Kingdom
Contents
My Kingdom for a....
Per the V8 Rulebook
Kingdoms in Amtgard are large geographic regions responsible for all of the Amtgard groups (called ‘Parks’) and members within their area of influence. Kingdoms have authority over their constituent Parks and are responsible for helping them succeed and grow. Kingdoms typically have the following leadership positions (called 'Officers') which are elected every six months:
Monarch
In charge of organizing the group for the duration of their reign in office. They are the highest authority in the kingdom.
Regent
Assists the monarch in the organization of the arts and sciences during their reign in office by doing such things as holding workshops, cultural tournaments, and craft nights.
Prime Minister
Assists the monarch by making sure the kingdom financial records and attendance records are in order during their reign.
Champion
Assists the monarch by running fighting tournaments, organizing battlegames, and checking weapons and equipment for safety during their reign.
Guildmaster of Reeves
The head reeve is in charge of settling any rules disputes, making sure that all reeves are qualified and doing their job well, and advising the other elected officers on any rules issues they may have.
Kingdom Styles
There are two basic styles of Kingdom Government; Floating Crown and Static Crown.
Rights of a Kingdom
Kingdoms can bestow any awards, including four Orders of Knighthood. Knighthood cannot be granted without authority from a Kingdom.
Kingdoms of Amtgard
Listed are the 23 current kingdoms of Amtgard, in alphabetical order.
- 13 Roads in most of Illinois.
- Blackspire in Oregon, Washington State, and Northern Idaho.
- Burning Lands, the original, in El Paso, TX.
- Celestial Kingdom in central Texas including San Antonio and Austin.
- Crystal Groves in MD, VA, PA, & DL.
- Desert Winds in Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and Southern Idaho.
- Dragonspine in Las Cruces, NM.
- Emerald Hills centered around the Dallas/Ft. Worth area of TX, includes Oklahoma and Arkansas.
- Golden Plains in west Texas and eastern New Mexico.
- Goldenvale in Nashua, NH.
- Iron Mountains in Denver, Colorado.
- Neverwinter in Florida, South and Central Georgia and South Carolina.
- Nine Blades in Ontario and Quebec Canada.
- Northern Lights in Western Washington.
- Northreach in Alaska.
- Polaris in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
- Rising Winds centered in Indianapolis, IN, and includes Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, and small areas of Illinois and West Virginia.
- Rivermoor Spread across a roughly 800 miles straight line in central North America with chapters active in Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, Iowa, and Manitoba.
- Tal Dagore centered in St. Louis, Missouri.
- Viridian Outlands in British Colombia & Alberta of Canada, as well as Washington & Idaho of the US.
- Winter's Edge in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and Mississippi.
- Westmarch in California, Hawaii, and Western Nevada.
- Wetlands in eastern Texas including Houston.
Defunct Kingdoms
- Valley of the Silver Rains(Kingdom Status 1995)(defunct 2005)
- Mystic Seas(Kingdom Status 1993)(defunct 2005)
- Baraduin (Kingdom status 1989)(defunct 1990)
See Kingdoms Formed to find the time line of Kingdom Formation.
Groups nearing Kingdom Status
Also keep your eyes on
How to become a Kingdom
- - An aspiring group must declare their intent to apply for kingdom status at Clan, the year prior to the group being voted on.
- - The aspiring group must have the written/stated support of their sponsoring kingdom's monarch.
- - Every group that wishes to petition for kingdom status must have a valid contract with Amtgard Inc. This contract must be at least five years old at the time of the request for status change.
- - A group must have seventy-five(75) unique/individual sign-ins per month, averaged over the year immediately prior to applying. The group must supply Amtgard Inc with copies of all the sign-ins over this time period as proof of their numbers. They may also be required to provide copies of character/player records to corroborate sign-ins.
- - The group's intended kingdom seat must be at least one hundred and fifty miles from the nearest, neighboring kingdom's seat.
- - The group must show proof of their NPO status and show that they have a current bank account.
- - They must create a kingdom-level corpora which will be reviewed by Amtgard Inc for any discrepancies. This corpora must comply with the laws that govern the group's NPO status and must not violate the contract with Amtgard Inc, the Rules of Play, or any ratified agreements by the Circle of Monarchs.
- - The group must sign an agreement with Amtgard Inc that states that they intend to abide by the contract with Amtgard Inc, the Rules of Play, and all ratified agreements by the Circle of Monarchs.
- - Once all of the above are calculated and confirmed, Amtgard Inc will open discussions with the group to ensure they are prepared for what lays ahead. This is nothing more than a short orientation period that should not prevent a group from being handed over to the Circle of Monarchs for approval.
- - After meeting all requirements, Amtgard Inc will confirm the group's eligibility to the Circle of Monarchs (providing them with copies of all paperwork, if requested) and will defer to their decision as to whether the group's status is raised to kingdom or not.
Principalities, etc.:
In recent times, there has been a surge toward the creation of multi-group entities such as Principalities, Grand Duchies, Confederacies, etc.
While this has led to smaller Amtgard groups operating as a Roving Crown Kingdom would, which inherently is not a bad thing, it has posed some difficulties when it comes to how a group would normally achieve kingdom status.
To combat these issues, Amtgard Inc has set guidelines for this transition. They are as follows:
- - Every contracted Amtgard group is seen as an individual group regardless of its relationship to other groups.
- - Multiple groups under a collaborative banner cannot simply add their numbers together to meet kingdom status numbers. The only way these groups can supplement their numbers is to travel between one another. One group must bear the burden of being the principal group with regards to numbers and record keeping.
- - Ultimately, it will be the principal group that applies for kingdom status, its corpora defining the participation of the other groups once the status is reached.
Removing Kingdom Status
As of 2014 there is now a procedure for removing Kingdom Status. Here is a link to the procedure on Esam.
A word from players on the subject of Kingdom Status
I've made it clear that I will accept Principalities, etc., for kingdom status as long as the provisions I've laid out are met. The specifics of this can be found here:
We will not accept ten shires of ten members each, spread across the country attempting to become a kingdom. We will, however, accept a cohesive set of groups that have the willingness and determination to travel, support a single group, and operate loosely like a kingdom.
I personally don't care what a kingdom calls their groups, be it principality, grand duchy, etc, as long as the group abides by contract, the RoP, the CoM, and is working toward the betterment of Amtgard as a whole. I will gladly support any group that does so.
The only other qualification that is not listed on the referenced page is this: The group must have a representative come before the CoM the year before they come up for a vote for kingdom status. This is to give the CoM plenty of time to come to an educated decision.
If anyone has any questions, I'd be glad to answer them, either on the list or in private email.
Links
- A list of all Amtgard Kingdoms
- How to Get Along Well With Your Parent Kingdom Francis of Ravensholm
- For a listing of the kingdom heraldry check Kingdom Heraldry. See also the Heraldry page.
