Swordtag
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 Cover art by Mike Bjornson | |
| Designers | Brett Dougherty |
|---|---|
| Illustrators | Mike Bjornson |
| Publishers | The Adventurers' Guild |
| Publication | 1988 |
| Genres | LARP |
Swordtag is a set of rules for a fantasy live-action role-playing game (LARP) published by The Adventurers' Guild in 1988 in which players take on character roles, dress in "play" armor and fight each other with boffer weapons.
Swordtag is set of basic rules for a fantasy LARP. Players can be one of nine character classes, largely drawn from Dungeons & Dragons, such as thief, mage, warrior, or bard. (In the updated Swordtag II booklet, this was increased to fifteen character classes.)[1] The booklet gives an outline of combat and magic, and provides instructions on how to construct a boffer or create a wand of light from a paper towel tube and a flashlight.[2] There are also suggestions on how to design costumes and equipment, where to play, suggestions on designing scenarios, and how to make fantasy work in the real world.[3]
A referee sets up scenarios, judges combat and adjudicates party decisions. During one-on-one combat, well-padded players attempt to hit each other with boffers, scoring one point for each valid hit. The intrinsic value of declared armour decreases with damage, and there are rules for healing. Wizards involved in combat cast spells by hurling a small pouch at the target of their spell — if the pouch hits the target, the spell is successful.[3]