TRISTEN!! mate, my brother in arms! I'm so glad you found your way here as I feel you were a highlight in this video and I wanted you to see it. How could I make you look like a chum when you were such a champ! You were friendly, funny and sociable. Mate you should start your own TH-cam channel as you certainly have the charisma for it.
+Shadiversity Haha you flatter me! I wouldn't even know where to start with my own channel. Loving yours though! Hope to see you again... either as friends or foes ;)
The reason the man was so upset after he heard this was that he had planned to marry Shad's wife and therefore inherit his fortune, as was the custom of the day.
You're pretty badass Shad, taking on about 5 blokes at once without taking many hits. The only reason you lost against that big fellow was that it wasn't a full-on duel, those other people were able to come behind you and chip off your health when you got distracted. It would be interesting if someone were to get a friend or two into the mix, then watch each other's backs to stop that sort of thing from going on
Shad, Lloyd, Matt, Skall, & Metatron should join these LARP events together. And when their teammates break rank, they should stay in formation and trample the enemies!
About making this more RP like I have a bit to say. Because actually the only kind of LARP I have done has been more character/story-based. In Sweden, where I live, it is the most common kind of larp. To make it more realistic experience, full costume is required, and it is done somewhere where there are no modern stuff visible. The LARP usually goes on for days and you are pretty much always in character. One downside of this might be that because everyone is playing a much more carefully made character, fighting will not be the main thing (because if you loose your character probably dies, obviously) but that can be a good thing in many ways. It makes it more like real life, and also it gives room for other parts of RP like mysteries, adventures, magic and an overall more interesting story. To summarize, it requires more recourses, but it is loads of fun, because it really feels like you're someone else in a different world.
That sounds like a LARP designed to not have a lot of players. Losing your work isn't fun, especially when it's a lot of work. Games that rely on mechanics about losing your progress have to minimize the progress lost, or they simply aren't fun for the vast majority of potential players. Full costume likewise requires a decent outlay of money, and so makes it harder for people to get into it, especially people who aren't sure yet if they like it. Events that span many days run into the problem of conflicting with things like jobs, or schooling, and while you might say, just allow them to come late/leave early, that runs into the issue of people deciding not to go since they're going to miss large parts of it. It also requires you to have the capacity for people to stay near or on-site, which causes other substantial problems or drastically increases cost. Having it be out of sight of anything modern basically means you need to be away from population centres, which can increase travel times, and prevent people from coming. I mean, I approve of this, but that still is a downside that decreases your potential audience. And finally, most of us don't want games to be too much like real life, cause, news flash, we live real life every day. We don't play games to get more of the same. Criticisms aside, yes, LARPs generally have more roleplay than this, where this seemed to be nearly 100% people doing LARP-style combat.
seigeengine You are right. It is of course more expensive, and getting people in it is not easy. But clearly, there are a lot of pros as well. A few notes: In some campaigns you can borrow clothes, tents etc. for relatively little money, so it makes getting into LARP easier. At least in Sweden, forests are not hard to find even close to cities. As long as you can't see any of the modern roads, houses etc. you're good. And you can by law be in any forest without any problem. In the campaign I play in you can only kill someone's character if they are okay with it (which you check OFF, but I have no idea how it really works. I haven't killed anyone but I have seen people die in-character). They also created a world were killing was seen as really really bad. Although you could always wound someone in-character to the point that they're almost dead! Lastly: When I said "real life" I didn't (necessarily) mean like a historical/daily life setting. I only meant that the way people act and things in the world makes sense, so that you can easily get immersed. In the kind of LARP you see in this video it is more like a computer game; the only goals are to kill opponents and perhaps something else to "win". In RP based larp, there is no such thing as winning. It is all about playing an interesting storyline. We all live in real life, but we don't live in a fantasy world!
Benni Bodin Jagell Sure, which makes them great for established long-term players with heavy investment into the hobby. Not so great for newbies. Which requires the LARP to store, maintain, and manage a rental business on top of their duties as a LARP. I live in Canada, so we may be different here. We have lots of forest, but to get to any large patch of natural land, you need to be a ways out of any big cities. That completely undermines the mechanic of having death be permanent though. Everything is about winning. In real life, you set goals, and you win by accomplishing them.
About winning: This is an interesting filosofy. But if you win a computer game or LARP of the fighting only kind you say: "stop it! We won, you lost, let's play again." In real life or on a when you reach a goal it is of course not the same. You may whin a fight or a competition, but keep on living as much as before (unless you lost a fight). You don't stop living and start another life. And there doesn't have to be a looser. The same thing goes for RP based LARP. You can never say that you won the LARP, but perhaps you won a fight in that LARP or reached one of your character's personal goals. And it's an important difference. In a fighting only LARP characters will behave weird sometimes since they have no personal goals. If a person in real life has personal goals, it will have an impact on how his/her group reaches their goals. But in a game only about killing you will never think about other things than the goal of the team. So for example, if the team is close to loosing you would probably give up to at least not die. But not if winning is the only goal! I am not arguing against fighting only campaigns. I have done some myself and it's a lot of fun! But I think that it's important to distinguish between RP and fighting only.
He achieved many strikes against those four. If the game had less HP he would have likely beaten them, and I question whether they should have died and just didn't.
This day was based on the battle game of SwordCraft, we do that every Friday night. For the more immersive RP we have Quest, 5 to 6 days of actually being the character you play on Fridays. You only have to ask any SwordCrafter about the `post quest blues` to find out what coming down from that high is like. For a first local game it was good, everyone had fun, no one got hurt, things can only get better.
While larps like these may not have the full historical value. I tend to enjoy fighting 3-4 people at one time at these types of events. Yeah it's silly, but still a great time.
This was extremely entertaining. Thanks Mr. Shad. I especially enjoyed the 10th minute battle betwixt you and at least 4 opponents who were each incapacitated a few times but never seemed to fall down. Well done!
I think they may have cheated there, but maybe not. The important confusing bit is that you have hit points and do damage based on where you hit. He might have not exhausted their hit points with his strikes.
In the one LARP I've been to, there not so mutch fighting but rather interaction with other characters and there was no real plot but rather everyone chose the actions there character made and could impact the story. Of course, there were some predetermined things like for example there was a final battle, but you had to be in character and you had to be for the five days.
Yeah, I guess they don't have a large or very organized community there. Here in Québec we have dedicated terrains like Bicolline and Bélénos with custom-built period-authentic army camps, towns and fortifications.
The one shown here is a small splinter group of a larger game called Swordcraft, which is more of a live action battle game than a larp. They have the weekly games which are more like this and go for 2-3 hours (the group in Melbourne is quite large too, so it is a lot grander scale), but then twice a year they have a week long event called Quest which has a lot more roleplay and gets around 500-600 people. I mean, it still has a long way to go imo before it could be even compared with Drachenfest, Mythodea or Bicolline, but it is still cool
"And there he was, the Mad Bear of Melbourne, holding four opponents single-handedly. Until at last he was struck down upon the field." - The Saga of Shad
I noticed that too, he probably didn't like Shad trying to take almost a spotlight so to speak for a literal noob. Also I was thinking that some of the people did not appreciate another video camera on the scene when they are trying to nerd out. If I was to LARP I would be in the closet about it lol.
