Darkon Wargaming Club
Founded in 1985 and built upon the rules of the now-defunct Emarthnguarth Outdoor Wargaming System,[1] Darkon grew from a handful of LARP enthusiasts to almost 2,000 members in 2005, with a small number of chapters dotting the country.
Administration of The Darkon Wargaming Club is composed of three official governing bodies: the "Executive Board," the "Noble Council," and the "Senate."
The Club administration is run much like the United States Government, with a system of checks and balances to prevent one body from gaining too much power.
The executive board of Darkon handles the day-to-day administration of the club, such as finances, registration, records, and contact with other LARPs.
Duties of the Senate consist of introducing and voting on new rules and bylaws, electing executive board members, and making specific Club decisions.
Any Knight may challenge the Noble Council in a contest of arms in order to gain a higher title (such as Baron, Earl, Marquis, Count, Duke or Prince) and the right to play the class Cavalier.
The amount of land a country owns has a direct impact on how much in-game money (represented by gold- and silver-colored metal coins minted by the Club administration) is earned.
[6] Presently there are nine officially recognized countries in Darkon; they are Aquilonia, Bard City, Ched Nasad, Chendrolyn, Drowned Isles, Elidor, Fatalia's Legion, Lost Company and No Quarter!
Other countries/guilds may unofficially exist in the realm, but until they petition for recognition by the Club administration they may not claim hexes on — or earn money from — the map, nor engage in a land war.
At the simplest level, Darkon melee weapons are composed of a firm core with several layers of hard- and soft-cell foam taped or glued to it.
Javelins are long tubes built using foam and adhesive, containing a ½" PVC or hollow fiberglass core.
Shields are ½" pieces of plywood (¼" for bucklers) wrapped in hard- and soft-cell foam and covered with cloth.
Spells may be offensive (i.e., Fireball), defensive (i.e., Cure Light Wounds), or utility (i.e., Hold Portal) in nature.
Most spells that affect other characters utilize a "spellball," which is a round cloth ball stuffed with cotton fiber.
Green damage spellballs are used specifically with siege engines in the game, and causes immediate "death" to any player directly hit by it.
Those within a three-foot radius of the spellball's landing point are "mortally wounded," which is to say he or she becomes incapacitated for 5 minutes and will "die" if not properly healed.
Players may elect to roleplay a valiant nobleman, a cutthroat rogue, a chaotic abomination of some magic-twisted species, or anywhere in between.
Additionally, all players choose a race for their character, be it relatively mundane (e.g., human), literary (e.g., elf, dwarf, sprite) or godlike in power (e.g., storm giant).
For example, one who has chosen a Drow would usually roleplay as a member of an evil and treacherous race of elves whose sole ambition is money and status.
During "Adventure" events, plots are put into place in which the countries of Darkon work together (or against each other) to fulfill a quest, solve a puzzle, and/or defeat an enemy.
Members of the Darkon Wargaming Club come from all walks of life, yet a strong sense of camaraderie exists regardless of background, social status, or any other factor.
