Ragnarok XXX

Ragnarok.  it's the greatest week of your life at the end of the world.  Luckily, it happens every year.  Seven days of war and just as many nights of revelry.   This event has been incredibly important to me and many others over the years.  I've found lifelong friendships, shared beautiful timeless memories and one in a million experiences.  I want to share a few pieces of wisdom that might help you make the most of your Ragnarok, and I hope that those of you going this year have a shiny, golden time. 

First of all, drink fucking water.  Do it.  Drink lots of that shit and then drink some more.  Also, electrolytes are your friend.  They're what plants crave!

In the same vein.  Eat food.  You'd think this was self explanatory, but it's easy to run off adrenaline until you realize all at once that the tank is empty.  You'll be burning a ton of calories running and what not. 

Take it easy on the intoxicants.  Booze runs freely and it's normally poured strong.  Be careful accepting drinks from strangers, you never know what's in it.

Don't over exert yourself.  It's a long week and nobody wants to hurt themselves Tuesday and be forced to spend the rest of the week injured.

Learn everything you can.  This is a unique opportunity to learn from bad-asses from across the nation.  Stay humble and be a knowledge sponge.

Keep calm on the field.  Tempers flare far easier when the field has a thousand fighters on it.  Deep breaths, walk away.

Also remember that period drinking vessels are required outside of camp.  And no cars on site after dark.  None.

Each individual's Ragnarok expectations and experiences will be vastly different.  If you're looking for the complete fighting experience, there's 5 hours of day battles, 5 hours of night fighting and great weapon skill classes happening each day.  If you want to party, there's a big shindig happening nearly every night.  If you want to socialize, there's Dagorhirrim from all over the country waiting to trade stories and traditions.  The experience you have is what you let it be.  Don't be surprised if it's not exactly what you'd hoped for, Ragnarok is a magical place, it could turn out a million times better.   Don't forget to have fun!

Dagorhir Tournaments: Becoming a Complete Competitor

Tournaments are a tricky subject in Dagorhir. They are generally regarded as being unimportant to developing a fighter’s skill, and are rarely the centerpiece for an event or campout. Even Ragnarok has seen a downturn in tournament participation, with only a handful of units fielding fighters over the last few years. The perceived taint of cheating, whether factual or not, has kept many skilled fighters away; for fear of having a rightful victory ripped away by an dishonorable opponent. But, this year at Ragnarok, I witnessed a very clean, fairly well run tournament, and I'm hoping that it heralds the potential for change. I'm a competitive fighter and I crave the adrenaline rush that "fighting for keeps" evokes in me, so I've always loved tournaments; and I genuinely believe that tournaments can bring much to the style, flavor, and substance of our game.

     Simply put, skill sharpens skill. Granted, there's an element of competition to any form of foam fighting, but the game changes completely when only the victor advances. The adrenaline rush in a tournament is simply a different breed from an epic field or forest fight. The pressure to perform is much higher for each individual, and even in team tournaments, the failure of one can spell doom for the whole team. It forces a fighter to establish a "One Fight" mentality where your concentration focuses to a sharp point. I consider it a form of mental fortitude, the tournament mindset, and I find that fighters who are both exceptional on the field and in tournaments are more complete combatants and contenders.

     In Amtgard, the tournament scene is an institutionalized system that is handled very differently from Dagorhir. There are game sanctioned awards for exceptional performance in any number of areas, whose collection culminates in a knightly title. The most relevant to this discussion are Orders of the Warrior, which are given for exceptional tournament performance. Nearly every Amt event has a tournament of some kind, whether they are Martial or Arts and Sciences. This perpetual competition has created some exceptionally talented fighters and they're generally well known due to the obvious victor nature of tournaments. I'm not advocating Dagorhir adopting any of these ideas, but giving this as an example of the way it can enhance a game.

