Maelstrom Rules - Weapons Safety

Introduction
Safety is the single most important aspect of combat. Every weapon, shield or projectile (bolt or arrow) that you bring onto the site must be checked by a Profound Decisions authorized weapons checker. Any item that is judged to be unsafe cannot be used and you must put the item in your car or tent for the duration of the event. These guidelines will help you understand what items are permitted at events.

Everyone attending a Profound Decisions event is required to know how to fight in a safe manner. If you are new to live role-playing or uncertain what constitutes safe fighting then speak to the staff at GOD (games operation desk) before the event starts and they will arrange a demonstration. Please ensure that you have read the guidelines on safety in combat in chapter 6 of the rulebook.

These guidelines exist to protect you by preventing dagnerous, damaged, badly made or badly repaired equipment being used by anyone in combat.

Safety Check
All melee weapons, missile weapons, arrows, bolts, thrown weapons and shields must be checked by an authorized Profound Decisions weapons checker before being used. The guidelines that follow are intended to help you understand the decisions made by the weapons checker. If you wish an item to be checked twice you may request a second check by a different weapons checker, but the second decision is final. Any item that fails must be returned to your tent or vehicle for the duration of the event.

Banned Items
The following items cannot be used at Profound Decisions events, either for reasons of safety or because they are unsuitable for the campaign. The traders are permitted to sell these items but only on the condition that they are collected at the end of the event. You must not carry these items on site in an IC area.

Real weapons, including camping knives, re-enactment weapons and any sort of non-replica firearm.
Javelins and wrist-mounted hand crossbows.
Any replica firearm made from foam and latex. All replica firearms on site must be made from wood and metal.
Flexible weapons such as flails and whips may not be used as weapons.
Modern or futuristic items such as chainswords or power armour as well as novelty items such as inflatable hammers and bananas, rubber or plastic combat knives, nerf guns etc.
No fireworks or pyrotechnics of any sort may be brought onto the site without the prior permission of Profound Decisions.
Injection-moulded weapons will be treated on a case-by-case basis, as although they tend to soften up with use, some may be too heavy or too hard.
Melee Weapons
These are weapons that are used to physically hit other players and therefore they must adhere to a set of rigorous standards. For a sword or similar weapon there should be at least 6 mm of foam on a non-hitting surface, and at least 12 mm of foam on a hitting surface. For wood-effect staffs there should still be 6 mm of foam from the interior of a groove to the core. Axes, hammers and pole arms may use less dense foam to form the edge of the hitting surface.
A melee weapon will fail if:

The weapon core is working through the tip, pommel or side of a weapon.
The weapon core is no longer stuck to the surrounding foam.
There is insufficient or compacted foam on the tip, guard, pommel or haft of a weapon.
The weapon has protruding hard or sharp bits such as studs or gems.
The weapon core is made of an inappropriate material such as aluminium, wood, bamboo.
The weapon core is too thin for the length of the weapon making the weapon being too flexible and “whippy”.
The density of the foam used in the weapon is too low to provide sufficient padding from the core of the weapon.
The weapon is too heavy and would have too much momentum to be used.
The weapon core is too thick for the length of the weapon making the weapon is too rigid.
Any area of the weapon has been repaired with gaffa tape and the foam has become too compacted as a result.
The density of the foam used in the weapon is too high on a particular area of the weapon such as large hammer heads.
Claws
Races that are allowed claws must have phys-reps that are at least 10 cm (4 inches) long and conform to the melee weapon rules.
Smaller claw phys-reps below 10cm can be worn for decoration, but must not be used as weapons. The claw length is measured from either the tip of the fingers or the knuckles, depending on which type of claws they are.

Thrown Weapons
These are weapons that are specifically designed to be thrown. You must not throw normal melee weapons.

