Here be Dragons!!!
by Arch Duke Sir Egil Tree-Speaker
m.k.a. Kalle V. Jorgensen

(article written in September 1999 for the Doņa Ana Arts Council, to be used for Ren Fair promotion)

Two bands of medieval warriors face each other in the early afternoon heat, their swords and spears glinting in the sunlight. With the recent death of the ancient dragon who lived in a nearby cave, its treasure horde lies ready for the taking; but neither group intends on letting the other see so much as a single gold coin. With a single battle cry, the two groups converge, each intent on eliminating their opponents.

Suddenly, a ball of fire hurls into their midst, scattering the fighters. Squinting into the sunlight, they can't help but notice a large airborne creature heading straight for them. The dragon is not as dead as they had thought, and has come to eliminate the would-be thieves...

Thus begins another day in Amtgard, a live-action role-playing group which meets every Saturday at Apodaca Park here in Las Cruces. The club is a chance for people, on a regular basis, to play the parts of fictitious characters they could otherwise only dream about. Some of the activities of the club are only open to members aged 14 and up; but Amtgard as a whole is open to members of any age, race, and gender. Anyone wishing to join creates an original character, and assumes the identity of that character any time they are at a club function. Their character, or "persona," can either be based on any historical setting before 1650, or any swords-and-sorcery type of fantasy setting. Thus, on any given day, you may see a mixture of vikings, elves, pirates, dwarves, Knights Templar, and Roman centurions all interacting with each other, with one common purpose: to have a good time. Everyone starts out as a "commoner," but those who display excellence in a variety of fields over the years may eventually be granted the title of Lord, Lady, Baron, Baroness, Duke, Duchess, or ranks even higher than these. The highest honor Amtgard can bestow upon a person is knighthood (signified by the wearing of a white belt), which can be achieved through service, leadership, combat excellence, or artistic achievement, or any combination of the above.

Amtgard began over 15 years ago in El Paso, and has since spread to all corners of the United States, and to several other countries. The Las Cruces chapter is the seat of the Kingdom of Dragonspine, named after the Organ Mountains: according to our legend, those mountains are the spine of a sleeping dragon who was magically put to sleep by the first people to move into this area. If the kingdom is ever invaded by warring armies, the dragon will awaken and rise to defend us. The Kingdom of Dragonspine extends from New Mexico to California, and is just one of nearly a dozen kingdoms currently in existence.

Though spectators often view us as a combat-oriented group, we are very active in a variety of other activities. We regularly hold competitions (locally and internationally) in fields such as writing, sewing, cooking, weapon construction, armor construction, and the performing arts, to name just a few. Those who have learned specific skills in the "arts and sciences" encourage and assist those just learning them, through workshops, weekly "arts and sciences" meetings on Tuesday nights, or simply in one-on-one instruction. Nearly all of the clothing and other equipment used by our members were created by the people using them, or by others within the club.

We also look for ways to contribute to the community. In Las Cruces, for instance, we have officially adopted the park in which we meet, as our way of saying "thanks" to the city for allowing us to use the park week after week and year after year. We have also in the past been invited by the Las Cruces Police Department to promote ourselves to the city's youth, as an alternative to drugs and gangs.

Our main weekly function is our Saturday morning meeting in Apodaca Park at the intersection of Madrid and Solano, in the north end of town. We officially start at 10:30 a.m., or whenever we can get enough people there to begin organized activities. Normally, we end at around 3:00 or 4:00 p.m., or whenever we get tired. This is our main weekly chance to fully play our characters, with all their "abilities."

These abilities depend on how you have defined your character. In Amtgard, you can be a warrior, an archer, a wizard, a healer, a barbarian, a monk, or any of half a dozen other types, referred to as "classes." Each "class" has specific strengths and weaknesses, such as the ability to use certain weapons or armor, the ability to use certain "magic spells," or being granted immunities to the effects of other abilities. Members are free to change classes as often as they like (unless currently engaged in battle), but the longer you play a particular class, the more abilities you are granted every time you play that class.

