How to Make a Shield for Amtgard RPG

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Austin Harmon, but out here I'm known as Forrest Evergreen, and I'm here on expertvillage.com to teach you about the game of Amtgard. There are two basic ways to make a shield; whether it's a punch shield, or a strap shield. The main difference you can see between these two is this one has a solid core backing. This is actually a snow disc that we got from Denver, and it's been padded around the edge. Then they take a layer of camp foam padding to put over the front, so if anybody would run into it it's padded. It's safe; no one is going to get hurt. A much more common way to do them nowadays is as the; quote technology has improved; use a closed cell foam. You use the thick closed cell foam. You get large sheets of it; usually four foot by eight foot sheets, and just cut out discs, and then you use large zip ties to strap on; in this case it's a trowel handle, and center that on so you can use that for a shield. This one doesn't have a core to it. They don't break down as easily as you might think. These shields will actually last a number of years before they need to be replaced. They're very cost effective; it doesn't cost a whole lot to get one of those pikes of foam, and you can make anywhere from five large shields; up to twelve or fifteen smaller shields out of them; depending on what size you need. Our game is designed to be the poor man's sporting game for medieval combat. There are no dues to pay, if you don't want to. There's no cost for weekly park days; weapons and shields are very cheap. A lot of people get dollar fabric from Wal-Mart or some basic store, and stitch a basic scabbard to fight in. It's a really good game for college students to play. That's how I got involved; I was at college and met some people who were playing. I was like: Hey, something I can actually afford to do in my spare time."