The smell of fresh cut grass, the faint giggles of children on the playground, and the solid POP as a padded sword hits an arm-- all of these are normal occurrences in Victory Park on a Saturday afternoon. Of course, many may not be familiar with the last one, as it seems just a smidgen out of place among the normal sounds of the park. Then again, maybe you have just never been exposed to the world of Amtgard.

Amtgard is a LARP (live action role play) and boffer (foam weapon) combat society. It is mostly based around the medieval time period, with sword fighting, sorcery, and a variety of other types of weapons. If you’ve read my article about D&D, you would get the gist that this is almost like D&D, if D&D were played out by real people. It is the best kind of workout that a geeky person like me can get, without having to go to the gym and feel awkward about it. I know that in gyms, outside people usually aren’t looking at you, and at Amtgard outside people are, but as our most experienced fighter says, “leave your shame at home.” He is completely right when he says that. When we gather every Saturday at noon, it is with the intention of hitting people with and getting hit by foam-covered weapons. On top of that, once we have our classes, it is encouraged that we dress up. There is no room for shame in the world of Amtgard, because it is too busy being covered up by all of the fun we’re having.

Amtgard also has a super far reach in terms of how many places have little fighting groups. There is even one, to my surprise, back in my home state of Hawaii. Granted, it is not on the most populated island, but it has garnered enough followers to keep itself going throughout the years. There are also groups in places like Japan, Croatia, and Canada. That seems ridiculous, right? Well, when you think about it, it really isn’t. It’s not that surprising to find people who like the same things as you, even people in different countries entirely. Liking certain things isn’t confined to one area, nor is it confined to one gender, ethnicity, or class. Amtgard is for everyone.

Despite being a newbie, and lacking a lot of the basic finesse that normal swordplay would usually require, I still have a lot of fun fighting with the other members of Tiger’s Ambush (the name of our group) and the occasional visitor from other groups. The best way to learn is always to do, at least in terms of combat. You can never get good with a weapon without getting hit with it, and then hitting with it. Take me, for example; I am super partial to the short sword/shield combo, which would have ended up normally placing me in a class like warrior or maybe even barbarian. I like to swing swords around and block people who try to hit me. However, the class I ended up in is the scout class, which is essentially the ranger of the Amtgard world. I can wield short swords, long swords, daggers, heavy throwing things, and also a bow and arrow if I choose not to take a shield. And I chose not to take the shield. Why, you may ask? Because it’s really fun— for me, at least— nocking arrows and getting to kill people from a distance. It also is sort of a call back to my days in air riflery. Ahh, those were the days.

Now, if you think that Amtgard is all about fighting, then you are slightly mistaken, friend. There are also events that are essentially nerd camp. You get to meet people, eat great food, see cool things, and of course, participate in battles. This, by far, is probably one of the most fun things about Amtgard. Take, for example, The War of the Darkshore, one of California’s biannual events that always presents an interesting theme, with this year’s being based on Jim Henson’s “Labyrinth.” Cool, isn’t it? Not to mention there’s another event in the fall, which I cannot currently remember the name of.

Without a doubt, Amtgard is one of those things that I wish I had gotten into earlier on, like D&D, drawing, and a plethora of other passions I have come to enjoy in the past few months. I encourage you to come visit us in Victory Park on Saturdays, and even join us if you think that this is something you’d like. Most of the members of Tiger’s Ambush are just about the funnest and nicest people you could ever play with. Besides, who ever really has gone through life without wanting to hit another person with a sword now and again? Hope I see you there next week!