My Early Days In Amtgard
My LARP journey began way back in 1999 when I first stumbled into the world of Amtgard at the ripe old age of 16. (Yes, I’m dating myself, but hey, it’s all part of the story!) I was instantly hooked by the camaraderie, the creativity, and the chance to escape my mundane life.
I, along with my high school friends, founded Sylvan Fenn, an Amtgard chapter in Newberg, Oregon, where I spent years battling it out with foam swords and making lifelong friends. I also tried my hand at leadership, helping run that first park of mine for the first several years of my time in Amtgard. I held many different leadership positions, and it’s where I discovered a knack for organizing chaos and keeping things running smoothly (most of the time).
Feasts For the Masses
But if there’s one thing, I’m truly known for in the LARP world, it’s my feasts. Seriously, I’m obsessed with feeding the masses, tasty, filling foods. Nine out of my ten rose awards were for running kingdom-level feasts, and I even earned the title of Master Chef in 2008 after winning the Iron Chef competition in the Kingdom of Blackspire. (My secret ingredient? Nuts!). Even now I try to do at least one feast a year, just to feel the joy of cooking for others and to remind people why I’m a Flame Knight.
From Events to YouTube
Over the years, I’ve expanded my horizons, and dipped my toes into running events. I’ve run the Oregon based Amtgard event, Winterbash several times as well as running Pacific War both with and without a co-autocrat (an autocrat is the head runner of an event). I even created my own role-play focused event Shattered Kingdoms, which ran from 2015 until 2019, closing down in 2020 as the dreaded pandemic hit the world.
Kingdom Leadership and Notable Adventures.
I never stopped running for leadership positions. After the slow demise of Sylvan Fenn, I started holding offices at the Kingdom level, having served as King once and Regent twice. I earned titles like Duke and Archduke. (It’s not as fancy as it sounds, but I did get a cool portrait of me as an Archduke gnome.) I also had the honor of serving on the Board of Directors for the Kingdom of Blackspire several times, including as president of the B.O.D.
I’ve also dabbled in Belegarth, attending Western Wars in Oregon several times in the last decade. I’ve had some wild times at that event. That is where I first learned of the drinking game, Wizard Staff. More recently I have branched out and have attended other Belegarth events, both campouts and day events.
Content Creator Madness
More recently, starting around 2019, I have transitioned from more actively running events and holding office, to writing blogs about my days in LARP and eventually branching out into streaming and making YouTube videos. Throughout the years of my LARPing, there has been one constant joy and that is the foam fighting. I’ve taken to using YouTube to help spread the joy to the masses.
Want to Learn More?
Want to delve deeper into my LARP adventures? Check out my Amtwiki for some additional context. You may also like to look at my ORK (Online Record Keeper) profile. There you can see how absurdly active I’ve continued to be throughout the decades and see all the fancy awards I’ve earned in Amtgard.
The Adventure Continues
Whether I’m wielding a foam sword, whipping up a feast, or sharing my adventures online, LARPing has been a constant source of joy and camaraderie in my life. I’m excited to see what new adventures await me in the years to come!
