It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon and a brisk fall breeze stirs the golden leaves of Guilford’s campus. Oddly, the familiar autumnal sound is accompanied by the distinct whack of foam coming from the Quad.
Sandwiched between the Quaker’s final home football game in Armfield Stadium and a decisive women’s soccer game out on the soccer field, Guilford’s devoted Amtgard members are lining up for combat.
Amtgard is a live-action role-playing game that revolves around warfare using harmless foam weapons. The objective is to score touches, not injuries. The foam weapons are constantly being repaired so that they are soft and safe to play with.
The objective of Amtgard is to kill an opponent by touching either two of their limbs or their chest. Once a limb is touched, it cannot be used to hold a weapon or hold up a person. There are many different games, such as Black Knight, where all the limbs must be hit to score a kill, but there is never a game that allows a blow to the head.
“We won’t put up with people getting hurt,” said CCE student and Amtgard organizer Nathan Murdoc. While the weapons are soft, they can still pack a powerful punch if swung with malicious intent.
“We allow everyone to play but won’t allow anyone to get injured. We chase off anyone who is just looking to release some aggression,” said sophomore club member Paul Facknitz. While there has not been any major injury, any participant must sign a waiver form so they cannot sue Guilford if they are injured.
The official Amtgard game started in El Paso, Texas, in 1983 and has grown with chapters around the nation. Players take on roles such as assassins or knights and act accordingly to their class. The game has a complex hierarchy of knights and kingdoms that ties the role-playing aspect together with the organization of chapters.
Amtgard players began battling on Guilford’s emerald quad in 2002. The game was then adapted to the local population. Guilford Amtgard has done away with the role-playing aspect in favor of raw foam carnage.
“The more rules you have the more people complain,” said Murdoc. Amtgard players believe that a fast action battle is preferable to role playing for many reasons. A major reason is simplicity.
“There are over 30 pages of rules for the official game,” said Facknitz. Players decided that the complex rules would detract from the purpose of the game and that purpose is to have fun. Amtgard is not only entertaining but is also a good source of physical activity.
“This is one of the few geeky activities where I get a work out,” said Murdoc. An Amtgard player must use their entire body to quickly dodge powerful thrusts, block charging opponents, and deftly strike their fearful foe.
To add a little more spice to Amtgard, there are many different weapons to use than the average foam sword. There are small swords, two-handed swords, spears, hammers, maces, shields, foam nunchuks. Players have even made javelins and throwing axes out of old socks and foam.
The weapons are crafted by the players during scheduled workshops. The Guilford College Yachting Club allocates a small amount of money to Amtgard for the construction and upkeep of the weapons. “The duct tape is the most expensive part of the weapons,” said Murdoc.
Amtgard might seem like an odd activity but the payoffs are countless. A participant is able to enjoy robust physical activity, brisk air and beaming sunlight on the quad, and the unique satisfaction of whacking people with foam.
As Amtgard veteran and Guilford Alumni Brock Mitchowitz said, “I’ve been playing since I was a wee lad and Amtgard is the awesomeness.