Battle gaming

Last updated September 01, 2019

Battle gaming is a North American medieval combat sport where participants use mock foam-padded weapons (boffer) in live action battles. The sport began in 1977 with the creation of Dagorhir.^[1]

North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered by some to be a northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, and to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea.

Middle Ages Period of European history from the 5th to the 15th century

In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and transitioned into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history: classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period. The medieval period is itself subdivided into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages.

A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent or by disabling the opponent. Common combat sports include mixed martial arts, boxing, wrestling, fencing, savate, kickboxing, Muay Thai, Sanda, Tae Kwon Do, Capoeira, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, HMB, Sambo, Sumo, Kyokushin, and Kūdō.

Description

Battle gaming is a combat game using padded mock weapons. The entire game is based on honor where each player calls themselves out of the game by acknowledging the strikes delivered by other players. The sport is rooted in the self acknowledgement of defeat.

Foam weapon padded mock handheld weapon used for simulated combat

A foam weapon, also known as a boffer, padded weapon, or latex weapon, is a padded mock weapon used for simulated handheld combat. Such weapons are used in simulated battles called battle gaming and in some live action role-playing games (LARPs).

Honour abstract concept entailing a perceived quality of worthiness and respectability

Honour is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a code of conduct, and has various elements such as valor, chivalry, honesty, and compassion. It is an abstract concept entailing a perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects both the social standing and the self-evaluation of an individual or institution such as a family, school, regiment or nation. Accordingly, individuals are assigned worth and stature based on the harmony of their actions with a specific code of honour, and the moral code of the society at large.

Battle gaming is not LARP; it is more akin to table top miniature wargaming. The battle games are short scenarios ranging from five minutes to four hours in duration at the end of which all players are regenerated to play again. Each game is played in isolation. The outcome from one game scenario does not impact the scenario of the next game. Players are invited to dress as and role-play a warrior in the battles. Unlike in LARP, these personas are never permanently killed (removed) from the games.

A live action role-playing game (LARP) is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically portray their characters. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by the real world while interacting with each other in character. The outcome of player actions may be mediated by game rules or determined by consensus among players. Event arrangers called gamemasters decide the setting and rules to be used and facilitate play.

Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming in which players enact battles between opposing military forces that are represented by miniature physical models. The use of physical models to represent military units is in contrast to other tabletop wargames that use abstract pieces such as counters or blocks, or computer wargames which use virtual models. The primary benefit of using models is aesthetics, though in certain wargames the size and shape of the models can have practical consequences on how the match plays out.

Battle game combat is fast and frequently chaotic. Weapons are built with foam to prevent injury. All battle gaming groups use a targeted tag system. The common tag targets are left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg, torso and head. Almost all battle game organizations do not use helmets, therefore hand held weapons may not strike at the head target and all weapons must be larger than an eye socket. All battle gaming combat assumes that the weapons are padded enough that full force blows can be received without injury.

History

The idea of battle gaming was started in the Washington, D.C. metro suburbs and has spread across the U.S. and into Canada. The history of the sport has been one of growth and splintering.

