ranged weapons

Dimensions and requirements for weapons are listed on pages 31-32 of the Rulebook. 

The Dystopia Rising LARP Network uses four different forms of ranged weapon representation. Below you will find details on basic guidelines for making a ranged weapon prop.  These instructions are not the most masterful, but they are a simple way for new players to produce inexpensive starting weapons.  There are other resources on the Internet that can help you create a better looking prop, as well as acquiring professionally made latex weapons available through online retailers. 

Firearms & Foam projectiles

At Dystopia Rising: Texas, our top priority is the safety of our players and staff. It goes without saying that we are all here to have a great time. We are not willing to have that great time at the expense of others. With that in mind, this is an outline of the rules and guidelines for foam blasters or “NERF guns”. Any Guide may deem a blaster unsafe at any time regardless of these rules.

When selecting a Blaster for Physrep please be sure to check the box/ website of the blaster you wish to purchase. Major retailers such as Walmart and Target offer Adventure Force blasters, such as the MK 1.1 pro. This blaster can easily fire 150+ FPS out of the box. These blasters can usually have their spring downgraded or other mods to allow them to pass a safety check.

Blasters

  • All contact safe foam blaster toys must be safety checked at entrance.

  • Cosmetic alterations are allowed and encouraged. Paint jobs should be genre appropriate and fit into the post-apocalyptic aesthetic.

  • All blasters should be tested by chronograph, on site by a DR:TX Safety Guide. Ideally each test will consist of firing 10 rounds through a chronograph, though 5 rounds is acceptable at local operator's discretion to facilitate long lines. Firing less than 5 rounds is not recommended.

  • When a blaster is tested, it should be tested with all attachments and the ammo type and brand a player plans to use throughout the event.

  • The FPS limit for blasters is generally based on projectile type:

    • Full length & half-length darts - 130 FPS

    • Rival rounds - 110 FPS

    • Mega Rounds - 90 FPS

  • If a blaster is firing near the upper limit (110-120 FPS) it should be noted on the weapon tag.

  • If the player is using a SCAR-style barrel attachment, it should be used for the duration of the event. Without the barrel it could fire over the recommended safe FPS limit and will be considered a safety violation.

  • Weapons may not be modified after a safety check. If a blaster has a spring change, a different power source put in, or a player buys a new ammo brand, it should be retested.

  • Blasters may only fire a single shot per pull of the trigger.

  • Blasters that fire two or more projectiles at once are not allowed.

  • Fully automatic blasters or similar modifications are not allowed.

  • Spring powered and Flywheel blasters are both currently approved blaster types.

  • Pneumatic and compressed air/gas powered blasters are not allowed at Dystopia Rising. 

  • 3D printed blasters should be checked to ensure they are of rigid construction. Any 3D printed parts will be checked to ensure there are no outward facing sharp / pointed edges that could cause injury should someone accidentally run into it or slip and fall onto it.

  • The last half inch of the functioning barrel of the firearm should be bright orange, as per 15 U.S. Code § 5001 (b)(1).

  • Do not aim at eyes or face with a foam blaster or packets. Use of eyewear recommended for all players and people within range.

  • Repeated complaints about unsafe use of foam blasters will result in the privilege to use them revoked for that player. If in the field, if complaints are heard of a blaster hitting too hard, the ammo being fired and notes on the tag will be checked. If these things check out, the weapon and ammo used should be retested using the chronograph.

Darts & ammo

Certain toy manufacturers produce foam projectile toys that can be used in place of packets for firearms. These toys offer a degree of style to game that does add to the overall feeling of the Dystopia Rising experience. There are certain things that need to be taken into account if you are using a firearms toy.  There is a nearly endless variety of projectiles on the market for foam blasters. Most Nerf brand and aftermarket darts are acceptable so long as they do not increase the risk of injury to participants.

  • Firearms may only shoot foam darts or foam balls. 

  • Homemade projectiles and at home cut down darts will not be allowed.

  • Foam darts and foam balls may not be modified in any fashion and must be clearly labelled with your player number.

  • Only the same kind of foam projectiles used during the safety test may be used during the course of the event.

