Yule gifts you'll love!

Thorwald talks about Music, Axes, and books that 'yule' just have to have...

(i've been told I can't do any more puns. ever.)

"Viking Armor!" or Being the 10th Century Dane

Today Thorwald braves a Winter Storm Advisory to show you the basics of "Viking" historic armor of the 10th century Dane.

Building from our basic costume of boots, trousers and undertunic we added the over tunic, hood, wool cap, waist belt and pouch with sax in the last episode we created the 1st level Nordic warrior. Now with the additions of riveted mail shirt, splinted leg armor, and helm we show you a mid-level warrior in historically based armor.

Drop us a line and let us know what you think and thanks for watching!

~Thorwald

Early Medieval Costuming (episode 6.5)

A few people asked about early medieval costuming and using the LARPer's toolkit basic costume guide of Trousers, Shirt and Boots. Thorwald takes a look at building a basic Nordic Character with the same concepts as in building the later period.

Thanks for comments and see you soon!

~Thorwald

Basic Costuming for beginning LARPers

Today we look at the three basic things you need to have in your LARPer's toolkit:

1) Trousers.
2) Shirt.
3) Shoes.

Building up from this basic requirements you can go from NPC to first level Character Player to High Level Player Character using the basic three items and adding to it.

NPC starter gear: Black trousers, White or Black Shirt (I recommend a white or off white 'Renn' or Pirate shirt, and good comfortable black ankle boots. From here you can create any NPC humanoid character with additions of minor items. NPC Monsters are a special deal and require more than just a talbard (and it's own video!)

PC first level characters: In addition to the above items of trousers, shirt, and shoes, we add a doublet vest, hat, belt, belt pouch and your weapons. This can also be used as an NPC mid-level dress (i.e. Shopkeeper, Tavern Owner, Caravan driver/boss, etc.

Higher level characters: The basic three plus addition of fancier vest or doublet (depending on time period) and accessories. With minimal additions you can step out as upper middle class or lower nobility with ease.

Additional kit for beginning larpers should include a belt, belt pouch, and individual weapons of choice.

With this in your toolkit you are ready to hit the town at Bicolline and not look like a total noob.

Thanks for watching and see you soon!

~ Thorwald

Do you have ADHD or do you have a cat?

Veteran's Day 2016

Thinking about all my brothers and sisters in Uniform today, including my sons, Jacob, serving at Fort Bragg, and Matt, serving at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, both Army brats who enlisted to serve their country. I couldn't be more proud of them.

SPEARS!!!!

A quick look at spears as used at Bicolline and in real life.

Look for upcoming videos on tactical use and training for spears (as well as other weapons for Bicolline and Larps in general)

~Thorwald

Black Raven Armory's Leather Shoulder Armor DIY kit. (Part One)

We look at a great kit from Black Raven Armory, sold by Larp Fashions (www.larp-fashion.co.uk).

The Kit retails for $75.94 and comes with everything you need to make stunning armor for yourself. They also have other kits available.

As we complete the rest of the kit we will add more videos.


Thanks for watching!

~Thorwald

LARP Bow! part 2

The conclusion to the LARP bow by Epic Armory review. We took it out to the field and tested both the original 25 pace shooting test and long distance shooting.

Items of note:

1) With the IDV arrows effective range was approximately 25 paces. At that range and aiming about 5* above the target we could get continual hits on a man sized target.

2) Effective area range was between 30 and 40 paces. We could drop arrows into that range band but lacked the accuracy of the 25 pace distance. With an angle of about 45* this is a very good area effects weapon. If it was employed en masse against a large group target (say a mass formation of enemy troops) the results would be devastating.

The weather was great with light winds blowing across the field at about 5 mph.

Other than some camera issues and problems with the body mic (sorry about the wind noise) a simply beautiful day to be out and having fun.

Conversations on Larping in the USA.

Oh, boy.... we've done it now.

Thorwald talks about the growing pains of LARP in the US and replies to an article in Larping.org by Spencer. I highly recommend you go and read it as it is an excellent article.

Warning- Thorwald uses adult language and talks about adult situations...

Epic Armory Fails the test... then redeems itself. Sort of.

It's Monday so ****** ****** ******* ***.

