COMMUNITY
A few times a year, these realms get together for what Belegarth calls its War Council. “About a decade or so ago, I would say there were 20 realms that would qualify as voting realms,” said the Forest Panda. “At current count, we have 47.” They vote on the length of melee weapons, which weapons are allowed and anything else that comes up in the fog of combat. “That’s the nice thing about us, why we’re popping up so much, especially in the smaller towns. This sport is accessible. It’s something fun to do,” said Panda. It all culminates in annual thousand- person mock war on a field in Indiana. Belegarth calls its war “Armageddon.” It is just one of several such groups that host similar events around the country. Sava and Cooper make their way to a similar event in California, where they’ve both met lifelong friends and partners. “This is a sport for all skill ranges,” said Cooper. “You find where you want to be in it and you kind of settle into that groove. I’m not the best, but I have a lot of fun.” Even though Cooper admits his hobby is niche, it’s one he thinks will catch on. “Right now, with the nerd culture becoming more and more mainstream, it’s made it a lot easier to recruit,” said Cooper. The pitch is a simple one, offered Sava,
while resting from combat: “I want to hit somebody with a stick. You want to hit somebody with a stick.” He motioned to the two newcomers who were just walking by and are now learning how to swing these foam swords. “They wanted to hit somebody with a stick. And the question was, hey, you want to hit somebody with a stick? Look at them now. They’re hooked, man.”
Counterclockwise from top: Sava guides a noob through the fundamentals of combat. | Tad Cooper, Clayton Peterson, Brennan Culbertson, Rain Parks and Nichole Valdovinos. | Foam swords clash at Copper Sky. | Tad Cooper displays his handcrafted weapons.
InMaricopa.com | April 2025
April 2025 | InMaricopa.com
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