LARP Spell Packet Pro-Tips

Pro-Tips for Bradley Packet Use

For some LARPers, using spell packets comes naturally. Yet many players need pointers on the best ways to carry, hold, and throw their packets in the most effective and efficient way. Below are some tips that novice and experienced casters may find useful.

Pro-Tip: Stretch your Throwing Arm

Underestimating the importance of warming-up before doing any serious spell casting can hinder your throwing accuracy and lead to injuries. By taking a few minutes to perform a few simple stretches (which most of us learned as children), you can minimize these risks.

Make sure to stretch every body part that you'll use when you throw (back, chest, shoulder, triceps, biceps, forearm, and wrist), and while not specific to spell packet use, I recommend stretching in general to minimize LARPing injuries and soreness. If you have the time, you should make some easy practice throws to further warm up your arm: start slow, then gradually increase the speed at which you throw the spell packets.

Pro-Tip: Keep your Packet Pouch Open

Packet Pouches are usually looped on your belt or worn with a shoulder strap. Military surplus bags work well for this purpose, but many LARPers find them too anachronistic to incorporate into their costuming, so they make their own. The key with either method is to make sure your pouch doesn't bunch or otherwise unintentionally close from the weight of your spell packets, as you want make sure you have quick and easy access.

If you are sewing your own pouch, using a stiff fabric (like a heavy canvas) will generally keep the mouth from bunching up on your belt and closing. If you're not comfortable working with stiff fabrics, you can sew your pouch with regular fabric and reinforce the back of your packet pouch at the mouth/belt loop with something that will hold the shape, like plastic zip ties. The key in picking your reinforcement material is making sure it is stiff enough to keep the mouth of your packet pouch from bunching, yet flexible enough to bend some with the contours of your body.

Pro-Tip: Preparing a Packet Blossom

Also affectionately known as a Death Blossom, a Packet Blossom is the most efficient way to hold a large number of spell packets in your non-throwing hand ("off-hand"). This will allow you to rapidly grab packets with your casting hand without having to repeatedly reach into your packet pouch.

Start by grasping the base (rubber band) of one packet between your index and middle fingers, with the head facing your knuckles and the tail facing your palm. Do the same with packets in between your middle and ring fingers and your ring and pinky fingers, creating a row of three packets. Next, created another row of packets in a similar fashion, but with the heads facing your palm and the tails facing out. Create a third row just as you did the first: heads out, tails in. This will give you nine packets between your four fingers. You can close your fist around the packets in the middle row and use your thumb to hold another packet or two against the packets in your fist.

If you are carrying a weapon in your off hand, you may find it easier to either turn that second (inner) row out or eliminate it entirely. Similarly, if you have small hands, you may find it more comfortable to only have two rows, both with the heads facing outward.

Pro-Tip: Chest Toss for Quick, Short Throws

For quick, short-distance throws (15 feet or less), it's best to toss your spell packet out from your chest, similar to how you might toss a basketball.

Grasp your spell packet at the base with the thumb and index finger of your throwing hand and hold it so the tail is touching your sternum. The elbow of your throwing arm should be cocked out, parallel with the ground, while your off-hand (with packet blossom fully formed) should sit just below your throwing hand.

To throw, simply extend your arm out and release the spell packet so that your index finger points at your desired target. As you bring your hand back in, you can quickly pull another packet out of your off-hand.

This style also works well with the Double-Tap Toss method (see below) for advanced casters.

Pro-Tip: Baseball Throws for Medium and Long Distances

For some people, this method just comes naturally: whether you learned to throw in the over-hand or side-arm style (just not underhand), you should throw a spell packet the same way you throw a baseball. But just like throwing a baseball, how you hold and release the spell packet can seriously effect your accuracy.

For this basic throwing method, you should hold the spell packet with the base (rubber band) in between your index and middle fingers. Use your thumb to support the head and allow the tail to emerge between your knuckles (see the first two pictures in the Double-Tap slideshow below for clarifications. Your arm should move in a fluid arch and your entire torso should rotate with the motion of your arm to maximize the power of your throw. To release the packet, you open your hand, allowing your thumb to fall away from the head and expanding the distance between your index and middle fingers. Regardless of whether you throw over-hand or side-arm, you should follow-through with your throwing motion, just as you would when throwing a baseball.

As the distance increases, you'll have to modify your release and arm motion slightly. For medium distance, over-hand throws, you want to release the packet with your index finger pointing at your target. But as the distance increases, you'll need to release earlier in the throwing arc. For side-arm throws, you should release the packet with your index fingers pointing at the target and the motion of your arm will remain parallel to the ground for medium distance throws. For longer side-arm throws, you'll still release the packet with your index finger pointed at your target, but you'll need to angle your arm motion up as the distance increases.

Pro-Tip: Double-Tap Toss

The Double-Tap Toss is a way of holding two spell packets in your hand so you can toss them in rapid succession, allowing you to move directly from your first throw's follow-through into the motion for your second throw without having to reach for another packet. It takes some practice to master, but it can be particularly effective at quickly delivering two spells (or other packet-delivered attacks) that work well in conjunction with one another (often referred to as "spell combos").

Effective at short and medium distances, this method can be used with either a Chest Toss or a baseball throw. To prepare, grasp the base of one spell packet between with index and middle fingers, with the head facing your palm. Place a second packet in between your middle and ring fingers in a similar fashion. Shift your thumb so that it covers the head of the second packet but not the first.

When throwing, your arm moves normally, but you release the first packet by loosening your grip with your index finger and pointing it at your target. The second packet should stay secure, with your middle and ring fingers tight together and your thumb covering the head. The second packet can then be released by opening the hand as you normally would and pointing at your target with your middle and index fingers.

The most advanced casters can take this one step further by holding a third packet with the ring and pinky fingers for a Triple-Tap Toss. However, because of the relative lack of dexterity and stability of your ring and pinky fingers, the third packet of the Triple-Tap has limited accuracy and should be reserved for short-range throws.

Bonus Pro-Tip: Use Lotion when Making Spell Packets

As I discuss on my FAQs page, fabric, rubber bands, and birdseed all have chemicals on them that will dry out your skin. When combined with the
friction of winding the rubber band around the spell packet, the skin on your fingers can easily crack, blister, and even bleed. For that reason, if you choose to make your own spell packets, I highly recommend that you take occasional breaks to moisturize your hands with a good lotion.