That looked so cool mate...loved the way you took your time to help a fellow comrade in arms. Your so humble and patient any wonder your channel has progressed the way it has over the years. Hope to see more great content in the years that follow!
In fairness to your training opponent new players really should start with a shield! You are totally right that sword craft battle games are more about positioning and tactics then about individual swords men. The Melbourne Friday night battles even more so. Once you form up into shield walls its often a matter of who can make a hole in the enemy line first.
i love how when shad gets swarmed he takes the moment to flourish( 9:50 ) and it should also be noted, if shad actually did get into that engagement, he probably would have won ( 11:59 ) I absolutly adore how we get to see shad actually fight someone else and how good he is. also, flourish( 12:05) and considering how much damage he did, a full 13 points, if shad is an unarmored foot solder, and that gentleman is in full plate... well... yeah i like to think shad won too. i also notice the sort of come down from an adrenaline high in shad's voice. 13:26
I've played a couple of different LARP style games and one thing they all had in common was the "Party" of main characters on a quest of some type with 3 to 4 times as many players that were the NPCs. What you were doing was pretty much just Dagorhir-ish skirmish fighting. When we were LARPing in Tennessee I always played an NPC because it gave me the opportunity to play many different roles, from Ranger who leads the party through the wilderness to Goblin swindler cheating the party on goods. We played on private land where the GM had cut paths and clearings in the undergrowth using an industrial lawn mower and as NPC guilds you would be told which paths to take to lead the party from Clearing to clearing. Other NPC players would be enemies they had to defeat. All this meant that the PCs interacted with each other, NPC guilds, merchants, and such, and fought a number of bad guys in an 8 hour session (with a break for lunch). P.S. Are you interested in the LARP rules I wrote?
@3:55 when the guy says thats too hard! Im still laughing! but *HUGE GRAIN OF SALT* i come from a full contact LARP, where these kinds of hits happen every thirteen seconds. I do like that he has good control over his swings though, its always good to scale to your opponent.
15:03 shad has proved hes so addicted to medieval armor that when hes stumped on what hes trying to say he just has to say "armor" to get him back on track
Caught a few of your videos here and there. Liked & subscribed on this one for the way you taught Tristen. You broke it down well, taught him patiently. Didn't pander & didn't seem to discourage him (more than would be normal in that situation ;) ). Was really cool to see!
... I don't get it. I know a fight looks a lot different from the outside, but it seems like you're hitting people and nothing is happening. Does it just look that way or were these folks ignoring your strikes? PS: This looks like you had a lot of fun and I hope you keep doing it and posting it for us. ^_^
It's hitpoint based. Shad had around 6 points, so I think those other players had 6 points again. That's 24 hitpoints in total. While Shad did a great job, It's hard to kill a single player due to the hit point system, let alone four players, and yes, it could be noted that they might not have noticed some of the strikes, or merely just confused like Shad was, due to the in-experience with this combat system.
You said that strapped shields on foot is "incorrect". I don't know how much you thought that line through, but I think you were wrong. Yes, a center grip shield gives more options, but in a skirmish where you fight in line (which is of course not what these guys did but what you should do) a strapped shield might be at the very least equal to a center grip. It does not rotate, which will keep you safe (and in groups you won't need to rotate anyways). When running around by your self a center grip could be superior as long as you know what you're doing. But if you are not very skilled (like most of these guys) the mechanics of a center grip may actually help your opponent create openings while you don't know how to deal with it. A strapped shield you just hold in front of you, much simpler. To summarize, the fighting styles are simply different. Overall it is not so much about being or foot, I think, but rather about if you fight alone or in groups. Thank you.
Well, then, this is amazing.. I love this stuff. Your reasons for loving hema are why I have spent my life practicing ballet! Damn, I would love to battle!
Shad is intimidating as fuck lmao the action kicks off and instant battlecry. *points at someone fighting Shad* That guy knows what's up, he wore the brown trousers today :P
Man. I wish you could come out to an american Boffer Combat group. Like belegarth or dagorhir. We have actual battle lines and and you do have to watch your back, but its part of the strategy to keep people from breaking the line and getting behind your forces. On top of that we use more heavily padded (if less realistic looking) weapons and go full contact. We don't do much RPing either, but its much more realistic combat then "tap" fight larping.
Good job Shad! I enjoyed this video. It was great to get another look at your fighting style and techniques- pretty good stuff. Looks like a lot of fun but I would probably agree that something more historical would be more enjoyable.
Sometimes I get reminded of how spoiled Germany is in terms of Larp. But I'm am glad it's expanding and growing in places with less medieval history (Australia has a lot fewer genuine castles, after all)
There are many that don't even involve combat, because they're more focused on actual plot (although players are able to start a fight at their will). Here on the video we have more like referees than Game Masters. But I guess that's what they do and it's okay. At least people come out, have a nice workout and spend some time on fresh air :)
Shad, should you ever have the opportunity to go to one of the major European LARP events, you should take the opportunity. I think you would be blown away! 😊
Hey Shad! I had my first larp exposure at a Renaissance Fair recently where I got to use their props and try their style of combat. I wasn't the best at it for a number of reasons including: my home made armour is cut a little wide so I can't use the full motion of my shoulders, the restrictions on how to use staff/pole arm style weapons, my inability to dual wield, the lack of shields, my non standard (and rather basic) weapons training, and my general lack of exercise in that regard. I still had a lot of fun with it and I'm sort of interested in doing LARPing but just like you I prefer more of a 1 on 1 dual or a partner or small group where we can test and practice our own fighting styles and techniques. One of my biggest problems with it (besides the pole arm usage restrictions) was how chaotic and crazy it got in the bigger battles. There wasn't really a spot where you could draw someone out and battle just them and constantly having people come from behind and off to the side got really annoying because you can't be fighting with someone and keep an eye on the rest of the battle at the same time. Video games and 3rd person views make it so much easier to see someone coming over to attack you or how your teammates are doing. I struggle to do combat where I have to have my head on a swivel, nobody to watch my back/side, and I'm limited on how many hits I can take. I can't keep tabs on everything and people slip a hit in where I can't see. Another issue I had was the lack of stabs. It's so much easier to land a killing or even an effective or registered hit if you can trust past a defense rather than the build up of a swing. But even more annoying than that is a lot of the "new" people who were trying it out don't have a sense of self preservation and attack aggressively and recklessly making it even harder to focus on a single opponent.
I know a LARP place in the UK that happens every so often but they actually make camps and build buildings for the role play side that lasts for about 4 days. It also has a story that continues with every event.
