Arbalest not be the same as an arbalest). In some cases, the word has been used to refer to arbalists, the people who actually used the weapon. Arbalest The arbalest (also arblast) was a late variation of the crossbow coming into use in Europe during the 12th century. A large weapon, the arbalest had a steel prod ("bow"). Since the arbalest was much larger than earlier crossbows, and because of the greater tensile strength of steel, it had a greater force. However, the greater draw weight was offset by the smaller powerstroke, which limited its potential in fully transferring the energy
Foam weapon Foam weapon A foam weapon, also known as a boffer, padded weapon, or latex weapon, is a padded mock weapon used for simulated handheld combat. Such weapons are used in simulated battles called battle gaming and in some live action role-playing games (LARPs). In the United States there are four major kinds of foam mock weapons in use in medieval combat sports, battle gaming, and LARPs. They can be defined as: "boffer weapons" – The term "boffer" refers to a particular construction of weapon that involves a single piece of PVC pipe, with one layer of pipe foam around it,