Boffer

A boffer is a padded weapon used for simulated combat and are widely used in Live action role-playing games. The term "boffer" is not widely used outside of the USA - in Europe boffers are usually called latex weapons.

Combat with boffers is sometimes called boffing, and people who construct boffer weapons are sometimes referred to as foamsmiths. In the UK, such terms would be met with derision, where Combat is referred to as ""LARP Combat"" and the construction of the weapons is not given a specific name beyond making LARP Weapons.

The primary concern in designing a boffer is safety; a pulled blow with a boffer should not hurt the target, and in American systems that allow them, even a full-strength blow should not cause injury - Whilst this is still a concern in Europe and the UK, a combatant who consistently fails to pull their blows is liable to be ejected from the event, or at least pulled out of the fighting for safety reasons. The weapon should be durable, to withstand the stresses of combat. A secondary issue is aesthetics; often, a boffer is designed to look something like a real weapon such as a sword or an axe, sometimes with detailed adornment. The weighting and balance of a boffer can also affect how easy it is to use in combat.

Construction

Normally there are several main features of a boffer weapon: A core, padding, thrusting tips, various forms of functional and artistic flourishes, and an outer coating or shell.

Core

The most important piece of a boffer weapon is its core, which acts as the shaft of the weapon and gives it its initial shape. Cores are usually made out of PVC, though sometimes graphite, fiberglass, bamboo, rattan, or wood are used depending upon the group. In Europe and the UK, ""fiberglass"" is the primary core.

Some core materials can be bent into a number of shapes to give variety and uniqueness to a weapon. A common way to bend a PVC core is with a blow torch or kitchen stove; however, heat guns or boiling water are preferred by some as a these methods deliver even heat, to prevent burning or weakening of the core. Rattan is generally soaked in water and then molded to fit a shape.

Padding

Once a core is decided upon, a layer of foam padding is glued around it. The general convention of most modern groups is that there must be at least one layer of stiff closed-cell foam for safety reasons, standard pipe-insulation foam being the most convenient due to its shape. Some groups differ on the thickness required (however, the going convention appears to be at least 5/8" on any "striking edge" of a weapon") and this mainly stems from issues of safety and control. It should be noted that European groups do not generally allow materials such as pipe insulation, and have a more complex set of safety requirements which largely follow the designs created by Second Skin who created the first Latex covered weapons.

Thrusting tip

Some boffer weapons also feature a tip made of open-cell foam, which is much softer and more compressible than the foam on the core. This allows for a wielder to execute a thrust on their opponent without fear of skewering them on the core or leaving bruises; however, even with thrusting tips, due to the risk of injury, in some games (especially in the UK) thrusting is prohibited.

Depending on which set of rules are being used, the pommel of the boffer may also have a thrusting tip for striking with the bottom of the weapon. Even without this tactic, having a padded pommel is a common safety precaution as it prevents hurting oneself with one's own weapon in the case of tripping and falling on it. This, and accidental injury in combat, like winding up for a swing and hitting someone behind you.

Flourishes

Once padding and thrusting tips are secured on the core, it is not unusual for the weapon to have added flourishes for aesthetic and practical purposes. If the boffer is to be an axe, a head carved out of open-cell foam may be affixed. Additional layers of closed-cell foam can be used to define a blade of a sword, the hilt of a dagger, or the soft foam "spikes" of a club. Foam weatherstripping is commonly used to better define a "cutting blade" as opposed to electrical tape. Flourishes are generally where a foamsmith is creative, and allows for a great deal of artistic expression.

Coating or shell

The foam on the weapon may be covered with either tape (such as duct tape, kite tape, gaffing tape, etc.), cloth or several layers of rubberised coating (such as latex) with detailing and dry-brushing to add to the realism. These latex weapons are more popular in the UK and Europe, where the duct-tape weapons variety are more prevalent in the United States, although almost universally banned by LARP groups in Europe and the UK. When coating is applied over thrusting tips, many holes must be poked through it to allow it to deflate and re-inflate upon impacts, otherwise making them with open cell foam is useless. Most groups in Europe and the UK do not allow thrusting, even if the weapon has a thrusting tip due to concerns on the safety of such weapons. Supporters of thrusting tip weapons point out that any weapon that risked the core piercing through the thrusting tip and into the player being thrust into should have failed safety checks at the beginning of the game, but for most systems the rule still stands.

Latex Coating

Latex covered weapons were pioneered in the UK by Mike Stringer and Andi Coulton of the LARP Weapon Makers Second Skin in 1986. They are considered far superior in Europe and the UK to Duct Tape or Gaffer Tape weapons which are not allowed at many events. Latex allows for superiour levels of detailing and artistry through such techniques as appliqué moulds, and isoflex finishes with detail airbrushing.

Variations

Rules for constructing boffers vary a great deal from group to group (as boffing groups are usually small and tend to operate independently of each other). Boffer groups also differ on the allowed weight, size, flexibility, thickness of foam, length of thrusting tip, and type of materials that may be used as a core. As a result, those who are into the sport, whether as a form of freestyle martial arts or within the context of LARPing, are generally encouraged to check with the rules of group that they plan to participate with, so not to bear the pain of disassembling and re-assembling a new weapon to make it in compliance with local standards.

See also

• Boffing
• Live action role-playing game
• Amtgard
• Darkon
• Belegarth

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