Rushing to prepare for may event.

Hello all. A few of my friends and I have wanted to come to KR for awhile now, and now that we can finally drive, we are super excited. We talk about it all the time, and have constantly read the rulebook making our characters and such. The only problem is that we have done little preparation in terms of supplies, and I just realized that the may event is only 10 days away. So we all got together to make supply lists, and during our scrambling we came up with a few questions.

1) For NPC duty I read that we should bring black pants and a black shirt, and i'm planning to give my character black pants. Would something like an old pair of dress pants work for this? Also does anyone have any ideas for a different kind of pants that would work better.

2) I was reading under the new players guide what to bring. I noticed that there isn't anything that says to bring a tent. I just assumed that we should, but are there other sleeping arrangements?

3)We have also realized that none of us know anything about making a costume. As of now I made a tunic from an old T shirt, and I found black pants and a belt to go with it. If anyone has any tips on things that I can add to mine, or just general costume ideas, that would be awesome. I am planing on being a bounty hunter. I also have one swashbuckler, a healer, a witch hunter, and a wizard joining me. If anyone has any ideas for them I would be happy to pass it on

Thank you for reading and I can't wait to see you all soon!

Good evening, Michael.

1.) As long as you're comfortable running around in those dress pants all weekend, they should work fine.

2.) Sleeping arrangements are first-come first-serve in the Inn and the barn. There are other buildings at Camp whose beds will become available to you via roleplay--statehouses of the various lands that you can join. There is also the Monastery if your character joins the clergy. For right now, when you get to camp, check the rooms in the Inn and the Barn for an empty bed and set down your luggage on one of them to claim it. As Sean mentioned below, there are also tents scattered about the Camp. You are free to bring and use your own as a guarantee, just confirm with James, the director with the most glorious hair you've ever seen, to find out where you're allowed to set it up.

3.) There is a Facebook group called the Knight Realms Costumers Forum and it's dedicated to any costume or garb-related questions you may have. Search for it, request to join and when you're approved, ask away. Someone will be able to help you. Don't worry too much about your costume right now. It will change. When I came to my first game, I borrowed my costume from a friend and it could not have been more basic. White tunic and white pants that I borrowed from one friend, a belt borrowed from another , and a sword that I--take a guess--borrowed, from Logistics.

See you in 10 days!


Jeff

Hi Michael,
Im Sean and I am one of the many new player marshals who will help you through your first event at KR. Let me see if I can help answer your questions.

1. Old pair of dress pants would/will work fine. See my comments to the 3rd question to better answer this question.
2. We have plenty of tents on ground so you do not have to bring one. We do recommend lots of socks (more then you think you'll need) a good pair of boots, and some snacks if you'd like, also tick repellent. We do offer food in game as well.
3. Oh boy you hit my favorite topic. I love costumes. To make a cheap, decent and quick costume there is an easy way. Now it might not be the best but its good to start with. I would recommend getting some undershirts about 2 or 3 sizes bigger then you wear. Cut the neck part off. Cut a slit from the top of the shirt down a bit (2 or 3 inches is good) Now with a knife or scissors poke some small holes on either side of the slit. Get a shoe string and thread it across the top and tunic is done. As for pants you can (its what I did to start) buy a pair of black sweat pants (again a size or two bigger then you need.) Reach down and the elastic where your ankle would go pull that up to above (or below really your choice) the knee. Let the rest flop over and you have your renaissance pants. Grab a belt a bit longer then you need and slap that around your waist and your done. Now if you want to spend more money or you can spend more money then there are plenty of places that we can direct you for clothes.

Hope this helps and see you and your friends at the next event.

Raid thrift shops and yard sales. You can't believe the awesome stuff you can find for costuming.

Read the New Players! link on the website. It has a majority of the answers you'll need for your first event. There are also a ton of videos on YouTube that give a good idea of what to grab for your first LARP event. When in doubt, think of the event as either a gaming convention or as a camping trip. Pack accordingly.

1. Pack for the weather. If you are ok with black dress pants, that's fine. Just remember you'll be outdoors and running around. I find a pair of cheap, black sweatpants/athletic pants work best.

2. Our specific campsite has buildings and tent areas. During the warmer months (like now) there are a ton of areas to stay at. Some areas have specific/significant meanings to them at the game, so always check with the people around if the area you wanna stay in is important or not. This also leads to a good reason why to show up at events early... so you can check out areas, ask questions, unpack, etc... during daylight hours and without rushing.

3. Starting out is tough costume wise. I find most people's costumes/clothes tend to evolve with their characters over time. Don't go nuts if you don't have an appropriate looking shirt, pants, boots. LARP tends to have people dress in layers. With that, don't worry too much about what's underneath. A large, rectangular piece of cloth material with a hole in the center can double as a tabard & it'll cover over 80% of your stuff.

I recommend spending time on YouTube watching costuming videos, cosplay videos, & maybe a few minutes on Wiki for costume terms (like what exactly is a tabard, a tunic, & the difference between the 2). Also, feel free to poke around the picture gallery. Look real close at some of the stuff we wear. You'll see some amazingly detailed stuff & see some of the tricks other players use to alter their gear.

For example, May 2014 (just 1 year ago)...

Green headscarf that easily purchased at any store, augmented by a decorative pin. Te scarf also serves as a layer that covers the green, sleeveless t-shirt & the lace shirt. A neutral colored corset acts as another layer that covers. A plain brown leather belt & white canvas pouch completes the look. I'd think her corset is the only piece that's very IG and probably costs the most. The rest of her gear can be bought at Walmart for under $30 or so.


