Well, I had a lot of questions and thus decided to split them into two posts.

As far as foam smithing goes, I just want to know if patterned fabrics are allowed as sword/shield covers, and wanted to ask about flannel covers. Would they be allowed? Would they work well?

Any help is appreciated! This is my first post, but I've been lurking for a bit, so I'll just apologize to Forkbeard in advance if these are stupid questions.

While there are no rules about this aside from NO modern prints, it it a terrible idea.
Sword covers should be sword colored. Black, grey or brown. Patterned weapon covers look like clown *. Why do you want your weapons to look like colorful clown *? Whats wrong with making them look like weapons?
FB

Sword covers are meant to imitate the color of the blade of your weapon.

About the only time you should really be using strange colors for sword covers is if you are simulating fantasy metals such as blue or white-silver mythril, adamantine/adamantite, "obsidian", etc.. Or if you are making a knock-off of a Rider's Blade or other similar fantasy sword, such as Zar'roc, Brisingr, or Tamerlein. I have never seen a fantasy blade with a blade coloration that looks anything like patterned fabric.

What about people who have weapon covers to match their garb/unit/realm? I think that looks cool.

Most garb, realm, or unit colors are regular solid colors. Sword covers in such colors basically represent fantasy swords with colored blades in my opinion.

The only point I was really trying to make is that patterned fabric does not belong on Belegarth weapons. It looks silly and ruins the appearance of the sword. Fantasy swords may have patterns, but those patterns never cover or tile across the entire blade. Especially not in the way that modern patterned fabric does.

Edit: I should probably add that anything I have said in this thread is just my personal opinion on the matter. Just in case anyone starts thinking I am trying to put words in Forkbeard's or my realm's mouth(s).

When your sword is one of three hundred in a pile at weapons check you will appreciate having one that is not gray black or brown. Sponge-bob print etc, is probably a bad idea even though it is within the rules, a subdued plaid pattern is perfectly acceptable to the rules AND the vast majority of fighters. I would not hesitate to use it myself and neither should you. Shields tend to receive even more leeway than weapons for patterns and such because they were historically painted and most basic fabric prints could have conceivably been painted to match.

Truth. And guess what? The only person who has to like it is YOU. If you want flannel, stripes or some other weird pattern, do it. Makes your weapon easy to identify and despite the responses here, no one else will care.

I have a mace I made for my wife with a pink/black striped cover. Haters gonna hate.

ETA: just reread the above statement. I still agree except for the spongebob thing. That's a modern print. Against the BOW.

Well, thanks for the feedback. Atman had the long and short of it. I think if my covers were cut from the same cloth as my kilt, it would be a nice overall effect, and would be a lot easier than trying to paint a crest or something on my gear.

Given that I'm not that into historical accuracy, I'll probably go ahead and use my original idea, since there are no rules against it.

I'm still curious about the flannel though. Would the material work well as a cover? What makes good cover fabric?

trigger/target

Also duck IMO

stressing IMO

Trigger IS the best.
Flannel sucks and will rip very quickly.
Sponge bob IS illegal and will fail at major events, It IS a modern print.
FB

While I don't doubt that FB is right and that a Spongebob print sword wold be disallowed at events (I've never been to one, so I can't REALLY say, but I digress...), the only rule I could find that mentions covers on blue weapons is the following:

1.3.6. All striking surfaces must have a cloth covering.

This says NOTHING about the covering's material or pattern.

Perhaps the rules should be updated.

Appendix B, 1.3.5. It's in the Garb section but applies to weapon covers as well. I can't copy and paste since I'm on my phone but go there and see for yourself.

Modern prints are stupid anyway. Doesn't mean you can't have awesome colorful covers, just no spongebob or scooby or mw3 or Adidas junk etc.

I stand corrected, modern print spongebob is outside the rules (one must update their memory of the BoW as it changes). However, the subjectivity of that particular rule remains and lax enforcement of said rule still permits blatantly modern fabrics to pass weapons check.