  • Suction cup darts are prohibited

  • Whistler Hard tip darts are prohibited

  • Headshot Brand Rival ammo is prohibited

The current approved list of projectiles / brands is as follows:

Full Length:

  • Nerf Elite (NE)

  • Nerf Accustrike (NA)

  • Koosh Darts (KD)

  • XShot (XS)

  • Dart Zone Bamboo (DZ)

  • Adventure Force (AF)

  • Worker (W)

Half Darts:

  • Worker Gen 1-3 (W1, W2, W3)

  • Dart Zone Bamboo (DZ1/2)

  • Adventure Force (AFI / 2)

  • ACC Gen 3 (AC)

Rival Like Ammo:

  • Nerf Rival (NR)

Mega:

  • Nerf Mega

  • Nerf Mega Accustrike

The full list of Foam Projectile requirements as produced by DR: National is here.

BOws

Bows are represented with an prop for the Bow, but you CANNOT use “larp arrows” and must use Packets instead. These weapons are often represented by a bow without a string, or a heat formed boffer weapon formed out of PVC.

If you would like to block or do damage with your Bow, it must also meet the requirements for a contact safe Melee Weapon.

  • Bows are assumed in game to be a minimum of recurved or compound bow strength since the use of low-strength bows in a world filled with mutants and armor-wearing monsters is limited.

  • Bows must be unstrung, and cannot have a string.

  • Arrow style projectiles are prohibited

contact safe Packets

Packets are home made bean bags used to represent bullets, prayers, or psionic effects. They are designed to not only be safe to throw, but also safe for the environment. Our packets use a six inch square of natural fabric filled with a spoonful of birdseed (parakeet seed works best, but other seeds are acceptable, as long as you pick out the large and pointy seeds). The packet is then closed by tying twine around its midsection… leaving the seed on one side of the knot and a plume of fabric on the other.

The finished packet should be about 1 1/2” around, and flexible. Excessively large or small packets (packets that will fit in the eye socket), will be flagged by Safety Marshals, and should be disposed of, or refilled to a proper volume.

Packets are thrown safely, and should never be ‘wound up’ to throw. Packet throws follow the same rule as our melee combat, and that is to never reach back beyond ninety degrees.  Different packets have different meaning, and you should make your packets accordingly.

  • Bright Red Packet - Bullets

  • Natural White Packets - Psionics and Prayer Effects

  • Natural Blue Packets - Arrows

  • Bright Green Packets - Poisons and Radiation

Thrown Weapons & javelins

Thrown weapons are cut from open cell foam in the desired shape of the throw weapon.  Blue Mat Foam, glued together in two layers, may also be used to provide a thrown weapon that travels farther.

Thrown weapons take some experimenting to produce shapes that will actually fly (we find that ax and tomahawk type shapes work the best).  When cutting these thrown weapons be careful not to leave any pointed protrusions that could cause eye injury.  All portions of a thrown weapon must be rounded such that protrusions could not enter into the ocular cavity.  Rounded shapes such as thicker stones, throwing axes, and even some forms of disk are far superior than throwing knives or weapons with pointed protrusions.   

Always use the general guideline of 'If I were to strike someone accidentally in the face, would this cause an eye injury' when shaping and designing thrown weapons.

Javelins are core-less throwing weapons used to represent larger thrown projectiles.  The are designed to be safe to throw, but, not considered easily expendable like packets.

Javelins are constructed by taking a single length of pipe insulation no smaller than 13 inches in length and no larger than 40 inches in length.  This length of pipe insulation is opened using the provided slit, and rolled to create a 'filled' foam shaft.

Three bands of duct tape are used to hold the shaft in place (being sure as to not tighten the tape to cause the foam to dip or dimple inward).  

A cube head of open cell foam is affixed to the head of the javelin using two cross pieces of duct tape.  The head must not be crushed or condensed inward, nor should additional layers be added to 'strengthen' the tip.

The head of the javelin, affixed with crossing silver tape, is layered in such a way that the silver duct tape will affix to the shaft of the javelin under the brown tape that will be applied to the shaft of the javelin.

Two overlapping bands of brown duct tape should be used above the silver tape where the tape from the head of the javelin crosses over onto the shaft of the javelin. 

Running length wise down the shaft of the javelin single length of dark brown tape are applied to simulate wood along the shaft of the javelin.