Dagorhir - Battle gaming was begun by Brian Wiese in 1977, as Dagorhir Outdoor Improvisational Dark-Aged Battle Gaming. The group was located in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Dagorhir was a foam weapon combat group that embraced a culture of improvisational acting and a Lord of the Rings theme.^[2]
Emarthnguarth - By 1979, personality conflicts caused Frank Roso Jr. to leave Dagorhir to create Emarthnguarth.^[3] Emarthnguarth maintained the short battle game scenarios and used a similar combat style as Dagorhir. In creating Emarthnguarth, Frank Roso Jr. introduced more LARP like elements in the form of player classes and a small simulated magic system. Both Dagorhir and Emarthnguarth co-existed in the Washington D.C. metro area. The Emarthnguarth organization ceased to exist in the year 2000.
Amtgard - In 1983, a Dagorhir and Emarthnguarth player by the name of James Haren, combined elements of the Dagorhir and Emarthnguarth rules to create the Amtgard battle gaming group in his home town of El Paso, Texas.^[4] The new group created a culture of battle game scenarios with many LARP like elements.
PM Magazine - In 1983, a PM Magazine special about Dagorhir that had been recorded and aired in the Washington, D.C. TV market in 1980 was aired on nationwide syndication.^[5] This caused Dagorhir battle gaming to suddenly spread across the country.
Elgestron - Around 1984, Emarthnguarth was splintering and a new group called Elgestron was formed.^[6] This was a short lived group that ceased to exist by 1986.
Darkon - In 1985, frustrated with the quality of play of Elgestron, Robert Kusik launched the Darkon Wargaming Club.^[7] The club refined many of the LARP like aspects they had inherited from Emarthnguarth. The group continued to be primarily a battle gaming group running bi-weekly battle game days, but added a LARP game which is played a few weekends a year.
High Fantasy Society - In 1990, the Austin, Texas chapter of Amtgard, voted to secede.^[8] They formed a new group called the High Fantasy Society. This was at the end of a long a bitter debate about making the club more LARP like in execution. The High Fantasy Society set out to convert itself into a LARP but never did. Today they still continue much of the battle gaming play that was Amtgard in 1990.
Edhellen Armoury - In 1996, Gregg Larson started Edhellen Armoury (eh-thehl-lehn – Tolkien for “elvish”) to produce foam swords for the battle gaming sport. His swords targeted the Dagorhir market and did much to fuel the growth of that organization.
Belegarth - In 2002, after a very messy political and personality battle, Dagorhir split into almost two equal halves forming Belegarth.^[9] The Belegarth half was dominated by the Midwest chapters from Illinois, Iowa, and Ohio but also included strong chapters in the South and West. The Dagorhir half was left with its core domination of the Mid-Atlantic States and a scattering of other locations across the US.
Darkon the Movie - In 2006, a feature documentary film entitled Darkon about the Darkon Wargaming Club was released. This movie has helped fuel the growth of the sport of battle gaming.^[10]
Wreckreation Nation - In 2009, Dagorhir battle gaming was featured on the Discovery Channel’s Wreckreation Nation series. This show has helped fuel the growth of Dagorhir and the sport of battle gaming in general.
Dargarth - In 2010, John Senner started a group called Dargarth in Seattle. The group combines both Belegarth and Darkon rules of play and has grown quickly.
Battle Gaming Book - In 2010, David W. Graham published the book Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. The book which has better defined the sport is being promoted to middle and high school physical education programs. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2
LarpCraft - In 2010, a group of LARPers created LarpCraft in Sheboygan, WI. This group uses traditional LARP weapons but wanted play that was more like a video game, so they adopted a battle gaming combat system not unlike the one used in Darkon.
Epic Adventures - In 2011, Matthew Casto started a group called Epic Adventures in Charleston, WV. Epic Adventures uses foam weapon fighting (with elements of Amtgard and Dagorhir combined) along with a magic system and an alchemy system in a Steampunk/Final Fantasy type setting.
Way of the Sword - In 2011, the battle gaming group Way of the Sword was formed in Southern Florida. The group uses its own set of rules known as the Manual of Mayhem which are loosely based on a Dagorhir or Belegarth like combat system.

Organizations

Currently there are three large North American organizations which have chapters in both the U.S. and Canada:

There are also several regional battle gaming organizations:

Dargarth (Seattle metro area)
Darkon Wargaming Club (Washington-Baltimore metro area)
High Fantasy Society (East Texas)
LARPCraft (Sheboygan, WI)
Epic Adventures (Charleston, WV)
Way of the Sword (Southern Florida)

Rule Sets

Each of the battle gaming organizations maintains their own rule sets. Due to the common historical origins of all battle gaming organizations many of the rules are common. This has resulted in many crossover players who play with more than one organization.

