A few months ago, I had the pleasure of attending an SCA fighter’s practice. I was blown away at the differences in this game compared to the boffer larps that I usually frequent. At this practice, they also had their business meeting. This group was about the size of most Amtgard Shires who would be pushing Barony numbers. In this business meeting, they were talking about their bank account. This shire had over $10,000 in the bank. This local group, not their kingdom, not their entire game, but this little shire in the middle of nowhere, Kentucky. I was in shock.
I began to look around. A few things stood out when I compared this group to an “average” Amtgard group. I was one of the youngest ones in attendance. I am 32 and am generally on the older side at most Amtgard parks. But I was one of the youngest at this SCA park. Every person there was in garb. Good garb at that. When you jump into SCA fighting, you must spend at least $400 on a basic kit. You need the armor to be able to participate safely in the game. It is what is expected to play their game. There are expectations to be a part of that community. Keep that in mind as we move to our following example.
My favorite foam fighting event of the year is put on by the Indianapolis Dagorhir/Belegarth group, Mittlelmarch. This event, called the Olympics, has one of the best atmospheres of any event I have ever attended. It has fantastic games and people. Their merchant row is massive for the size of the event. If you were to look out onto the field during a game, blue jeans would not be found. Every single fighter there is in a “full kit.” There are no sweatpants. There are no ball shorts. There are no modern patterns. Every fighter on the field looks good, almost like they could be in a movie. You will see fantastic monster kits with masks and in-depth costumes. You will find fighting units dressed in matching armor and garb. Everyone looks great. They do not let you play if you are not in a “full kit.” Period.
Why? To get past the gate, you must be in garb. There is an expectation for this event that you need to look good. It is an expectation that you will have spent a significant amount of time or money building a kit. That is the “norm” for this game. If you do not like it, do not show up.
Why does Amtgard look so bad when we compare it to other games? I believe that it stems from one of our primary marketing schemes. We do not have expectations for our players. We advertise that we can get people started for $15. When a new player shows up, we tell them, “You can get a sword and basic garb for super cheap!”. That sets us up for failure. It does not set the expectation that players must invest in our game. I can not tell you how many ten-year veteran players I see walking around an event in jeans and a belt. It utterly kills me.
We must stop advertising ourselves as “the poor man’s larp.” Why? When we do, we attract a specific player to our game. The kind of person who would not or can not spend the money needed to get into the SCA or Dag. These players become involved in our game and then buck when the price of an event goes up by $5. These players are consumers of the game, not those who are willing to invest in the game’s future. They ultimately leech off the game and create an unfun environment for everyone else.
I recently looked into going to the local SCA A&S tournament. It was a day event. Nothing else was going on other than the A&S tournament. It was $20 to get in. If you were a judge, you paid $20. If you were an entrant, you spent $20. If you were a bystandard, you paid $20. That is what is expected in that game. It is what is typical for that game. It allows local groups to create fantastic events that many in Amtgard can not comprehend. It creates a culture of invested people who sometimes have to set priorities in their lives to play the game.
“But, Godric, we must be inclusive and creating a paywall for our members is awful!” I agree that paywalls are bad, but I think the overall damage that “the poor man’s larp” mentality has done to our game is worse. New players need to know what is expected of them. I understand that forcing people into better garb is not a “fix-all,” but changing the “poor man’s larp” mentality would be a great start. The “better garb” issues are the easiest to address. We can start small, and over time, we can change that mindset. So here is my solution.
Keep everything the same at the local level. Allow parks to be our primary recruiting method (as they currently are). Do not require strict standards at a park level. Use that as a “training ground” for players. BUT enforce more stringent garb requirements for our events. This would force local parks to teach their players what is expected of them if they show up to events. By forcing higher standards at our events, people will be forced to invest more in our game, and the more people invest, the longer they will likely stay involved in the game. Slowly, this would change the mindset so that maybe when we actually start charging what we should for our events, people will not have an aneurysm.
Amtgard is known as “the poor man’s” larp. Why are we okay with this? Why do we use this as an advertising method? This is a terrible reputation to have, and we need to change it. I think this starts by requiring stricter standards in garb at our events. Shifting the game away from this perception will take time and a focus on recreation. It will take people sticking to their guns when people complain about event prices going up or whatever the current issue is. Other games require more. They are not struggling with recruitment. They somehow survive while having a standard that involves time/money to get into. They have clear expectations. Let’s get there too.
