The Weekend Warrior Experience

On being an archer in the Hearthguard

While perusing Instagram, as one does, I read another warrior’s caption about discussing her experience in the real world and I couldn’t agree more with what she said. When you get back to your real life after experiencing such a phenomenal, inclusive event filled with comradery, dancing, music, fighting, and setting modern technologies aside, but have to downplay your experience.

I find I often tell people I went camping. That’s the easiest, most relatable thing to tell people. Because, if you tell people you went to a larp event (no matter what you say or how you explain it, no matter how many videos or photographic evidence you have to show), people always imagine the movie “Role Models.”

And once the comparison is made, it becomes a joke. You become a joke. The awkwardness that ensues can vary from simply shying away from the subject to hurtful “jokes.”

So, we hide our experiences or downplay them.

Meanwhile, we get to listen to other people tell us about [the widely accepted] fake football teams they build. They dress up as their favorite sports players (*ahem* that’s called cosplay - but I digress) and tell us how “their” team did over the weekend. And we have to be supportive and not make fun of them for doing the same thing that we did.

You got drunk in a parking lot with your friends while wearing face paint. I got drunk in a field with my friends while wearing face paint.

Tell me the difference.

Back to Weekend Warrior, though.

There are several factions within the event - I’m a part of the Hearthguard. We are a faction of viking-esque warriors, fighting for freedom to return to our homeland. Then you have sea-faring folk, the King’s men, a religious sect, Robinhood-esque archers, and a healer’s guild.

Within the Hearthguard, we are broken up into smaller groupings. Each grouping plays a specific role within the war efforts.

As a shy booknerd, I’m not one for true battle. I don’t want to go into hand-to-hand combat, so I took up archery. And while I still get hit, and I definitely get shot at a lot (I took an arrow to the eye this year, as well as several to the chest), I don’t have to face off with anyone whacking at me.

This year, we were in a different physical location and it was tricky! We were in the woods (whereas last year, the battleground was a big open field). And in those woods were lots of hills. It rained the first day, so those hills were extremely muddy and slick. Trying to climb down the hills, while being shot at was not easy (I was shot immediately) and the archer that got me yelled at me because I didn’t immediately go down (because I couldn’t because I was sliding and couldn’t get my footing under me). But I made eye contact with her and nodded, as I continued to slide around, before I got my feet under me and stepped to the side and yelled for a healer.

The other issue is that my teammates are mostly incredibly tall, large men. And I stand behind them (using their bodies and shields to protect me) and shoot over them. With the trees and their large bodies, it was incredibly hard to shoot anyone (especially since all I could see of my opponent was their face and it’s a big no-no to intentionally shoot people in the face). So I did what I could. I got in a few good shots, took a few people out.

I’ll put together a different post about all the things I wear and how I made them, because the costuming is (obviously) my favorite part.

I really didn’t think I would enjoy this event as much as I do. But there really is something to be said about how welcoming and inclusive it is. These people, who are my family now, on and off the battlefield, welcomed me in from day one. They encourage and support me and each other (both IRL and in-game). They didn’t care that I sucked as an archer. They never cared what I looked like (outside of making sure what I wore in-game is appropriate). And when I needed to step off the battlefield, no one is upset. We work as a team. We are a team.

Hearthguard is family.