The World of Live Action Role Playing

7/30/2019 The World of Live Action Role Playing

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The World of Live Action Role Playing: Belegarth

By

S.P. Floyd


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Over the many years I have spent in the military, I have found myself surrounded by

many different cultures around the world. From my travels from the Middle East, to the coastal

shores of South Korea, I have found myself enveloped by the culture of others. Due to the

submersion in which my job required of me, I would easily find myself resisting the typical

culture shock that most people would feel when leaving the safety bubble of their home society;

however, this very much changed when I decided to step into a realm not of this world, but one

of complete fantasy, called Live Action Roleplaying. Over the past five months, I have had the

experience of getting to understand and relate with the people of this small recreational group,

learning about the lore behind their group, what they are about, and probably most importantly,

their love for it. In order to understand the society in which I studied, Id like to begin by first

going over what exactly is Live Action Roleplaying is, how one becomes a member, the clothing

and weapons used, the rules of combat, and then finally my own personal experience with the

group.

Introduction to LARP:

Live Action Roleplaying, known as LARP within or even outside of its established

community, is a recreational activity established around the idea of playing in a specific role, or

fictional character in a war game scenario. Since many within the community I am following

view the term LARP as a derogative term to describe what they are about specifically, since

most groups who refer to themselves as a LARP society role play in what is referred to as a

High Fantasy setting. The group in which I am following refers to themselves as Belegarth,

which is the name of their collective realms, which span over all the continental U.S., along with

many parts of Canada and Europe. Belegarth, unlike its LARP counterparts, is a low fantasy

setting, with very little use of magic (which I will cover later), and although fantasy races do


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exist, they tend to be rare (Elves, Dwarfs, Orcs, etc.). My informant, a member of the Obsidian

Hollow Realm, stationed in Crystal Lake, IL, discussed with me in his own terms what Belegarth

is:

Its a place for all of us to practice our inner nerd, but its more than that, its a

community thats very tight nit. It brings all walks of life together for the sport of fighting in a

fantasy setting, in a safe way.

The idea is said to have spawned from the mind of a college student in the 1970s, which

after reading J.R.R. Tolkiens literary work, The Lord of the Rings, became inspired to

develop a new found hobby based off of the fantasy. Due to his love for the outdoors, he sought

to bring the improvisational acting and fantasy play in which he loved as well together, for other

like-minded individuals to join in on. The main idea was similar to that of civil war

reenactments, however, instead of being taken to historically backed events, which tangled and

often reminded people of the troubles and turmoil involved in our own world, would instead

reflect those of an imaginary realm set in a completely different time period where such troubles

did not exist.

Due to the expansion of the sport around the country, members from all over meet every

year at two major events, Spring Wars, which is hosted the last week of April, and Oktoberfest,

which is held the last week of September going into the first week of October. These events are

usually hosted by one of the major realms. Spring Wars, which I will be able to experience

myself, is hosted in Normal, IL, and hosted by the The Wolfpack, a knights order who prefer not

to use fails or cheater weapons.

Becoming a Member:


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Becoming a member is rather simple and cost effective; members are only required to be

14 years or older, and have parent consent if under the age of 18. Starting off most members

lack any weaponry or lore friendly clothing (referred to as garb by its members), so many of the

more veteran players and members of the realm take it upon themselves to supply the new

recruits with weapons and tunics, giving them a taste of the experience so if they decide they

wish to stick with the hobby, they can then go out and buy personal possessions at a later date.

There are no fees for being a member either, since realm upkeep is taken on by the

community, and completely based on donations by its members, who give away old weapons and

clothing, buy food and drinks for the larger events, or offer to pick up members to transport them

if they dont have the means of transportation to get to a practice or a larger event. This is a huge

part of the community, since not only does it make some of the newer members feel more

welcomed into the group, it also brings attention to the realm from other realms, noting the

groups hospitality to host others from around the country.

Since I have never experienced the culture myself before, my informant Adam supplied

me with an assortment of weapons and shields to not only train with, but to study their

craftsmanship. Before I would step on the field and become a full combatant myself, I sat on the

side-lines of the battlefield (usually where the picnic benches or gazebos were located) and

watched on as the groups wages mock battles against one another, in numerous settings.

