New player. Hoping to make the May event with some questions.

Hi. My name is Jim and I am new to Knight Realms and LARPing in general. I've been interested in trying for quite some time now but haven't been able to. I am really shooting for the May event to be my first of many but I had a few questions to clear up before attending. So here goes... Question 1, how important is costuming for your first event? Is it acceptable to wear plain modern clothes instead of clothes of the time period? Not sure if everyone in our party will return for another event and don't want to over do it until we are sure we will continue coming. Question 2, I plan to play a Ranger so I will be using a bow. I read on the forum that the arrows must be bought now and not homemade. Do I need to bring a receipt to prove they were bought from the appropriate website? Question 3, I plan on coming in a small group, including my 11 year old son. I know I have to get approval to bring him before I do, but i was wondering does he have to do a non-combat NPC duty? And do I or another adult in our group have to do a similar duty for our mandatory NPCing so that he is always accompanied by a guardian? Question 4, my party and I would like to stay together as much as possible for our first event is that realistic? And how many does a cabin sleep?


OOG Jim Sin

Hey. Conor here. Let me be the first to say...WELCOME TO KNIGHTREALMS -and also. FOR YOUR FIRST EVENT BRING LOTS O SOCKS.... It generally gets wet there. Anyway, I'm a new player marshal and should be able to answer these questions of yours.
Question 1: if you are in desperate need of costuming, we might/should be able to loan you a small thing, however depending on the size of your group we'd have to see. Regardless. Solid black is your best bet for anything, try not to have too modern clothes.
Question 2: you don't need a receipt. As long as the arrows are the type that we want you should be fine.
Question 3: yes he needs to be a non combat character, which includes NPC duty. As to being accompanied it is preferred. That way if something happens you are right there.
Question 4 sleeping space is a first come first serve basis, cabins are usually used by individual lands. However there are other sleeping areas that fit a lot of people such as the building we use as the inn, and a side room in the barn. My best suggestion is to get there as early as you can for the best chance of being together.

Hope this helped and see you soon.

Hi Jim! Welcome!

I'm Onca, another new player marshal. Most likely, you will hear from several of us.

I thought I'd expand on the two logistical questions having to do with comfort and expenditure. Firstly, costuming: We do have NPC costuming, but it is hard to guarantee the ability to lend it out all weekend. You have the option of NPCing all weekend, wherein that costuming would be available for use, and many new players take this route. There is also the option of buying something like this:
www.etsy.com/listing/174313343/larp-star...kage?ref=af_new_item

As for cabins, the size of most of the outlying cabins is between 8-15 beds, but many of those are spoken for ahead of time. Places to find space if you are PCing would be in Winterdark or the Armory, as they don't have 'vassals' who get open beds first. If you're not uncomfortable, there are also tent platforms all around, that are generally easier to use/claim, but May is still often a tad chilly for those. Blankets! Lastly, the inn often has individual (or maybe 2) beds available for various people, but it sounds like your group is a bit larger. You could always post a request for one of the lands to hold space for you (closer to May) and see what happens!

Hope to see you then!

Hi! I'm Jeremy. I'm not a new player marshal, but I can give a few tips

1. Costuming: It's not that scary. Honestly, it's very easy to make a t-tunic. The instructions are online, and you can get the fabric from a walmart or a target. Pants might be challenging, but I have been using old hiking pants and khakiish things, and they are successful. You would want more then just this, so be creative and innovating.
2. Bow: I play a ranger and I use a bow, and what I can tell you is that the bow has to be a longbow or recurve with a 20 pound to 25 pound draw weight. The arrows are professionally made, and you would order them online. They are not cheap, but they are very safe. Otherwise, you guys are going to be fine.

Have a great day!

Hi I'm Katie, I'm another one of the New Player Marshals. Any questions you have about bringing your 11 year old must be answered by James, but I do know he must have an adult with him at all times. As far as the sleeping situation is concerned, the barn is your best bet. Most buildings are actually reserved before hand by the people that play characters that belong to those lands.

The costuming can be easy. Scrub pants make great garb pants, plus they are cheap. Mostly in the cold months it is just stay warm, garb takes a back seat to staying safe. A lot of people at the game make great garb that they sell. Don't worry too much your first game. Also, socks. All the socks. And waterproof boots are a must.

If there is anything I can help you with, let me know.

Hi Jim,

As the parent of one of the youngest current players (we started playing last year when he was 11), I thought I would chime in with a parent's perspective. I am sure others will also post their thoughts. There are a number of players who started at a young age, and who have grown up in game. It was Alex's (my son's) interest in LARP that brought us to KR, but I think I can safely say we are both equally obsess. . ., ahem, engaged in LARPing now.

1) If you post and let people know what you need in terms of costuming, you may get some help. I suggest doing this a week or two before the event, once you are sure you are going to make it.

2) I am deferring to our Marshalls on this one (see Connor's post).

3) I am not sure how big your group is, but the policy for younger players is:

"Younger Players

Players between the age of 10 and 13 may attend if they are first cleared by the Director and also under the care of a legal guardian at all times who has assumed all responsibilities for the child. Players between the age of 10 and 13 may only play non-combative roles and must be considered combat inactive. Players under the age of 10 are only allowed on the premises after being pre-cleared by the Director."

I know most parents would want an adult with their child anyway. Everyone is really supportive and friendly, but the reality is they are still strangers. Camp Sac is a big outdoor space, and you really don't want a kid wandering around on their own.

However, other players will bend over backwards to include and interact with your son.

That being said, you should know that KR is not really a game for kids. Despite the best intentions of everyone, your son will likely hear the F bomb, other swear words, adult humor, and references to sex. YMMV as to how comfortable you are with this. In our case, our son had been playing 40K with teenagers and adults for two years before we came to KR, happens to have some classes in school with kids 2-4 years older than him, and as a family we are not very squeamish, so he had already pretty much heard it all. On the flip side, because he is tall, many players assume he is 14 or so, so he has occasionally heard things that are inappropriate. As I said, I think he hears pretty much all of it at school and I figure better when I am around and we can discuss it. On a couple occasions I have asked people to moderate talk that is explicit (and they always have), but I would never expect people to edit every word that comes out of their mouth just because my kid is in the room.

One other thing about young players. There is a really nice group of younger teenagers (ages 14-16 or so) who I think are terrific kids. Many of them are newer players and I can see a community starting to form which I think is pretty cool.


4) Sleeping arrangements, particularly with a child, can be tricky. I would suggest that you post ahead of time and see if a land or establishment has space for your group and is willing to host you. Because players sleep in-game, it is probable you will be woken up several times during the night. There is also very limited privacy, and you should expect that people will walk into where you are sleeping, turn on lights, etc. It is all part of the game, but it is tough on younger kids who are used to sleeping 10-12 hours a night. You might consider staying only one night, or showing up early on Saturday morning and leaving Saturday night after feast or main mod.

I hope you will join us! I don't think there is anything better than running around in the woods playing a sophisticated game of make believe with your kids.

Feel free to PM me if you have other kid-specific questions.

Crystal

Hi, Im Sean I'm another New Player Marshall. It looks like most people have answered you questions but if you have any other ones let me know.