A company is only as good as it's product and here E.A. *****s the *****.

Check out where one of my favorite companies fails totally. On a Monday. After the cat got me up early.

And then- because I hate being negative, I look at a pretty cool item. Hint: It's ALMOST to cool to be seen.

Thorwald's Regret

"Thorwald's Regret"

This post is a bit different. It deals with the real world struggles that face those men and women who have returned from the war and struggle to get through daily life. In this video I talk about my own problems with dealing with the past and PTSD. After tours in Iraq and Afghanistan I am just one of the thousands who are facing the war years after coming home.

The words I speak are mine and are real, even if the setting is not. It is how I feel. It is how I get through the days.

PTSD symptoms are hidden within us and fight to come out when we loose our control over ourselves. We know they are there, just below the surface... waiting...

We are not going to go off the deep end and take up a rifle and murder a bunch of people. We are just...

Hurting.

Symptoms are often unseen by the people around us. 

Bad memories of the traumatic event can come back at any time. You may feel the same fear and horror you did when the event took place. You may feel like you're going through the event again. This is called a flashback. Sometimes there is a trigger: a sound or sight that causes you to relive the event. Sometimes there is no trigger at all. 

You may find it hard to express your feelings. This is another way to avoid memories.

You may be alert and on the lookout for danger. This is known as increased emotional arousal. It can cause you to:

• Suddenly become angry or irritable.
• Have a hard time sleeping.
• Have trouble concentrating.
• Fear for your safety and always feel on guard.
• Be very startled when someone surprises you.

Other symptoms also may include:

• Physical symptoms for no reason you can think of (called somatic complaints).
• Feelings of shame, despair, or hopelessness.
• Difficulty controlling your emotions.
• Problems with family or friends.
• Impulsive or self-destructive behavior.
• Changed beliefs or changed personality traits.

If you are suffering and need help you can Contact the VA or The Veterans Crisis Line.

The Veterans Crisis Line connects Veterans in crisis and their families and friends with qualified, caring Department of Veterans Affairs responders through a confidential toll-free hotline, online chat, or text. Veterans and their loved ones can call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1

Production begins!

Holy ****!!!!!!! We have begun production on the movie! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

The very first rough edit is in the can and here it is:

We begin principle photography next week. Can't wait!

(except... Let's not hit any more deer on the highway, Thorwald!)

Dawn on the Borderlands

It was an absolutely beautiful morning for the sun to peak over the horizon so your good buddy Thorny headed out to do some filming.

Dawn came silently with only the Crows making comments.

You forget just how stunning nature is when you live in the modern world. It is only when, away from all the nonsense of people and the noise of civilization do you suddenly realize all that doesn't matter a bit.

LARP BOWS!

Today we take a look at the Epic Armory LARP Bow package consisting of:

Large Black Leather Hunter Quiver for $34.30. Item number 101712
Medium Ready for Battle Bow for $68.60. Item number HU703402
LARP round head arrows, Dark Red for $10.50. Item number IDV-010101

NOTE: It was only in editing did I notice that the string of the bow was not completely in place during the testing. I will retest in another video and also conduct distance shooting then.

See you later!

Unboxing the Ratio Helmet and review

The Ratio Helmet from Epic Armory (lists for $154.58 from Dark Knight Armory) came in today and it is awesome.

I think I've found my new helmet...

Battlefield Roles and Armor!

A longer video today about various roles on the battlefield and armor.

Scramasax and Sporrans! [oh, my!]

A short video today of a couple more items for your character. They are the Rob Roy Sporran from Celtic Croft (www.kilts-n-stuff.com) and the Calimacil Scramasax "Beowulf II" (www.calimacil.com)

The scramasax measures in at 19 1/4 inches in length! It's a great addition to any nordic or celtic impression. The belt sheath I made from 12 oz leather, making a paper pattern first to insure it fit and then the wolf on the side was carved and tooled into the leather. I almost forgot that I had added the phrase "Bow down to Thorwald" in old norse in runes  as well. Yeah... Thorwald might have an image problem.

If you want to learn more about the sheath and how I made it let me know and maybe I'll do a video on making a different one for another weapon.

