DIY LARP Accessories
If you enjoy participating in live action role-play, you’re well aware that a big part of the fun is creating your own storyline and world for the games. This includes outfits, armor and weapons, with the only limit being the imagination.
One of the most important materials in the creation of LARP accessories is foam, with different material sheets offering varying levels of rigidity, strength, support and padding, perfect for making shields, swords and armor. LARP swords, sometimes called boffers, usually have a core of rigid plastic or fiberglass that is wrapped in cushioning, high density foam, giving you something that’s substantial enough to parry and strike with, but soft enough to avoid injury. The ubiquitous foam noodles seen around pools and beaches in the summer are often used as well, since they’re already sword-shaped. If permitted in the rules of play, boffers can have thrusting tips that are made of the softest open-cell foam for extra protection.
Thicker foam sheets are routinely fashioned into shields for deflecting blows and adding to the medieval or fantasy feel of a game. Outdoor cushion foam is often used because it can get wet without rotting or degrading, and thicker sections of water-resistant polyethylene are rigid enough to hold up to use. In thinner sections, these can even be fashioned into lightweight, shock absorbing body armor.
With your own DIY LARP foam accessories, you’re sure to have a fun time while staying safe and comfortable.