Glad You've Found Us!
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| Valley Of Smoke's Flag |
Amtgard is a fantastic game that will have you running and
playing for hours on end. We use safe foam-padded weapons and beat the tar out
of each other on a weekly basis. All of our weaponry is 100% safe and never
leaves a bruise! Amtgard is a great reason to get out of the house and make new
friends! To learn more, just keep reading!
What Is Amtgard?
We could bore you with a history lesson here. Quick and
dirty, the game was founded in 1983 in El Paso, Texas, and has grown
exponentially ever since. This year, Amtgard's 30th birthday, boasts thousands players
in countries around the world.
To date, there are Amtgard groups throughout the United
States and Canada. The game has gone overseas, with active chapters in Croatia,
Japan, Finland, Germany, England, Korea, and Russia.
Valley of Smoke is part of the Kingdom of Crystal Groves.
Yeah, we have kingdoms. How cool is that?
Other Than The Boring Stuff...
Amtgard is a fast paced action adventure game that you play
on your own two feet. Forget the controller or the need for electricity. We
will put a safe, foam padded sword in your hand and turn you loose in a grassy
field to wail on other people.
Team based play can take many different mini-game formats,
so you never know what you will encounter on the field. Teams change up between
games to keep things fresh for everyone. You will learn teamwork and how to
think on your toes. Depending on what you choose to play, you could get to use
a bow and safe arrows, swords, daggers, throwing weapons, shields, pole arms,
and even verbal components.
Fighting Basics
Fighting works quite simply in Amtgard. The weapons don't
hurt to be hit with, but you are aware that you've been hit. Here are the basic
rules you need to know:
*No hitting in the neck, head or face. These areas are off
limits!
*Any hit from the shoulder down is an arm hit. Put the hit
arm behind your back.
*Any hit in the leg is a leg hit. Drop to your knees and
keep fighting!
*Any two arm or leg shots, or any combination thereof, is a
kill.
*Any hit to the chest, torso, back, or buttocks is an
instant kill.
But you will come back to life! The cool part about Amtgard
is that you get many lives in every game! And every new game restores all of
your lives to you. It's possible to die 100 times or more in a single day, and
you still just keep on coming back to fight again!
Choose Your Class!
Amtgard offers 10 different character classes for the
starting player to pick from! When you come join us on the field, you can
select from any of the following:
Melee:
*Assassin - A silent fighter who likes to sneak up on their
prey.
*Barbarian - Hulk, smash! Likes to fight with brute force
and animalistic intent.
*Monk - The fighter who keeps their inner soul at peace.
*Warrior - The front lines fighter who never hesitates to
enter battle.
Support:
*Archer - Bow and arrows. Fire at will.
*Scout - Excellent at finding hidden players and hand to
hand combat.
Magic:
*Bard - Able to control other player's actions with verbal
commands.
*Druid - Friend of nature and a powerful spell caster.
*Healer - Able to heal the injured with spoken spells.
*Wizard - Conjurer of powerful magical spells.
Once you've chosen what you want to play, you're not stuck
as that class! If you didn't care for it, next week you can simply choose
something else! Every week, you sign in as the class you want to play. You earn
one credit point in that class for that week. As your credits add up, you gain
levels. Each new level offers new things that you can do!
How Does Magic Work?
This isn't some evil magic that your folks need to be
worried about. Every "magical" spell and ability in the game is
triggered by reciting certain words which you will find in the rule book. You
point at someone within 20 feet of you, say the words, and they react
accordingly.
What Will It Cost Me?
Amtgard is free to play, aside from the cost of building
your own sword and outfit at the end of a month's trial run. If you would like
to be a citizen of the kingdom, you must pay your dues of $1 a month to the
park. Dues are collected in 6 month increments ($6 for 6 months) only. Citizens
are allowed to vote in any matter at park and kingdom level.
What Else Does Amtgard Offer?
We aren't all about fighting. Weekly meetings are normally
fighting centered, but there's a lot more that the game can offer you! Kingdoms
sponsor large camping events, where hundreds of players join together for a
weekend of Amtgard fun.
For people who enjoy crafting, Amtgard can offer you lessons
in fun, new types of arts! Just a taste of the ever-growing list includes
sewing, chainmail construction, calligraphy, leather working, metal working,
weaving, weapon construction, cooking, glass work, candle making, and so much
more!
But, if crafting isn't your thing, you won't ever have to
touch a piece of crafting material in your Amtgard career.
What Do I Need To Start?
Nothing at all! Come out and join us. We will take care of
all of your needs for your first four weekly visits! When your four weeks are
over, we will help you build and create everything you need so you will have
your own supplies.
Anyone who is 14 or older is welcome in Amtgard. Our regular field runs quite the age gap, with students as young as 14 and adults as old as 37 currently playing on a weekly basis. You're never too old to join up and have a good time! Other parks have active players into their 60s and beyond.
Who Plays Amtgard?
Anyone who is 14 or older is welcome in Amtgard. Our regular field runs quite the age gap, with students as young as 14 and adults as old as 37 currently playing on a weekly basis. You're never too old to join up and have a good time! Other parks have active players into their 60s and beyond.
Technical Stuff:
You must be 14 or older in order to join Amtgard. Any player
under the age of 18 must bring a legal parent or guardian to the first meeting
to sign some paperwork.
All players, regardless of age, are required to fill out a
basic medical sheet and sign some paperwork before playing for the first time.
Meeting Time And Place:
Valley Of Smoke meets on Sundays at 1 PM. We play until the
weather sends us running for cover, or until it gets dark.
We meet on the ball park side of Jackson Memorial Park in
Vienna.
*From I-77, take the Emerson Avenue exit 179. Drive 3 miles.
Turn right onto Rosemar Road. Drive 2 miles. When you see the ball fields on
your left, turn in. Drive to the brown building you see on the hill and
pull in behind it.
*From the Bypass, get on I-77 Northbound. Follow above
directions.
*From in town, find your way to Rosemar Road.