(Thorwald's normal gear in both TLotB and NERO Empire)

All right, that's it for now- see you soon! Oh= there is a video in production for our LARP coming up sometime soon. Hopefully out before Christmas as we just started production. Look for it here and on our Face Book Channel and of course, 'll let you know when it's done.

Thanks for the support!

~Thorwald

The Standard Adventurer's Pack.

Today we delve deep into the weeds of RPG and Role Play and discuss the pack no one really talks about...

The Standard Adventurer's Pack!

See you next time when we talk about rations for the D&D/LARPer...

or... not...

eh.

~Thorwald.

Building an Oseberg Chest!

Today we talk about how to build a chest for LARPing.

With the new editing software on hand (Corel Pro X9) the videos should be getting better and better. I suppose sometime I will read the instructions but for now I hope you enjoyed this one.

See you soon!

~Thorwald.

October 1st Product Reviews!

A quick video today on a few cool LARP items that are definitely worth having in your pack! The Audio is still acting up but I have new software coming in that should fix that little problem. So, sit back and relax while you watch the latest video!

Thanks for watching and please, if you have questions or comments just drop me a message!

Thorwald.

Video Log, The Jouney

I am in the process of adding a video part to this journey. Here is the first intro video that I have been working on. Stay turned to both this blog and my youtube channel as we prepare for the Voyage North with Ordo Cervi and Bicolline 2017.

~Thorwald

"Mom! I wanna be a Landsknecht!" Part one.

This short article talks about putting together a cost effective impression for the Ordo Cervi. It is based on the German Landsknechts and the Warhammer Empire troops and is not a historically accurate impression but designed for a Live Action Role Play game.

This all came about while talking with other members of the Ordo and the discussion of Pikes vs Spears and then Pike Blocks was mentioned which led to Warhammer Fantasy Games Empire troops which led to uniforms which led to landsknechts which led to this. Ugh...

I have this old book on the Empire troops and so I dug it out and found this plate of the Stirland forces. It is the colors of the Ordo and it just struck me as something we could do.

I am looking mostly at the fellow in the yellow jacket with the sword and shield for inspiration. I then found a shirt and trousers on line that would work to make this become reality. 

(photo from Medieval Collectibles)

(photo from Epic Armory)

This has the basic look that I want. The colors are the same as the livery for the Ordo and the cost is reasonable. I think the set costs about $75.00 from Dark Knight Armory.  To get the appearance that I want I do need to adapt them a bit because I really want to look more like this:

The entire impression consists of a floppy hat or beret with feathers, a white shirt and worn over it a slashed short jacket. A pair of hose in this photo but just as common a part of slashed baggy trousers. Stockings and shoes complete the look.

Starting with the hat I purchased a flat renaissance hat from Amazon for $14.00 in dark green. I also found on Amazon a stag head's kilt pin and green and dark yellow feathers for a total price of about $25.00

Once I got them all together they look like this:

I think that's good enough, although I may back the pin in red wool just to make it pop!

The next item to work on is the shirt. It is a good base to start with and my concept is to recreate the 'jacket' of the swordsman in tan cloth with yellow slashes as to follow the tan and green of the Ordo's heraldry, add gathers to the right sleeve with yellow ribbon and to put in a false shirt top in white linen.

This sounds like a lot of work but in reality it's not that hard to do. I sketched out the concept before I started working:

The first step was to mark the sleeves on the right arm in four inch sections. I then gathered the green sections together before sewing them.

Using green thread I gather the pieces at each four inch mark.

And continued all the away around the sleeve, sewing the six sections with four gathers each. Once the entire sleeve was done I tried it on to make sure my arm still fit in the sleeve. (Probably should have done that before!) 

I found it bunches nicely and there is plenty of room in the sleeve for movement. The next step is the add the yellow ribbon at the gathers. I thought of a couple of ways to do this and chose to add a small piece of green tape that the yellow ribbon would slide through. After attaching it I found it just didn't look right. So now I am thinking about what to do.

Here is a quick photo of the yellow ribbon pinned in place.

I will continue this article next week with finishing up the arms and working on the jacket body.

I would love to hear your comments and suggestions during this build, please let me know what you think and if you have an idea to make the impression better I am open to your advice.

Thanks!