     There's a wide variance in the way that tournaments are run in regards to weapon classes, elimination style, and even heralding standards. The most important of these to the integrity of tournaments is the use of active heralding. Not only does this eliminate much of the ambiguity in tournaments by having multiple experienced herald/fighters watching the entire match from different angles, but also helps grow skill by recognizing weak points in your own game. Tournament heralds need to be comfortable and willing to call shots on even the most respected of fighters, with no favoritism shown at all. Consistently utilizing this style of heralding will do much to help the reputation of tournaments, and potentially Dag as a whole.

     I don't expect most fighters to care about tournament settings; but the fact that many top tier fighters avoid them says something about their current standing. If effort is expended to run better organized, cleaner, and faster tourneys, the average skill level across the country could take a leap. Consider running local tournaments, but keep in mind and emphasize the importance of sportsmanship and honor. Participate in them, and learn from the defeats you will inevitably be handed. Use tournaments as a way to gauge your current skill level, and help provide you with the hunger you need to improve across the board.

-The Golden Lion

Why So Serious? How to Keep the Mind Clear of Rage

This is a short article written by Mr. Dark (formerly known as Maeo), who is an old friend of mine, currently petitioning to the Brotherhood of the Falcon. He's always been a talented fighter, but has also suffered from a history of temper flare-ups. Here is a look into how one can temper their flames, even when they burn brightest, and even in those for whom the inferno threatens to consume them.

***

"At Wolfpack Opener I was not in a great mental place. I was moody, angry, and, simply put, looking for an excuse to go hard on someone.  Anyone at all.  Not quite the way you want to be at the first major Midwest event of the year.  Then a unit mate of mine struck me in the noggin.  Not on purpose of course, but a solid shot to the dome still instigates those fight or flight signals, no matter the reason.  The rage burned brighter.  So, I tossed my weapons to the ground and took a walk.

The freezing cold of Illinois gnawed on my flesh as I marched to the cadence of my self-loathing.  Christ.  I wanted to tear a fucker's head off.  The more I walked, the cooler my temperament became. The rage retreating deep into the recesses of my mind for warmth.  I found myself back at the entrance to the gym.  Feeling my in self-imposed exile was served (and tired of the bone-chilling winter of the 'nois), I returned to the event.  The battle I left was still going strong and my equipment lay in the center of the field where I'd abandoned them.  I slowly navigated through the sidelines of the field, holding my head high and my shoulders back despite the massive chip that still sat there.

I pushed my weapons off the field and began strapping on my gloves and picking up my shield. Then I noticed something.  Peeking through a door stood a gaggle of little girls, eyes wide and amazed at the chaos.  The most excited of the group (and presumed leader) spoke up.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Having a sword fight," I replied.

"Why?"

"Because it is fun."  I declared.

 In agreement the leader threw up her arms and her cohorts nodded.

"Does it hurt?" another asked.

"No," I replied and I handed the gaggle my club to inspect.  I explained the game as a massive pillow fight, which seemed to satisfy them.  Itching to return to combat, I waved good-bye and told them to enjoy their day as I went to rejoin the mock mass-murder.  The children's eyes returned to the field, no longer seeing chaos, but organized play fighting.

My day improved, having had to confront what I do and why I do it on its very simplest terms.  I believe that gaggle of girl children, dressed all in fluorescent pink and silver, were sent by the universe to remind me of that.  Sword fighting is fun.  All of it.  The beautiful choices of garb.  The Ferrari bright weapons. The fancy kung-fu footwork.  The over the top deaths.  The satisfaction of a surgically precise shot.  The shock of bone-crushing shield bashes.  The fun in all its forms.

Human beings have a way of over-complicating things.  It's in our nature.  Our brains are perpetual thought machines, and mind tends to steer towards the melodramatic.  If you ever feel yourself getting frustrated by this game (and if you are reading this, you are playing enough to where that is a certain possibility), do yourself a favor and take a walk.  Explain to seven-year-old-you how you grew up to be a warrior slaying kin on a battlefield.  And I dare you not to smile."


***

Anger is a problem that we all suffer from occasionally.  Nobody is perfect, and everyone has things that set them off.  The truth is: we're playing a combat sport.  There is always going to be the potential for anger and frustration, but it is very important to remember that you do this for enjoyment.  Sportsmanship must be maintained, even (or perhaps especially) against those we might not like much.  Every single person who stands on the field is out there to enjoy themselves, and nobody wants to go home hurt at the end of the day.