Hi Shad! It was interesting to see how you experienced your first LARP event! I must say that in Czech republic, people hit much harder than in Austrarlia and that polearms and bows are much more common in my country. It's something completely different to be a good duelist and a good fighter in a battle. Both require skills, but different ones. Duels concentrate more on individual skill in combat against one oponent. Battle combat is mixture of individual skill, cooperation, battlefield situaction awarness and prevention of surprise attacks (like not exposing back to archers or monitoring runners who are trying to encircle your army). For example I understand, that you didn't like that people were not in formation a lot. But... The truth is, that there wasn't enough people for that. I myself am a person who runs around battlefield, shooting those, who are not paying attention in back and surprising enemies from behind. Battles are not about honor and duels have nearly no place in battles.
That looked alot more fun than the beginners LARP i did at comic con. All that was was a bunch of people in a tiny room waling on each other shouting "4 normal! 4 normal! 4 normal!!" while you had to mentally try to keep track of your 38 health and the healing you received, and damage reduction, and people shouted phrases to use their 4 spells (each with an arbitrary number of charges) and threw colored bean bags as the spells (the green ones healed and the red ones hurt, but the room was pretty dark). also i think maybe 2 people in the group had LARPed before? I swore off LARP after that.
As a larper who tryed to use historical martial sword technique, i can say that its difrent but with a little bit of adaptation, it still work. And by the way, as i can see in your sparring moments, you're a pretty good swordman! And you talked abouth L.A.R.P. With more rolaplaying and story and plot with mysteries, I live in Quebec Canada and in my region, theire is a lot, but A LOTS of this kind of L.A.R.P. Or ''GN'' Abreviation for ''Grandeurs nature'' Yes, i'm a french Canadian from Quebec who like pretty your videos. They ares instructives and funny! So yeah... I bet you should be able to find thease kinds of L.A.R.P. in your region too. I whish you good luck Shad!
In the UK (or maybe specifically my group) we call this a bit of a "pagger"; where it's just fun and fighting, no real roleplay or story. Can be IC elements, but it's largely practice. If this is how they want to run it, good for them. You do you. If you're interested in the roleplay side of things, you could look into some of the story-heavier LARPs. Bicolline or Twin Mask immediately come to mind. And given your fighting experience; i'm sure many would want a squire or guard of your calibre. Also i wanna learn that Anakin skywalker flourish lol
Shad! You said you would like to see more historical based re-enactment kind of things, I highly suggest reaserching the SCA, the Society for Creative Anachronism.
Sound interesting. I expect that things were a so chaotic during the battles due to so many new players. I see LARP to have the potential for more historical battle scenarios. It certainly has great one on one action that I love.
Some things in the SCA that might appeal to you, Shad, are that there's virtually no size restrictions on shields and the 1v1 tournament culture in the SCA is very prevalent. In SCA Armoured/Heavy Combat [Rattan Stick Fighting], you could face up against any weapon or combination thereof that would have been plausible on a pre-modern battlefield [barring flailed weapons]. And because the forms of combat in the SCA are rulesets, not styles, there's the potential of facing off against people from differing arts, e.g. a Lichtenauer guy could come up against a Fiore guy, a Japanese Sword Arts guy, someone wielding a pollaxe and following plays from Le Jeu de La Hache, someone freestyling it and an SCA purist all in the same tourney. The head is also a legal and very sought after target ;) What I also like about SCA Heavy is that blows must be delivered with sufficient force to be counted as good. This gives the fighting a bit more “intent” than it might've had without it, almost like how to score a kendo point you need sufficient power, poise, etc. This also prevents people taking up unrealistic stances to strike in an unrealistically weak manner to score hits, as LARP and Sport Fencing is so often criticized for. Even when I used to do HEMA, I've encountered this “lightsabre” effect, which was what led me to seek out something where myself and my opponents are forced to actually generate power with strikes. Furthermore, even though swords are sharp weapons, they're not lightsabres and you do need to put in some force to cut with them and, as ThegnThrand has demonstrated, you can indeed concuss someone enough through armour to damage them with a sword, even if you don't actually cut through the armour. I will concede that there is no grappling, as HEMA practitioners are fond of, or shield bashes and body strikes as BOTN features, but what this does allow is having everyone, big or small, male or female, to fight against each other and side by side as equals in the same tourney or battle, and still maintain a high-impact, high intensity combat form, whilst encouraging weapon skill over brute strength. HEMA and BOTN tourneys are still often gender segregated and because they have to send a team, or their best individuals, it means only the top few will have any “impact” on the overall scene. Because every member of the SCA can take part in 90+% of the battles and tourneys, it makes everyone, regardless of skill or experience, a living, wholly relevant part of the combat scene. There are also other types of combat in the SCA. There is Rapier, which is like Olympic fencing plus, with full motion allowed, instead of fencing's straight line, and steel reproduction rapiers used. The other relatively newer from of SCA fencing is Cut and Thrust, where percussive cuts are allowed [and must meet a minimum level of force, like with Rattan fighting, but less power is needed] and other weapons apart from rapiers are allowed, such as steel longswords, arming swords, etc. Very often at SCA practises and events [at least in the UK where I am based] the fencers will be studying and putting into practise techniques from the old fight manuals and treatises. Most Scadians also have “Personas,” people who may have plausibly existed within the time period and culture they chose to focus their attentions on. The level you put into roleplaying your persona is entirely up to you and most Scadians are generally good at adapting to whatever level of immersion you present them with. The SCA does not only have fighting, but also various historical Arts and Sciences pursuits, such as dancing, calligraphy, clothiering, singing/music, brewing, metalworking/armouring etc. What you get depends on the interests of the other Scadians near you and if you like something that no one else is doing yet, just call them up and invite them to take up your newfound interest! If LARP, HEMA, BOTN and Re-enactment, were four points on a spider graph, the SCA would be equally towards all of them and indeed there is considerable cross-over from the SCA into Re-enactment and LARP in the UK, and with BOTN in the USA. But what really draws me to the SCA is the sheer physical exertion of having to fight in the full weight of my steel armour. Because the level of force is comparatively high, the minimum armour requirements are also high [but less than BOTN, which increases the SCA's accessibility in my opinion] but when I lower the visor of my helm and my vision becomes restricted and I can feel my own breath against the faceplate and I know that the person opposite me is going to try their damnedest to fight me for real, and that their hits might even hurt, it makes it all worth it.
Seven years later, you should go to The Reckoning in Indiana. Kramer, Kit, and Madi from Living Anachronism and Skill Tree have made awesome videos describing it; it’s very role play-heavy and they said the fighting was fantastic as well.
I tried one out once, but it was just my instinct to hit them in the head so I got kicked. I don't get it, the swords don't hurt at all, even if you hit hard, and if your worried for some reason, just wear a helmet.
