Dagorhir attracts students looking to relieve stress, show skill

Swords are clashing. One student loses an arm after being hit by a battle-axe. Another stops mid-conversation to rush an opponent and shoot them with an arrow. People are in a free-for-all battle, falling to the ground until the shadow of Shafer Tower falls upon them.

Of course, no blood is shed on the University Green; the students are practicing Dagorhir. Dag is a mock combat game that allows students to hit each other with weapons within certain safety rules. This game is a part of the Urban Gaming League, which also hosts games such as Humans vs. Zombies and dodgeball.

Many people mistake Dag for Live Action Role-Play, but the two games are quite different, said Dag administrator Cole Heady. Several Dag members explained the main difference between Dag and LARP as the “level of immersion.” In LARP, players create a persona or character, often dressing in costumes. Dag players are welcome to do so but more often play as themselves.

“We’re a bunch of idiots just hitting each other with sticks,” said Jules Patalita, a sophomore telecommunications major. “We’re not pretending to be anything other than that.”

Heady said there are approximately 30 to 35 active members in Dag. About 25 members show up at each practice. When Heady started three years ago, only about 10 people would show up.

Dag has been around since 1977 when a group of college friends with interests in Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” wanted to create an active game based on the series. According to the Dagorhir website, the word “Dagorhir” translates from Tolkien’s Sindarin Elvish language as “Battle Lords”.

Patalita explained that for the first hour of practice, Dag members take whatever weapons they want and run into the field for a free-for-all. When a player’s limb is hit, they are unable to continue using that limb. Once hit again, the player “dies,” must run off the field, touch a tree and say, “One, two, three, alive.” The player can then run back onto the field.

After the first hour, they typically play a game such as capture the flag or bridge battle, where a piece of rope is thrown down as a “bridge,” cutting the play area into smaller battlefields.

Heady often divides teams for the games very equal in number, skill and weapon type. The games are often played twice, Patalita said, so players can get a feel for it the first time.

Several members of Dag had reservations about participating before actually getting involved. Even senior sociology major Heady said he laughed at groups that played at home. He said a friend convinced him to check it out and after that he became hooked.

“It’s a great stress relief because it has more contact,” said Dustin Baldwin, a sophomore natural resources major. “It’s a great way to relax and there’s always laughter.”

Some students find stress relief through Dag without the contact. Senior animation major Avry Duckworth said he’s better at making weapons than fighting with them and crafts them for the players.

Dag has a community hatch where weapons are provided to players who do not own their own equipment. There are about 15 to 20 weapons and three to four shields in the community hatch.

Dag weapons are classified by colors typically based on length. Baldwin explained that blue includes one-handed weapons like swords, green includes weapons with sharp tips like daggers and spears, yellow includes ranged weapons like bow and arrows and red includes two-handed weapons like pole arms.

Weapons for Dag are often made with PVC pipe. To make a general sword, Duckworth explained the PVC pipe is wrapped in camping foam that is finally covered in cloth for the blade.

“I’m kind of surprised not a lot of people come to Dag,” Duckworth said. “I think a lot of people are really embarrassed about coming ... possibly because it’s on University Green where everyone can see them.”

Games like Dag seem to have a stigma attached to them. Players expressed there’s often a stereotype that the members are a group of nerds; however, that doesn’t stop everyone.

“I regretted not coming sooner,” Baldwin said. “It’s unfortunate because it’s a lot of fun. Come out and try it; you might be surprised.”

Dag meets every Wednesday at 4 p.m. on the University Green, east of Shafer Tower off of McKinley Avenue.