Bringing amatuer groups into Bel

[Krysknife]

In my hometown, I have about 20~ish friends that are on and off participaters in the town's boffer group. Unfortunately, it's an unrefined group, not like Bel. (Duct tape + Noodles + PVC make up the swords, if you understand the group's makeup now) They think it's all great fun, and it's easy to make oodles of loaners to get people interested, and they're happy to learn that they can make their own in such an easy, simple process.

However, I'd like to make an effort to somehow transform this group of kids with duct tape swords into a funtioning Bel group. I'm asking for advice on what approaches and steps to take to eventually setting up a working realm there, with luck.

I've allready gotten two friends who live there interested in Bel, and who want to go to Armageddon with me, so they would be the ones who maintained this group, I'm just wanting to help them get started.

[Sir Anastasia]

I work on this a lot and would also love to hear what people have to say on the subtle or not so subtle conversion of these groups into Bel. I think that we have gotten the best response by showing up to other peoples' practices in excellent garb with top notch weapons, playing with sportsmanship and honor, and having some old vets with you to show them some skillz hasn't hurt either. In my opinion, inviting them and bringing them to large Bel events solidifies Bel's supremacy to the home brew game, provided the group knows what to expect on the field and at check. Often the field is rougher and weapon's check generally frowns on the pool noodle/PVC combo, so their weapons need to get up to par, or they will be very let down when all their gear fails. Also, do your best to avoid the "my sport is better than yours" comparisons...even though sometimes it can be very hard.

[Krysknife]

Alot of good points there.
Especially about bringing Bel culture to them, and then bringing them to an event to experience the full scale of it.
Also, I'd be willing to sit down with all of them and have a good weapons making session for every single one of them who thinks they'd want to go to a big event, and explain as to what makes our gear different, so they don't feel inferior in that respect. Thankfully, my hometown is going to be only a few hours from Armageddon this year, so I'm going to shoot for that to be the event they go to. It's always easier to try something new with friends, after all.

[Tobia Blackthorn]

It was an easy conversion for us. Two of the three most dominant fighters in the tappy-tap boffer, including myself, liked the idea of Bel more than tappy, unrealistic "combat." We just brought quite a few of the old group, and the weapons that were personally owned by the unofficial leader of that boffer group, to Bel. Smooth, easy, and reletively painless. We had some opposition from the hardcore LARPers, who complained that our weapons would hit too hard, etc. We don't really care. If they want to continue their LARPS, go on ahead, and leave us to our game.

[Tobia Blackthorn]

It was an easy conversion for us. Two of the three most dominant fighters in the tappy-tap boffer, including myself, liked the idea of Bel more than tappy, unrealistic "combat." We just brought quite a few of the old group, and the weapons that were personally owned by the unofficial leader of that boffer group, to Bel. Smooth, easy, and reletively painless. We had some opposition from the hardcore LARPers, who complained that our weapons would hit too hard, etc. We don't really care. If they want to continue their LARPS, go on ahead, and leave us to our game.

[Krysknife]

Before I pass out and forget what was running through my head, I wanted to throw another aspect out there. These kids do this for fun. I want a clean, efficient conversion.
The group demographic would break down such at 1/5 of the group has made many weapons and has expressed an interest in pursuing something greater; they show up every time and show improvement. Another 1/5 has made a single weapon, shows up most of the time, and may or may not show improvement. The remanining 3/5 are all casual players who show up 50% of the time, only use loaners. While I'm sure a good recruitment can get the first group, and most of the second group, creating a Bel group may destroy the previous boffer society if done wrong- and as a result, that 3/5 of our population would lose interest. I suggest a gradual conversion, allowing both weapon types, but consistantly showing benefits to changing systems.

Some ideas and speculation on how to keep the 'off group' involved would be interesting.

[Tobia Blackthorn]

Well, we ended up just leaving the old group behind, and only pick those weapons, almost all of which are personal weapons of one of the founding members of New Dawn, and only touch them during the yearly convention held at the local college. Most of the ones who wanted only light-contact boffer, which was few anyway, went back to table-top RPG's for the most part. There's actually hostility between the two groups anyway. Though, that one member is now missing. No one here has seen or heard from him since early December.

