In order to participate in Valhalla LARP, you must be authorized by a member of the Safety Team regardless of whether or not you intend to participate in combat.
If you are not authorized with any weapon types, you can participate in all activities but cannot use or pick up weapons of any kind. Authorization is a privilege which may be revoked if you are later found to be playing unsafely.
Authorization is a relatively brief process during which you demonstrate that you know the basic rules (including safety do’s and don’ts) and is required for every player regardless of whether you want to fight or not.
You must authorize with each weapon form you wish to use. If you authorize with a 1-handed sword and later switch to a different 1-handed sword, you do not need to reauthorize. However, if you later decide to fight with a spear, you must authorize with the spear. Thrown weapons and packets also have separate authorizations.
If you are not yet authorized with any weapon forms, you may choose to participate in combat via spells (and you may be struck by weapons; however, you may not wield weapons or shields. If you desire to avoid combat entirely for safety reasons (e.g., you absolutely cannot be struck by weapon physreps), see the safety entry for Non-Combatants.
Someone with minimal combat experience will likely be able to pass a melee or thrown weapon authorization (besides reading the rules) because authorization is about safety, not skill.
If you are not authorized with any weapons, you may still participate in combat via spells, spell effects, and other abilities that do not require holding a weapon physrep in your hands.
Return to: Safety Guide