarian, above your head before shouting a battle cry of, "Who wants to live forever!" at the oncoming hoards of your fellow role players that are dressed up as goblins. Though, obviously if you are playing with live weapons the fight scenes need to be choreographed and taken slowly. There is still a lot of enjoyment to be had with such.

Many replica merchants will sell their weapons with LARPers in mind. These LARP swords, if you will, will have the capacity to be sharpened but will generally arrive in the mail in a dulled form. This way the danger of actual injury is lessened, especially if wearing appropriate armor, and the role players can have at each other with violent and playful fury.

A LARP sword can be made of almost anything especially with the inclusion of a truly imaginative mind wielding it. However, anyone that truly desires to become as fully immersed in the setting of their choice as possible should consider purchasing an historical replica or a sword from your favorite fantasy based campaign setting. Those types of equipment additions can turn a cool afternoon into a truly badass experience.

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