The game is about fighting, but it's the people who make the experience mean something.  If you find yourself frustrated or upset, remove yourself from the field before you hit your breaking point.  No good comes of continuing to swing a stick while your temper crescendos.  Folks don't want to fight against rage-beasts any more than they want to fight against cheaters, so don't be that guy/girl.  Take a walk, get some fresh air, and try to clear your mind before returning every time.  Even if you already have a reputation for a short-temper, it's never too late to change that.  Make a special effort to treat others on the field exactly the way you'd want to be treated.  Accidental head shots happen in both directions, and I'm sure you'd rather not have every single person you accidentally hit in the head blow up screaming at you.

I personally have made special effort to curb my own hotheadedness, which used to be a defining feature of my attitude and fighting long years back.  In fact one of my apprentices tells me that his earliest observations of my shouting and anger left him with as strong an impression as my skill.  But I wanted the game to grow healthily, and so I made a promise to myself to try harder to rise above the hate.  For each person who manages their rage, there's another person whose good time won't be dragged to a halt.  Fight hard, but fight clean.

-The Golden Lion

Reigniting the Spark

      For many Dagorhirrim, as the years roll by, foam fighting becomes less like a hobby and more like a lifestyle.  Friendships, bonds, and a love of the game brings folks out for decades.  Even after taking long breaks and having drastic lifestyle changes, many people find themselves pulled back into our world.  How can someone extend the life expectancy of their Dagorhir experience and continue both having fun, and keeping the thrills fresh?  Here's a couple ways that you can use to reinvent your game experience.

Don't Expect the Past to Repeat:
      Sometimes you just get a perfect storm of personalities and conditions.  Everyone gets along beautifully, everyone is motivated to improve and people's attendance is strong.  These Golden Ages can galvanize an entire region into building itself up, or fuel the establishment of well-attended large-scale fighting events.  But people grow older and life happens.  Some folks will start families, some will move away, and others will just slowly and silently fade into the noise, never to be heard from.  As fantastic and inspiring as these golden ages can be, when they pass, they can leave a vacuum in their place.  Like a train forced to slam on its emergency breaks from full speed, the absence of the leadership that prompted the explosive growth can cause a drastic shift to the opposite of the spectrum.  Dagorhirrim become accustomed with their group's idealized dynamics, and without a smooth and measured leadership transfer, there is a high chance of a period of stagnation.  When things are too perfect, everything that follows can seem bleak in comparison.  Newer members who only ever knew a period of strong, careful leadership, and pristine organization, may not know how to react to the new way of things.

      Even within a single unit's evolution, there will be points in time which each member considers the "Best of Times".  The most important thing to remember is that this game is what you make of it.  Constantly reminiscing and comparing your current situation to past glories is a sure-fire way to become discontent with your status.  Meet new faces and personalities, and let them influence your game experience in a positive, open-minded manner.

Embrace the Entire Game:
      If you've spent your entire 5 years fighting being a pure-stick jock, and find yourself bored of Dagorhir, maybe it's time for a change of pace?  The game is a multi-faceted jewel, and there are many different ways to enjoy it.  You could explore the worlds of crafting, fashioning fine arms and armor, or elegant garb.  You might find it enjoyable to participate in Bardic competitions, or flesh out your long-neglected character into a story-tale hero or villain.  Or perhaps you've done everything but take fighting seriously?   When treated like a martial pursuit it can be very fulfilling.   Attend some practices!

       How about trying something that's new for you in the game?   Come up with ideas for new games to play, battles to fight or events to  run.   Mix it up and try different weapon combinations,  or fight with a less than ideal setup.   Try to attend more out of state events and meet new people across the nation!   There's a thousand ways to enhance your experience, you just gotta be willing to put some thought and work in.

       Dagorhir can be as much or as little as you want it to.   What you receive from the game is a product of the effort you put in and the people you surround yourself with.   If it's not working for you, try to change the variables.  It's your free time, you should enjoy it.

-The Golden Lion