This September as the chill of Fall begins to crisp the air and turns the leaves into an inferno of colors, war will come to to the Kingdom of Olaran…at least for one weekend.
Set in the universe of The Rangers web series, Weekend Warrior, is a Live Action Roleplay (LARP) event that just successfully funded on Kickstarter. The project is the result of a collaboration between medieval martial artist and filmmaker, Samantha Swords, Skip Lipman, the documentary film-maker behind Darkon (a documentry about LARPing), Ron Newcomb of Forge Studios (makers of the Rangers web series), and Zan Campbell of Fell & Fair (a LARP community). This team has a lot of experience and talent when it comes to live action roleplaying events and together they designed Weekend Warrior to a vacation like no other.
The event is a weekend that will immerse players in the distant past of the Rangers, an epic fantasy film about the defenders of the borderlands of the kingdom of Olaran. The story draws on inspiration from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Dungeons & Dragons, and Game of Thrones to create a rich world full of adventure. Players will spend the weekend camping with over 140 other backers on the gorgeous grounds of the Mountain Run Winery in Culpeper, Virginia, USA.
Each player will be supplied with costumes and foam weapons designed by Fell and Fair, Calimacil, and Iron Fortress to have the look and feel of realistic medieval weapons. The team behind Weekend Warrior wants everything to look as realistic as possible to provide a wholly immersive experience and also because the event will be filmed documentary style by Arel Avellino, director of The Rangers: Furies, for a possible future webseries. Events that happen in this game will influence the story for future Rangers episodes.
In Weekend Warrior players can opt to join their favorite team from the 4 factions:
- The Kingsmen: Led by Reeve of Olaran (Samantha Swords), the Kingsmen are the fighters which serve and defend the royal house.
- The Men at Arms: These warriors serve the Duke Killian (Ron Newcomb) and have a decidedly viking bent.
- The Lords of the Sea: Following Torvin (Zan Campbell), first Lord of the Sea, the warriors of this faction are part of the King’s navy.
- The Rangers: Commander Chronos McKragg (Skip Lipmann) leads the Rangers, an elite force that guards the borders of Olaran.
While players can expect to participate in physical challenges, puzzles, and combat, you don’t have to have previous LARPing experience. Weekend Warrior has been designed so that newbies as well as LARPers, Roleplayers, and HEMA, SCA or ACL fighters can enjoy it alike. The game will use the C.O.M.B.A.T. system, which was designed by Skip Lipman to be simple and easy to learn. There are also non-combat roles for those looking to enjoy the experience without all the fighting.
Weekend Warrior is an exciting opportunity for anyone interested in living out their dreams of being in a fantasy world. The event will take place the weekend of September 29th through October 1st, 2017. You can learn more about the project on the Kickstarter page and the Weekend Warrior website.
What faction would you be tempted to join? What LARPs do you enjoy? Let us know in the comments below!
Featured Image Credit: Fell & Fair/Taylor Cash Photography
Image Credits: Fell & Fair