By Christopher Zeuthen, UW News Lab / Special to CHS
Saturday night, thousands of people prepared to battle at the Seattle Center in an epic lightsaber fight pitting Star Wars geek vs. Star Wars geek. But another war was waged in the city long ago — last weekend in Volunteer Park, to be exact. It will be fought again. And again.
Armed with swords, shields, spears, and an insatiable bloodlust, the denizens of Dargarth prepare themselves for battle, and the grass of the park, fresh with the Sunday morning frost, trembles before them.
Arminius, a duke of Dargarth’s mythical realm, straps on his plate armor, which has a +4 armor rating and allows him to take more hits without dying. Nearby, Uulmshar dons 45 pounds of chain mail, and others begin their incantations of magical armor.
In this medieval fantasy world, the limits of the live action role play, or LARP, are only what you set them to be. As a combination of the classic story-driven LARP, Darkon, and combat-driven Belegarth, Dargarth offers Seattle LARPers a balanced midground that allows both fun and engaging combat, as well as the opportunity to create and develop their own character.
“You can think of it as a physical game, or a creative exercise,” says Angela “Alicaryn” Garcia, a second-year Dargarth member.
With a simple rule set, the Dargarth ensemble is welcoming and jovial beyond measure. Cookies and cupcakes are served semi-regularly, crafted straight from Alicaryn’s sugar plantation, and the LARPers are quick to offer a foam sword or shield to young children or newbies for a sparring session.
However, the LARPers — although “geeks at heart” — don’t pull any blows on the field, and encourage a simulation of combat based in reality.
“It’s going to be some hard-fighting, some athletic stuff, you might come home with a bruise or two, because we fight full force,” says Harris “Arminius” Hoffman. “But you’re going to have a lot of fun your first time, and hopefully the next time too.”
Dargarth battles semi-regularly around Seattle, usually in Volunteer Park. You can learn more and check out the schedule for the next conflagration at dargarth.org.
Rich white yuppies, not content with total domination of the material world, slide further into fantasy while Seattle backslides into a dickensian urban nightmare
Hush or thou shalt be Larped.
What’s the emoji for “eye roll”?
Jesus Christ.
Excuse me, but how old are these people?
Our average player is in their mid-20s.
Ladies and gentleman, I give you the most effective form of birth control.
Hello, I would like my joke back please.
Before you continue in that misconception (pun intended), come out to one of our events and meet our many married/coupled players. We’re quite welcoming.
God forbid people get together and have a good time. That would violate the Hipster Code of Ethics.
If you feel an overwhelming need to bust on people engaging in social activities…perhaps you should try engaging in social activities yourself. Or is it too much of a burden to tear your face away from the glow of your phone? Ah, my smartphone! Parent, friend…secret lover!
Cheers.
I raise my spear to you, sir.