Getting Started/Look the Part
More actions
What you'll cover
- Understand the costume ethos at Menhirs Fate
- Review your nation's Look and Feel guide
- Know the minimum requirements and what to avoid
- Start gathering your kit with budget-friendly tips
The Costume Ethos
Menhirs Fate is a closed-world fantasy setting. When you're in character, everything you wear should feel like it belongs in Elandra. That means no jeans, no t-shirts, and no white trainers on the field.
With that said: nobody expects you to arrive at your first event looking like you stepped out of a film set. The Look and Feel guides on the wiki show aspirational costume. Something to aim for over time, not a baseline you need to hit before you're allowed through the gate.
Your costume will grow with you. Most experienced players have built their kit piece by piece over months or years, adding layers, upgrading fabrics, and refining their look as they go. Starting simple is fine. Starting enthusiastic is even better.
The golden rule: Building up your costume bit by bit is the best way to figure out what you enjoy wearing, what's comfortable, and what feels like your character's wardrobe rather than a costume.
The Minimum
The minimum costume standard at Menhirs Fate is straightforward:
- A basic LARP shirt or tunic and trousers or a skirt as your base layers
- At least one Key Costume Item from your nation's Look and Feel guide
That's it. Everything else is a bonus. The more people invest in the setting, the better the atmosphere for everyone, but nobody will turn you away for keeping it simple at the start.
Each nation has specific Key Costume Items that help characters be recognised from a distance. These are cultural elements that mark you as part of your nation. Your nation's Look and Feel page will tell you exactly what they are and how to put them together. Many of them are beginner-friendly and can be made cheaply or found in charity shops.
Good news: Kit stops at the ankle. Sensible boots, modern walking shoes, or wellies are all perfectly fine. Don't spend money on elaborate costume footwear when the site is an outdoor field in Britain.
Materials and Fabrics
Natural fabrics are the gold standard: cottons, linens, and wools in plain colours or simple patterns. These look right, feel good, and photograph well. Synthetic equivalents are absolutely fine if that's what works for you or your budget.
The key is to avoid anything that looks obviously modern. A plain linen tunic reads as medieval fantasy. A polyester football shirt does not.
Each nation has its own fabric preferences, from the warm earth tones and pastels of Avereaux to the rich velvets and jewel tones of Valdraeth. Your nation's Look and Feel guide covers the specifics.
What to Avoid
Menhirs Fate has a small number of items that are off-brief across all nations. These tend to be things that pull people out of the setting or carry associations the game wants to steer clear of:
- Steampunk elements - top hats, pith helmets, modern corsetry, goggles. These sit outside the game's historical inspiration range and often carry colonialist associations.
- Pirate tropes - frock coats, powdered wigs, flintlock pistols. Even for the maritime nation of Portavas, the aesthetic is Age of Sail glamour, not Hollywood pirate.
- Feather headdresses - too easily overlap with real-world cultural dress from various traditions. Best avoided entirely.
- Tartan kilts - iconically 1700s Scottish and impossible to separate from that association. Skirts of all kinds work brilliantly for all genders, but modern kilts and tartan don't fit the briefs.
- Ghillie suits or cloaks - usually made from modern synthetic materials that look like paintball gear. Handmade equivalents from natural materials could work in some cases.
When in doubt, check your nation's Look and Feel page or ask in the community. People are always happy to help.
Budget-Friendly Tips
Every nation in Menhirs Fate has been designed with accessibility and budget in mind. The briefs draw on what's easily available in the UK through LARP traders, reenactment markets, charity shops, and simple craft projects.
Here are some practical ways to build your kit without spending a fortune:
Charity shops are your friend. Plain cotton or linen shirts, long skirts, simple trousers, and belts can all be found secondhand. A few small modifications (removing modern buttons, adding a trim or belt) can transform a charity shop find into solid LARP kit.
Start with base layers. A good tunic or shirt and a pair of plain trousers or a long skirt will carry you through your first event. Add a belt and your nation's Key Costume Item and you're sorted.
Borrow and share. Ask your nation's community if anyone has spare kit to lend. LARP players are generous people, and lending kit to newcomers is a well-loved tradition.
Make it yourself. Many Key Costume Items are designed to be beginner-friendly craft projects. Rectangular cloaks, simple tabards, and basic hoods can all be made with minimal sewing skill.
Buy smart. LARP traders and reenactment suppliers stock affordable basics that will last for years. A single well-made tunic is worth more than three cheap ones that fall apart in the rain.
A note on elitism: Menhirs Fate asks all players to refrain from costume elitism. Don't offer unsolicited advice about someone else's kit, and don't criticise what people are wearing. Everyone is on their own journey.
Your Nation's Look and Feel
Every nation has a detailed Look and Feel page on this wiki covering colour palettes, silhouettes, fabric choices, armour styles, and Key Costume Items. This is your main reference for building a costume that feels right for your character's culture.
Browse the full Look and Feel overview, or go straight to your nation's page:
- Avereaux - Cottagecore meets classic fantasy. Warm earth tones, pastels, practical travelling gear.
- The Wonder - Iron Age influences. Vibrant earth tones, layered tunics, handcrafted details.
- Valdraeth - Dark and dramatic. Deep jewel tones, high-medieval silhouettes, rich velvets.
- Urdrevan - Steppe-inspired. Practical neutrals, sturdy leathers, furs and feathers.
- Portavas - Age of Sail glamour. Sea colours, baggy sleeves, pearls and brocades.
- Hammerstadt - Musketeers-era fashion. Deep jewel tones, tailored doublets, wide-brimmed hats.
- Kairos - Ancient Greek-inspired. Draped fabrics, gold accents, muscleplate armour.
- Syradonia - Fantasy paladins. Dramatic pauldrons, dark colours, metallic accents.
- Morvalis - Landsknecht boldness. High-contrast colour-blocking, velvets, symbols of death and beauty.