V9: New To Larp And Boffer Combat?

This page is part of the Official Amtgard V9 Alpha-Playtest Rulebook.

• The Amtwiki is the official home and primary source for Amtgard V9 Rules as of February 25, 2023.
• These rules are currently in Open Alpha Playtest. See the Playtest Disclaimer for more details.
• To learn more about Amtgard V9 Development, please visit Amtgard.com.
• To view the current Amtgard V8 ruleset, please see the Amtgard V8 Rulebook.

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New to LARP and Boffer Combat?

For those who have never explored LARP or Boffer Combat before, welcome to your new favorite past-time!

LARP Players aka "LARPers"

What is LARP?

LARP stands for Live Action Role-Play and it encompasses a wide variety of games where the main connection is players assuming the role of a character and playing the game with their physical bodies and a bit of imagination instead of digitally. If you've ever participated in an Escape Room, a Murder Mystery, or just played Pretend with a child, you've participated in LARP.

Different LARP activities have different levels of required roleplay. Whereas Escape Rooms typically require little or no roleplay on the part of the participants, conventional LARPs encourage players to create a character and embody them during gameplay through their actions and appearance (costume).

Some LARPs, including Amtgard, allow participants to choose an occupation or "class" that grants special abilities. These special abilities can be represented by physical objects, such as using yellow foam balls for Lightning Bolts, or they can be entirely imaginary, such as a spell of Healing that allows one player to aid another with only their voice.

More than anything else, Live Action Role-Play means using your body and imagination to have epic battles and adventures LIVE with other people who are just as excited about it as you are.

Combat with Boffer Weapons

What is Boffer Combat?

Boffer combat refers to a specific style of safe combat where players engage each other with foam-padded weapons, often referred to as 'Boffers'.

Boffer Combat is a safe way to enact fast-paced fighting with large groups of players without needing to require extensive safety equipment such as helmets or pads. Most players can safely participate in Boffer combat wearing only normal clothing!

What is a Boffer LARP?

Amtgard is a Boffer LARP and that means we combine the imagination of LARP with the mechanics of Boffer Combat to form the basis of our rules. Participants can choose a class and use special abilities alongside physical boffer combat to affect other players and the game around them.

Join Us!

If all this sounds exciting to you, you're only pages away from joining one of the best fantasy Boffer LARPs in the world!