RICHMOND, Ky. – It may not be Medieval Europe or a post-apocalyptic future, but for a few hours each week, it can be those or anything else they want it to be.

As the COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed, a group of about 50 men and women have gathered at Catalpa Park in Richmond to participate in live-action role-playing, or LARPing. In this game, the participants physically portray their characters and pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by real-world environments while interacting with each other in character and in costume. The outcome of player actions may be mediated by game rules or determined by consensus among players. Event arrangers, called gamemasters, decide the setting and rules to be used and facilitate play.

The Richmond group is called Tyrant’s Thorn, which is a freehold, or independent entity, in the game of Amtgard, which is a worldwide organization dedicated to medieval and fantasy combat sports and recreation using padded weapons, fantasy and authentic clothing, and imagination to immerse players in a world of heroic combat, quests, crafts and more.

Dyer Barker, the founder of Tyrant’s Thorn, said LARPing had been around since at least the 1980s, and although his group is relatively new, some of its members and other groups in the area have been LARPing for a decade or more. 

“This group just started kind of after the pandemic,” Barker said. “There's another group in Lexington that's been playing for five or six years. LARPing has been around for more than 30 years. It started in Texas and has kind of spread internationally  – they play in Spain, England and all over the place – there's a national tournament in Campton this coming August and there will be people from all over the country come into that. It's just good, clean fun and camaraderie among like-minded folks. There's nothing bad about it.” 

Between 50 and 70 people have attended the LARPing in Richmond since it began, and there are an estimated 25,000 LARPers nationwide. Barker said LARPing is a lot like the tabletop game Dungeons & Dragons – every player represents one character in a fictional setting. LARPing takes that type of game outdoors.

Live-action role-playing participants use padded foam weapons called "boffers" to participate in battle simulations. (Brandon Roberts/Spectrum News 1)

The Tyrant’s Thorn meets at 3 p.m. each Saturday at the park to participate in the club and recruit new members. Nate Frederick, a pastor whose LARP name is Sir Godrick, has participated for more than 10 years. He said there had been several recruiting events at multiple parks with relative success. 

“The people you can see up here, maybe a third of them are called regular players, about another third are players that I've seen, but not regularly, and then the third I've never seen that are brand new, which would be the ones in regular clothes,” he said. “We are here each week, and we do four camps each year, and those can have anywhere from 300 to 1,000 people.”

Frederick said he “really enjoys” LARPing, and there are multiple aspects to the hobby one can enjoy, adding participants tend to be very dedicated to any or all of those aspects. 

“What you see here is the fighting stuff, but we have two women making chain necklaces like what I have on here. I make the belts,” he said. “All of the costumes are handmade. It's a hobby because you have stuff you can do during the week like learn pickup skills making all the weapons and the shields, but you also have the people who make all the costumes and the necklaces and all of this stuff. We have people who can make leather armor and plate armor, like knight in shining armor-type stuff. So not only do you see him out here fighting, but there's a crafting element to it also, which is pretty fun. It's like an artistic thing.”

A trio of first-timers was attending Saturday’s LARPing event. Chris Ford drove 90 minutes from Lebanon after reading about it on Facebook. 

“It’s pretty neat,” Ford said. “I’m having a blast. As I walked up, I heard everyone laughing and having a good time, and I thought to myself, that is kind of the point of all this, to just have fun.”

Stephanie Menefee, of Lexington, said she had wanted to get involved in LARPing for a while.

“I could never find a friend to come with me,” she said. “So today, I just decided to come by myself, and I’m glad I did.”

William B. Martin, a former lacrosse player, was another “newbie” as they are known in LARP circles. He spent a lot of time on the ground during his inaugural experience. 

“I'm used to falling,” he said. “I'm also used to fighting on grass. I love this.”

Visit cometrylarp.com to find a nearby game.