While Tempest of Tridia is primarily a roleplaying game, combat is an important part of it. In order to ensure that combat is safe and fun for everyone, we must adhere to a strict set of rules. Since it is inevitable that, at some point, you will be hit by some form of weapon or Spellball, it is vitally important that all of these items be approved for combat by the staff before they are allowed on the field of battle. All weapons are subject to rejection, if they are deemed unsafe or do not meet the construction guidelines contained within these rules. Additionally, all weapons may be re-inspected by the staff as needed.
Weapon Construction
We do not provide step-by-step instructions on how to make your weapons. However, there are certain guidelines you must follow when doing so:
- Cores Allowed: PVC, Graphite, Fiberglass Dowels, and Bamboo. (New ideas for cores may be approved on a case by case basis.)
- Cores NOT Allowed: Any metal and solid wood. (New ideas for cores may be rejected on a case by case basis.)
- Surfaces: Non Striking surfaces must have a courtesy padding of at least 1/8th inch.
- No surface of the weapon may be uncovered, including hilts. Weapon hilts must have a wrap of some sort.
- Striking surfaces must be no less than 2″ thick or twice the width of the core, whichever is greater.
- Shields must adhere to surface guidelines, and striking surface guidelines if used to shield bash.
- Weight: Minimum 12 oz. on a cored weapon. Maximum 2.5 lbs. one handed or 4 lbs. two handed.
- Pommels: Non Striking: 2″ diameter by 1″ thick padding minimum.
- Striking: See Surfaces: Striking above.
- Coreless Thrown Weapons: Spellballs/Rocks, Knives/Daggers, Axes, Hammers, Shuriken, etc. that do NOT exceed 12″ in any dimension and 8 oz. in weight. Spellballs/Rocks may consist of small bundles of padding and tape, but may also be made of bean bags, “hacky sacks,” or other soft balls.
- Cored Thrown Weapons: Javelins ONLY. Overall length not to exceed 50″. Entire core must be courtesy padded. Striking end must have 4″ diameter by 3″ thick open cell padding. Non Striking end padded as a pommel above.
- Arrows: Must be constructed using the split tennis ball method, see staff for questions.
- Bows: 35# pull MAX.
- At this time Smithville Lake State Park does not allow weapons on the premises, including Bows.
- No part of the weapon (point, pommel, or hilt) should be smaller than an eye socket.
Weapon Passing
In order for your weapon to be approved for use at Tempest of Tridia, it must be tested and deemed safe by a Storyteller. Mostly, these tests will consist of hitting the staff member repeatedly with the weapon at varying degrees of intensity. Should your weapon be rejected, advice will be offered to help you towards an acceptable solution. If your weapon should be rejected, and that is the only weapon you have, you will be offered the use of an NPC weapon for that event. After three events, players are expected to provide their own weaponry.
Weapon Phys-Reps
All weapons must adhere to the rules under Weapon Construction and Passing, above.
Again, we would like to encourage the players to be as creative as possible when making their weapons. A special design of the weapon can be “carved” into the foam. A special material may be represented using a different color of tape. This is a fantasy LARP, let your imagination run wild.