Bow safety
Overview
Bows and crossbows are one of the more dangerous weapons in LRP, if they are used inappropriately. If you are planning to play an archer at Empire then you must make sure that you follow all these safety rules. Where this page refers to bows or arrows, all the relevant information also applies to crossbows and bolts as well.
The most important consideration in LRP archery is to shoot safely. That means understanding how to weight your shots so they don't hit too hard, how to check your arrows so you don't fire anything that is damaged, how to string your bow correctly. It also means always prioritising safety over your character's success. These are all important parts of LRP archery that you need to be familiar with before you use a bow at Empire, even if you have used a bow in real life before. It will take you a little time to get the hang of it, but you can talk to some experienced LRP archers, they will show you the key skills and then you can practice. You'll grasp the key concepts soon enough.
Nothing in this world is guaranteed. Bows and arrows are potentially dangerous and must be treated with the utmost seriousness and care. Once you let that arrow fly it's out of your hands, and no matter how good you are at archery. Check your arrows before every shot!
Shooting Safely
- You must personally ensure your weapon and ammunition have all been checked by the weapon checking team at each event before you use it
- The draw of a bow must be less than 30 lbs at 28” draw. Crossbows are also limited to 30lbs draw weight
- You must perform an essential check of every arrow or bolt each time before you nock it
- You must not aim at the head, you must aim at the chest or below when shooting at your target
- You must reduce the draw of your bow when firing at targets closer than 10m away, you may not fire a crossbow at targets under 3m
- You must aim at the stomach or below when firing into a crowded melee or when aiming a bow at targets closer than 3m
- You must be able to see the area you are aiming for if you are arcing your shot
- You must not shoot through narrow openings or gaps, such as between branches, fences, or through hedges
- You must never attack with a bow or crossbow or use it to parry
- You must have both hands free when using a bow or crossbow
- You must be in full control of your weapon and aware of your aim while moving around with bow drawn
- Participants under 18 years of age cannot use a crossbow
Every bow, crossbow, arrow and quarrel must be checked by a member of our weapon check team before it is used at each event you attend. If you plan to use a bow or crossbow at the event you must attend weapon check in person so they can assess your competency. There are strict limits on the poundage of any bow or crossbow used at Empire events - as well as the construction and condition of the bow. Please read the weapon checking guidelines to ensure that your bow or crossbow and your ammunition will be legal to use at our events.
You must perform an essential check on any arrow or bolt immediately before you nock it, even if you have checked it earlier. You must perform a full check on any arrow or bolt before you bring it onto a battle or skirmish and each time before you recover it.
When you use a bow or crossbow, you must not aim at the head. You may not fire a crossbow at any target less than 3m away from you. If you have a bow you must not draw the bow to normal extension when when firing at a target that is 10m or closer to you, you must reduce the draw proportionately. You must aim at the stomach or below when firing into a crowded melee or when aiming a bow at targets closer than 3m.
If you are arcing an arrow then you must be able to see the area you are aiming for. There is a higher risk of an overdrawn shot against a close target if you're not able to be fully aware of your surroundings when a person closer than the target moves into the line of fire. For this reason, you must not shoot through narrow openings such as small gaps between branches, fences or through hedges. Extra care must be taken when shooting near combat lines, or past/over or through shield lines. You must have enough space to shoot safely
You must have both hands on your weapon and not be holding anything else when shooting your bow or crossbow. You must be in control of your weapon and aware of your aim at all times when your bow is drawn or your crossbow loaded, especially when moving around. You may engage in melee while holding your bow, crossbow or arrows in your off-hand, but you must make sure you keep them close to your body and away from other participants. You must not parry with a missile weapon.
All participants are welcome to recover arrows and pass them to an archer but do not pass arrows to marshals or referees, unless asked to do so. You can put them to one side where they will be at less risk of being trod on, or hand them directly to another participant. You must not throw arrows or bolts at anyone.
Essential Check
- You must check the essentials for every arrow or bolt before you nock it
- Feel the foam on face of the arrow to check it is free from debris and the foam not waterlogged
- Feel the soft foam to check it is still firmly attached to the arrow head and that the head is securely attacked to the shaft
- Visually check the arrow shaft is intact and the flights and nock are still present
You must check the essentials for every arrow or bolt each time you use them. You must perform this essential check by carrying out all the steps listed above immediately before you nock the arrow, even if you have already checked it earlier.
Full Check
- You must conduct a full check of every arrow or bolt before you bring it onto a battle or skirmish
- You must immediately conduct a full check of any arrow that you recover it
- Feel the foam on face of the arrow to check it is free from debris and the foam not waterlogged
- Feel the soft foam to check it is still firmly attached to the arrow head and that the head is securely attacked to the shaft
- Flex the shaft to ensure it is not cracked or split
- Feel each flight to check none are missing or loose
- Examine the nock to ensure it is not loose or split
You must carry out a more rigorous full check of every arrow or bolt before you bring it onto a battle or skirmish. You must perform this full check by carrying out all the steps listed for all your ammunition. You must also conduct a full check of any arrow that you recover, as you recover it, even if you have already checked it earlier.
There is a useful video created by Nick Turner that shows how to check an LRP arrow or bolt. The "when to check" portion of the video is no longer up-to-date, but the rest of the video gives an excellent explanation of what to check and how.
Bow Competency
- When you take your bow to weapon check you will be asked to demonstrate that you know how to use it safely
- The weapon check team will give you a copy of our archery safety rules which you must carry at all times whilst using your bow
When you take a bow to weapon check you will be required to string and destring your bow, and asked to demonstrate checking an arrow or bolt is safe to shoot. You may be asked to fire the weapon at a nearby target. The aim of these checks is to ensure that you know how use your bow or crossbow safely at our events. If the weapon check team are not satisfied that you are able to use the weapon safely then they will arrange for you to receive a demonstration lesson in how to use a LRP bow or crossbow safely.
The weapon check team will provide you with a copy of our archery safety rules which you must carry on your person at all times when using a bow or crossbow.
Restrictions
- Archery is not permitted during the hours of darkness
- Archery may be prohibited outside Anvil at other times due to adverse weather conditions
- If this happens, a referee will inform you before the skirmish or battle begins
Archery is not permitted during the hours of darkness at Empire. The official cut-off time will be published on the wiki before each event on the page for that event. You must not use a bow in Anvil after this time - nor take a bow on a quest or skirmish which starts at this time or later. The official cut-off will be the time the conjunction begins, so you may use a bow on any quest or skirmish that starts before this time even if it ends afterwards.
We may prohibit the use of archery outside Anvil in adverse weather conditions (such as high winds) if we believe conditions are not safe enough to allow it. If this happens, a member of the PD referee team will inform you that no bows or crossbows can be used before the skirmish or battle begins.
Further Reading
Links
- A helpful video by Nick Turner that goes through the steps of checking an arrow is safe to fire.