Thorwald

Becoming the Concept

The very first role playing game I was a part of was in 1979 when a group of us got the Dungeons and Dragons rules set and started from scratch. I can sort of remember the excitement of those first games, after having rolled our stats we set off to explore. The very first night of our adventure the bard of the party failed a listening check and was killed by sneaky goblins before warning the party as to their attack- his dying scream woke us up and we fought off the bastards with no more loses. We buried our friend at the side of the road with a marker- "Here lies Balrick (or whatever his name was). A good friend. He wasn't much use."

That player didn't come back to the game for several months.

Coming into this game I have an established character and a lot of background history from various games. I am molding this into the next chapter of the character's life as he grows for Bicolline. There will be some changes due to game system differences but for the most part he is the same Thorwald loved and/or hated in five states and three games. If I were to build a brand new character for Bicolline they would probably be very similar to the one I have now.

Biccoline is a game system that allows the player to do whatever it is they could normally do in real life- a novel concept in role play games, really. I am limited to what I can do physically and so this does narrow down what my character can do. I am a fighter by trade and have been a fighter in game since that very first D&D session. I have almost always been human and a cynic. I am sure that says more about me that it does my character however it does bring a fact of role play to the fore... It is easier to pretend to be someone who you really are.

That is to say you can role play yourself better that trying to role play a completely different character type. It's hard to get out of your comfort zone and be a totally different personality for an extended time period. Usually you just fall back into the personality that you are.

Saying this, you have to accept who you are and be happy with that. That in itself is a difficult chore for many people and why we spend so much money on therapy. It does of course offer a challenge to players in playing against personality type but given Bicolline is for a week straight I would hazard a guess that most do not do this. They play a character comfortable to themselves and very much like themselves in both positive and negative ways.

ANY-way... this post isn't going to be about the psychological aspects of becoming the concept of your character- as interesting as that may be- but more along the lines of creatively developing your character from scratch.

I've said before I usually start by sketching out what I want to be. For Bicoline I've lifted Thorwald out of his NERO LARP game and set him into this world.

Physically Thorwald is mostly the same guy. Because of the rules in Bico he wears a little less armor (for mobility) and a bit more weapons (spears v. sword and board)

The armor is the same, Mail hauberk with long sleeves and split skirt, padded gambeson and leather breast armor. Really the leather is for visual effect only. It offers no protection in the rules but dammit... it looks cool. A fur shoulder cape is also simply for looks. Leg armor is splint plates and I wear my normal combat boots. The helmet is a copy from the Movie "Beowulf and Grendel" I got ten years ago. It was the very first piece of "Nordic" armor I bought and is my favorite helm of all that I own. The tunic and trousers I wear are simple.

Over the years Thorwald has fought with a round shield, sword and axe. He will be fighting with a spear for the most part next year, however he'll still have his small weapons about him. I'll probably sling my shield over my back for protection and when the fight gets close drop the spear and use shield and sword.

When I plan ahead for Bicolline I think about my day to day life. I sketched a quick picture of my camping arrangements on my character development sheet to sort out my thoughts. My cot and beadroll are against the side of the tent, a couple of small wooden chests are near with my gear- a small armor stand to hold the mail and helmet, sword and axe and shield. A small carpet to stand on and a small stool. You can see my notes in the corner of the page listing things I'll need to do to complete the concept. It helps me to prioritize my work during the coming year. I can work in my shop to build the chests during the winter, for example. The costuming needs to come first so I can work out the bugs during local LARP game play.

The wooden chests are going to be build from pine and are a very simple 6 board chest design. There are plans all over the internet and I want to build a few that look like this:

I think about a 2 foot by 3 foot size would work fine. They will hold most of my clothing and gear. I also plan on a small rough-tote to slide under my cot for other out of game items.  The carving will take all winter (even if I cheat with my Dremel ) and will be a fun project. I know that I want to bring a couple of game boards as well- Chess and Kings table and maybe Nine Man Morris as well. I have made several such boards over the years from scraps of plywood. They help pass the time in camp and are a fun way to be period while meeting people.

Now- having sketched out what I want to look like and how I want to camp I start putting into motion what I need to do over the next eleven months.

Sept- Nov: Costuming completed. Armor and weapons completed.

