Should Knighthood Be Special?

I expect that one of the ramifications of my proposal for a new definition of excellence would be an increase in the number of LARP knights. After all, one would not need any special skill, just a determination to assist the local park. So, is expanding the number of knights at the park a bad thing?

I hope you would say no. Unfortunately, there are those who would say it is bad. They would argue that knighthood would cease to be special if it became more commonplace. That's just so sad. When people argue for knighthood being special here's what they are implicitly saying - I want knighthood to be rare so that I can feel superior to others around me.

There is a fundamental problem with that response. A true knight does not seek to be special, at least not in the way implied above. In other words, the true knight does not feel the need to elevate himself or herself above the crowd. Remember that humility is one of the key virtues of knighthood. The true knight follows the words of St. Paul:

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves (Philippians 2:3 NASB)

The true knight should want to serve and glorify others instead of himself / herself. He / she should want to see more knights.

Furthermore, knighthood does not need to be exclusive to be special. With proper pomp and ceremony, we can make the newly fledged knight feel special. Even the simple act of calling the knight Sir or Dame ought to lift them up. I really take offense if someone cannot feel special if we also call others Sir or Dame.

Finally, I feel that knighthood will be as special as the player makes it. Go out to the park and live the virtues of chivalry, and see how that makes you feel. Just don't think you need to bring or hold others down to feel special.

Rethinking My LARP Armor

My previous plan was to go with plastic armor. I am now re-thinking this. Perhaps I should get leather armor.

Here are some possibilities:

Arms - Full arms from Medieval Collectibles for $99 (much cheaper than Alchemy Armory)
Not sure of the fit, though.

Legs - Greaves, also from MC, for $50 (a little more than plastic but Dag legal)

Body - I like this brig for $200 but am unsure if it is Dag legal

Helms - Cannot find cheap leather helms that look nice. Perhaps I should just go with metal. Here are two under $50 -  the Rufus (love the name) and RFB Steel helm

The Rufus Helm

The main issue with leather is the color - I prefer white or steel. Perhaps I can try painting.

My Kind of Excellence

Previously I questioned using individual achievement as the basis for knighthood. I asked "So what is our solution to the problem of excellence?" Today I would like to provide my answer.

Originally I was going to title this post "The Right Kind of Excellence." I changed it because I realized that I am not the final arbiter of what is right or wrong. I have always believed that each local group should be allowed to determine their standards for awards. Thus, it is not right for me to dictate how other groups should act. However, I will unequivocally state what I think is right.

As I mentioned, I believe that individual achievement is the wrong basis for knighthood. Instead, I believe that a truly knightly person betters his or her community (and by community I primarily mean the local park). In my eyes, there are two ways that a person does this:

1. Provide concrete service to the park
2. Contribute to the atmosphere of the park. I call this "flurb" excellence

Path 1 is pretty self-explanatory. The player takes on tasks that help the park. Serving as an officer, organizing games and events, acting as reeve, teaching, helping new players get into the game, etc. are all invaluable services to the park. The group would not function without these people. Some groups do overtly recognize these people. For example, Amtgard Flame Knights have earned their belt through their service to the kingdom. These people excel by helping their comrades and should be recognized for their efforts.

I personally think that the second group gets overlooked, but they too are vital to the LARP experience. And yes, what we are doing is LARPing. We are taking on roles as medieval heroes and playing out their adventures in live action form. Sounds like live action role playing to me. Anyway, I have frequently said that LARP groups have the most fun when they create a shared fantasy world. Thus, players improve the park when they contribute to this shared world. How can they do that? Here are some ways:

• Wear appropriate garb! This is the easiest way to create atmosphere. Nothing breaks immersion like someone in a T-shirt and shorts. However, a well-done kit will accentuate the game.
• Use game titles and names. Another way to break immersion is to use people's everyday names. "Hail Xhorja" sounds better than "Hey Robb." Even better, add their title - "Hail King Xhorja."
• Of course, adding titles only works if people have titles. That's why I want to make it easier for people to earn them.
• Ditch the mundane stuff while LARPing. Park day is not the time to watch videos on your phone or listen to modern music. And hold off on discussion about school, work, your D&D campaign, etc. Try to start conversations about events in your shared fantasy world.
• Decorate. Bring banners and standards and hang them around. Throw in some other odds and ends that look medieval. Anything to accentuate the setting.
• Accessorize. Try to get replacements for modern accouterments. Don't drink from a water bottle - get a water skin or goblet instead.

