A student-operated publication at Santa Rosa Junior College.

The Oak Leaf

A student-operated publication at Santa Rosa Junior College.

The Oak Leaf

A student-operated publication at Santa Rosa Junior College.

The Oak Leaf

Here there be LARPing

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Arthur Gonzalez-Martin
Warrior winning after the match.

If “Dungeons and Dragons” is too slow and predictable, maybe you would like to get out of the basement for a bit and see what this sunlight and socializing thing is all about.

Enter LARP, which stands for live action role play. It comes in two flavors: the social LARPs and the “sword and board” LARPs. Social LARPing involves a group of people together in a room to play Game of Thrones-style political games like World of Darkness and League of the Five Rings, a Japanese fantasy militia game.

But for me, the “sword and board” LARPing sounded much more exciting. I traveled to the Crimson Woods at Eagle Park in Rohnert Park to watch as ten dedicated LARPers battled in a medieval kingdom called Amtgard—magic, monsters and all.

Trog the troglodyte was my guide to this fantasy world. Trog is a half-lizard-half-man in game and a Santa Rosa Junior College I.T. student out of game. We sparred a bit as he explained the basic rules: a body hit is instant death, two hits to any limb makes it useless and two lost limbs means you’re dead. It’s quite a workout, with all the running, swinging swords, and trying (and failing!) to dodge arrows. Turns out longbows are complete death machines if you don’t bring your own shield.

LARPing is a fascinating part of nerd culture that not many people know or understand. If you’re into fantasy, it’s worth checking out. The Amtgard LARPs meet Saturdays at 11 at Eagle Park in Rohnert Park.

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About the Contributor
Arthur Gonzalez-Martin, Staff Writer
Arthur Gonzalez-Martin is a left-leaning social libertarian/Blue Dog who's been going to the SRJC for nine years, exploring everything it has to offer till he took a journalism class and decided to stick with it. After four semesters at The Oak Leaf, one of which he was senior photographer, he's continued as an intern for the program. In his spare time, Arthur writes short stories, including a collection of which he's trying to get published; playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, board games and video games; and taking long hikes into nature.

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