Post by Lady Delane Forsaken on Jun 19, 2014 23:39:50 GMT
History
Amtgard was created by Jim Haren Jr, also known as Peter LaGrue, in El Paso, Texas in 1983. Taking pieces from the rulebooks of both Emarthnguarth and Dagorhir (both of which he had played previously), he advertised in the newspaper for an event known as "Attila the Hun's Birthday Brawl." Though only a few people showed that first day, it was a hit, and soon the game spread throughout the state and then the country. The largest concentrations of Amtgard chapters are in Texas and the Central United States, but groups are found throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Croatia, Japan, Finland, Germany, Korea, and Russia.
Contrary to urban legend, Amtgard is neither a Scandinavian word for "the middle ground," nor an acronym for the founding members. Amtgard is named after two very good friends of Peter La Grue's from his Emarthnguarth days, Matthew and Katy Amt, who now participate in Roman Legion recreations on the east coast.
Amtgard has given birth to a few splinter groups, notably the High Fantasy Society.
Ruleset
Character creation in Amtgard is class-based; that is, players choose an archetype with pre-established abilities, similar to systems used by Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop roleplaying games. For instance, one player might play an Assassin, and another, a Warrior. Players can increase the abilities of their characters by going up in level; a player's level is determined by the length of game time they have played that particular class and by the passing of a guild test given by the head of the guild to which their class belongs. Advancement in a class is not tied to a specific character. Players may play different classes at different times, and levels have no relation to in-character deaths.
The primary focus of the rules of the game is combat. The abilities of the classes are generally related to combat. Non-combat oriented talents and attributes are often left up to the imagination and actual capabilities of the players or rules specified in a scenario.
Amtgard combat is resolved with actual physical fighting, though there are some rules in place to enhance safety. The weapons are boffer weapons (with less emphasis on realism and more emphasis on safety) but a player's physical ability, rather than game-based attributes as with other LARPs, determines the outcome allowing for a more realistic experience. Injuries are quite rare due to the stringent attention paid to safety. Contact is limited between fighters and non-weapon tactics like grappling or shield bashing are strictly prohibited. The basic combat rules are nearly identical to Dagorhir with a "limb loss" system based on hit location, in contrast to games such as NERO that are hit-point based. A hit from a weapon does not decrease a "hit point" total, but instead disables the location struck. A blow to the arm or leg disables the limb and a blow to the torso kills the player's character. Any combination of 2 limb shots also kills the player's character. Two limb shots to the same arm is also considered a death, while multiple shots to the same leg have no effect after the first shot. Amtgard fighting tends to be fast and precise, focusing more on accuracy than on power.
Like many boffer LARPs, and unlike Dagorhir, Amtgard uses magic spells. Magic, another important aspect of Amtgard, is handled primarily either by audible incantations or by thrown "spell balls", small, safely-padded, brightly colored projectiles. Although only a few classes are able to cast magic, the power of magic on the battlefield is significant enough to limit the number of spellcasters in relation to other non-spell casting classes in most battlegames.
Amtgard also utilizes armor for a number of classes. Armor grants a specific number of points to each hit-location covered that will negate some hits, similarly to a hit points system. Regular weapon hits to covered locations remove a single point of armor, however, several classes, spells and creatures are able to remove additional points per blow. For example, a 6th level Warrior in full-plate mail might have 7 points of armor in the torso area, but a magically enhanced sword might remove 2 or more points with each successful hit. Magical armor functions in much the same way, although certain kinds can grant a form of invulnerability, limiting all damage to a single point at a time. As armor in Amtgard is not physically functional, realism and aesthetics are encouraged with armor in Amtgard, in order to enhance atmosphere and balance the substantial benefits offered by armor. Non-period, modern-looking materials and shoddy construction can reduce the protection granted by the armor.[4]
Battlegames range from one-on-one tournaments to team battles of forty or fifty people to mass warfare with hundreds of players. The largest "grand melees" are held at the major annual events and can incorporate hundreds of members from chapters all over the world. Conversely, scripted "quests" can involve just a dozen or two participants, and may involve puzzles as well as combat. The ditch battle, or trench battle, is a simple form battle that involves weapon use only, not full class play.