These are just some ideas I have to make the park a better place. Most groups would consider these ideas to be a bit "flurby." If so, then I firmly believe that we need more "flurbiness" at our parks. Furthermore, I believe we should be rewarding people who contribute to the setting. This is what I call "flurb" excellence, and I firmly believe that it should be a basis for knighthood.

The Free Kingdom of the Shrouded Isles will undergo some changes in the new year. I explicitly want to hand out more titles, especially knighthoods. One of the conditions for our knighthood will be "flurb" excellence.

The Problem with "Excellence"

If one complains that the requirements for knighthood are too stringent, the powers of be trot out the old mantra of "standards" and "excellence." "Git good" they say and most people just shut up. Unfortunately, no one analyzes what is meant by excellence and if it truly benefits the game.

In most LARP organizations, "standards" and "excellence" focus upon individual development and achievement. For example, the mark of martial excellence is usually beating other players and winning tournaments. These achievements distinguish the truly excellent warrior from the merely average soldier. Likewise, producing works of art distinguishes the excellent artisan.

But do these forms of excellence truly benefit the game as a whole? Not necessarily. Let's use combat as an example. Let's say that a new park forms. All the players are newbs and are not very good fighters. Yet the group as a whole can be having a ton of fun because the skill levels are similar. Because combat in this case is balanced and competitive, the group benefits.

Now let us assume that one individual studies and practices until he or she becomes a highly skilled fighter. If the rest of the park does not also improve, then the group can actually suffer. Combat becomes unbalanced when the uber-fighter is present. Less skilled fighters become frustrated with being cannon fodder while the uber-fighter is annoyed by the lack of challenge. Battle games cease being fun, the members are increasingly disgruntled, and the group begins to splinter. In such as case, the pursuit of individual excellence actually hurts the group.

Let me make a couple of caveats to my argument. First, I am not talking about a player who develops a skill and then teaches it to others. Obviously, teaching is a tremendous service to the group. However, it is the teaching that is knightly not the initial development of personal skill.

Second, I am not saying that individual achievement should not be rewarded. I think there is a place for recognizing personal excellence. I am questioning the nature of the reward; in particular I do not think it should be the basis for knighthood. A true knight should practice the virtue of humility and should not seek individual accolades. Knighthood based on personal success contradicts the very essence of knighthood. Instead, I believe that the proper reward for individual achievement should be some sort of masterhood rather than knighthood.

The problem with excellence then is that, in my opinion, the wrong type of excellence is being used as the basis of knighthood. When knighthood is predicated upon individual skill, then there is a great potential that truly knightly people can be overlooked.

So what is our solution to the problem of excellence? I'll take up that question in my next post.

Return of the Winter King

We had peace for a season.

After the defeat of the Winter King, we had been left alone for months. Although Freehaven remained our headquarters, we had restored the chapel at the old Heron Hall. We renamed it the Chapel of St Griffith, after the last defender of Heron Hall. Our priests took care of the chapel and of St Kessog's Church. Meanwhile, some of the Warden's manned Wyvernwatch Tower, vigilant for the return of any of our enemies. We learned that Lander's Edge was being rebuilt.

I have been making regular visits to St Griffith. I was there when it happened. It started as a glorious fall day - the sun was shining but the air was crisp and clean. The nearby settlements were harvesting their fields. Merriment abounded. Suddenly a fell wind swept from the north. The temperature plummeted until our breath seemed to freeze in our throats. The sky turned gray and snow began to fall. It was not the light, fluffy snow of a pleasant winter's day. It was damp and icy and clung to one's body like the grip of death. The wind increased to a gale, blowing the snow about until it formed an icy, white veil that obscured all vision.

But we could hear, even over the howl of the wind. The screams echoed clearly across the plains. I called to the Wardens to form up. Mounting our horses, we rode out of the gates of the Chapel. Then a gale force wind shoved us back into the chapel grounds. Try as we might we could not get past our gates.

As we tried to decide what to do, we heard footsteps crunching through the snow. Through the veil of the wintry blast, a figure in a white cloak carrying a large bundle approached. It approached and dropped the bundle at my feet. It was a man, frozen solid.

The figure removed his hood. His face was as white as a corpse and his eyes were pale blue, like ice.

"I come from the Winter King," he stated. "My lord claims this land as his own. He shall give you to the next full moon to vacate. Do not try to hold out. Your crops are destroyed and your people dead. You cannot prevail."

With that, the figure turned and walked back into the blizzard.

The next morning the sun rose, revealing a canvas of white snow covering the land. We rode out to access the damage. We found village after village blanketed in snow. Digging through the banks, we recovered corpse after corpse. The entire population had been frozen solid. The crops, too, had been turned to ice. No nutrition remained.