This handsome gent is wearing an oversized brown shirt (majority covered by a layer). A tabard with an IG design (though you can easily change it to a plain, bright solid colored tabard & get the same effect, with no designs or logos on it). A hooded mantle (which is just a piece of cloth that covers the shoulders with a hood for the head). Layers are his friend. Grab a cheap, oversized sweatshirt or long-sleeved workout shirt, a tabard/bright-colored sheet with a hole cut out for the head. For the mantle, grab an old hoodie, cut the upper portion off so only the shoulders and hood are attached. No cleeves or bottom. Maybe cut the hem or edge of it to look like the little square flags. All in all, cost of this shouldn't run you more than $50 from Walmart.

If you are looking for basic garb that will work for most any character you can't go wrong with a simple t-tunic or viking tunic.

If you can sew, or know someone who can sew, these can be put together very fast with very little material. They can be adjusted to your style as well with the choice of fabric, choice of belt (or no belt) and can be added to to have trim or what not.

www.regia.org/members/basclot5c.php (ignore the part about undergarments -- just look at the tunic / dress pattern)

Enjoy! Also -- don't worry if your first event garb is not the best ever -- building out an outfit is something that can take a lot of time and its fun to slowly change your outfit as your characters grow too.

OH MAN. NEW PEOPLE.
*rubs hands gleefully*

Things you need:

- GOOD BOOTS. Something water proof. Any military store, any kind of black combat boot, I use timberlands which are fairly OOG looking, but it's dooable, etc.

- BRING LOTS OF SOCKS. Honestly, the camp is super super muddy and wet and oh my god, having extra socks is wonderful.

- BUG SPRAY AND SUNBLOCK. the bugs are out in force and it's tick season and it's sunny as all holygoodness. Git dat sprayon.

- TOP SHEET/FITTED SHEET/BLANKET/SLEEPINGBAG. for sleeping comfort on girlscout cot mattresses, you are going to want at minimum at least two out of the four.

-A PILLOW. do not forget your pillow oh my goodness it is the most wonderful feeling to get back from NPC shift and just faceplant in a glorious pillow of fluffy pillowness.

- MORE SOCKS. I'm fairly certain you didn't pack enough.

- SNACKS. There is a ton of food at KR, but it's not always readily available when you get off that mod at 3am sweaty and tired . Carry trail mix, granola bars, pretzels etc. Snacks keep your energy up and are a great way to make friends. It is fairly common place to hear someone declare "Oh god I love you" after handing them a quaker chewy bar.

- TOILETRIES. Larping is dirty. You can choose to be dirty all weekend, that's what I do. However, if you are the showering type, there are showers and bath houses! It's also best to bring face wash or baby wipes as it makes getting NPC make up off easy peasy. There is almost always facial wipes in Logistics, but it's nice to sometimes just have them with you.

- YOUR OWN BOTTLE. A lot of bottles just kind of get passed around at game from person to person. If you would rather use your own personal tankard or bottle, brannng it! Keepin' things sanitary!

And lastly, are you sure you packed enough -

- SOCKS. you need moar.

A) Yes, any black pants are fine. Something that allows you movement is best.

2nd, There are plenty of places to sleep (buildings, the Inn, tent platforms), but bringing your own tent is also totally cool. Deck it out with tapestries! Make it gorgeous!

III - If you don't have a ton of costuming, don't worry. Something basic is fine.
Thrift stores are full of majestic clothes waiting to Larp. Come to game, get some ideas, talk to players on the Knight Realms Costumers Forum and go from there!

LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR FUTURE ADVENTURES.

I love how every time I post here, I walk away from my computer for like a half hour and there are already a few responses. Thank you to all who responded and to those who may. I cant wait to meet all of you at the event!

Hi! I'm Will, not a new player marshal and I feel like most of this has already been said but:

Socks! Socks in Knight Realms are very very important.

I: I have worn black pants to KR many a time. so that's not a problem.

II: Bringing a tent is fine, from what I have seen, and the aforementioned tent does not need to look like this: www.harborfreight.com/10-ft-x-17-ft-portable-garage-69039.html

III: Garb is nice and easy once you get used to it, but for your first time, I recommend looking at other people for inspiration, and raiding Goodwill, Savers or your other local donation store like it's an undead stronghold. I had the chance to go to a Ren Faire before showing up, so that helped a little bit. All in all, just show up in character with something that resembles garb and you'll be fine (for your 1st-3rd times).

Good luck on the Field,

Will Harrington

Hello!
I'm Christine, another New Player Marshal. I can't wait to see you and your friends at game! I see you've already been visited by our friendly neighborhood sock marshal (thank you Jen-and yes-I don't care how many pairs you've packed, you don't have enough socks).
Especially for the summer, i can't recommend light, simple layers enough. Personally, I think it's best to start simple with a costume, and as you go and your character keeps developing relationships with other people and really revealing more about who they are to you, the player, build your outfit up with little pieces here and there. You'd be surprised where roleplay can take you! When I first started I just had a basic outfit (like, a single shirt and a single skirt), but in the four years since, I've built Mirwen a better wardrobe than I have for myself. I don't know if there are any females in your party, but I have some extra, light dresses I can bring if anyone needs something to wear. And absolutely check out the Knight Realms Costuming group! I saw someone else mention it, there's a *ton* of great resources and talk from the community.

See you at game!

Hey thats me in the oversized shirt... and you cant see but my pants... old dress pants

Also, Hi, I'm Matt, another New Player Marshal

I'm Katie, another new player marshal. I tend to use black scrub pants and black sleep pants for my characters and so does my husband. They are cheap and work great.