When weapon check is done right, by checkers with **** SPINES, all the print covers fail as they should.
Bad heralding and weapon checking DOES allow certain **** to get on the field, but it is wrong and **** up.
FB

Actually, I just remembered that I have seen all kinds of different wild blade colors in medieval fantasy games and other media over the years. Frostmourne even glows a neon-ish blue color.

Though I still must say that I have never seen medieval fantasy swords with blades patterned like plaid or other printed fabrics. Has anyone else ever seen such a thing? I highly doubt it.

The rule isn't there to keep you from having a cool cover. It's there to keep tv characters and stuff off the covers and garb. It's intentionally vague to allow lots of freedom and easy use.

There's nothing wrong with colorful patterns. Allowing someone to have stuff like that isn't bad heralding or lax checking, it's following the rules. Until the BoW tells us we can't have any kind of flashy cover, people will continue to have colorful patterns if all sorts on their weapons. Myself included.

If weapons were supposed to have single silos color covers that we're supposed to be blade-colored, the BoW would say so. It does not, and if that's such a bad thing, it's on the Council. I think it's just fine the way it is.

Just to be clear, if I see a plaid, striped, etc. sword cover at an event, I'm not going to bother having any problem with it because I'll be too busy yakking, fighting, or doing something else. The rare times I actually show up to an event, I go to one to participate in it. Not to criticize other peoples' gear.

But if I ever see Spongebob Squarepants printed all over anyone's sword cover, I'm going to either laugh or roll my eyes depending on my mood, then go tell a herald. Silly cartoon **** crosses the line into absurdity.

I can't remember the last time you were at an event for longer than 5 minutes.

Probably because it has been almost a full year since I have been to an event. That and I didn't do much fighting at the last one I went to because I was tired as * the whole day on Saturday. I don't know how you people sleep on the ground in your tents like that and get any real rest.

I would call being there Friday night to Saturday up until right after feast a hell of a lot longer than five minutes of being there.

In case you haven't figured it out, I am talking about Yestare XI. Not sure if you seen me do it or not, but I bought a quiver from Burke and a shield blank from Fitz while I was there.

Practice, good camping materials, plenty of booze to knock you out, lots of water the next day, and a willingness to just deal with being tired and possibly sore because we get to fight against 100+ people and party afterwards with quality folks.

It's all about mind over matter: if you don't mind, it don't matter.

Of course, the garb section! Thanks for the input everybody. I'll ask the veteran guys in my realm what they think before I do anything too final. I don't want to be using anything that would get me kicked off the field, after all.

Going back to the historic simulation train of thought, what if I'm just a weird guy, and paint my blade before battles? And happen to be good at painting plaid patterns? I've already decided not to actually be Scottish, but instead come from a fantasy nation which bears some odd similarities, so perhaps plaid sword-painting could be one of their many odd traditions!

Finding stupid ways to justify stupid **** is not "fantasy". It is not illegal, but it is still **** stupid. Things do not need to be illegal to be dumb.
When people look at pictures of you fighting, do you want them to think"thats a bad mother ****" or do you want them to think"Hey, it's nerds playing role models"?
A great many people feel it's ok to look like a teenage nerd in pajamas playing D&D dressup. I could see why you'd want to go that way, sure.

FB

Look, you CAN make plaid weapon covers. You CAN also drive a car with your feet, that doesn't mean that you should.

I skimmed this thread, so maybe someone already mentioned it, but there is no better way to look like Joe Noob than to make you weapon covers out of the same fabric as your garb. Having seen it done before, it looks especially **** when it's a patterned fabric. It also makes you seem like a cheap * for not going out to spend the extra $2.50 on a yard of trigger poplin that will make you some decent long lasting weapon covers.

If you want any respect from anyone, I, like most everyone else in this thread, would advise against making plaid weapon covers.

Nicely done.

My opinion, i dont think there should be a pattern on the cover of my sword. But i dont give a **** whats on your ****. i dont have to take it home. it doesnt hurt my eyes when i look at it. and i shouldnt be worrying about your sword i should be trying to kill you. so dude rock out whatever you want to rock out

I did this to mine.

You're a bad person.

So am I though, I like the shiny.

This^^^