The Clothing and Weapons:

Clothing and weapons are a huge part of the culture, and show a personal pride in ones

own personal character and overall investment into the realm. As I walked the field, I noticed

that although the weapons and garb (lore friendly clothing) all seem to follow similar templates


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and use similar materials, each persons appearance was drastically different from individual to

individual. The clothing an individual wears also can reflect their status not only in the realm,

but among smaller groups of individuals known as units or guilds, whom may also have a code

of dress and appearance that either may fit along the lines of military standardization or may

simply be based on lore oriented knowledge. As my informant put it, Youll never see a goblin

in a knights dress; its simply not in their character. Just like you wouldnt see a Star Trek fan

wearing a storm trooper uniform.

(Members of Obsidian Hollow in light garb)

Weapons are always something of interest, especially when involved in a group or culture

which is based on fight. The weapons used are extremely safe, using the common components

of PVC piping and camping/yoga maps as the padding; shaping the latter around the pipe to form

the desired weaponry. Just like the clothing the many members adorn themselves in, weapons


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are an interesting way in which fighters can not only identify themselves, but they also define

their tactics in battle (something I will go over further in the Rules of Combat). Although the

most common weapon used on the field, due to the simplicity of its construction and overall

balance as a weapon is the sword, there are also axes, daggers, spears and even halberds (which

is a long role weapon with an axe head and a spear tip). The sword I was given by Chris is about

36 inches in length, with a gray cloth cover over the PVC piping and layers of form. Along the

blade is an elven inscription, using the language written by J.R.R. Tolkien in this famous fantasy

work. I was told that building your weapons, especially when new to the group can be tasking,

so there is much involvement within the community to help the more green players in building

and amassing their own armory.

(Assortment of weapons and Shields)

Since I was going to be spending quite the amount of time with the Obsidian Hollow

realm, some of the members were more than willing to lend me weapons in order to figure out

how to make one of my own, using the communities advice, along with reverse engineering a


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smaller sword which was given to me as a gift by my informant Chris, I set off to make my own

sword. Over the course of a few weeks, I gather pieces to build my own weapon, which only ran

me a cost of about 15$, with plenty of spare pieces to do repairs or perhaps build a smaller

sidearm. However, I have never used a sewing machine, so I had Chris create a cloth wrapping

for the blade, which keeps the foam from tearing (See picture) and inclement weather from

breaking down the glue faster.

( sword top and my shoddy creation bottom)

Rules of Combat:

The bread and butter of the group; combat, which brings everyone together and leaves

many of its members with grand stories or insights laughter over the foolishness of newer

combatants taking on the toughest knights in the realms. The rules of combat are very well set

up and easy to understand for even the newest of players; after my second day of being out with

the members of Obsidian Hollow, I felt like I could be a referee (referred to later as Heralds)

myself.


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Everyone has three areas that are certified for striking, the arms, the legs, and the torso.

One stick to any limb renders that limb unusable, causing a person who loses a leg to fall to their

knees, but is still able to fight until another limb is lost (considered bleeding out) or the

individual is struck in the torso, which leaves the individual dead instantly. So with these rules,

an individual is deemed dead for the remainder of the skirmish if losing two limbs, or struck

once to the torso; unable to join into the fray until the battle is over. Due to the issue of the

weapons being well padded with the foam, some of the hits feel like nothing more than a child

hitting you with a pillow, however, some of the larger members who use two-handed weaponry

tend to swing for the fences, which can leave small welts or bruises on their victims, but nothing

overly serious; the sport prides itself on safety.

Some of the knights or high income making players have the luxury of buying armor,

which allows members to receive an additional hit to whatever part of the body is covered.

However, since armor can get rather expensive, and the battles can be over as quick as they

begin it is rather uncommon to see anyone marching the field in full plate mail armor, but they

might wear greaves and bracers, allowing the limbs to take an additional hit. However, there is a

downside to the use of armor. Wearing armor inhibits movement in numerous ways, and the

biggest is when in a grappling match (since wrestling is allowed), since your movement is

restricted by the armor, and the weight causes its wearer to become winded quickly. Due to this

balance, many of the members who prefer to grapple stay out of armor, using their wrestling

talents to take down some of the heavy armorer foes which are walking fortresses.

To make sure people are following the rules, the realms all have dedicated members who

are veteran in the rules of the game, acting as referees, known as heralds. These heralds parole

the field and make sure all the rules are being adhered to, along with making sure that members


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are using safe weapons and if being struck in battle, are actually taking their hits. For a good

part of my time, I followed Adam and a few others as they acted as heralds on the field, which

allowed me to gather every ounce of information on combat, along with gathering knowledge on

some of the better fighters on the field, and the typical techniques used certain individuals.