A throwing weapon will fail if:

The weapon has any hard areas.
The weapon has any hard protrusions that could enter an eye socket.
The weapon contains any detectable rigid core.
The weapon is too heavy and would have too much momentum.
Missle Weapons
These are bows or crossbows designed to fire an LRP safe arrow or bolt. There is no bow competency testing at Profound Decisions events. We require any player using a bow or crossbow to adhere to the same standards of safety and control as players using melee weapons.
A bow or crossbow will fail if:

The string is frayed.
The wood is cracked.
The string is working loose from the notches.
The draw of a bow is in excess of 30lbs at 28" draw.
The catch of a crossbow is worn.
Arrows And Bolts
As well as checking before the start of the event, we recommend that you check these after each use, as they may have become damaged.
A arrow or bolt weapon will fail if:

The impact end of the arrow or bolt is covered with latex, or the latex is closer than 1/4" to the or there is insufficient padding at the point of impact.
The stave is constructed of an inappropriate material such as dowel.
If the stave is made of fibreglass that is flaking.
There is any gaffa tape within 1" of the face.
The padding on the point of impact is smaller than an eye socket.
The metal head has not been removed.
There is no proper nock, or the nock is damaged or missing.
The stave is not securely bonded to the head.
Inadequate flights that cause it to fly unpredictably.
Shields
Shields should only have rounded-head or countersunk bolts on the front. It is recommended that you hacksaw off the ends of the bolts on the reverse.
Shields will fail if:

There are protruding bolts or nuts on the front of the shield. Bolts on the reverse of the shield must not protrude more than half an inch.
The rim is not padded or the padding is insufficient (firm pipe lagging is sufficient for this purpose).
There are any splinters or shards of wood or metal that could cut or tear skin or weapons striking it. (This includes the reverse side of the shield and in particular the inside of the centre boss).
Battle Props
Battle Props are items that are present in combat, but are not used as weapons. They do not need to conform to the more stringent regulations that govern weapons and shields so they must not be used for offence or active defence. As they are likely to be present in combat they have to conform to the following basic safety standards.
 

Any items that are held in hand during combat, such as staves, wands or banners, must not have any hard, sharp protrusions. Small, thin items such as wands must be made from latex if they are to be used as battle props. Hand-held items that do not meet the requirements for battle props must be dropped or discarded if fighting occurs, preferably in an out of the way area.

Costume And Armour
Costume such as phys rep horns and claws should not have any hard or sharp edges that could cause injury in a fight Armour made of metal or other hard materials should not have any protruding burrs or snags that could cause injury or damage other player’s latex weapons. If you are in any doubt about an item of costume or armour then show the item to an authorized Profound Decisions weapons checker who can tell you if it is acceptable to use.

And so it began......

Dawn breaks, war looms, the evil Lord is gathering his armies to wage a campaign of destruction upon the free peoples of the world. It is up to I, Sir Maximilan Pegasus to stop him, with my trusted band of adventurers we must gather the enchanted sword of Tek, the Shield of Way-Lem and the amulet of Subsidence and together we shall slay this abomination! “TIME FREEZE” And bam, the fantasy world fades away, the enchanted sword of Tek in my hand is a rubber sword smothered in coloured ribbons with a laminated card cable tied to the hilt, I look down and I’m wearing plastic armour and unflattering heropants, and the magical world of my imagination washes away to reveal a field in Wigan, but you know what? It’s larp and I’m a larper, it’s what I do.
I started larping when I was 17, I’d never role-played before, I’d never played D&D or Warhammer, never played WoW or any form of online game, I’d never even read Lord of the Rings, I feel somewhat privileged that I hadn’t done any of those things, I think it gave me an untainted attitude towards what larp could be, I had no preconceptions about saving the maiden fair, slaying the dragon or smiting the liche, to me it was just a new thing to try.
It was cold, really cold, 10am on a September morning, the rain was battering down and I’d been given a faux fur tunic, a mouldy old sword and been pointed towards a man and told, “You’re monstering, there’s the ref he’ll tell you what to do.” I obeyed, I played wave after wave of zombies, orcs and various line monsters and to be honest, was cold, bored and hungry. That is, until lunchtime, the teams switched sides, I got into the kit I’d scrounged up, as with most first timers, a black trenchcoat. I took the mouldy old sword, stood with my fellow adventurers and it hit me, I’m a god damn hero!
Pow, there it was, a new larper was born.