I host more historic, battle larps (everyone has 2 hit points and the rest is up to armour) and i shot a guy through his sheild, probibly shouldn't use a 50lb draw weight bow.
Volom Jotvingas very true, my HEMA instructor once tried it and took a so called “paladin” down in a knife disarm he got kicked out lol In saying that this LARP seems a bit more full on and less cringe than others I’ve seen on TH-cam, others I have seen are just a big game of sword tag were they just tap their opponent a couple of times with a sword and it has no martial merit, this looked better, seems to be just based on sword fighting than all that magical fantasy rubbish which isn’t my thing I am one who would prefer a much more historical and realistic role play much like a re-enactment or the HEMA that I practice, don’t get the impression that I’m knocking people who do larp, they should do what they find fun or passionate about, this is just my opinion on it that’s all
"Welcome to Castle Designing School. For those who have never been here before, I want you to go stand over there so that we can explain the basics to you" /jump cut to Shad pouring boiling pitch onto Tristan from atop his battlement while screaming "MACHICOLAAAAAAAAAAATIONS"/
It looked heaps of fun...the thing I noticed is like you said, the lack of RP...people did whatever cause they weren't RPing that death was real...otherwise i would say that there would be better formations to protect each other. I am going to assume that this was more of a come and try day though! I think if I were doing it, I'd like to combine it with something like capture the flag...having an objective, and working as a group, maybe sneaking and gathering intel (over a large campaign)...I also like the idea of a tournament with different events (and prizes, giving defeat a real consequence). What I do want to know is, in one of Jazza's vlogs, someone was carrying a bow...how do bows work in this sort of situation, cause it's either going to be really lame (because of lack of firepower), or like my bows...genuinly kill someone if you were stupid enough to point it at someone (which I would never do as safety is always my top priority with anything dangerous)!
There were objectives. One of the first rounds was capture the base/banner plant. another was to defend a specific location for set time. Bows work very well in this game. The Max poundage is 30pds at 30" and there are LARP arrows with padded heads that are used. Archery is actually quite challenging to deal with on most occasions.
This was a come and try day with about a dozen regular LARPers in the mix. My problem with doing RP deaths on the day was the fact that with all my armour I was quite often one of the last standing and there wasn't the room to do a good RP death. Plus the getting up afterwards can be a pain. The battle games we play in Melbourne have between 300 to 500 people so there is more scope for strategy and more people trained to do formations plus more RP. Hopefully this local game will blossom into something bigger.The bows are in regular use at SwordCraft plus bandguns. At the bi annual Quest there are siege weapons and assassins in great number. Hope this day gets more people keen.
Sounds pretty fun. I might do a bit of research on the bow side of things. Are there vids on youtube (or other website) on some of the bigger battles/melbourne meets?
Shad! It's Tristen, loved the video bud... thanks for making me look not too much of a chump haha. Been loving your vids. keep it up!
TRISTEN!! mate, my brother in arms! I'm so glad you found your way here as I feel you were a highlight in this video and I wanted you to see it. How could I make you look like a chum when you were such a champ! You were friendly, funny and sociable. Mate you should start your own TH-cam channel as you certainly have the charisma for it.
+Shadiversity Haha you flatter me! I wouldn't even know where to start with my own channel. Loving yours though! Hope to see you again... either as friends or foes ;)
I can't wait!
I was really thinking, awe that poor guy, having to deal with both a butt whoopen (i jest) and a lesson.
Next time, throw the pommel.
@@feliciad4493 go back to skalls channel (;
" Tell my children I didn't leave them any money."
-Shad 2016
SENPAI!!!!
The reason the man was so upset after he heard this was that he had planned to marry Shad's wife and therefore inherit his fortune, as was the custom of the day.
A chubby, screaming, shield and sword-wielding australian might be the most horrifying thing i've ever seen!
Mr BigCookie *HEEYAAAAAAAAAAAARHG*
Then you haven't seen a chubby, tall, screaming, shield and sword-wielding Scot!
How about a chubby, tall, screaming, pollaxe-swinging American?
In year 2 and 3, yes. Moved on from that quick.
austrailian football is the same just less protection :P
How to be op at LARP:
Bring a Gambeson and a pommel (no need for an edge, just the pommel).
Gambeson and God both begin with the letter G. Coincidence? I think not!
Pommel and pommel both begin with the letter P. Coincidence? I think not!
You have to take off the pommel and throw it.
pummel and pommel
You're pretty badass Shad, taking on about 5 blokes at once without taking many hits. The only reason you lost against that big fellow was that it wasn't a full-on duel, those other people were able to come behind you and chip off your health when you got distracted.
It would be interesting if someone were to get a friend or two into the mix, then watch each other's backs to stop that sort of thing from going on
I was getting some Ser Shad Dayne, Sword of the Machicolations, vibes there.
Shad, Lloyd, Matt, Skall, & Metatron should join these LARP events together. And when their teammates break rank, they should stay in formation and trample the enemies!
YES! I would love that! Metatron ftw!
It would be a slaughter.
At 9:50 when you started screaming and spinning your sword I thought you got too into it and was going to get charged with mass homocide.
Kedron Mallia LMAO
That's called genocide my Dude.
Kedron Mallia also notice how the dude in the light blue shirt backed up during the flourish, like “uh nope”, that’s what I found incredible.
My God Shad went full on Berserker.
G'day,
Yeah, I noticed that, too...; the term "Morman Mad Max(imum), the Blessed Beserka" comes to mind...!
lol,
;-p
Ciao !
BERSERKERS DIDN'T EXIST AGHAHA
(Sorry, my inner LindyBeige came out)
@@EEYore-py1bf yeah they did
they existed, but weren't berserkers in the sense of "going berserk". they were simply viking champions, a bit like knights tbh.
He gave in to his inner rage and is now under the power of Khorne. SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!!!! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!! YEEEEEARRRRGH!!!!
Tell my children...I didn't leave them any money!
NOOOO!!!
XD
That was fucking hilarious
A lot of Shad's jokes are really facepalm worthy, but that one was pure gold.
Indeed. But the other guy played his role as well and was as important in the whole scene :D
@@Ninjamanhammer That's exactly what makes them funny!
THAT FLOURISH AT 9:52 WAS THE ANSWER TO LIFE
About making this more RP like I have a bit to say. Because actually the only kind of LARP I have done has been more character/story-based. In Sweden, where I live, it is the most common kind of larp.
To make it more realistic experience, full costume is required, and it is done somewhere where there are no modern stuff visible. The LARP usually goes on for days and you are pretty much always in character.
One downside of this might be that because everyone is playing a much more carefully made character, fighting will not be the main thing (because if you loose your character probably dies, obviously) but that can be a good thing in many ways. It makes it more like real life, and also it gives room for other parts of RP like mysteries, adventures, magic and an overall more interesting story.