Club activities vary greatly, though the ones which seem to draw the most attention are when we grab our weapons and engage in battle with each other. To avoid injury, we use foam-covered replicas of historical weapons, which must meet very specific standards so as not to be capable of injuring others. Safety is very important to us, and our equipment and fighting style reflect this. Battle is not a contest of power, but rather one of trying to slip through an opponent's defenses. Armor is optional, since it is not needed to prevent the wearer from being harmed, but rather is counted into how many times you can be struck before you are considered "wounded."

The battles are not choreographed, but do follow very specific rules. For safety reasons, we avoid hitting each other in the head and neck; but the rest of the body is open to attack. If you are hit in a limb, you lose the use of that limb. If you are hit in the arm, for instance, you hold it behind your back. If you are hit in the leg, you drop to your knees. A second limb shot, or a torso shot at any time, results in a "death," after which you remove yourself from the battle field and wait for your chance to come alive again in a few minutes.

The main type of combat is referred to as a "battle game." Each of us chooses which character class we will become during that battle, then we split the players up into teams, and have them pick a tree or other marker which shall be their team base. Though we have a wide variety of battle scenarios to choose from, the most commonly-used type of battle is a variation on "capture the flag," in which each team starts with a flag or other token at their base, and the other team tries to capture it while defending their own. Rather than ending the game when the flag is captured, we play to a time limit and see which team has had the flags the longest. During a battle game, if you see someone wearing a gold indicator, that person is being a "reeve" (referee), and is there to keep the action flowing smoothly, as well as to settle any disagreements or answer any questions which may arise. If you "die" in combat, you remove yourself from the battle field for five minutes, then return to your team base and "come back to life." Different types of characters have a different number of lives they may use per battle.

The second most common fighting activity is the "ditch battle." In a ditch battle, two teams form randomly, and at the call of "lay on!" engage in battle. They fight using hand to hand weapons only, until one team is completely wiped out. At this point, the winning team gives their member who died first to the other team, and the battle re starts. This continues indefinitely, and is a great chance to work on combat skills. This is the main activity at our Thursday night (6:30 p.m.) "fighter practices" at Apodaca Park.

One of the things which sets Amtgard apart from other medievalist live-action groups is the use of "magic." (Like our "deaths" in battle, our "magic" is just pretend.) Examples of our "magic spells" include healing a wounded limb, calling lightning from the skies to strike an enemy, disappearing from view, turning your opponent into a stone statue, making an ally immune to arrows, or hypnotizing an opponent into doing your bidding. The specific rules for each of these spells, and dozens of others, are listed in our basic rule book.

Another thing which makes us unique is the occasional use of "monsters." To make a battle more interesting, we may occasionally use unicorns, dragons, trolls, minotaurs, centaurs, and their like on the battle field. These are played by members of the club, dressed in specific costumes to indicate what they are. The rules for each are listed in a supplemental rule book.

Amtgard is a relatively inexpensive hobby. Each member is responsible for coming up with their own costume and equipment, but these can be acquired for a minimal amount, since we make them ourselves. As a registered non profit group, we do not charge "dues" to our members. However, those who wish and are able to support us financially with donations are encouraged to do so. The standard amount is $1 per month. Those who so contribute are eligible to vote in major elections (minor elections are open to all), and to receive our publications for free or at a reduced price. Those who cannot contribute are not penalized, except that they do not receive the benefits just described.

In the style of the viking era Icelanders, we sometimes have an "Althing," or organizational meeting, during our Saturday meetings. Althings are a chance for all of us to discuss the affairs of our kingdom and the club as a whole. All members are welcome to contribute to the conversation, and all opinions are considered important.

Amtgard is officially affiliated only with other chapters of Amtgard. There are many medieval/fantasy gaming systems in existence worldwide, and many share common elements; but Amtgard is a seperate entity, with no official ties to any other system. In addition, we are not connected to any religion, faith, or "cult." You will find among the members of Amtgard followers of several different faiths, as well as those who for the sake of role playing pretend to believe in yet others. All are welcome here.

Those wishing to know more about Amtgard may view our rules, and other information about the club, at http://www.amtgard.net; or you may contact Kalle Jorgensen (541-6299) or Heather Heyser (647-9462) for more details.

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