Amtgard maintains an extensive collection of publications including the Amtgard Handbook which contains the basic rules of play as well as the Dor Un Avathar (the official Amtgard monster book^[11]) and a variety of other game play scenarios and extensions. Although the rules are free for anyone to download, for liability reasons, only those who are members of a registered Amtgard chapter and have a signed waiver on file are permitted to use the Amtgard rules.^[12]
Belegarth Medieval Combat Society maintains rules in the Belegarth Book of War.^[13] This is a document that summaries the rules of play and is published under the public domain using the GNU General Public License. In its public domain status, Belegarth rules are “use at own risk”. Because of this status, anyone is free to download and use the rules as well as create a Belegarth group which is unaffiliated with the larger Belegarth organization. All liability lies with the local organizers.
Dagorhir maintains a set of rules called the Manual of Arms. Although the rules are free for anyone to download, for liability reasons, only those who are members of a registered Dagorhir chapter and have a signed waiver on file are permitted to use the Dagorhir rules.^[14] In addition, Dagorhir maintains a handbook which can be downloaded for free, but if you are not a member of a registered Dagorhir chapter, you are expected to pay a $10 fee to the Dagorhir Battle Game Association.^[15]
Dargarth maintains rules that are a combination of the Belegarth rules and Darkon rules. They are free to download and the user assumes all risk of liability by using them.
Darkon Wargaming Club maintains their rules in the Darkon Rulebook. The rulebook is free to download and may be used for registered members of the Darkon Wargaming Club. The content of the rulebook may be used by nonprofit organizations outside the Baltimore-Washington metro area as long as they remove all references to the name “Darkon” and assume all liability.^[16]
The company Battle Game Sports and Hobbies maintains a battle gaming rule set known as the Warrior Code.^[17] The Warrior Code is published under the Wizards of the Coast Open Game License and is free to download and use. The user assumes all risk of liability. The rule set is a hybrid designed to allow battle gamers from all organizations to play together in a balanced manner. The rule set is published in the book Battle Gaming: The New American Sport and is being adopted by small backyard battle game groups as well as middle and high school clubs.
Epic Adventures has published their rule set on Facebook.^[18] The game system is based heavily on the model designed by Amtgard but includes some of the rougher combat elements found in Dagorhir and Belegarth systems. Epic Adventures also makes use of fantasy racial classes similar to those found in the Warrior Code system.

Related Research Articles

A wargame is a type of strategy game that simulates warfare realistically, as opposed to abstract strategy games such as chess. Wargames may be miniature figurines on a tabletop, board games or video games. They typically use a map that depicts various battlefield terrain features such as woods, hills, fields and streams, with a grid or location system superimposed over this to regulate the movement and positions of the games' pieces, each of which represents a specific military formation, such as an infantry brigade or artillery battery. Many wargames recreate specific historic battles, and can cover either whole wars, or any campaigns, battles, or lower-level engagements within them. Many simulate land combat, but there are wargames for naval and air combat as well.

Up Front is a World War II card-based wargame. It was designed by Courtney F. Allen and published by Avalon Hill in 1983. Hasbro now owns the franchise, and at one time licensed it to Multi-Man Publishing, a license that has since expired without republication of the game. There was an attempt to reprint Up Front through Kickstarter in 2013. The project raised over $300,000, but no updates to status has been posted since March 21, 2014.

Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) was an American publisher of board wargames and related magazines, particularly its flagship Strategy & Tactics, in the 1970s and early 1980s. It produced an enormous number of games and introduced innovative practices, changing the course of the wargaming hobby in its bid to take control of the hobby away from then-dominant Avalon Hill. SPI ran out of cash in early 1982 when TSR called in a loan secured by SPI's assets. TSR began selling SPI's inventory in 1982, but later acquired the company's trademarks and copyrights in 1983 and continued a form of the operation until 1987.

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Amtgard is a battle gaming and live-action fantasy roleplaying and boffer combat game with chapters primarily based in the United States and Canada as well as Germany, Croatia, and South Korea.

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Dagorhir Battle Games is a live action role-playing game with full-contact melee fighting and ranged combat as its primary focus. Fighters typically use foam weapons such as swords, flails, spears, bows and arrows, javelins, axes, and other medieval weapons. Participants wear period costume and are expected to stay in-character during events, although the amount of seriousness the role-playing aspect receives varies greatly by unit and chapter.

