V9: Introduction

This page is part of the Official Amtgard V9 Alpha-Playtest Rulebook.

• The Amtwiki is the official home and primary source for Amtgard V9 Rules as of February 25, 2023.
• These rules are currently in Open Alpha Playtest. See the Playtest Disclaimer for more details.
• To learn more about Amtgard V9 Development, please visit Amtgard.com.
• To view the current Amtgard V8 ruleset, please see the Amtgard V8 Rulebook.

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Introduction

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

"It is the professed belief of the leadership of Amtgard that all people regardless of gender, nationality, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, mental or physical ability, or religious affiliation should find Amtgard to be welcoming and inclusive. To that end, we encourage all members of Amtgard to embrace an appreciation of diversity and to take actions that help those who face systematic discrimination find a home within our community.

The leadership of Amtgard recognizes that we must hold our organization to a standard of inclusion. This standard is not merely a required minimum, but rather one that makes us actively appealing to those people who have historically been discriminated against. As such, it falls on us to strive not only for equality in our actions towards our vulnerable membership, but also for equity in order to raise them up to a level of security and acceptance that so many of us enjoy as a matter of course.

Therefore, the leadership of Amtgard resolves to dedicate itself as a matter of official policy and public record to ensuring that our publications, communications, governance, and behavior promote and further these stated beliefs so that all of our members can have the Amtgard they deserve."

- Amtgard International Circle of Monarchs 2018

What is Amtgard?

Amtgard is a free-to-join, fantasy-themed, boffer-LARP community with options for both combat and non-combat participation.

Amtgard meetups are typically hosted each week by local parks, with large celebrations and Kingdom events every 3 months or so.

Amtgard's flagship activity is Class Battlegames: live-action, team-based, arena-battles that take full advantage of our fantasy class system, including bow-wielding archers, spell-flinging wizards, and armor-clad warriors. Other popular combat activities include 1-on-1 tournaments and story-based adventures.

Amtgard combat is full-speed and medium-contact. Medium contact means that players will often make physical contact with each other using approved equipment but grappling, head shots, and most other forms of non-padded contact are prohibited.

Amtgard encourages all players to dress and present themselves in line with the heroic fantasy genre, however Amtgard as a whole is not an immersive roleplay LARP. Instead we support a casual, relaxed roleplay environment that allows each member or even groups as a whole to roleplay as much or as little as they wish, akin to what you might find between different tabletop RPG groups.

Roleplay is only expected when participating in dedicated roleplay activities, such as Quests and Scenario battles. Amtgard roleplay activities are typically episodic in nature, with the settings and narratives for each one driven by local-level organizers with no oversight from Amtgard International.

Amtgard also offers a wide variety of non-combat activities to explore and participate in. Our community boasts a diverse base of crafters, cooks, writers, performers, and visual artists, as well as game designers, roleplay organizers, referees (called reeves), and a multitude of other leadership & logistics volunteers. Many of our members develop and hone lifelong skills through the support and motivation offered within the Amtgard community.

Lastly, Amtgard has a robust award system designed to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of our players across our all facets of the game, both in and out of combat.

Interested?

Find your nearest Amtgard park and join us!

New to LARP and Boffer Combat?

For those who have never explored LARP or Boffer Combat before, welcome to your new favorite pastime!

LARP Players aka "LARPers"

What is LARP?

LARP stands for Live Action Role-Play and it encompasses a wide variety of games where the main connection is players assuming the role of a character and playing the game with their physical bodies and imagination (instead of digitally). If you've ever participated in an Escape Room, a Murder Mystery, or just 'played pretend' with a child, you've participated a form of LARP.

Different LARP activities have different levels of required roleplay. Whereas Escape Rooms typically require little or no roleplay on the part of the participants, conventional LARPs encourage players to create a character and embody them through their actions and appearance (costume).

Some LARPs, including Amtgard, allow participants to choose an occupation or "class" that grants access to equipment and special abilities. Abilities can be represented by physical objects, such as using yellow foam balls to represent Lightning Bolts, or they can be entirely imaginary, such as a spell of Healing that allows one player to aid another with only their voice.

More than anything else, Live Action Role-Play means using your body and imagination to have epic battles and adventures LIVE with other people who are just as excited about it as you are.

Combat with Boffer Weapons

What is Boffer Combat?

Boffer combat refers to a specific style of safe combat where players engage each other with foam-padded weapons, often referred to as 'Boffers'.

Boffer Combat is a safe way to enact fast-paced fighting for large groups of players without the need for extensive safety gear such as helmets or pads. Most players can safely participate in Boffer combat wearing only their normal clothing!

What is a Boffer LARP?

Amtgard is a Boffer LARP. That means we combine the roleplay and imagination of LARP with the mechanics of Boffer Combat to form the basis of our rules. Participants can choose a class and use special abilities alongside full speed boffer combat to engage with other players and the game around them.

Join Us!

If all this sounds exciting to you, you're only pages away from joining one of the best fantasy Boffer LARPs in the world!