History of Live Action Role Playing Games

Series Summary

Do you have daydreams about jousts and magic spells? Do you feel limited trying to channel your swords and sorcery into tiny little game pieces and childish trading cards? Ever want to just step onto the field of battle and thrash your opponent? Do you miss the Middle Ages? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might just be the ideal candidate for Amtgard, a live-action role-playing game that allows you to physically fight your opponents instead of rolling dice against them. In battles that have as much in common with fencing and martial arts demonstrations, opponents battle with swords and shields, following an extensive set of rules designed to mimic the effects of a real fight. You can cut off an opponent's arms and legs, stab them in the heart and even kill them off entirely without a scratch on either one of you. Add to magic to the fight, and you've got a good Warcraft or Dungeons and Dragons face off, but live and in person! Cast spells to freeze your opponent or even give yourself magic power. The possibilities are endless in the world of Amtgard!

The game of Amtgard was created in El Paso, Texas by Peter La Grue in 1983. He borrowed aspects from other role playing games such as Emarthnguarth and Dagorhir to create the rules and format for Amtgard. What started as a few friends in renaissance costumes has become a worldwide activity, with Amtgard chapters in Croatia, Finland, Russia, even Japan. In this free series Medieval combat videos, our expert on live rpgs describes the rules and outlines strategies for playing this engaging game. Austin Harmon, known in the Amgard world as Forest Evergreen, tells you how to vote and set up kingdoms. He also gives you advice on the more practical aspects of the game, such as how to create weapons.

Video Transcript

"hi, my name's Austin Harmon, but out here, I'm known as Forest Evergreen, and I'm here on expertvillage.com to teach you about the game of Amtgard. Amtgard is a live-action role-playing game, or a LARP. It was designed in 1983 out in El Paso, Texas, and was devised on two combat systems--fantasy combat systems--and the guy who created it added in a magic element, so you have an entire role-play system. The game is based on using safe, padded weapons. We use graphite golf-club shafts, and fun noodle pool foam for a basic sword. Tape it down; put a cloth cover over it. That way, the strikes don't hurt. You can swing away without worrying about having to wear armor, necessarily, or wearing protective gear. The weapons are padded, not the people. Basic games occur every weekend all around the United States. Here, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, we have had a group since 1988. We're an independent group from El Paso. There are twelve independent, functioning groups from all around the United States, each capable of running their organization as they want, though we do share a common rulebook, that we've all agreed to play by the same rules."