Fighting kit:

1. Tunic and trousers- done.

2. Gambeson- working. all items on hand

3. Boots- done.

4. Sword, axe, shield, dagger- done.

5. Spear- working. all items on hand.

6. Armor- Mail, working to shorten sleeves, Coat- done. Greaves-done, Leather jack- working- all items on hand, helmet- done.

Hero kit:

1. Nordic dress: Tunic- working, Trousers- done, shoes- done., Hat- working- Concept done., Cape- working- items on hand.

2. Burgundian dress: Doublet- done, Shirt- done, Hose- done, shoes, done. Accessories- done.

Nov- Feb Camp and Living

Camp:

1. Bedroll- sleeping bag, padding, wool blankets- done.

2. Wooden Chests- Hardware on order, wood to be ordered. Plans done.

3) Ground cloth- not started

4) Candles and lanterns- done, on hand

5) Armor Stand- One on hand- need to build smaller travel stand.

6) Mess kit- done.

7) Game Boards- 1 done. 2 not started. Game pieces on hand.

8) Other camp items- not thought of yet.

March- May trying it all out. Any other crap.

What else am I missing and what works vs what doesn't.

From June to August when I arrive at Bicolline I should have well tested gear and equipment that works.  Well... at least that's the concept.

Now I need to think about my physical work out plan and becoming the better (physically) player...

Eating like a barbarian.

A well set table for a Barbarian... way to well set if truth be told but although I may play the savage I'd prefer to dine in style!

A wooden trencher for the main courses of meat and fish, laid out on bread or with bread most likely. A wooden bowl for the soup and a small wooden cup for the wine. In period for Thorwald, a 10th century Dane, he'd commonly have a wooden spoon to sip his soup and a small knife to cut his food- forks and the like were not common until much later- (The fork wasn't even invented until the Renaissance and didn't catch on in England until much later. Spoons were mostly used to serve food and soup was sipped from the bowl rather than lifted to the lips with a spoon.)

The most common drinking vessel was the tazine- a small cup about the size of a tea cup with out the handle. The big horn mug looks cool and was used... just not very common and then mostly used to drink beer. (which is exactly how I plan on using it!) Fortunately they are easy to find now and not too expensive. Thank you Game of Thrones.

It was most common to lay down a table cloth where you sat before you dined. A table napkin was used to wipe your fingers on before you reached into the common bowl for more food. I use mine to help clean up my plates and bowls as well. The tablecloth is cheap cotton and about 3 feet square. I can fold it to a smaller size to lay down before I take my items out of the carry bag.

I do use proper silverware for the most part. I can eat with my hands if I want but when I don't want to I have the others handy... no pun intended.

The entire set of eating items cost about $40.00 in total. I found much of it on Amazon under wooden bowls and plates. The cup was also Amazon and the mug was from Viking Shield. (Viking Shield)

It doesn't take much to look proper.

The Three Fold Goal, continued.

3) Living Day to Day

I have found that to plan for a long... well... what should we call it? Event? Deployment? Vacation?

Whatever we choose to call it, we are gone for a week. We are camping in a tent for a week. Wooo-Hooo.  

At this point I should tell you I spent a long time in the military (30 years) and, what I like to call it, camped professionally for extended periods of time. Where LARPing is in no way similar to military deployments a lot of the lessons learned the hard way in shitty places working for Uncle Sam carry over to our 'hobby'.

Anyway- back to planning. As I said I like to plan for any event by thinking about what I would be doing during the day and then list what I need to make that happen.

So- first thing in the morning I wake up and wonder why the hell and I doing this. I roll out of the cot and stand up. My bedding consists of my sleeping bag, two wool blankets, a pillow, and padding. (the sort you put on top of your mattress at home to make it softer- cut to the size of the cots.) I need something to stand on- a small camp rug works well. I slip my trousers and a shirt on, put my sandals on and wander out of the tent and into the world. First thing is bathroom and then coffee. After that it's think about breakfast and if I want to eat or not.

I know that the Order said they will have coffee prepared but if I bring my small coffee boiler I can heat up my water over the fire quickly. I have brought enough instant coffee packets to get me through the week. A jug or two of water under my cot will quicken coffee time and I can refill them as needed.