To summarize, it requires more recourses, but it is loads of fun, because it really feels like you're someone else in a different world.
This is actually exactly like Quest here, which is a twice-a-year 5 day camp-out style event. Lots of fun!
That sounds like a LARP designed to not have a lot of players.
Losing your work isn't fun, especially when it's a lot of work. Games that rely on mechanics about losing your progress have to minimize the progress lost, or they simply aren't fun for the vast majority of potential players.
Full costume likewise requires a decent outlay of money, and so makes it harder for people to get into it, especially people who aren't sure yet if they like it.
Events that span many days run into the problem of conflicting with things like jobs, or schooling, and while you might say, just allow them to come late/leave early, that runs into the issue of people deciding not to go since they're going to miss large parts of it. It also requires you to have the capacity for people to stay near or on-site, which causes other substantial problems or drastically increases cost.
Having it be out of sight of anything modern basically means you need to be away from population centres, which can increase travel times, and prevent people from coming. I mean, I approve of this, but that still is a downside that decreases your potential audience.
And finally, most of us don't want games to be too much like real life, cause, news flash, we live real life every day. We don't play games to get more of the same.
Criticisms aside, yes, LARPs generally have more roleplay than this, where this seemed to be nearly 100% people doing LARP-style combat.
seigeengine You are right. It is of course more expensive, and getting people in it is not easy. But clearly, there are a lot of pros as well.
A few notes:
In some campaigns you can borrow clothes, tents etc. for relatively little money, so it makes getting into LARP easier.
At least in Sweden, forests are not hard to find even close to cities. As long as you can't see any of the modern roads, houses etc. you're good. And you can by law be in any forest without any problem.
In the campaign I play in you can only kill someone's character if they are okay with it (which you check OFF, but I have no idea how it really works. I haven't killed anyone but I have seen people die in-character). They also created a world were killing was seen as really really bad. Although you could always wound someone in-character to the point that they're almost dead!
Lastly: When I said "real life" I didn't (necessarily) mean like a historical/daily life setting. I only meant that the way people act and things in the world makes sense, so that you can easily get immersed. In the kind of LARP you see in this video it is more like a computer game; the only goals are to kill opponents and perhaps something else to "win". In RP based larp, there is no such thing as winning. It is all about playing an interesting storyline. We all live in real life, but we don't live in a fantasy world!
Benni Bodin Jagell Sure, which makes them great for established long-term players with heavy investment into the hobby. Not so great for newbies.
Which requires the LARP to store, maintain, and manage a rental business on top of their duties as a LARP.
I live in Canada, so we may be different here. We have lots of forest, but to get to any large patch of natural land, you need to be a ways out of any big cities.
That completely undermines the mechanic of having death be permanent though.
Everything is about winning. In real life, you set goals, and you win by accomplishing them.
About winning:
This is an interesting filosofy.
But if you win a computer game or LARP of the fighting only kind you say: "stop it! We won, you lost, let's play again."
In real life or on a when you reach a goal it is of course not the same. You may whin a fight or a competition, but keep on living as much as before (unless you lost a fight). You don't stop living and start another life. And there doesn't have to be a looser.
The same thing goes for RP based LARP. You can never say that you won the LARP, but perhaps you won a fight in that LARP or reached one of your character's personal goals.
And it's an important difference. In a fighting only LARP characters will behave weird sometimes since they have no personal goals. If a person in real life has personal goals, it will have an impact on how his/her group reaches their goals. But in a game only about killing you will never think about other things than the goal of the team. So for example, if the team is close to loosing you would probably give up to at least not die. But not if winning is the only goal!
I am not arguing against fighting only campaigns. I have done some myself and it's a lot of fun! But I think that it's important to distinguish between RP and fighting only.
Lol, you are a better swordman than you look XD
He fight with 4 enemies at the same time WOW
He achieved many strikes against those four. If the game had less HP he would have likely beaten them, and I question whether they should have died and just didn't.
this points out the major differences between a trained and untrained person
This day was based on the battle game of SwordCraft, we do that every Friday night. For the more immersive RP we have Quest, 5 to 6 days of actually being the character you play on Fridays. You only have to ask any SwordCrafter about the `post quest blues` to find out what coming down from that high is like. For a first local game it was good, everyone had fun, no one got hurt, things can only get better.
Quest is now 8 days.
Instructions unclear: got killed.
rainick I feel like this is a Dysfunctional Veteran style comment. It just speaks to me...
The First World War in one sentence.
Dick stuck in enemy
@@lokenontherange😂😂😂😂 good one mate
While larps like these may not have the full historical value. I tend to enjoy fighting 3-4 people at one time at these types of events. Yeah it's silly, but still a great time.
*to a dead guy*
You fought well mate
This was extremely entertaining. Thanks Mr. Shad. I especially enjoyed the 10th minute battle betwixt you and at least 4 opponents who were each incapacitated a few times but never seemed to fall down. Well done!
I think they may have cheated there, but maybe not.
The important confusing bit is that you have hit points and do damage based on where you hit. He might have not exhausted their hit points with his strikes.
I think this a great demonstration of the effectiveness of shields too.
In the one LARP I've been to, there not so mutch fighting but rather interaction with other characters and there was no real plot but rather everyone chose the actions there character made and could impact the story. Of course, there were some predetermined things like for example there was a final battle, but you had to be in character and you had to be for the five days.
If you ever come to germany, you gotta visit one of our LARPs here. It kind of broke my heart to see, what you call LARP in down under. :(
Yeah, I guess they don't have a large or very organized community there.
Here in Québec we have dedicated terrains like Bicolline and Bélénos with custom-built period-authentic army camps, towns and fortifications.
The one shown here is a small splinter group of a larger game called Swordcraft, which is more of a live action battle game than a larp. They have the weekly games which are more like this and go for 2-3 hours (the group in Melbourne is quite large too, so it is a lot grander scale), but then twice a year they have a week long event called Quest which has a lot more roleplay and gets around 500-600 people.
I mean, it still has a long way to go imo before it could be even compared with Drachenfest, Mythodea or Bicolline, but it is still cool
erzähl mir mehr davon.
So Swordcraft is like Dagorhir in the US. You 'play' your character during the various skirmish and battle events. And while hanging out in camp.
LARP-ing is like Airsoft with swords, basically
Ah, yes. The cry of the average foot soldier on the medieval battlefield.
_"Aw, I thought I was in a DUEL!?"_
LARP is awesome lol
"And there he was, the Mad Bear of Melbourne, holding four opponents single-handedly. Until at last he was struck down upon the field."
- The Saga of Shad
There's always that one daycare leader that goes all out when playing dodge ball with the kids, yeah... that's Shad.
Pride. That is all I felt when watching him fight, especially in the 4 v 1 and the solo fight at the end
What a wholesome start to the video
nerds... I WANT IN!!!
