Overview
Bordevar is a bright realm drawing from the heights of the medieval ages in Western Europe, high fantasy depictions of fantasy, and the more bucolic climbs of rural Wales and Britain. It is the bright colours of Andash, but without its garish intensity. It is the demonstrated loyalty of Lerona Mere's pins and ribbons, but with a focus on belonging rather than performance. It is the faith and loyalty of Greenweald, but with hope and strength, rather than darkness and morbidity. It is the history and unity of the Iron Valley, but without its naturalism and hard edges. It is elegant gowns, and resplendent armour. It is workaday people in their church-best, and it is loyal rangers watching the borders. It is home to thousands of fantasy tropes and many of its own.
The most notable line in Bordevarian kits is the line between commonfolk and nobles. As a feudal culture, social class plays a very important role that needs to be present in your kit. Throughout this page we will indicate what elements are Bordevarian, and what elements are particular for commoners or nobles. Knights will fall into whichever social category they are currently beholden to (commoners for common or hedge knights, and nobles for noble knights).
Feel
Arthurian, Heroic, Romantic, Mighty, Bucolic, Homely, Powerful, Bold.
Influences
Historically, Bordevar draws on Western Europe and Britain from the high and late middle ages, primarily 1000CE to 1300CE. The rural garb of peasants or serfs from England and France, the bright colours of medieval heraldry, the idealised image of medieval combat for noble knights, and the dirty, messy truth for their common counterparts.
From pop-culture, Bordevar looks to the myriad of fantasy depictions of human kingdoms. Examples such as Gondor (but not Rohan) from The Lord of the Rings, the many legends of King Arthur from sword and sorcery films, Stormwind, Lorderon, and Kul Tiras from World of Warcraft, the list goes on.
Materials
Linen, Velvet, Brocade, Fur Linings and Trim, Soft Leathers, Embroidery.
Colours
Bordevarian colours are clear and bold. They need not be particularly dark or light, but they must be clear, easily readable, and worn openly. There is very little mottling and natural colours and stylings are rare, save for under layers. When first selecting your colours, check what your band's colour scheme is, as it should be your first port of call. If you're not in a band or are starting one, select two strong colours that compliment eachother. When in doubt, consider using a colour wheel to check for complimentary colours. Importantly, try to avoid trims that are silver or gold, as these denote noble or knightly status within a Bordevarian Noble House.
For commoners, use of natural colours and fibres as visible base layers can help indicate your social status. Colours like off whites, creams, tans, and browns, provide an earthy feel to contrast the pagentry of nobility.
Clothing
For commoners, a good, natural base layer is easy and comfortable. A classic fencing or poets shirt is a lightweight option, as are most mid-thigh tunics. For pants, any simple pants will do, with dark track pants from any Target or K-mart being an option (avoid light grays, patterns or logos). If you have a little more time and a desire to look better, a loose legged pant is a great option. But if you want to look your best and most Bordevarian, nothing beats split hose or chausses. For dresses or skirts you have many options. Even commonfolk could wrangle a nice dress that includes different panelling and styles, while still appearing financially modest. Avoiding the styles of the Iron Valley by avoiding Saxon-style cuts. Blouses are also a great option for commonfolk femininity. Add to all of this a hood (with liripipe if you're feeling fashionable) in your bands colours (any strong colour otherwise), or a good straw hat and you'll be ready for work! Other accessories include bodices, the always awesome Tabard / Surcoat, or even a gambeson.
For nobles, a lot of the same ideas carry over from commoners, but the point is quality. Your kit should be more ornate, intricate with fine details. A poet or fencing shirt is still valid, but perhaps in bright white or black rather than a natual colour. A tunic would be far more noble with some embroidery or detail. Its a chance to upgrade to a finer dress with the same principles. Beyond this, your accessories need to carry this same sense of quality. Adding a set of long gloves tucked into a belt with fine metal ends, powerful cloaks, and jewellery is the name of the day.
Hero Pieces for Commoners
A Good (Silly) Hat
If you're not wearing anything on your head, you're not ready to go outside, if you're not ready to go outside, you're not ready to work, if you're not ready to work, you're letting everyone down. Commoners wouldn't be caught dead without something on their head and you've got plenty of options. The classic Robin Hood Bycocket, a liripipe hood worn as a chaperon, veil and fillet, an arming cap worn without a helmet and any of a dozen styles of straw hats. Not only does it finish off a kit, but any of a dozen styles of silly medieval hat help transport your overall kit back to the middle ages.
General Uncouthery
The commonfolk of Bordevar are common people with common loves and lives. A great way to represent this is to make your kit a bit more rough and tumble. The addition of patches, tattoos, pins in the hat, and brutal or bawdy mottos on weapons and armour can really lower the class of a kit. Beware that your visual stylings and overall execution remains firmly Bordevarian and does not drift into Lerona Mere however.
