12 minute read
LARP-ing
Quest for Champions monthly LARP event
Regina LARP group mixes wholesome family fun with safe and structured violence
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hannah eiserman
arts editor
During the past six months working for the Carillon, I have been continually put into weird situations that ultimately end up to be some of the most fun I’ve ever had. This week, I unearthed a Facebook event by Quest for Champions LARP (Live Action Role Playing) group and thought it would make for an amazing article – and would bring something entirely new to the pages of the Carillon.
Now, before we continue, dear reader, I command you to dispel all of your pre-existing ideas about what LARPing is – I promise you this was actually nothing like what you would imagine. Yes, there were a few folks in full or part LARP regalia, including my tour guide and event organizer Dylan Biasutto, the owner of Regina Battle Ground Stefan Shewfelt, and fellow participant Kaitlyn Erz, but plenty of us fought in street clothes.
General use weapons were provided and constructed by Biasutto, mostly out of PVC pipe, duct tape, and pool noodles. The foam padding on the tips of the arrows didn’t stop them from stinging, but that was the weapon packing the most bodily damage. These weapons did require a bit of imagination, but the hardcore LARPers like Biasutto had their own custom-made weapons that look surprisingly like the real things!
Biasutto also took me on a tour of the Battle Ground, which is in the old Sears building and also absolutely massive! Closest to the door, they have the beginnings of a medieval-style tavern, which is so far just the bar and some bits of room décor. As of right now, they can still do events with a temporary liquor license, but hope to eventually be fully operational with a full liquor license. Biasutto says that on LARP nights they have even had Dungeons and Dragons groups play sessions in the tavern area. There’s also a padded archery area and a back area designed for Nerf gun fights with towers and shelters. Those two rooms are also able to be rented out for parties.
Biasutto saw a need for a group like Quest for Champions
Hannah Eiserman Two LARPers duking it out in the melee ring. Are you not entertained?!
in Regina and hopes they can help provide some good, free, wholesome fun for the city. We chatted a bit about how Regina is a chain city, and finding unique options for fun like this seem few and far between. It’s a perfect way to meet new people, take out some aggression, and get some exercise. More importantly, though there may be a medieval-style tavern in the works, the LARP event isn’t centred on alcohol like a lot of events in the city.
The LARP group meets get more folks to come check it out. And if you do come check it out, you will be back. Biasutto tells me that every first-time player has come back again, probably due to his insane persuasion skills. I came purely as a journalist and a spectator, and was hailed into the fighting for two whole hours. Spectatorship is not an option at the LARP events – but don’t worry, the fear of looking silly starts to go away super quickly when you get to hold a huge foam sword or axe – and completely evaporates when ing those arrows for the most part – with a long sword, a shield, and a small throwing dagger. Biasutto explained to me that what types of equipment you’re allowed depends on a point system. For example, you’re not allowed to wield two “two-handed” weapons (like my long sword), but the shield and sword combo seemed to be legal. I was too busy trying to stay alive to take notes on the exact rules of the game, so there’s even more reason to come out yourself and give it a try.
– Hannah Eiserman
for these informal battles once a month in addition to a larger event in both the summer and the winter. The summer event takes place a bit out of the city in a wooded area and is quite a big shindig, with bands and merchants joining in. They hope to start meeting twice a month once they get a more dedicated group going, Biasutto tells me. For now, they’re just hoping to you get to start whacking people with ‘em. The group is also unbelievably inviting and accepting, so there’s no reason to feel awkward about being a newcomer. If you jump right in, like I did, you’ll be surprised what you find.
I fought – and the term ‘fought’ is used loosely here, because really, I was a big coward and hid behind the shelters avoid-
Essentially, the way it worked was if you were struck by a weapon in your arms or legs, you would simply stop fighting with that arm or hop on the opposite leg. If you lost both legs you could still fight, though you’d be confined to the ground. If you were hit in the chest or back, you “died” and were out of the round.
We started out fighting in teams of five and played a few rounds that way. Then we played an “everyone for themselves” style round before another wave of new players joined us. But the real fun was the melee tournament (paired fights using only close-range weapons). Each player drew a number to make matchings randomized and fair, and those players fought to the “death,” best two out of three. I won precisely zero of my two rounds so I sat the rest out – but I got to watch the real pros fight. And got some fantastic photos!
Hannah Eiserman
I have never been a particularly athletic person so I didn’t feel like I was operating under any delusions of grandeur, but there’s nothing more humbling than seeing just how fast you would die in Game of Thrones – which, for me, was way faster than Ned Stark or the Night’s Watch deserter whose head he chops off in the first episode. My terrible performance actually motivated me to come back and practice next month, however, not the opposite. It was an incredible workout and just an obscene amount of fun.
That being said, I’m pleased to announce there were no high school gym flashbacks! Okay, maybe just one when I was picked last for one of the teams, but it was midway through the night and my lack of skills had become glaringly obvious, so I don’t blame them. But don’t let that stop you – if I can do it, anyone can do it! The group is very welcoming and inclusive, with participants of all fitness and age groups. And I mean all age groups: we had a little assassin, Fynlie Gettle, who was elementary school age, absolutely wipe the floor with us (and her dad did pretty good too)!