That leader/general dude with the maces did NOT like you 😂
I noticed that too, he probably didn't like Shad trying to take almost a spotlight so to speak for a literal noob. Also I was thinking that some of the people did not appreciate another video camera on the scene when they are trying to nerd out. If I was to LARP I would be in the closet about it lol.
That looked so cool mate...loved the way you took your time to help a fellow comrade in arms. Your so humble and patient any wonder your channel has progressed the way it has over the years. Hope to see more great content in the years that follow!
Seeing Shad unleashed upon the masses was truly a glorious sight to behold. Couldn't stop grinning this whole video.
Nerf Shadiversity, he's too op!!!
Excellent videos! So well done for so many of your videos. The historical accuracy mixed with your balanced personality and review are great!!!
In fairness to your training opponent new players really should start with a shield!
You are totally right that sword craft battle games are more about positioning and tactics then about individual swords men. The Melbourne Friday night battles even more so. Once you form up into shield walls its often a matter of who can make a hole in the enemy line first.
5:51 I love how you're just yelling and having so much fun. That flourish intimated them, I'm sure xD
i love how when shad gets swarmed he takes the moment to flourish( 9:50 )
and it should also be noted, if shad actually did get into that engagement, he probably would have won
( 11:59 )
I absolutly adore how we get to see shad actually fight someone else and how good he is. also, flourish( 12:05) and considering how much damage he did, a full 13 points, if shad is an unarmored foot solder, and that gentleman is in full plate... well... yeah i like to think shad won too.
i also notice the sort of come down from an adrenaline high in shad's voice. 13:26
I've played a couple of different LARP style games and one thing they all had in common was the "Party" of main characters on a quest of some type with 3 to 4 times as many players that were the NPCs. What you were doing was pretty much just Dagorhir-ish skirmish fighting. When we were LARPing in Tennessee I always played an NPC because it gave me the opportunity to play many different roles, from Ranger who leads the party through the wilderness to Goblin swindler cheating the party on goods. We played on private land where the GM had cut paths and clearings in the undergrowth using an industrial lawn mower and as NPC guilds you would be told which paths to take to lead the party from Clearing to clearing. Other NPC players would be enemies they had to defeat. All this meant that the PCs interacted with each other, NPC guilds, merchants, and such, and fought a number of bad guys in an 8 hour session (with a break for lunch).
P.S. Are you interested in the LARP rules I wrote?
11:46 just look at her rushing toward Shad, the cutest sneak attack I've ever seen XD
I loved how you were teaching. It's the best way to learn sword play. *whack* "Alright now this is how I got you."
When shad surprises everyone with an unbelievable amount of stamina. Good shit bro, larping gets quite tiring from all of the running.
@3:55 when the guy says thats too hard! Im still laughing! but *HUGE GRAIN OF SALT* i come from a full contact LARP, where these kinds of hits happen every thirteen seconds. I do like that he has good control over his swings though, its always good to scale to your opponent.
15:03 shad has proved hes so addicted to medieval armor that when hes stumped on what hes trying to say he just has to say "armor" to get him back on track
Caught a few of your videos here and there. Liked & subscribed on this one for the way you taught Tristen. You broke it down well, taught him patiently. Didn't pander & didn't seem to discourage him (more than would be normal in that situation ;) ). Was really cool to see!
It's amazing how you won there Shad, I am very impressed!!
You need to do way more of this! It was too awesome!
... I don't get it. I know a fight looks a lot different from the outside, but it seems like you're hitting people and nothing is happening. Does it just look that way or were these folks ignoring your strikes?
PS: This looks like you had a lot of fun and I hope you keep doing it and posting it for us. ^_^
Yes, but it's worth noting that these are new players to a new group.
It's hitpoint based. Shad had around 6 points, so I think those other players had 6 points again. That's 24 hitpoints in total. While Shad did a great job, It's hard to kill a single player due to the hit point system, let alone four players, and yes, it could be noted that they might not have noticed some of the strikes, or merely just confused like Shad was, due to the in-experience with this combat system.
BabyButterJesus Not all hits do one damage, and he hit some of them several times.
seigeengine That does not invalidate anything I said. It only re-inforces my points.
His damage was spread among all of them, he switched targets multiple times. He still fought like a god tho
You said that strapped shields on foot is "incorrect". I don't know how much you thought that line through, but I think you were wrong.
Yes, a center grip shield gives more options, but in a skirmish where you fight in line (which is of course not what these guys did but what you should do) a strapped shield might be at the very least equal to a center grip. It does not rotate, which will keep you safe (and in groups you won't need to rotate anyways).
When running around by your self a center grip could be superior as long as you know what you're doing. But if you are not very skilled (like most of these guys) the mechanics of a center grip may actually help your opponent create openings while you don't know how to deal with it. A strapped shield you just hold in front of you, much simpler. To summarize, the fighting styles are simply different.
Overall it is not so much about being or foot, I think, but rather about if you fight alone or in groups. Thank you.
Sound effects makes the video more hilarious
Damn, such an enormous difference between "just going to an event" versus "I practice HEMA and own a wall full of swords"
Well, then, this is amazing.. I love this stuff. Your reasons for loving hema are why I have spent my life practicing ballet! Damn, I would love to battle!
just wait till you see my foot katars!
CrazyCamo can't wait
SlenpaiwasHere get used to it lol I'm generally just a creative waste of space..
you did great! you almost wrecked 4 people!
In the systems I rather like, mechanically, he would have beat them. ;)
Shad is intimidating as fuck lmao the action kicks off and instant battlecry. *points at someone fighting Shad* That guy knows what's up, he wore the brown trousers today :P
More of this shad. This was really entertaining
9:44 the historic last stand of Shad
Back again to give a full watch, like, and comment for engagement.
Man. I wish you could come out to an american Boffer Combat group. Like belegarth or dagorhir. We have actual battle lines and and you do have to watch your back, but its part of the strategy to keep people from breaking the line and getting behind your forces. On top of that we use more heavily padded (if less realistic looking) weapons and go full contact. We don't do much RPing either, but its much more realistic combat then "tap" fight larping.
SHAD LOOKED SOLID. its the simple tactics n skills that actually work when it comes to weapons.
Watching this makes me miss my larping days. I'd love to join a group like this.... And suddenly I remember my deep hatred of shields.
Good job Shad! I enjoyed this video. It was great to get another look at your fighting style and techniques- pretty good stuff. Looks like a lot of fun but I would probably agree that something more historical would be more enjoyable.
Sure it's not HEMA but it's much easier to get into than hema, and it's better than nothing.
Unless there is no hema in your area like my country
This made me smile, just wanted to say that
I love how the moderators sound like the fucking staff at a local Chuck E. Cheese.
I like the thing he said about new sword fighters, on how they strike the sword, but not the guys holding it. Thanks for pointing that out.