Dejected, we rode back to St Griffith's. We knew not what to do.

OOC Notes
This does not represent a particular battlegame. Instead, it's a little story that expresses my dissatisfaction with our park's current direction. Why do people feel like they need to follow the crowd rather than just be themselves and forge their own direction?

Realms!

Elizabeth showed me this funny bit about Game of Thrones (it starts around 1:40 but the previous 1:39 is also good).

Regrets, I Had A Few

Shrouded Isles is facing an uncertain future, which has me pondering the mistakes I have made in my LARP career. Oh, I've made a few . . .

• I regret letting leadership of Dragon Coast pass to someone who did not share my vision. Now, I feel that Glen did a fine job. After that, however, it seemed that the park was moving in a stick-jock direction. Furthermore, leadership did not really respond to feedback. If I could do it again, I would have taken over the Chancellorship from Glen. Ironically, some of the things I wanted to do (such as park autonomy) are mirrored in my vision for Shrouded Isles.

• I regret declining leadership of Caligo. At the time, I did not want to run a Dagorhir park but wanted to start HFS instead. What I should have done is take over Caligo, and then push through the changes I wanted (such as a Caligo knighthood). I think people may have been more on-board that way.

• I regret introducing Amtgard to Caligo. More particularly, I regret introducing Amtgard awards to Caligo. Now, it seems that the park values awards more than park autonomy, which has led us to bend the knee to Neverwinter.

Sigh. No sense fretting over past mistakes. Just need to forge forward, and remember the words of the Chairman of the Board.

Sing it, Ol' Blue Eyes.

The Templar

One thing that frustrates me about Amtgard is that I cannot play a paladin (my favorite RPG class) because I am not an Amtgard knight. I have no ability or desire to pursue a knighthood so I am effectively shut out. I believe that there are likely others with a similar frustration. There have been attempts to remove the knighthood requirement for paladin, but they have (and will likely continue to) fail. I recently had an epiphany - create a new paladin-like class!

Below is my first attempt. The goal is to create a class that can tank, but not as well as Warrior. To compensate, this class gets some holy magic, including the ability to Heal.

TEMPLAR
There are those heroes who embrace the code of chivalry and fight the good fight, but have not had the privilege of receiving the accolade. Yet they continue their quest, regardless of their status at court.

Garb ?? sash
Requirements None
Look the Part Heal 1/Life
Armor 4 points
Shields Medium
Weapons         Dagger, Short, Long, Javelin

Templar Abilities per Level
1st Scavenge (ex) 1/Life
2nd Harden (ex) 1/Life
3rd Heal (m) 1/Life
4th Release (m) 1/Life Charge x 3
5th Flame Blade (m) 1/Life
6th Adaptive Blessing (m) (self only) 1/Life

Class Abilities

Scavenge
T: Verbal S: Sorcery R: Self
I: “Scavenge”
E: Repair 1 point of armor in one location, a shield, or a weapon
L: Kill Trigger

Harden
T: Enchantment S: Protection R: Self
I: “I enchant thee with Harden” x 3
M: White strip
E: Bearers weapons or shield may only be destroyed by Magic Balls/Verbals which destroy objects, e.g. Fireball
L: Will only affect either the weapons or the shield of the bearer, not both.

Heal
T: Verbal S: Spirit R: Touch (others only)
I: “Sword Cut, spear stab, mace smash, arrow jab,
Let the white light of healing descend on thee.
Let the white light of healing stop thy spilling blood.
Let the white light of healing mend thy bones.
Let the white light of healing close thy wounds.
Let the white light of healing restore thy vigor.
The white light of healing hath healed thee.”
E: Heal a Wound.

Release
T: Verbal S: Sorcery R: Touch
I: “From thy bindings thou art released” x5
E: A single ongoing effect or State is removed from the target. Casters choice.
L: Cannot remove Cursed.

Flame
T: Enchantment S: Flame R: Self
I: “The element of fire shall infuse my weapons” x3
M: Red strip and white strip
E: Bearer’s melee weapons are Armor Breaking and Shield Crushing. Bearer and their weapons are Immune to Flame.

Adaptive Blessing
T: Enchantment S: Protection R: Self
I: “I enchant thee with this blessing” x3
M: White strip
E: Bearer becomes Resistant to one of the following Schools: Death, Flame, Subdual, Command, Sorcery. School is chosen at the time of casting. Does not count towards a player’s Enchantment limit, may not be worn with any other Enchantments from the Protection School.