From Baron Sir Glavas Zorallo

Greetings,

What does the Rising Winds and Amtgard mean to me? I wish I knew a way to easily convey all of the friendships and frustrations and passions and heartaches and tears and laughter and conflict and love that I have had the privilege of being a part of over all these years. For whatever reason, this game of Amtgard strikes a deep chord in many people and in doing so grows beyond the simple rules and regulations a mere game should provide. It can foster a belief in something bigger than yourself, something worth sacrificing and working for, something that for some becomes as dear to them as family. And in some cases, even more so. It awakens in many that elusive “Dream” that many refer to but few ever experience.

I enjoy the unique perspective of having participated in one of the first battlegames of Amtgard the Midwest ever saw. It was way back in the fall of 1983. I was a senior in high school and my friend Chris Brooke (a.k.a. Baron Areth Nar) had a rulebook that made it back to the Midwest with a friend of his who had spent that summer in El Paso, Texas. Half of the manual was an original copy (typewritten with white-out on some mistakes in the text) and half was a first-run mimeograph copy. It was hand-stapled and dog-eared and had picture of a warrior copied from an old Conan novel and it made it possible for some kids to play “live-action D&D”. I still have that book (and those sign-ins) today.

We were completely lost within the rules, despite there being only four classes at the time. We probably butchered every single one of the few enchantments there were. We bruised each other with shield bashes and tackles (legal at the time, although discouraged) and used weapons that were made out of two-inch PVC and carpet padding and armour constructed from sofa cushions and shag carpet. It was completely chaotic and humourous and incredibly fun. I still look at my original sword and smile in remembrance. In it’s simplest form, that’s what a large part of this hobby, game, activity, sport, LARP, whatever you want to classify it as, is all about: it’s ability to enable fun and establish friendships.

We played on and off over the years, through college and afterwards with less frequency as we grew older and our mundane lives took the majority of our priorities and attention (and rightly so). Yet over all that time, longer than many Rising Winders have been alive, we kept our weapons and armour and rulebooks stored away. We didn’t throw them out despite disuse and many moves and numerous life changes. Every few years we’d pull them down from the attic and have a ditch battle between the suburban homes in our subdivisions and endure the confused stares of our neighbors, enjoying some nostalgic merriment. In a deeper way, that also is a part of what makes Amtgard something beyond a hobby or game for many people: it’s ability to linger in the background of your thoughts and whisper of how things could be, or how they should be.

Then a few years ago we learned that Amtgard was thriving beyond any guess we could have made. Thousands of participants and new rulebooks (no more shield bashing) and many kingdoms and new things to learn and people to learn from and websites... It was, and is, absolutely stunning and amazing to see something we thought of as just a fun hobby from our childhood become a commonality for such a diverse group of people. To enable them to interact, and possibly become friends or more, with so many people they never would have otherwise met. To see people learn and grow and expand their horizons and viewpoints and lives, that is where Amtgard truly shines: enhancing that feeling that something better is somehow there, and bringing it to the forefront, at least for an afternoon or a weekend, amongst folks with so many different backgrounds.

All of that, and more, I have had the undeserved pleasure and opportunity of participating in during my time with the Rising Winds. From the silly fun of manufacturing some five-eyed stuffed frogs with mini-Amtgard weapons and throwing them at Rigel to seeing people grow (both literally and figuratively) during the time they spend in the Rising Winds to road-tripping to Chicago with Hobbit to catch a hockey game to running frantic organizing a major event. Each of these is a small part of the puzzle which when pieced together form an incredible picture of how deep and rich and fulfilling playing Amtgard in the Rising Winds can be if one so chooses.

I hope everyone understands a little, and perhaps even shares in, the pride I feel when I step back and look at all we've done, how far we've come, how great we've become. To see the excellence embodied in every person of the Rising Winds astonishes me and, frankly, inspires me. Even when arguments come about they still mostly center around differing views of how to make this experience we share more enjoyable for all. Of course there will be personality conflicts and egos and politics and cliques, but those are prevalent in all aspects of life-they aren’t specific to Amtgard. Regardless of anything else, our human traits will still be with us. The beauty of the Rising Winds is that those things are far less evident than anywhere else, either in or out of Amtgard. It all gets back to that elusive quality, that Dream, which never really lets go of you once you feel it.

That spirit of this game of Amtgard, that Dream, is nowhere more clear and strong and bright as it is in the Rising Winds. I always seem to find it here, more than anywhere else, among all the people I’ve been lucky enough to get to know over the years. It is many a winding path that brought us all to a common road and I consider myself fortunate to be traveling it with all of you who make up the Rising Winds. That being said, I’d like to offer a sincere thank you to all of you from the bottom of my heart for all the years of friendships and frustrations and passions and heartaches and tears and laughter and conflict and love and service and fun and memories you've allowed me to share with you over the years. I look forward to many more years of enjoying this Dream of Amtgard with all of you.

In service,
Baron Sir Glavas Zorallo
The Lands of the Rising Winds


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