Eating is a hike so I get ready for the day. Brush the teeth, wash the body, maybe shave, get dressed while drinking the coffee. Boots, socks, trousers, underwear,  shirt, doublet, hat, belt, pouch, dagger, sword (depending on how pissy I am) and eating kit. I don't smoke so I don't need tobacco or a tobacco delivery system. Basic toiletry items are in my kit box along with hand sanitizer and baby wipes. You can clean most of your body with baby wipes and it makes you feel nice. Trash goes in a trash bag hung on the center pole of the tent. It will go out with me as I go to breakfast. I grab my mess kit and head out.

What does my eating (mess) kit hold?

Plate, bowl, cup, mug, fork, knife, spoon, hand towel. Separate soap and cleaning items. It needs to be compact and easily carried. I am using a large shoulder bag to put it all in with the exception of the mug which is worn off my belt.

My kit has a wooden 'trencher' plate and bowl, wooden small cup, iron eating tools (is that a name?) and a horn mug. A white cloth hand towel to use as a napkin and doubles as a drying rag when I clean my mess kit. Hand soap in a small plastic case for cleaning the dishes and myself. My toothbrush and toothpaste in a small roll so that after eating I can spot by the toilets and wash up and use them.

I wander back to camp with my mug of coffee chatting with the people I pass, commenting on the lovely weather and the chance of rain in the afternoon. (my French lesions on tape have come in handy as I listened to them over the last year) Once back at camp I check in with the officer of the day and find out when I have to be ready for drill or combat.

Whichever the duty is the next thing is to prep weapons and equipment. Depending on what the mission is I go to the tent and break out the weapons needed. I wipe them down and silicone them as needed and then focus on my armor. The armor should be on its stand and after a quick check to see serviceability it too is cleaned and prepared.

About an hour before the mission I start getting ready.

To armor up will take two people and I prepare along with my battle buddy. This is a fellow soldier who with I am paired up for assistance and to assist in their getting ready. We work together on the battlefield, usually fighting next to in the ranks.

As we prepare we check each other out to make use all our gear is working correctly and to insure we don't forget anything. Armor, weapons, water and whatever else we need to take with us to the mission are checked and checked again. When we are set we move to the rally point and listen to the mission brief of the officers. If we need to take notes we do so and on the order step off to the drill/battle field.

Mission done we arrive back at camp. My battle buddy and I assist each other in unarmoring and the process begins of cleaning weapons and kit. We brew up a cuppa and possibly eat a light meal as we wipe down each piece of armor and hang it back on the rack. Each weapon is checked for damage then cleaned and silicone applied before placing in its rack. Then our clothing is cleaned and hung to dry before we clean up ourselves. We check each other's gear to see if anything was missed. After checking with the officer for the next mission time we may nap or head into town for a drink or shopping.

As evening draws on we chose to head to the river to bathe. Grabbing our small basket we change into a pair of shorts and sandals and head to the river. Our toiletry basket has soap, shampoo and deodorant and we carry our towel. Once done we head back to camp to change into 'hero gear', hang up our wet towel and shorts and prep for a night out with the fellows of the Ordo. We are planning on grabbing a bite at the tavern tonight so we may take our mess kit over our shoulder as well as strap our mug on.

Several hours later we walk back to the camp, our way lighted by our lantern (it was in our bag!) and after undressing crawl into our bunk and rack the **** out.

The next day is pretty much the same... in fact every day is pretty much the same. It gives us a good idea of what we need to have packed in order to be successful and comfortable.

I am bringing a couple of clothing styles to bico at the moment, a 'Norse' one and a 'War of the Roses' one. Thorwald is very much a 10th century Dane and so his dress reflects that. For his 'Thor's day go to meeting' outfit he is wearing a Short sleeved tunic in green and yellow over a white short sleeved linen tunic. Wool trousers with leg wrappings, turn shoes and waist belt, pouch, and seax. I also have a long sleeve wool tunic in blue that I can wear if the weather turns cooler as well as a square cloak with a fibula type pin. I have a wool hat that goes with this but it doesn't really protect me from the sun. I'll toss in a straw hat for that. My sword belt and a Calimacil Viking Ragnar sword could be worn (and probably will be). A Norseman is never more than an arm's length away from his sword. I have my sundowner boots to wear in case I don't want to walk around with turn shoes for the day. The boots are just more comfortable to my modern feet.