Magic is a rarity, and even I have yet to see a single person act as a practitioner of the

magical schools. My informant explained to me the difficulty of using it in combat, due to the

rules requiring anyone wishing to cast a spell would be required to write a lengthy poem, which

would act as the incantation of the spell. However, even when I asked the many other members

of Obsidian Hollow, they even stated that they never used it, nor knew of anyone who really

used it. The work to cast a spell, particularly in some of the more close quarter matches was just

too difficult. Nevertheless it is something that is available to members, and I can only guess that

because of the stringent rules applied to magic, the low fantasy setting in which Belegarth tries to

obtain is easily met, since no one seems to enjoy writing or reciting lengthy poems when

swinging a sword is far more important.

Usually on the field you will see three styles of fighting being practiced: Florentine,

Sword and Board, and Red. Florentine is the practice of using two weapons to attack your

opponent; a technique developed in Florence, Italy, which it was named after. This style allows

the warrior to swing with a wall of attacks, sacrificing defense for maneuverability and offensive

prowess; this style of fighting is highly popular with the smaller and quicker combatants. The

next style is calledsword and board, which references the use of a single-handed weapon and a

shield. This technique gives the wielder the balance of defensive and offensive capabilities and

is used by various groups. The downside of using a sword and shield is the limited range of

striking to the off -hand side, since moving around the shield or having to drop is causes the


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wearer to lose power by having to adjust their swing, or cause the wielder to drop his guard;

something which can be fatal when against a spearmen. The final technique is called Red,

which is a community term for two-handed weaponry, due to the fact that all two-handed

weapons are required to be covered in red cloth to identify them as large weapons. The reason

for their identification is due to their ability to break shields, which is the main focus of Red

users; breaking down the defensive lines of enemy armies as friendly forces flank. When a Red

lands two solid hits to a shield, the shield is no longer usable for the remainder of the battle,

causing a huge opening to frontline combatants. However, they also are not without a negative

trait like the others. The downside of a Red weapon is if the wielder loses the use of one of his

arms; the warrior now has to wield a large and bulky weapon with one hand, being stripped of

power and proficiency. Along with these issues, the user also loses the capability to dismantle

shields with his weapon, since the rule of thumb attributed to it is that without the power of two

hands, you cannot generate enough force to take apart a shield.

Participant Observations:

To find a group that was nearby, I started my research online; looking for groups within

an hours drive, along with having practices in which fit perfectly with my schedule. During my

online search I found over twenty different groups within the State of Illinois, and four within a

driving distance that suited me. The closest group to my home of residence was Obsidian

Hollow, which immediately reached out to me when I proposed creating a cultural anthropology

project based on their sub-culture. Not only would it help me with achieving a high grade in my

class and major, but it would also help promote their culture; where the more people coming to


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be a part of your realm and culture, means the better chances of winning at the larger events

against other realms.

(Map of Belegarth Realms)

After speaking with a few of the members through their group page on Facebook, I

selected two members whom seemed to really reach out immediately, Adam Overman and Chris.

Adam, also a student at ECC and a longtime member of Belegarth Medieval Combat Society

(BMCS) was my primary contact, due to be living only a few blocks away and attending the

same school. He is a portly man, standing shy of 6 feet. Like many of his size, he specializes in

sword and board, since his size and lack of maneuverability require him to have better defense,


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along with being a larger and slower moving target on the field. Outside of the sport he is very

knowledgeable on ecology based issues and is very driven towards bettering our environment

outside the sport. Chris, an engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation, became

involved in the group only three years ago, looking for an activity which appealed to his inner

nerd-dom as he called it, along with giving him a good exercise. Chris fights with a focus on

Florentine swordplay (as mentioned above), and due to his small frame, he uses his quick

reflexes and small size to give him an advantage. Since I was going to be a part of the realm, it

was customary for me to select a name for myself within the realm. Since my idol has always

been T.E. Lawrence, also known as Lawrence of Arabia, I figured that I would give myself a

similar pseudonym for the realm of Belegarth. I figured this would be a great play on my love

for the British spy, along with my aspirations within anthropology and my military background.

However, Ill most likely wait till I earn a name for myself or someone tires of calling me by my

first name.

For the first few weeks I met up with my informant sat local caf shops or in the ECC

library to discuss the rules of the game and what they enjoyed about it. Since there was snow on

the ground, and not many of the members have the money to pay for renting out an indoor

location, most members spend the winter months rebuilding and creating new equipment for the

start of the fighting season. I spent this time also discussing the different realms and how within

the realms there are many different guilds and units in which members of BMCS can join. Just

like any working society, we form many different groups depending on our interest, and in

Belegarth this rings true as well. I could spend a whole paper listing off the different groups I

have met, and their MOs, but many of these groups interest range as widely as blacksmithing

guilds, knight orders, bandits, to even simply making accessories and drinking.


