Drachenfest safety

[janestarz]

We lost a lot of arrows on Drachenfest. Luckily we found most of the broken ones back. The reason we stopped shooting is because we lost some 50 arrows in one day, getting them back mostly with broken shafts.
Part of it was also that people shot back our arrows. You're not allowed to shoot an arrow that is not your property, especially at DF, since the chance for injury is so great. It's not your property, so you can't be held responsible if something goes wrong either. We informed spielleiting us much as possible when this happened.

After time out we confiscated a weapon from SL Rainer that was too hilarious. Everyone: if you can do this with your polearm, it's definitely not a safe weapon to use on anyone.

(Please excuse the gibberish. That's Dutch we're talking. And if you're looking for me, I'm wearing a grey longsleeve, a green shawl around my neck and have dreads. My voice was (and is) still a prisoner of the Red).
Needless to say, any weapon like this would be confiscated at a Dutch larp and you probably wouldn't get it back.

Mostly, the main concern is Germans hitting you in the wrong places and hitting you too hard. I got an arrow to the head (it bounced off the dreads, lucky for me), a dwarven throwing hammer between the eyes, and Keffie was sent to the hospital because some lousy Red warrior beat him in the abdomen too hard and too often and he'd had surgery two months previous.
Lucky for us, no big injuries and most of the inconvenience is a few bruises and some wasp stings. It could have been much worse; we know running is a good option.

Comments

[fiofiorina.livejournal.com]

HILARIOUS!!!!
I think the polearm has an identity crisis - it would like to be a fan or a bow, and failed miserably until you showed up *ggg*
I agree with the unsafe issue, and the thing about the arrows is just ... daft. Yet that's the issue, you are barely able to control what people are doing with your arrows once they are shot.

On the hitting on wrong places - the Larp I attended - I (kitchen crew) was asked by the GM to stand in as a "dancing undead" - and one of the players tried to behead the undead. Very hard. Hard enough that today (Monday) my neck still hurts, and this happened last Friday.

Still - I love the video you linked - it's hilarious, and I'd be holding my tummy laughing if I'd be there...

[lenny (from livejournal.com)]

That weapon is supersafe! It softens the blow, as it will bend on the impact! Where can I get me some of these? ;-)

[muizenstaartje.livejournal.com]

Odd to see that nothing has changed since 2002. Stuff I've seen there was scary. It felt like if there was ductape on it, it was DF approved.

How many people need to end up in the hospital? When I was at DF someone went K.O. because he wouldn't go down right away (he was one of the few people who had his hitpoints enhanced by a spielleiting endorced ritual) so people thought they should just hit him harder, but you were there too in 2002, right?

[cabaray.livejournal.com]

Got an arrow right in the jewels and we suffered several wasp stings and a burn in our 1001 night karavan. Saw some kicking, shield bashing and full plate shoulder taps, but also good honest play and full contact duels that went "gemutlich". But overall I think it all got a bit rougher and hits where less taken previous.

[ladynieske.livejournal.com]

Teehee, that film suddenly keeps popping up everywhere. Good thing there is a film-option on my little compact :D

I have seen ups and downs in fighting this Drachenfest. The lost arrows were a sore blow to the whole group, I am certainly not bringing my bow with me next year and I will invest in a staff or polearm (one that cannot be used as a bow :P )
Then again, in a siege in front of the green camp I hit two attackers straight in their shoulders and both of them took their hits wonderfully and stumbled out of their line to get healed.

[janestarz.livejournal.com]

Can I post the film to the Drachenfest forum as well? I just love to show them what we think of weapons such as these!

All in all, I think the arrow count isn't too bad -- we found many of the heads back and these can be repaired after all.

[ladynieske.livejournal.com]

go right ahead, spread the joy of the "Bijl en Boog"

The loss was not too bad maybe, but still worse than we initially thought it would be right? The fact that people sometimes used our arrows without asking didn't help I guess.