The second impression is circa 1470 English or Burgundian man at arms. Burgundians wore a very plain dress after their Duke, Charles the Bold, made quite the statement wearing black clothing. Charles seems to have aimed at a degree of uniformity, at least among the troops of the Ordinance. The men-at-arms were ordered to wear blue and white plumes (the Ducal colors) and were supplied with red crosses of Burgundy, made of velvet, to attach to their armor. The Coustilliers and archers were given surcoats half white and half blue, again with the red cross, and there is evidence from the end of the reign that infantry of the Ordinance also wore blue and white Ducal uniform. I am wearing typical dress of the period, Black joined hose with turn shoes, white linen shirt, black doublet, and a small red cap. Again, I may wear boots instead of turn shoes for comfort and a wide straw hat against the sun. A belt with a pouch and dagger around the waist and a small sword ( a Calimacil Robbert Stark Bastard Sword) if needed. I may make up a surcoat in the Order's colors of green and beige just to round out the impression. I also have the flat cap that I could wear.

The Ordo's packing list is a great start. It covers a majority of what I would need above.

Clothing

v  #a hat, to protect you from the sun

  *I have a few. A nice renn faire type flat cap in the Ordo's colors and a good basic straw one for the sun. A dannish style round cap for when I feel a'viking.

v # something decorum to wear bathing in the river, if you think you will. Otherwise, something to wear to the showers behind the auberge

*A pair of dark shorts and a period shirt plus leather sandals.

v # a warm cloak or coat to wear when it starts raining and goes down to 55 dF / 12 dC

 *A good cloak with a hood or a separate hood, my padded jack can double as a coat as well. I made my half circle wool cloak from a couple of grey wool blankets I found in a surplus store. There was enough wool left for a separate hood as well.

v  

#clothing for six days and seven nights, including

o   decorum, comfortable, breathable clothing to get sweaty and run around in every day

o   one or two fancy outfits

Fighting gear: Gambeson, Trousers x2, Socks x6, Boots x2.

My fighting gear consists of my tan imperial gambeson and black trousers, boots and socks. I have two pair of black trousers to allow one set to dry during the day while I use the second set. Several changes of socks and an extra pair of boots, just in case. After fighting my gambeson needs to be turned inside out, wiped down and hung to dry.

Town gear: Hat x2, Doublet x2, shirt x2, trousers x2, socks, boots. Also the Dannish kit (see above)

v  

#more than one pair of socks and underwear per day

 *Two or three pairs of socks a day- one for the day and fighting then one to change into after the fighting is over- foot powder! Mole skin- just in case

      

*Underwear.... well.... I do commando it a lot at events. However as to not frighten the small children as least a couple a day. Just in case.

v 

#waterproof shoes and/or a spare pair of shoes to wear when the others are drying

   

#sandals or slip-on shoes to wear to the river, showers, or porta-potties

v# good solid boots to wear on the field; modern military boots are a popular choice, especially under leather spats

Other Necessities

v#  a tankard, for staying hydrated and for partying without having your soul stolen

v#  bug spray

v#  sunscreen

v * Medical kit with band aides, Asprin, Tylanol or Advil, and meds you need, etc.

v # your field kit, which is either armor and arms, or good footwear and something that will enable you to survive being in the sun on the field for hours while you help with logistics

v   

Good-to-Haves

v # a basket to carry your toiletries to the river, spigot, or showers, or tablewear to dinner, or purchases while shopping

v#  a belt with pouches

v # a mug hanger for your belt

v#  a scabbard for your sword/knife. You do not need to carry a weapon in town, but many people like to because swagger.

v#  a decorum light source. Yannick the Alchemist (an Ordo QC local) sells magic flashlights where the light comes out of a huge crystal on the front; they're in the $40+ CAD range, and super-awesome.

v # rope to create a clothesline to dry your clothing

      *Clothes pins. The old style wooden ones would look awesome.

Popular Ideas

v#  a musical instrument

v#  a period game, such as dice or cards

v # a fan

v # a parasol

v # snacks or booze to share

v # plastic tubs or bags to keep things from getting too damp