Hero Pieces for Nobles
You've got it, Flaunt it
Jewellery is one of the best ways to set a noble apart from a commoner, but unlike Lerona Mere, be sparing and stylish. A signet ring on one hand and a personal one on the other, a fine tiara inset with gems, or a nice set of bracelets. For a Bordevarian noble, the quality of the piece is as important as its worth. The ultimate piece of noble jewlery is the livery collar, which includes all the ceremony of noble power, mixed with its wealth.
Example Kits
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Common Mistakes
One of the Cool Ones
Bordevar is a feudal society with sharp difference between its nobles and commoners. This does put additional pressure on you if you're opting to play a noble, as you need to appear a noble, which can often cost more out-of-character money. If you're not sure you can meet this expectation, don't play a noble. It is important for the feeling and culture of the realm that characters treat eachother with the appropriate deference, an act made far more difficult if your kit blurs the lines, or is just wrong for your social strata.
Leave Your Past Behind
If your character manages to obtain their nobility through play, congratulations! Thats a tough challenge. But you have a new challenge ahead of you; obtaining a new kit. Its important that your noble character appears different, because they should be treated different.
The Tabard Goes on Top
Tabards, surcoats, and other similar heraldic garb go on top of armour, not under. The purpose is to be easily visible on the battlefield and to demonstrate your allegiance and identity while performing great heroics, something that is hard to do when it's under your breastplate.
Hard Kit does not Replace Soft Kit
Plenty of new LARPers, filled with excitement for combat, spend a lot of money on armour and weapons and forget to buy quality clothes to match. Remember that a majority of your time at Concord will be spent not fighting. You'll be walking around, standing around, sitting around, and so on, all things that are a pain to do in battle-rattle. Make sure you have a suitable soft-kit sorted BEFORE you buy your armour, not after.
Bunnings, Schmunnings
The straw hat is a great commonfolk option, but what isn't is the classic Bunnings, surf shop, or similar straw hats that are common across Australia. Even with their logos removed, their construction, shape, and style are immediately recognisable as modern and will pull you out of the world. Leave them at home.
Neighbour Danger
The Realms you are most likely to infringe on stylistically are Lerona Mere and Greenweald. Avoid Lerona Mere by keeping to high-medieval styles and avoiding landsknect and italian styles. Avoid Greenweald by ensuring your kit is colourful and bold.
Do Nots
The following items are not appropriate for Bordevarian kits:
- Crusader imagery or symbology
Weapons and Armour
The mighty knight in full tournament harness, the kings ranger with a fine bow and a warmage with a regal staff. The Kingless Kingdom explodes with full fantasy tropes played to the fullest. Whatever you are doing, you are doing it to the most.
Light armour is commonly seen as gambesons and aketons, evoking images of squires and medieval soldiery. Often accented with small pieces of plate such as bracers or helms.
Medium armour is commonly chainmail or dark leathers. As with everything it should be of good quality, cut and colour. To represent your king is to stand strong and beautiful. Their leather should mimic the form of plate, with breastplates and vambraces rather than long coats or similar. Commoners may use jackchains or even some chainmail.
Heavy armour evokes the full knightly experience, heavy plate harness the more the better. Full helms, sallets, mighty pauldrons and gauntlets. All should carry as much heraldry and pomp as possible. The level of cleanliness should indicate social class, with noble knights being mirror-shined and common sellswords bearing the grime and dents of combat.
Shields are common for their ability to act as a protector but also a minor standard. Often bearing the iconography of a particular individual, cause or group. Shields tend towards more chivalric shapes such as heaters or kites. Commoner shields may be unfinished with bare wood, they may carry iconography of a liege lord or perhaps a military or mercenary unit.
Weapons are as heroic as those who wield them. The longsword, warhammer, greatsword and halberd are evocative of the Bordevar warriors. Archery is uncommon among the nobility, being seen as a tool for hunting and competition of skill rather than a weapon of war, but commonfolk rangers can be deadly with a longbow.
Particular pieces of armour of weapons that evoke the commonfolk look and feel include:
Particular pieces of armour of weapons that evoke the noble look and feel include:
Bordevarian Heraldry
Among Bordevarians, the wearing of heraldic colours and sigils are very common to identify loyalty to various groups. However there a number of important cultural norms to account for when adding heraldry to your kit.
Any commoner group, independent noble or knight may select heraldic colours to represent them, these are often a pair of bold colours and a simple sigil. There are many competing heraldic traditions within Bordevar and you are welcome use whatever colours and sigils (within reason).
However, only recognised Noble Houses are permitted to trim their heraldry in metallic colours (commonly gold or silver) as this marks the heraldry as belonging to peers of the Realm. Independent nobles, knights and commoners (groups or otherwise) should not trim their heraldry in any format with metallic colours and should avoid trims that may emulate it (yellow trims that may be confused with gold for example).
For more information on Noble Houses and how they use Heraldry, please see the Noble House page.