Amtgard was created by Jim Haren Jr, also known as Peter LaGrue, in El Paso, Texas in 1983. Taking pieces from the rulebooks of both Emarthnguarth and Dagorhir (both of which he had played previously), he advertised in the newspaper for an event known as "Attila the Hun's Birthday Brawl." Though only a few people showed that first day, it was a hit, and soon the game spread throughout the state and then the country. The largest concentrations of Amtgard chapters are in Texas and the Central United States, but groups are found throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Croatia, Japan, Finland, Germany, Korea, and Russia.
Contrary to urban legend, Amtgard is neither a Scandinavian word for "the middle ground," nor an acronym for the founding members. Amtgard is named after two very good friends of Peter La Grue's from his Emarthnguarth days, Matthew and Katy Amt, who now participate in Roman Legion recreations on the east coast.
Amtgard has given birth to a few splinter groups, notably the High Fantasy Society.
Ruleset
Character creation in Amtgard is class-based; that is, players choose an archetype with pre-established abilities, similar to systems used by Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop roleplaying games. For instance, one player might play an Assassin, and another, a Warrior. Players can increase the abilities of their characters by going up in level; a player's level is determined by the length of game time they have played that particular class and by the passing of a guild test given by the head of the guild to which their class belongs. Advancement in a class is not tied to a specific character. Players may play different classes at different times, and levels have no relation to in-character deaths.
The primary focus of the rules of the game is combat. The abilities of the classes are generally related to combat. Non-combat oriented talents and attributes are often left up to the imagination and actual capabilities of the players or rules specified in a scenario.
Amtgard combat is resolved with actual physical fighting, though there are some rules in place to enhance safety. The weapons are boffer weapons (with less emphasis on realism and more emphasis on safety) but a player's physical ability, rather than game-based attributes as with other LARPs, determines the outcome allowing for a more realistic experience. Injuries are quite rare due to the stringent attention paid to safety. Contact is limited between fighters and non-weapon tactics like grappling or shield bashing are strictly prohibited. The basic combat rules are nearly identical to Dagorhir with a "limb loss" system based on hit location, in contrast to games such as NERO that are hit-point based. A hit from a weapon does not decrease a "hit point" total, but instead disables the location struck. A blow to the arm or leg disables the limb and a blow to the torso kills the player's character. Any combination of 2 limb shots also kills the player's character. Two limb shots to the same arm is also considered a death, while multiple shots to the same leg have no effect after the first shot. Amtgard fighting tends to be fast and precise, focusing more on accuracy than on power.
Like many boffer LARPs, and unlike Dagorhir, Amtgard uses magic spells. Magic, another important aspect of Amtgard, is handled primarily either by audible incantations or by thrown "spell balls", small, safely-padded, brightly colored projectiles. Although only a few classes are able to cast magic, the power of magic on the battlefield is significant enough to limit the number of spellcasters in relation to other non-spell casting classes in most battlegames.
Amtgard also utilizes armor for a number of classes. Armor grants a specific number of points to each hit-location covered that will negate some hits, similarly to a hit points system. Regular weapon hits to covered locations remove a single point of armor, however, several classes, spells and creatures are able to remove additional points per blow. For example, a 6th level Warrior in full-plate mail might have 7 points of armor in the torso area, but a magically enhanced sword might remove 2 or more points with each successful hit. Magical armor functions in much the same way, although certain kinds can grant a form of invulnerability, limiting all damage to a single point at a time. As armor in Amtgard is not physically functional, realism and aesthetics are encouraged with armor in Amtgard, in order to enhance atmosphere and balance the substantial benefits offered by armor. Non-period, modern-looking materials and shoddy construction can reduce the protection granted by the armor.[4]
Battlegames range from one-on-one tournaments to team battles of forty or fifty people to mass warfare with hundreds of players. The largest "grand melees" are held at the major annual events and can incorporate hundreds of members from chapters all over the world. Conversely, scripted "quests" can involve just a dozen or two participants, and may involve puzzles as well as combat. The ditch battle, or trench battle, is a simple form battle that involves weapon use only, not full class play.
