Announcing the Chimera Legion

We are proud to announce the formation of the Chimera Legion, a nascent branch of Way of the Sword Combat Sports. We will begin running foam fighting practices in Coral Springs in June 2021.

Here is some information about the Legion:

What is the Legion's theme? 

Our theme is based on the Byzantines, the successors to the Roman Empire. We will represent a unit of skutatoi (infantry). 

Our name comes from the term “chimerical,” which can be defined as “fantastically visionary.” That is what we aim to be. And on the field of battle, we will be as brave as a lion, as fierce as a dragon, and as stubborn as a goat

Why Byzantines? 

The Byzantines are incredibly diverse, so this gives a lot of options for members. 

Want to be Roman? The Byzantines were the heirs to the Empire. How about Vikings? The Byzantines employed Viking mercenaries called Varangians. Crusaders or Saracens? Both these groups fought with (and against) the Empire at various times. Similarly, the Byzantines employed all types of garb and armor. Chain, scale, lamellar, and padded armor were routinely employed by the Byzantines. I could go on, and on . . .

What does the Legion do?

We will run weekly practices using the Way of the Sword rules. We will strive to attend and fight at Way of the Sword events as a unit. Most importantly, we want to have fun.

How does one join?

Speak to one of the Legion officers, Elias or Basilius (Robb).

What happens after joining?

• We want to present a uniform presence when we attend multi-park events. To that end, we will help you acquire a tunic or tabard in Legion red, cover your shield, and add the unit sigil.
• We will practice unit tactics as a group. We want to learn to work together on the battlefield.
• We will also help you make or acquire weapons if you need any.
• You will have the opportunity to rise in rank within the Legion. There are three ranks among the soldiers of the Legion:
• Hetairos – an auxiliary soldier
• Skoutatos – a regular soldier
• Optimates – literally “the best” – one of the top soldiers of the Legion
• As the Legion grows, there will also be opportunities to become an officer and lead your own command.

The Very Model of a Modern LARP Organization

 On occasion I will wax philosophical about my thoughts about the ideal LARP organization of national scope. My primary contention is that the constituent local chapters should exercise as much autonomy as possible. The higher organization should restrict itself to the following duties:

• Promulgate a standard set of rules. This facilitates cooperation among local chapters. I would allow house rules as long as the changes don't compromise player safety.
• Coordinate multi-chapter events, although even this could be accomplished by alliances of local chapters.
• If possible, provide access to legal non-profit status and liability insurance.

You may notice that I do not include things that are considered staples of national organizations, such as standardized titles or dictating local organizational structure. I firmly believe that these should be left to the discretion of the chapters.

Occasionally you may get some adherents of standardization point to the centralized administrations of Late Medieval England or France to show that kings held supreme authority. Thus, higher levels of the organization should function like these kings. To that, I would like to point to a better model - the Holy Roman Empire.

Why is the Holy Roman Empire an excellent model for national LARP organizations? While nominally united under the governance of the Empire, the 300 or so local states were effectively autonomous. The local lords, who held a variety of titles but were collectively known as princes, ran their own affairs, had their own armies, and generally did their own thing. I assume they likely were able to elevate their own knights and lower lords. Local LARP chapters should be allowed to do the same.

And Now for Something Completely Different

 Hello Paladins! Today I'd like to share a personal project with you.

Here I am, in stage 1 of my new kit:

Yes, that's a turban but I am not going Arab. Instead, something like this is my final objective:

It's a skutatoi (infantryman) from the Byzantine Empire. So what's the plan?

• Soft kit - red tunic, white trousers, turban (yes, Byzantines wore turbans) - check
• Armor - spangenhelm, klivanion (lamellar cuirass), pteruges (leather strips covering lower torso), leather greaves, and padded arms
• Shield - teardrop with red cover
• Weapons - spear, javelin, sword, dagger, great axe, plumbata (darts)

Why am I changing my kit? Well, there's a story behind that, but I'll share it with you another time.

In the meantime, get ready for fighting! I am now fully vaccinated and can start venturing out. I would like to start practices in late May / early June (giving others time to get vaccinated).

Happy Easter

 

"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!" (Luke 24: 1-6)

Happy Easter!

Sport or LARP?

It is an age-old debate. Are boffer / foam-fighting organizations sports or LARPs (live-action roleplaying games)? If you ask most members of such groups, most would probably respond that it is a sport. In fact, Way of the Sword bills itself as a "combat sport." LARPs are for those who are doing full immersion, as in the infamous lightning bolt video. "We're not doing that," the sporting enthusiasts would say. "We don't have magic. We are engaged in an athletic competition! Thus, we're playing a sport."

I've long thought that this argument is poppycock. Yes, boffer fighting is an athletic endeavor, but it is also so much more.

We can easily see that in the old Dagorhir Handbook. Let's take a look.

Scroll down to page 4. How does the "What is Dagorhir?" section begin? With a fantasy story. It sets the tone by showing that Dagorhir lets you step into a story.

It then describes Dagorhir as "A game, a sport, a martial art . . . a chance to live an adventure." The sporting enthusiasts will lock onto the second descriptor. "It even says that it is a sport!" But notice that the description begins with a "game" and ends with "a chance to live an adventure." This shows, as I said, that boffer fighting is so much more than a sport. It begins with a game. What kind of game? Well, it doesn't specify but the final part implies what it is. You are living an adventure, a fantasy adventure no less. This sounds an awful lot like a roleplaying game, one that uses live-action - in other words, a LARP.

There are more clues. Go to page 7 - a history of Dagorhir. How did the organization begin? The founder wanted to re-create the battle scenes from Lord of the Rings. In other words, he wanted to play the role of the kinds of characters he read about in a fantasy novel. Again, sounds like LARPing.

Scroll to page 9. Before we get to any game rules, we now find a section on characterization. There is a short piece of fiction before we get to the crux of this section.

To set the mood and re-create the atmosphere of battle it’s very important that each participant become some character he or she has made up. Just as in improvisational acting, you should always act out your part; accents are recommended if they sound believable.

Nothing about sport here. It's all about playing a role. This section continues for another 6 pages.

On page 15, we get to costumes. This section begins with the statement that the "battle costume is the single most important factor in re-creating an atmosphere of fantasy in Dagorhir." Once again, the Handbook emphasizes the concept of playing a role in a fantasy setting.

The Handbook then continues with advice on making weapons, starting a chapter, and organizing and running events. The actually rules don't appear until page 54.

So let's recap:

• Dagorhir initially defined itself as more than a sport
• Dagorhir was founded as a way to roleplay epic LotR battles
• Characterization was considered crucial to create a medieval atmosphere in which to roleplay those battles
• Costume (garb) was considered essential to characterization. (Think about it. If we are not roleplaying, why wear medieval garb? We could just as easily fight in soccer jerseys or HEMA gear).

It seems clear to me that Dagorhir was originally envisioned as a kind of roleplaying game. It may not have magic, but that just means it is set in a grittier world. Nevertheless, it is still Live Action Role Playing.

You may ask, what about other games? Surely they are sports. The thing is, Dagorhir was the first boffer combat organization, and pretty much inspired all the others. By looking at Dagorhir, you see the very origins of boffer combat. What are those origins? LARP.

Good Friday

He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 

(1 Thess 5:10 NIV)