How to Guide:
How to Make a Basic Tabard

Where would standard fantasy LARP be without some sort of basic identifying garment for a lord/religion/order/warband?

Heraldry identified the warriors of the past on the battlefield, and it started with coloured shields and bits of coloured cloth. It progressed from there through elaboration to the overwrought monstrosities that are modern coats of arms - but even in those, the basic principles still hold.

The Basics

Decide on a colour for your tabards. If you're joining a group that already exists, this has been done for you; otherwise, pick something that'll show, something simple and something that's easily available. The standard heraldic colours are black, blue, green, red and purple, with yellow and white as gold and silver.

Try to be aware of what the colours are already used for in the game - in the system I usually play in, the people of Teutonia tend towards red while the Norscans like purple. If you're wearing much red, people will assume you're Teutonian, and they may not stop to ask before they start reacting.

Two colours can look good, but they're twice the work. Half-and-half above and below is easiest, but can be confusing. Half-and-half left and right works nicely, and if you wear a belt it doesn't get confusing. Quartering isn't that much more work, where the top left and bottom right of the tabard are one colour and the top right and bottom left are another, but the more complicated you make it the more time it takes. If you go with quarters, try to pick colours that don't clash, and take it from me, beware of red and yellow unless you like being known as 'the Battenburgs' after someone works out that you look like a cake.

The Design

Once you have your colours, you need to work out what goes on them - and you need it to be standard. Tell five people who don't see each other outside events 'a lion rampant in yellow' and you'll have five shades of yellow, four lions rampant and a lion passant regardant. If that's what you want it's fine, but if you're looking for a coherent, uniform look, it's not going to do much for you. This is where the internet is a wonderful thing - you can find pictures of pretty much anything and either send them to the others or give them the link.