[Krysknife]

See, that's a problem. Everyone is friends with everyone in this group. I'd rather not invoke hostility.
I could either have practices with modified rules that also allow both weapons... or compromise somewhere else. I'm unsure.

[Big King Jimmy]

Threaten their families.

[Slagar]

You're in kind of a rough spot. The simple fact is, Belegarth isn't for everyone. Lots of people show up to Numenor, spend a few weeks playing, and getting the snot beat out of 'em, and decide they don't care for it. The ones who stay are the ones who enjoy what we do. If we wanted to keep everybody, we couldn't do it by playing Belegarth. If you're really careful, you might get a few of the off-group into your new realm, but for the most part you're going to lose a lot of the casuals. Belegarth is probably the most intense foam-fighting game, and not everybody wants to play.

To be honest, if they're all having fun, then leave it alone. If there are a couple that are interested, then do weekly sparring sessions with 'em, and drag them to events. Keep the invites to your sparring sessions open for anybody who wants to try, but steer well clear of the established practices for the homebrew group (different times on different days). If there's enough interest for a realm, if enough people are showing up to spar regularly, eventually your 'sparring sessions' become 'practices', and now you have a realm. Easy, organic, and the previously established group can continue to hold play their game undisturbed.

I do this anyway, for practice. It got to the point where my buddies and I were fighting four times a week, two at Numenor and two 'sparring sessions' with 5-8 people showing up. School nixed that, though.

[Krysknife]

I also like this. I'll have a talk with the other guy in charge, and direct him to this thread, so he and I can bounce these ideas back and forth.

[Sir Anastasia]

I think that Slagar has some very good points, you can try to hold a tentative balance between the hardcore and softies, but eventually it won't work out. I have been trying the same sorts of things at my realm. I will tell you one thing that makes casual players show up now and again is that we have 2 Themed/Light combat events a year (with easy rules) that we host and invite all the other LARP groups to. The work is on us, but they can show up and have fun and we continue to have a good relationship with everyone even though the rest of the year we only play Bel.

This also helps to get people to groups with appropriate intensity. Some LARP people like Bel better and keep showing up and some of our feebles like the LARP better and get to meet those people. Everyone gets redistributed, but in a sociable and friendly way. So far, it is working alright.

[Forkbeard]

I beleive your best bet is to encourage everyone to look at our weapons, whatever they do. Our weapons are safer. They just are. And they can be made cheap as hell. Covers are usually the problem. Get someone to make you like a hundered and keep them in a box.
Make as many loaner weapons as you can afford. Then make 5 more. If you always have good Bel legal weapon to loan, people will eventualy start prefering them.
Our weapons will stand up to any test for safety and durability against duct tape larp weapons.
Once you get them using proper weapons, the conversion pretty much takes care of itself if your anywhere near an area where people have regular events. Once people have weapons, and you offer them a ride to the event, why wouldn't they check it out. And once they check it out, thier hooked.
Also, never talk about quiting anything and going over to Bel. Ever. Belegarth does not provide the group spirtit of a small local game and does not enguage in any rolepley. For people from these types of scenes(especialy roleplayers) quitting what they do for Bel will leave them wanting something we don't have.
I tell people to come to Bel to learn to fight. And to practice good fighting, so that when they praticipate in whatever local shenaigans or larp nonsense they do, they kick *.
Since Belegarth is free, this works on the ones who actually want to fight. They Start coming out, pick it up pretty quick and then they are down for life. Or they find out it's not for them. No harm, no foul. Everybody stay friends.
FB

[Valas Hune]

Covers are usually the problem. Get someone to make you like a hundered and keep them in a box.

Or I hate to say it but black pantyhose will work in a pinch or if you are sewing challenged

[Krysknife]

Good stuff, Forkbeard.
Thanks for the input everyone.

[Thumbs]

I think your best bet is to convert weapons. those that are interested will convert to Bel itself from there. I've recruited a lot of friends to fighting, but to join a regular group is a tad more difficult

[No'Vak]

Watch the last post date. If its been over like a month and you don't have something significant to add leave it alone.