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Belegarth Medieval Combat Society is a full contact battle game where foam weapons are used in order to prevent serious physical injury to participants. It differs from other battle games and LARPs in that it is entirely combat-oriented that allows hard hitting, shield bashes, and grappling with little emphasis on role playing and has no magic or character classes. It is composed of a number of not-for-profit "realms", which compete at regional and national events every year. Typically, each realm also holds individual fighting practices several times a week. Realms vary in size from just a handful of people to over a hundred fighters.

The Darkon Wargaming Club is a non-profit battle gaming and live-action role-playing (LARP) club in the United States based in the Baltimore/Washington/Virginia area.

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References

↑ Wiese, Brian. "The Dagorhir Handbook: New Millennium Edition" (PDF). Dagorhir Battle Game Association Inc. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-09.
↑ Wiese, Brian. "The Dagorhir Handbook: New Millennium Edition" (PDF). Dagorhir Battle Game Association Inc. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-09.
↑ Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.
↑ Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.
↑ Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.
↑ Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.
↑ Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.
↑ Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.
↑ Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.
↑ Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.
↑ Wyngarde, Luke. "Dor Un Avathar 8" (PDF). Amtgard 7 Extensions Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
↑ Amtgard Kingdom of the Burning Lands Inc. "Amtgard Chapter Contract" (PDF). Amtgard Kingdom of the Burning Lands Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
↑ Larson, Gregg. "Belegarth Book of War" (PDF). Belegarth Medieval Combat Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
↑ Dagorhir Battle Game Association Inc. "Dagorhir Chapter Contract" (PDF). Dagorhir Battle Game Association Inc. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
↑ Wiese, Brian. "The Dagorhir Handbook: New Millennium Edition" (PDF). Dagorhir Battle Game Association Inc. p. i. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-09.
↑ Darkon Wargaming Club. "Darkon Rulebook" (PDF). Darkon Wargaming Club. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
↑ Graham, David W. "Warrior Code™ Open Battle Gaming System Core Rules" (PDF). Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. Retrieved 21 April 2011.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
↑ Epic Adventures LARP. "The Epic Adventures LARP and Battle Game Rulebook" (PDF). Epic Adventures LARP. Retrieved 15 November 2013.

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[1] Wiese, Brian. "The Dagorhir Handbook: New Millennium Edition" (PDF). Dagorhir Battle Game Association Inc. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-09.

[2] Wiese, Brian. "The Dagorhir Handbook: New Millennium Edition" (PDF). Dagorhir Battle Game Association Inc. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-09.

[3] Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.

[4] Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.

[5] Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.

[6] Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.

[7] Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.

[8] Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.

[9] Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.

[10] Graham, David W (2010). Battle Gaming: The New American Sport. Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-9844834-0-2.

[11] Wyngarde, Luke. "Dor Un Avathar 8" (PDF). Amtgard 7 Extensions Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2011.

[12] Amtgard Kingdom of the Burning Lands Inc. "Amtgard Chapter Contract" (PDF). Amtgard Kingdom of the Burning Lands Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2011.

[13] Larson, Gregg. "Belegarth Book of War" (PDF). Belegarth Medieval Combat Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.

[14] Dagorhir Battle Game Association Inc. "Dagorhir Chapter Contract" (PDF). Dagorhir Battle Game Association Inc. Retrieved 21 April 2011.

[15] Wiese, Brian. "The Dagorhir Handbook: New Millennium Edition" (PDF). Dagorhir Battle Game Association Inc. p. i. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-09.

[16] Darkon Wargaming Club. "Darkon Rulebook" (PDF). Darkon Wargaming Club. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.

[17] Graham, David W. "Warrior Code™ Open Battle Gaming System Core Rules" (PDF). Battle Game Sports and Hobbies. Retrieved 21 April 2011.^{[ permanent dead link ]}

[18] Epic Adventures LARP. "The Epic Adventures LARP and Battle Game Rulebook" (PDF). Epic Adventures LARP. Retrieved 15 November 2013.