Sometimes I get reminded of how spoiled Germany is in terms of Larp. But I'm am glad it's expanding and growing in places with less medieval history (Australia has a lot fewer genuine castles, after all)
You got to appreciate the rp/game style duel at 12:03. It's SOO badass. My god. I wanna be in Shad's team, pls!
Someone give that Tristan guy a medal. Damn good sport there.
Also, "Who's not on my team? RAAAAWR!" My new freaking battlecry.
there are plenty of other larps that are more roleplay centric. hope you try this more often
There are many that don't even involve combat, because they're more focused on actual plot (although players are able to start a fight at their will). Here on the video we have more like referees than Game Masters. But I guess that's what they do and it's okay. At least people come out, have a nice workout and spend some time on fresh air :)
Shad, should you ever have the opportunity to go to one of the major European LARP events, you should take the opportunity. I think you would be blown away! 😊
Shad: sword spinning isn’t going to take you far in battle.
Also Shad: 12:04
Hey Shad! I had my first larp exposure at a Renaissance Fair recently where I got to use their props and try their style of combat. I wasn't the best at it for a number of reasons including: my home made armour is cut a little wide so I can't use the full motion of my shoulders, the restrictions on how to use staff/pole arm style weapons, my inability to dual wield, the lack of shields, my non standard (and rather basic) weapons training, and my general lack of exercise in that regard.
I still had a lot of fun with it and I'm sort of interested in doing LARPing but just like you I prefer more of a 1 on 1 dual or a partner or small group where we can test and practice our own fighting styles and techniques. One of my biggest problems with it (besides the pole arm usage restrictions) was how chaotic and crazy it got in the bigger battles. There wasn't really a spot where you could draw someone out and battle just them and constantly having people come from behind and off to the side got really annoying because you can't be fighting with someone and keep an eye on the rest of the battle at the same time. Video games and 3rd person views make it so much easier to see someone coming over to attack you or how your teammates are doing. I struggle to do combat where I have to have my head on a swivel, nobody to watch my back/side, and I'm limited on how many hits I can take. I can't keep tabs on everything and people slip a hit in where I can't see.
Another issue I had was the lack of stabs. It's so much easier to land a killing or even an effective or registered hit if you can trust past a defense rather than the build up of a swing. But even more annoying than that is a lot of the "new" people who were trying it out don't have a sense of self preservation and attack aggressively and recklessly making it even harder to focus on a single opponent.
The good thing about LARP is that it can be whatever you want it to be. High fantasy, battle focused, interactive, team sport, solo sport etc.
haha I think my favorite part is the look on the leader's face when you were giving tactical feedback.
I know a LARP place in the UK that happens every so often but they actually make camps and build buildings for the role play side that lasts for about 4 days. It also has a story that continues with every event.
Hi Shad! It was interesting to see how you experienced your first LARP event! I must say that in Czech republic, people hit much harder than in Austrarlia and that polearms and bows are much more common in my country. It's something completely different to be a good duelist and a good fighter in a battle. Both require skills, but different ones. Duels concentrate more on individual skill in combat against one oponent. Battle combat is mixture of individual skill, cooperation, battlefield situaction awarness and prevention of surprise attacks (like not exposing back to archers or monitoring runners who are trying to encircle your army). For example I understand, that you didn't like that people were not in formation a lot. But... The truth is, that there wasn't enough people for that. I myself am a person who runs around battlefield, shooting those, who are not paying attention in back and surprising enemies from behind. Battles are not about honor and duels have nearly no place in battles.
pole arms are ore common now and are annoying to go against, bow and band guns are more common too
That looked alot more fun than the beginners LARP i did at comic con. All that was was a bunch of people in a tiny room waling on each other shouting "4 normal! 4 normal! 4 normal!!" while you had to mentally try to keep track of your 38 health and the healing you received, and damage reduction, and people shouted phrases to use their 4 spells (each with an arbitrary number of charges) and threw colored bean bags as the spells (the green ones healed and the red ones hurt, but the room was pretty dark). also i think maybe 2 people in the group had LARPed before?
I swore off LARP after that.
9:45 the most epic part, he just fought 4 people at the same time 😳
As a larper who tryed to use historical martial sword technique, i can say that its difrent but with a little bit of adaptation, it still work. And by the way, as i can see in your sparring moments, you're a pretty good swordman! And you talked abouth L.A.R.P. With more rolaplaying and story and plot with mysteries, I live in Quebec Canada and in my region, theire is a lot, but A LOTS of this kind of L.A.R.P. Or ''GN'' Abreviation for ''Grandeurs nature'' Yes, i'm a french Canadian from Quebec who like pretty your videos. They ares instructives and funny! So yeah... I bet you should be able to find thease kinds of L.A.R.P. in your region too. I whish you good luck Shad!
9:47 When you and your three friends are hanging up on this one guy and then he starts spinning his sword like General Grievous.
I can see how having Shad as a mentor there would have been beneficial. Breaking the habit of going for the sword and all.
Shad the absolute madman not even hesitating to take on half the participants by himself
this has to be the most silliest thing I have ever seen
In the UK (or maybe specifically my group) we call this a bit of a "pagger"; where it's just fun and fighting, no real roleplay or story. Can be IC elements, but it's largely practice. If this is how they want to run it, good for them. You do you.
If you're interested in the roleplay side of things, you could look into some of the story-heavier LARPs. Bicolline or Twin Mask immediately come to mind. And given your fighting experience; i'm sure many would want a squire or guard of your calibre.
Also i wanna learn that Anakin skywalker flourish lol
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!
i feel confident in my swordsmanship to face and defeat both Tristan and Shad. This is a challenge to you Shad.
In regards to wanting someone to just have one on one fights with, this is why I'm glad I have brothers.
I'm a HEMA guy also but have never done larp. good to see what it's like
This is an awful depiction of what LARP is like, but an okayish depiction of what combat might be like in some LARPs.
Im also confident that shad beat mr armormen due to insane dps (that dude cheats as much as he is bald)
The problem with fighting that many at once is you usually run out of breath before you run out of anything else... Cool video.
Hold on, hold on. Hits receaved? RECEAVED?!
Shad just over there getting teamed up on and still kicking ass
do more larp videos it was pretty fun watching specially with the funny sound effects
Shad! You said you would like to see more historical based re-enactment kind of things, I highly suggest reaserching the SCA, the Society for Creative Anachronism.
Sound interesting. I expect that things were a so chaotic during the battles due to so many new players. I see LARP to have the potential for more historical battle scenarios. It certainly has great one on one action that I love.
