Liams new player guide

A new player guide (Written by Liam Crooks with input from the player community, edited by The Professional Hobbyist)

A step by step guide to joining Swordcraft and it’s community. Please read the following document to ensure you are well informed and have a great time at SC! Note: These steps are not to be used as an end all guide, they have been written to help answer many FAQS.

Step 1.

Read the rules! Read every single bit of the rules and don’t ask questions regarding the rules until you have read them. The rules can be very ambiguous and so you are probably going to have some questions that can be answered by posting them in the main group.
Here is a link to the rules: http://www.swordcraft.com.au/rules/

ALSO! DO NOT BUY A WEAPON BEFORE COMING!
This is for multiple reasons. The biggest being that many weapons are not safe for use at SC, not all products are made the same. The second is that we all try and support our local vendors and craftsman. They will ensure you buy a product that fits your needs and is safe for use!

Step 2

Attend a Friday night game! The first game you attend will be FREE! Games are held at Western Oval, Park St, Parkville VIC 3052. Fridays 6.30-10.30ish pm

What to bring:

• Medieval/Fantasy costume if you have one, otherwise a plain large T-shirt "tunic" and plain tracksuit pants
• Comfortable shoes (the more medieval looking the better - so try to avoid sneakers)
• A belt you can wear on the outside of your clothes (to tuck swords into)
• If you have contact lenses, wear them instead of glasses
• A sports box (a good idea)
• Gloves (a good idea)
• A fighting spirit and a sense of humour!

What you get:

• A club sword and, if you’re lucky, a club shield
• Training, you will be trained by SC veterans in weapon use and game rules
• Participation in the game, new players are trained together and fight together as “militia” after training go out in your militia group and fight other SC players!
• A fun experience!

For your next 3 nights after the first one you will pay $5 entry with an extra $2 to hire a club sword. After this you need to sign up for either PAYG(Pay As You Go) or game passes. Signing up to PAYG is free and allows you to join a faster line on the night than if you remain unregistered. From now on you will pay $14 a night plus $2 if you need to hire a sword. However if you bring a new person you get a discount.

YOU CAN ONLY PAY VIA EFTPOS!

Step 3

You may notice as you fight that groups tend to dress the same and fight together, these groups are call warbands (WB) and are the factions within SC. Each WB has its own style and theme.
After your first night at SC you have the choice to fight with the militia again. If you are comfortable you can step into the world of SC with either touring WBs or joining a WB.

You can go to Swordcraft_warbands to get an idea of the various warbands that are active.

If you want to tour either pm the listed contact person on the above link or approach their members on a Friday night.

Step 4.

There are many craftsmen at SC and a few vendors who sell weapons and armor. It is suggested you hold off on your purchases of armor, softkit and weapons until you have toured and have a few nights under your belt this is because you may find yourself wanting to fight a certain style and join a warband that has kit requirements only to find you have spent money on gear that prevents these things.

Step 5.

You may want to join groups that involve the LARP community to get more involved. Below is a suggested list for such groups:

Swordcraft:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/swordcraft/

Swordcraft - In Character RP:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189545661226458/

LARP Crafter's Guild:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/148508098639730/

LARP Costume, Armour & Weapon Inspiration:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LARP.Inspiration/

LARP Australia (A group that catalogs all the larps in Aus!)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LARPAUS/

Step 6

If you are new to LARP try and learn the difference between in character (IC) and out of character (OC or OOC).

For example if a Breton Knight calls a Bandit a dirty honourless thief that is an IC insult. And it should be taken as such and not as an ooc insult.
There are role play (RP) lines that can be crossed for some people and if ever you feel that someone has gone too far you are more than within your rights to tell them so, some people may get carried away with their characters and roles and as such can forget where the boundaries lie.

Some people pre organise certain scenes that, when acted out, may seem to you as very extreme. Remember that these people have probably pre organised this and no one is going to come up to you to instigate such a level of rp without a discussion first.

Swordcraft can be quite volatile IC with alliances and wars breaking and starting constantly but we all need to remember that OOC we are all here to enjoy the same game.

FAQ

Weather, when does SC not go ahead?
A friend of mine once said "The clouds will blot out the sun! Then we will fight in the rain." And this is to say that SC will run regardless of weather conditions, it is on the players to decide if they do not wish to play. Though there have been times where the field has been flooded and the council have said we cannot use it.