Belegarth

So I have seen some answers kinda related to my question, but they mostly involed 'get it inspected at CW' or similar. So forgive my new-to-Belegarth question if the answer is out there...


Ive done foamsmithing before, but mostly Amtgard and similar styles. Seeing the swords, boards, and more of Belegarth made me wonder if there is a set rule and guideline on how they -must- be built.

To be more spcific, must a shieLd be of plywood? How thick should the outer foam ring be on a shield (that covers the edges of the core material)? On a sword, Ive seen round blades, and edged swords (such as on the wiki how-to), can either be used? If the sword is a flat blade, does the core need to be fiberglass.or pvc? What are shield restrictions in regards to size? I think I noticed somewhere a shield of any kind must be 12inches or greater...but is there a size restriction on a buckler, round shield, tower shield, etc. I was informed that Madu's are not allowed and believe that was confirmed on the wiki too.

So, yea, what can I do for a sword core wise, shape, etc. Im not talking scyths or
oversized swords, just regular length and such. I just couldnt find any specific rule that said it.must have a 'cutting edge' vs a rounded blade (like just a piece of fun noodle over the core, so that its all round). Unless I missed that all somewhere, but Ive been looking for a couple days and figured I would ask before starting on my weapons.

**sorry for any typos, all done on a new mobile phone**

o7

Core for a sword can be fiberglass, kite-spar, PVC, etc. Metal is not allowed, fiberglass is recommended. Shape wise, there's no rule. You can do double edged flat blade, round blade, single edged flat blade, etc. If you do round, you will get flak because it's considered cheesing, and having a flat-blade will in the long run increase your skill as a fighter. Fun noodle around the core will not be sufficient padding though.

Shields, they do not have to have a plywood core, it can be all foam if you want. If you have a core, 3-4 layers on the outer edge should be fine. Shield restrictions in regard to size, is it must be at least 12 inches across in all directions, there's no particular classifications for shields, so I can have a 4 foot tall buckler. Maximum width for any shield is 3 feet. The maximum height for any shield is 18 inches less than that of the wielder, how you decide to shape it/carry it is entirely up to you.

Link to the Belegarth BoW: http://belegarth.com/rules.php

There aren't any rules governing what a weapon may be built from. The only restrictions are those for size and weight, as outlined in the BoW. I highly recommend building your first set of gear based on the wiki tutorials, but shields don't *have* to be made of any particular core material, and neither do swords, regardless of your build. Now, there are certain materials and build styles that simply will not work, but they fail because they don't work, for specific reasons, not for what they are. The same goes for round vs. flat blades. As for construction style, that is also largely unregulated. There are requirements that you must meet with your equipment (i.e. weight, length, padding, handle, etc.), but how you meet those requirements is up to you, so long as it is safe.

The rules dictate how it must hit in the end. Whatever core you take (sans metal), if it can pass hit, it's good. For the most part, Bel doesn't care how it's made, but rather how it hits your potential opponent.

Awesome. Exactly the replies I was looking for! Thank you everyone!

good luck with the builds mate. We look forward to seeing what a new foamsmith brings to the table. For the record, once you figure out the hit calibration, go buck wild. That's how i got to where I am as a smith. Make it safe, but strive to make people think ":* did he do to make that."