While medieval fantasy has the past to take inspiration from and has very iconic types of outfit associated with typical character classes, science fiction aesthetics can be a little more complicated to nail down. Sometimes, a good look can easily be achieved with well picked modern clothes. A post-apocalyptic survivor could simply wear practical outdoor clothing, paramilitary gear, or whatever they had on when things went wrong in the world. Similarly, a space worker or sci-fi technician could wear a good old set of coveralls or a jumpsuit.

However, some events may have very particular looks that will require more than buying some second-hand clothes. Wasteland type events are famous for the intricacy of their costumes, with clothes being stained and aged by hand to look utterly dirty and ancient, while also supporting extravagant accessories made of scraps and metal parts. An extra from Walking Dead wouldn’t fit in the middle of a band of Mad Max style raiders, so it’s important to get a good idea of the look that is expected at your event.

Fortunately, tools and pipes used as bludgeons, as well as classics like baseball bats, combat knives, and fireman axes are almost always a good weapon choice for post-apocalyptic LARP. For science fiction, tools can still often be used as improvised weapons, and modern bladed weapons can also be a good fit, with the katana being a very popular sword type for cyberpunk and zombie events in particular.