How to Make LARP Props
Curious about those strangely dressed people running around your local park or in the hallways of your favorite anime convention? Those are LARPers. What is LARP? It stands for Live Action Role Play. How do you make props for LARP? Read on!
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Things You'll Need
- Time
- Curiosity
- A few videos and web pages
- Almost anything can be cobbled together, given a coat of paint or a layer of tinfoil to become a weapon, armor, clothing item, or prosthetic.
- Let your imagination have free rein.
- Several pounds of clay
- Paraffin or beeswax
- Latex
- Non stick cooking spray
Instructions
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What is LARP anyway?
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LARP has roots in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) and Dungeons and Dragons. The difference is that LARPers do it outside. YouTube has several good LARP videos. Or you can rent something by Dead Gentlemen Productions.
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Decide what type of LARP you want to join. There are Zombie LARPs, Steampunk, Fantasy, Apocalyptic, Mythological, and Horror LARPs. The type of LARP you choose will determine the props you might need. Props are the things players carry, use, or place in the scene to make it more realistic. Don't startle the mundanes, at least not too much.
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Zombie LARP requires blood and lots of makeup. Sometimes even mask making or artificial limb creation.
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Fantasy LARP includes orcs, hobbits, dwarves, wizards, barbarians, warriors, and maidens. You will need weapons, armor, gems, spell books, amulets, and rings. No live steel! In other words, nothing with an edge or point allowed!
MacGuyver it!
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Improvised weapons can be made from cardboard and tinfoil. Shields can be made from trash can lids. Scale armor can be made from craft foam, spray painted to look metallic.
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Prosthetics can be cast or made with latex and spirit gum.
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Blood can be made from cornstarch and red food coloring, thickened Kool Aid, or spirit gum mixed with food dye.
Casts and Molds
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You can sculpt an item from scratch or you can make a cast. First, take the sample item you wish to copy and lay it on its side. Spray it with non stick cooking spray and press it halfway into a block of clay or warm paraffin.
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Press a second block of clay or warm paraffin on top until the other half is also in clay. Carefully remove the clay. This will be your mold.
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Be sure to work in a well ventilated area. If you can smell fumes, you do not have enough ventilation. Spray, paint, or pour latex into your mold. Tap several times to remove any air bubbles that could mar your cast. Let harden.
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Once both sides are hardened, put them together using whatever adhesive is necessary. Another way to make a solid cast is to put both sides of the mold together, leaving holes through which to pour the latex. This method usually results in some material which will need to be cut or sanded away.
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Tips & Warnings
Decide what type of LARP appeals to you.
Find out the rules of your LARP: some do not use realistic props. Instead, they use instructions on a Post It note.
Don't startle the mundanes, at least not too much.
Check with your fellow LARPers before making fake blood. Some are squeamish even if it's fake. Others may be allergic to the ingredients.
Be careful how realistic you make your props, or you could find yourself tangling with local law enforcement.
For large items, use light fill material instead of solid clay.
No live steel! In other words, nothing with an edge or point allowed!
Do not make your props too realistic, especially weapons, mock incendiary devices, fake bombs, or anything else that would cause a reasonably uninformed outside observer to panic if they saw it.
Make sure you or your players are not allergic to the casting compound.
Be sure to work in a well ventilated area. If you can smell fumes, you do not have enough ventilation.
Resources
- Photo Credit Photos by Jane M. Smith, Dragon Con Atlanta, 2005 and 2006