Some things in the SCA that might appeal to you, Shad, are that there's virtually no size restrictions on shields and the 1v1 tournament culture in the SCA is very prevalent. In SCA Armoured/Heavy Combat [Rattan Stick Fighting], you could face up against any weapon or combination thereof that would have been plausible on a pre-modern battlefield [barring flailed weapons]. And because the forms of combat in the SCA are rulesets, not styles, there's the potential of facing off against people from differing arts, e.g. a Lichtenauer guy could come up against a Fiore guy, a Japanese Sword Arts guy, someone wielding a pollaxe and following plays from Le Jeu de La Hache, someone freestyling it and an SCA purist all in the same tourney. The head is also a legal and very sought after target ;)
What I also like about SCA Heavy is that blows must be delivered with sufficient force to be counted as good. This gives the fighting a bit more “intent” than it might've had without it, almost like how to score a kendo point you need sufficient power, poise, etc. This also prevents people taking up unrealistic stances to strike in an unrealistically weak manner to score hits, as LARP and Sport Fencing is so often criticized for. Even when I used to do HEMA, I've encountered this “lightsabre” effect, which was what led me to seek out something where myself and my opponents are forced to actually generate power with strikes. Furthermore, even though swords are sharp weapons, they're not lightsabres and you do need to put in some force to cut with them and, as ThegnThrand has demonstrated, you can indeed concuss someone enough through armour to damage them with a sword, even if you don't actually cut through the armour.
I will concede that there is no grappling, as HEMA practitioners are fond of, or shield bashes and body strikes as BOTN features, but what this does allow is having everyone, big or small, male or female, to fight against each other and side by side as equals in the same tourney or battle, and still maintain a high-impact, high intensity combat form, whilst encouraging weapon skill over brute strength.
HEMA and BOTN tourneys are still often gender segregated and because they have to send a team, or their best individuals, it means only the top few will have any “impact” on the overall scene. Because every member of the SCA can take part in 90+% of the battles and tourneys, it makes everyone, regardless of skill or experience, a living, wholly relevant part of the combat scene.
There are also other types of combat in the SCA. There is Rapier, which is like Olympic fencing plus, with full motion allowed, instead of fencing's straight line, and steel reproduction rapiers used. The other relatively newer from of SCA fencing is Cut and Thrust, where percussive cuts are allowed [and must meet a minimum level of force, like with Rattan fighting, but less power is needed] and other weapons apart from rapiers are allowed, such as steel longswords, arming swords, etc. Very often at SCA practises and events [at least in the UK where I am based] the fencers will be studying and putting into practise techniques from the old fight manuals and treatises.
Most Scadians also have “Personas,” people who may have plausibly existed within the time period and culture they chose to focus their attentions on. The level you put into roleplaying your persona is entirely up to you and most Scadians are generally good at adapting to whatever level of immersion you present them with. The SCA does not only have fighting, but also various historical Arts and Sciences pursuits, such as dancing, calligraphy, clothiering, singing/music, brewing, metalworking/armouring etc. What you get depends on the interests of the other Scadians near you and if you like something that no one else is doing yet, just call them up and invite them to take up your newfound interest!
If LARP, HEMA, BOTN and Re-enactment, were four points on a spider graph, the SCA would be equally towards all of them and indeed there is considerable cross-over from the SCA into Re-enactment and LARP in the UK, and with BOTN in the USA. But what really draws me to the SCA is the sheer physical exertion of having to fight in the full weight of my steel armour. Because the level of force is comparatively high, the minimum armour requirements are also high [but less than BOTN, which increases the SCA's accessibility in my opinion] but when I lower the visor of my helm and my vision becomes restricted and I can feel my own breath against the faceplate and I know that the person opposite me is going to try their damnedest to fight me for real, and that their hits might even hurt, it makes it all worth it.
Seven years later, you should go to The Reckoning in Indiana. Kramer, Kit, and Madi from Living Anachronism and Skill Tree have made awesome videos describing it; it’s very role play-heavy and they said the fighting was fantastic as well.
"Oh no, my children! I didn't leave them any money!"
one time my buddy went larping at a comic con and he kicked a dudes shield and it broke 😂
I tried one out once, but it was just my instinct to hit them in the head so I got kicked.
I don't get it, the swords don't hurt at all, even if you hit hard, and if your worried for some reason, just wear a helmet.
I host more historic, battle larps (everyone has 2 hit points and the rest is up to armour) and i shot a guy through his sheild, probibly shouldn't use a 50lb draw weight bow.
Volom Jotvingas very true, my HEMA instructor once tried it and took a so called “paladin” down in a knife disarm he got kicked out lol
In saying that this LARP seems a bit more full on and less cringe than others I’ve seen on TH-cam, others I have seen are just a big game of sword tag were they just tap their opponent a couple of times with a sword and it has no martial merit, this looked better, seems to be just based on sword fighting than all that magical fantasy rubbish which isn’t my thing I am one who would prefer a much more historical and realistic role play much like a re-enactment or the HEMA that I practice, don’t get the impression that I’m knocking people who do larp, they should do what they find fun or passionate about, this is just my opinion on it that’s all
"Welcome to Castle Designing School. For those who have never been here before, I want you to go stand over there so that we can explain the basics to you" /jump cut to Shad pouring boiling pitch onto Tristan from atop his battlement while screaming "MACHICOLAAAAAAAAAAATIONS"/
"Tell my children, I didn't leave them any money" I belly laughed on that one.
That look like a blast I'm jealous. I wish there was a larp group in my area.
I did not know the Pennsylvania state flower would be in such full bloom wherever Shad is. (It's the safety cones, Penn State's State Flower.)
It looked heaps of fun...the thing I noticed is like you said, the lack of RP...people did whatever cause they weren't RPing that death was real...otherwise i would say that there would be better formations to protect each other. I am going to assume that this was more of a come and try day though!
I think if I were doing it, I'd like to combine it with something like capture the flag...having an objective, and working as a group, maybe sneaking and gathering intel (over a large campaign)...I also like the idea of a tournament with different events (and prizes, giving defeat a real consequence).
What I do want to know is, in one of Jazza's vlogs, someone was carrying a bow...how do bows work in this sort of situation, cause it's either going to be really lame (because of lack of firepower), or like my bows...genuinly kill someone if you were stupid enough to point it at someone (which I would never do as safety is always my top priority with anything dangerous)!
There were objectives. One of the first rounds was capture the base/banner plant. another was to defend a specific location for set time.
Bows work very well in this game. The Max poundage is 30pds at 30" and there are LARP arrows with padded heads that are used. Archery is actually quite challenging to deal with on most occasions.
This was a come and try day with about a dozen regular LARPers in the mix. My problem with doing RP deaths on the day was the fact that with all my armour I was quite often one of the last standing and there wasn't the room to do a good RP death. Plus the getting up afterwards can be a pain. The battle games we play in Melbourne have between 300 to 500 people so there is more scope for strategy and more people trained to do formations plus more RP. Hopefully this local game will blossom into something bigger.The bows are in regular use at SwordCraft plus bandguns. At the bi annual Quest there are siege weapons and assassins in great number. Hope this day gets more people keen.
Sounds pretty fun. I might do a bit of research on the bow side of things.
Are there vids on youtube (or other website) on some of the bigger battles/melbourne meets?