I truly can’t recommend this group enough. It was such a blast. I didn’t have the foresight to ask when the next battle will be because I was too busy fighting for my life, but you can find the group on Facebook easily (Quest for Champions – LARP) and I’m sure they will post the date and time for their December event soon!
nov 25 - dec 1, 2021 arts & culture
carillonregina.com | the carillon | 10
Local mom friend’s guide to gift giving
Don’t wait until it’s too late, start shopping now with these hot tips
jorah bright arts writer
‘Tis the season for gift giving! It’s the time of year when your grandma texts you asking for your wish list and you never respond because you have no idea what you want, despite knowing that the request was coming.
Sometimes you hit a brick wall with gift giving. What do you want? What do your friends want? What does the person who says they have everything they need want? It can feel like a lot of pressure to get something your loved ones will truly love and use.
Let’s get the obvious answer out of the way: socks. As much as everyone complains as a child about getting socks for Christmas, as an adult I constantly need socks and love getting socks for Christmas. The coziest socks are reading socks from Indigo. These socks at full price are $34.50, but have a fuzzy soft lining and a knitted outside. I’ve bought a couple of pairs in my years, and every time I went to buy some I was able to find a few pairs on sale for a cheaper price. Unfortunately, the reading socks are gendered (why do socks need to be gendered?) but I can confirm that the men’s reading socks are much more comfortable.
If you know someone who loves ice cream, Dandy’s Artisan Ice Cream here in Regina is delicious and has some of the best and fanciest ice cream I’ve ever had. They offer gift cards starting at $10 for your friend with a sweet tooth. In addition, they have very fancy chocolate at the same location from the Luxe Artisan Chocolate company. Luxe sells delicious and visually beautiful bonbons in many of the same flavours of their ice cream. They also have equally fancy chocolate bars. The chocolate is a bit on the pricey end, but it’s delicious.
Another item on the pricier end for those in your life who love jewelry is Hillberg & Berk. H&B is very popular among young women and the business started right here in Regina. A set of earrings runs from $50 to $150 their items from locals. The staff are incredibly kind if you don’t know much about crystals but you want to get a gift for someone who does.
For your nerdy friends in Regina, Comic Readers is a great local shop. They have a large stock of comic books and manga books for those interested. They have a varied amount of board games, from card games including popular ones like Cards Against Humanity to classics like Settlers of Catan, all the way to
the lesser-known games like Lost Ruins of Arnak. For the Dungeons and Dragons fans in your life, Comic Readers stocks many of the D&D sourcebooks and expansion books, as well as lots and lots of dice. They supply TTRPG miniatures as well as the tools to paint them. There are two Comic Readers locations in Regina so you may not have to travel across the city to find what you’re looking for.
If you want a more specific TTRPG gift for a friend, there’s the Warhammer store in Regina which caters specifically to the game Warhammer. If you don’t know a lot about the game, the owner is incredibly kind and helpful for those looking for the right gift.
An awesome thing to get for your artsy friends is commission work: order commissions of different types of artworks depending on what your friends and family like. This can be on the pricier end, but totally worth it since you’re buying straight from the source and you’re not only paying for their work but also their expertise and supplies. Etsy is a great place to go for hand-
– Jorah Bright
depending on the type you want, and the bracelets and necklaces are around the same price range.
For the small children in your life, Wonderbly is a company that sells personalized children’s books. Each book costs between $13 and $50, and the cost depends on the format and the story. You can personalize the character’s name and, for some books, even what they look like.
If you’re in the Moose Jaw area, I highly recommend Essential Elements & Metaphysical. They have a great selection of crystals that are reasonably priced, as well as tarot cards and readings. They also source lots of made work and has so many different options for different types of art. It also has great options for pet portraits, which have been growing in popularity over recent years.
If you’re looking to commission an art piece, Twitter is also a great place to look. Just search ‘commissions’ and you’ll be able to find people that do art commissions as well as look at their past work. If you’re willing to pay a little bit more for high quality art from a prairie local, I recommend @hailiiz, an artist from Manitoba who you can find on Twitter and Instagram. Pro tip: if you choose to commission someone you find online, make sure you know the art is theirs and not just something they found online and are passing off as their own work – and don’t try to haggle down prices!
If you’re starting to panic about what to buy your mom, as I often do, the best panic option is flowers. Show up to her door with flowers or hide them until Christmas morning. Flowers are always a great gift for your mom or grandma.
One of the biggest questions I ask myself when I look for gifts is a classic: “what would they want to buy for themselves but would never actually get to? What would they stand and stare at for five minutes in the store before turning away?” If you can go shopping with them, pay attention to what they stop and stare at. Pay attention to what distracts them from their shopping goals. That might be your best bet!
If none of these seem like they will work, I firmly believe that you can never go wrong with a Squishmallow. They’re soft, they’re fluffy, they’re cute, and they make you feel better. I’ve never met someone who doesn’t like Squishmallows. In Regina, they currently have them at SaveOn-Foods.
And these are my go-to’s for gift giving and a little bit of advice from your local mom friend who is constantly buying their friends gifts! Above all, try not to stress about it too much. If you don’t know what they want, buy something that will make them happy. Sometimes simply providing a fleeting moment of joy can be worth more than you expect.
Ben White via Unsplash A Christmas present that’s definitely too small to be the hippopotamus I asked for.
