Every weekend in San Luis Obispo (SLO) and Santa Maria (SM), swords clash, arrows fly, and spells are cast. Here lies part of a foam weapon combat and live action roleplay organization named Amtgard. While primarily combat focused, there are plenty of aspects that make-up Amtgard. Members can immerse themselves in a fantastical setting, adopt an alternate persona, take part in crafting, participate in politics, or, most important of all, join a community.

On the surface, Amtgard is an international combat and battle-gaming group, split into kingdoms, which house hundreds of local branches. The two parks in SLO and SM, under the kingdom of Westmarch, which encompasses California, are Seven Sleeping Dragons (SSD), and Watcher’s Keep (WK). SSD meets every Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at Meadow Park (2251 Meadow St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401), while WK meets from 12 to 4 p.m. at Rotary Centennial Park (2625 S College Dr, Santa Maria, CA 93455).

“Normally, [as people] show up, everyone starts getting their gear on and stretching, [while] catching up with all [of their] friends,” Cody Dean Scott, AKA Wreckless, said. “After [around] 30 minutes, [when people are] warmed up and ready, we start ditching, which means: line up in two teams of however many people and fight.”

While park days start and people arrive, members can warm up through skirmishes, while spending time with familiar faces.

“After everyone is warmed up, the champion sets up battlegames, where [we] get to [choose a class], put on armor, grab a bow, [or] whatever [else] you want to do,” Scott said.

During battlegames, players can interact with the bulk of what Amtgard has to offer. People get to take on different classes with varying abilities, fight with many types of gear in martial combat, or spellsling. After a couple of hours of battlegaming, park members begin to cool down.

“Oftentimes, we all end up going out for food after. It’s really like a family community,” Scott said. “Every [weekend], I’m spending 8 hours with these people, by choice, because I love them.”

While combat draws many players in, the social aspect keeps them returning.

“[The best part of Amtgard is] the community– building friendships that can last a lifetime and coming in contact with people that you wouldn’t necessarily come in contact with, without Amtgard,” Zachery Harvey, AKA Krom, said. “I have lots of friends I’ve made all throughout California and in other states [because of it].”

For incoming players, this feeling of community, especially at SSD, is present immediately.

“For a new player coming into Amtgard, [the experience] is very welcoming,” Ralph Stone, AKA Baron Vorric Yahrn, said. “It might be a little overwhelming with how excited we, [as a park], are to have new people in general, but everyone around you is going to try their best to make sure you have as good a time as possible in whatever you want to do.”

As a community, Amtgard prioritizes each of its members’ enjoyment and inclusion.

“[As a woman in Amtgard], I think [my experiences have been] very welcoming. Nobody has ever gone easy on me unless I asked them to,”

Sarah Carroll, AKA Elf Greenleaf, said. “If [a woman] wants to present [herself] as a sword fighter, [she] will be respected on the field with everyone else. There [are] a lot of female role models [she] can look up to in the kingdom.”

Amtgard is open to anyone, focusing on both the safety, and the individual goals, of each member.

“We, [at SSD], are very welcoming to all identities. We are very conscious of treating all of our players with equality,” Carroll said. “There are rules, and everything is more about safety, but we want to make sure everyone is having fun regardless of your skill level or your interest.”

From the many alternate activities to fighting in Amtgard, crafting is the most common and important one. Whether it’s drawing your own heraldry or making a new sword, members’ creativity can shine through their work.

“I was very happy to have an outlet for crafting within this community,” Scott said. “I’ve not always been able to fully run around and participate in the contact sport-side of [Amtgard], so being able to still be involved in the community by making things [is great].”

Crafting may seem challenging to new players.

“[Crafting] is as easy or difficult as you want it to be,” Scott said. “You can make a sword on a budget very easily by getting a golf club from a thrift store, going to a hardware store for pipe insulation foam, buying packing tape, and [getting] cloth to make a cover.”

People may be intimidated seeing high-cost and masterfully made gear, but when it comes down to combat, a $100 sword and a $20 sword will have the same effect. The important part of combat is not one’s weapon, but their dedication.

“Much like with any martial art, you’re not going to get good at it unless you put in the time and resources to understand the full forms and functions of your body and the tools you use to hit other people,” Stone said. “Although [the weapons] are sticks covered in foam, the body mechanics are still almost entirely the same as any other weapon using martial arts.”

With the extensive skill and physicality needed for swordplay, people may be deterred from attempting to fight, or may be scared of it.

“The foam we use is so good at decelerating the weapon cores… the moment [a new player] gets hit might be a little bit scary if [they’re] not used to fighting in martial combat, but after three or four times, that feeling entirely goes away and it becomes just a load of fun being able to run around and hit each other with sticks, and everyone gets to go to work tomorrow,” Stone said.

Overall, whether players come to fight, craft, or simply spend time with friends, Amtgard offers a place where fantasy and community can meet every weekend.

More information about local parks can be found at:
SSD’s Instagram
WK’s Instagram
Westmarch’s Facebook
Amtgard‘s website