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Once the fields cleared up, I was able to actually see to some firsthand practices. Until I

felt comfortable with the rules, I stayed to the outside of the battlefields, video recording and

tracking down the heralds (referees) for any information that they could provide me with about

the ongoing skirmish. It was a thousand times easier to speak with them, due to their advanced

knowledge of the game rules, along with the fact that players on the field of battle or in the

encampments are not allowed to break character. This keeps players from talking when their

dead on the field for the remainder of the battle, and also keeps the integrity of the culture

alive. Since most of the practices last for well over four hours, there are many times in which

members split up into smaller groups and do different forms of mock battles; a perfect

opportunity for myself to gain some experience fighting within a larger group, or as an individual.

Typically the battle set ups one would see at an event or practice vary between a few styles of

matches: capture the flag, meat grinder (which is slang for free-for-all), team battles, and

finally, unit battles.


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(Two veteran members Maz and Lorkin checking weapons for safety)

A vast amount of my military training gave me a slight advantage over some of less

seasoned members, since in the service many combat oriented soldiers train in various forms of

hand-to-hand combat. For myself, training with the baton along with modern army combatives, I

had a decent learning curve compared to many of the fresher members. I felt like a prospect

slightly after a couple rounds of sparring with some of the more seasoned veterans in the realm;

many of the members are a part of much large role play units and subgroups within the culture.

Since everyone is in need of new recruits, many of the knights, group leaders and guild masters

look for able bodied and dedicated members to join their ranks; even though training can make

almost any soldier a decent fighting addition to their unit, finding those who already possess an

aptitude are sought after greatly. Nevertheless, after a few sparring sessions with the more

veteran members and a couple dozen skirmishes in Obsidian Hollow I felt more than comfortable

with my surroundings, gaining kudos from many of the members for my ability to adapt so

quickly.

While practicing, they do receive a fair amount of heckling from strangers passing by;

Belegarth members take pride almost in their hardened skin to such insults, proclaiming Yes we

know we are weird to you, as people pass honking and shouting obscenities. However, for as

many people who drive by an shout obscene things at this group keeping to themselves, you see

about three times as many people come up and ask questions, utterly intrigued by the sport, some

even jumping in and trying it themselves.

I will try to keep myself tied out of the various guilds or units, since I wanted to research

all of them as a whole; feeling that further projects and reports could easily be done on the


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smaller groups due to the extensive knowledge and lore behind each one of them. For example,

the trial in which one becomes a knight in the realm takes a very long time, and includes

attended numerous events under your tutor, being a pack horse for yourknights equipment, both

on the field and in the camps (if your knight is not a pleasant one), and then finally the trial of

knighthood, which may vary depending on the knight and the squire being tested. Aside from

this, I have been asked by many of the smaller units to continue participating in the practices and

events, seeing potential in my abilities.

Since the project unfortunately is due before the start of Spring Wars, I am unable to see

all the realms come together and experience the culture on a much larger scale; camping out

under the night sky, getting a taste of every element while sleeping in tents among thousands of

participants. Perhaps this will be another piece of research I can do at a later date or on my own,

since I am pursuing a major in anthropology. Many of the realm members will attend the event,

and those who cant grudgingly stay home and at least host smaller group practices at the realms

home field; the real world sometimes get into the way of the much more enjoyable world that

Belegarth provides.

Closing Remarks:

Although I unfortunately will not be able to go into more depth about the larger events

due the project being due a week before the largest event, I have gathered more than enough

firsthand knowledge and understanding of what it means to be a member of Belegarth Medieval

Combat Society. Touching on the roots of LARP, along with the how to become a member, the

clothing and weapons used, the rules of combat, and finally, my own experiences, I have painted

only a small piece of the larger painting that is Belegarth; a world ripe with its own culture, well

worth the note of any cultural anthropologist. Like many recreational activities, the livelihood


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of Belegarth is built upon openness to new members, and this need for new members adds to the

willingness that its current members are willing to accept people. Due to this openness, I have

met members of tough biker gangs, college kids, trekkers, and aspiring anthropologists come

together for the enjoyment of each others company, and the thrill of Belegarth.

The World of Live Action Role Playing

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