What to wear to a fantasy LARP? Basic costume and gear

Greetings to everyone who has decided to start with LARP, as well as to those who have been actively involved for some time.

Are you putting together your first fantasy LARP costume? Or are you planning to enrich your LARP gear with a few new pieces? You're in the right place! To enjoy the game to the fullest, it's important to have the right costume, a suitable weapon, and other equipment.

A few valuable tips to start with

First, a basic piece of advice for newcomers – start light. If you are heading to your first event and putting your gear together, keep in mind that simplicity is beauty! It is perfectly understandable that you want to dazzle with your appearance and look your best at the LARP. However, it pays off not to buy everything at once, especially because you don't know yet if you will truly enjoy LARP and continue with it.

For starters, the best choice is a simple, universal costume, such as a peasant or a traveler who has just begun their journey to glory, which you can gradually tune to perfection – perhaps according to how your role develops or changes. With your first purchase of a costume and equipment, our @Kuba | imago can help you with his selection of goods First time at LARP. If you want to ask him something, you can chat with him on our Discord, specifically in the #cosplay-larp section.

The LARP setting is also important. Your costume should match the game world, but it should also be comfortable and practical.

The foundation of a fantasy costume

Basic clothing doesn't have to look special at first glance, but if you make a few of your own adjustments, you can turn even a simple costume into a unique piece.

For starters, a one-piece costume can be a good choice, e.g., a dress or a monk's habit. But layering can also pay off, allowing for greater costume variability, for example for different events.

Costume for men

Common clothing includes a tunic / shirt, trousers, and possibly a cloak. The base can later be supplemented with a doublet or tabard.

Costume for women

The base of a women's costume has several variations. Ladies who do not participate in combat can choose between simplicity, e.g., one-piece medieval dress Judit, and the option to combine: petticoat and apron or an outer surcotte. Common folk women can wear a skirt with a tunic and bodice. For women in combat, we recommend trousers with a tunic, possibly with a bodice or vest, which add femininity to the costume.

Costume for children

Since there are also heroes of smaller stature among us, we have sewn simple yet high-quality children's costumes for hobbits, consisting of trousers or a skirt and a shirt with a vest or bodice. There is also the children's favorite tabard and hooded cloak.

Essential costume accessories

An absolutely essential accessory is a belt. Although it may not look like it at first glance, the belt is one of the most important parts of your attire. Why?

Because you will always have something hanging from it: a weapon, a quiver with arrows, a pouch for coins, or a bag with all the necessities of the 21st century. Ladies who refuse to fight and prefer to manage estates and heal the wounded can have a potion pouch and a pompadour bag on their belt for their everyday little things.

Accessories that take your costume to the next level

The vast majority of LARPers want to breathe some life into their outfit. To personalize it, in other words, to show that this is me. You can use most of the goods from our DIY offer with various materials and tools for your own production. You will find truly everything possible here: fur trims, fabric by the meter, modeling clay, decorated belt buckles and cloak clasps, but also bells and other small items.

If you prefer ready-made accessories, leather bracers, headbands and other headwear, and fantasy jewelry can serve to enrich your costume, which, in addition to magical effects, can also increase your social status.

Is your costume ready, but something is still missing? Maybe some stylish make-up, scars on your face, a beard, or a wig will finish it off, and maybe your outfit would look good with some dirt and blood. That depends on what character you are playing.

Footwear = a separate chapter

Although many organizers will allow you to wear sneakers or moccasins at a LARP, I still recommend investing in an authentic pair of boots after some time. Period footwear is made of high-quality leather and will last for years with proper maintenance.

In the Middle Ages, so-called leather shoes (krpce) served as footwear for the common people, which fit almost every costume. For colder and wetter weather, or for battle, it is better to have leather ankle boots.

For greater comfort, you can supplement your boots with foot wraps and if you don't want your trousers flapping around your ankles, get a pair of leg wraps.

Choosing a LARP weapon

For starters, it is essential to decide what type of weapon you want to fight with, whether you prefer close combat, or on the contrary, you feel better with a bow.

It is also important to find out what types of weapons are allowed for the event you want to attend. Depending on that, you can decide to buy wooden weapons or padded weapons. A proven classic is, of course, a sword. However, it is good to know that you can also fight with a mace, axe, spear, or war hammer, for example.

As for latex weapons, a dagger or throwing weapons (axe, tankard, and other strange objects) might come in handy. However, I do not recommend a latex sword or axe for the beginning of a LARP career; they are more suitable for cosplay as props than as padded weapons for battle. Weapons with a latex coating are relatively expensive and demanding to maintain. Before and after an event, and from time to time, it is necessary to impregnate the blade and handle with a fixing spray so that the paint does not peel off.

Into battle not only with a weapon, but also with armor

For starters, you will probably get by with just bracers and gloves. Your hands will likely suffer the most, and an investment in their protection pays off. Archers are a separate chapter, but the basis is also hand protection using finger and wrist guards.

Again, it is necessary to check what armor is required for the event. It may happen that head and torso protection is mandatory; in such cases, a leather or iron helmet will serve well, with a padded cap underneath, and a gambeson on the body.

And now for some more advanced equipment. For many warriors at LARPs and wood-fighting events, mobility and agility are more important than anything else. Leather armor is made for them. It doesn't weigh much, provides enough protection, and also looks absolutely great in the chaos of the battle fray. At the same time, you can supplement this armor with bracers, a leather gorget, or greaves. You can also combine leather armor with elements of plate armor.

Other equipment

A costume alone is not enough! Here is a checklist of things that will make every LARP more pleasant or help with greater authenticity during roleplay:

• Period tableware – a cup or drinking horn, bowl, and spoon.
• Stylish warmth – a wool blanket is always useful, plus it warms you up even in damp conditions.
• Quality luggage – a satchel, haversack, or canvas backpack.
• Period lighting – torches and lanterns, a flint and steel for making a fire.
• Vials in a thousand and one ways (there are never enough elixirs and potions).

A final word: Why get your LARP gear at imago?

Did you know that imago started 20 years ago as Fantasyobchod specializing in custom production of LARP equipment? Although our assortment has grown a bit since then, this concept persists to this day, and a large part of the goods are made by hand in our workshop.

The quality and reliability of the products are guaranteed thanks to our own production; in addition, we provide custom-made production. A varied selection of goods and a friendly approach to customers also play an important role. Which brings me back to the beginning of the article – whether you are a newcomer to LARP or a seasoned veteran, you will find everything possible at imago – basic equipment, curiosities, and elaborate costumes.

authors Jakub Šenkeřík and Kryštof Halfar