Weapon & Prop Construction

Construction Overview

This section covers the real-world materials and safety standards used to build weapons, shields and other physical props for play.

All equipment must pass staff safety check before use. Staff may fail any item that is unsafe, damaged, too stiff, too flexible, poorly padded or otherwise unsuitable for combat.

Principle Meaning
Safety First Every item must be safe for repeated use in lightest-touch boffer combat.
Staff Approval Passing inspection is required before an item may be used in play.
Materials Use safe, durable materials appropriate for weapons, armor, shields, packets, and props.
Weapon Core Materials

Weapon cores must be safe, durable. Kite pole/fiberglass and PVC are acceptable when built safely and approved by staff.

Weapon Type Preferred Core Acceptable PVC Option Notes
Small, Medium, and Long Weapons Fiberglass tube or kite pole. 1/2" PVC.
Great Weapons Filament-wound fiberglass or kite pole tubing. 3/4" PVC. Must remain safe, padded, and controllable for combat.
Polearms Filament-wound fiberglass or kite pole tubing. 1" PVC. Polearms require extra attention to flex, tip safety, and control.
Weapon Padding & Covering
Part Requirement Notes
Blade / Body Padding At least 3/4" closed-cell foam or equivalent weapon-safe foam. Foam must not be brittle, torn, crushed, or exposed down to the core.
Thrusting Tips Minimum 2" open-cell foam on legal thrusting tips. Tips must compress safely and must not allow core punch-through.
Pommel Must be padded and safe if it can contact another player. No exposed hard edges or uncovered core ends.
Covering Cloth, duct tape, ripstop fabric, latex, or other approved covering. Covering must not make the weapon too hard, sharp, sticky, or abrasive.
Coverage Rule At least 2/3 of the weapon must be padded. Example: a 72" spear may have no more than 24" unpadded.
Weapon Size Chart
Type Length Notes
Small16"–22"Daggers, short clubs.
Medium23"–34"Shortswords, axes.
Long35"–46"Longswords, maces.
Great47"–64"Greatswords, large axes.
Polearm60"–72"Spears, halberds.
Thrown9"–72"No core. Safe foam only.
Bow20 lb pull maxUsed for archery.
Spell Packet—9" x 9" cloth filled with birdseed.
Archery, Arrows & Packets
Item Construction Rule Notes
Bows 20 lb pull max. Bows must pass staff safety check before use.
Bow Blocking Bows may block. After blocking with a bow, step back 3 steps before firing again.
Arrows Packet-style arrows or B3 arrows(currently allowed may change in future). Must be soft, visible, and safe for contact.
Packet-Style Arrow Build Spell packet with an 8"–12" tail. Used only if approved by staff.
Spell Packet 6" x 6" - 8" x 8" cloth filled with birdseed. Do not overfill. Packets should remain soft and throwable.
Armor Construction

Armor must look like the type it represents and must cover the chest to count as physical armor. The item does not need to be historically perfect, but it must be safe, wearable, and recognizable.

Armor Type Acceptable Materials Real-World Notes
Leather Real leather, faux leather, soft leather-like materials. Should visibly read as leather armor.
Chain Mail Aluminum or steel ring mail. Must be safe, wearable, and not have sharp or broken links.
Plate Metal breastplate, high-quality foam, plastic, or other plate lookalikes. Must visibly read as plate armor and be safe for contact.
Shield Construction
Part Rule Notes
Shield Body Wood, foam, corrugated board, or staff-approved equivalent. Must not splinter, crack, or create unsafe edges.
Shield Edge Entire outer edge must be padded with at least 1/2" pipe foam or equivalent. Edge padding must be secure and cover all hard edges.
Handles / Straps Must be secure and safe. No exposed bolts, sharp hardware, or dangerous protrusions to the exterior of the shield.
Final Approval All shields must pass staff safety check. Staff may fail shields that are unsafe, sharp, too heavy, or poorly padded.

Shield Sizes

Shield Type Max Size Notes
Small Shield24" radiusCompact defensive shield.
Medium Shield30" radiusStandard defensive shield.
Large Shield36" radiusLarge defensive shield requiring extra control.
Approved Materials Guide

This section can be expanded as staff approves more supplier links and material examples. Listed items are examples, not the only possible approved products.

Use Example Material Example Source Status / Notes
Small, Medium, Long Weapon Core Fiberglass round tube, such as 1/2" GPO3 fiberglass tubing. McMaster 2197K22 Preferred example. Equivalent materials may be approved by staff.
Great Weapon / Polearm Core Filament-wound fiberglass tubing, such as FL-602 x 84" FWET. Goodwinds Fiberglass Tubing Preferred example. Equivalent materials may be approved by staff.
Great Weapon PVC Option 3/4" Schedule 40 or Schedule 80 PVC. Hardware store. Acceptable if safely built and staff approved.
Polearm PVC Option 1" PVC. Hardware store. Acceptable if safely built and staff approved.
Blade / Body Padding Closed-cell foam pipe insulation or equivalent weapon-safe foam. McMaster Foam Example
Lowe’s Frost King Foam Example 		Minimum 3/4" padding for blade/body areas. Thicker foam may be used when appropriate.
Thrusting Tip Padding Open-cell foam. 2" Foam for Thrusting Tips Minimum 2" on legal thrusting tips.
Weapon Covering Duct tape, ripstop fabric, latex, or staff-approved equivalent. Ripstop Fabric Example Covering must remain safe, smooth, and non-abrasive.
Shield Edge Padding Pipe foam or equivalent edge padding. Hardware store. Minimum 1/2" padding around the entire outer edge.
Packet Cloth Soft cloth. Fabric store. Must remain soft and safe.
Packet Fill Birdseed. Hardware / box store. Do not overfill packets.
Arrows B3 arrows or staff-approved packet-style arrows. B3 Arrows Bows must be 20 lb pull or less.