What some people would call LARP, students here at Oakland call Dagorhir. Dagorhir, similar to LARP, combines elements of history and fantasy and is a full-contact sport. Anyone can join in on the combat and let their imagination run wild.

Once a week, the participants of the Dagorhir meet outside of the Oakland Center. Everyone gets ready by suiting up in their garb and armor to fight to the “death.”

“LARPing is ‘Live Action Role Playing’ and Dagorhir is similar, but from my experience, the role-playing is minimal,” said Rhianna Marks, a student who goes by Dara while on the field. “We focus more on the full-contact fighting.” 

Some people get discouraged, as it can look dangerous and physically demanding at times. All weaponry, shields and armor must pass a safety test in order to be used on the field. Most of the weaponry is made with PVC and foam to create a padded blade or shield. 

“I like playing because I get to hit people, I don’t really care about winning or losing a battle,” Marks said. “When you fight, you swing like you’re really fighting someone. You don’t just tap them. If someone hits too lightly, you can call it. It’s actually pretty frustrating if someone does hit solidly.”  

Aside from the fighting, people enjoy creating their own persona. People choose their own name and the fighter they want to be. Some lean toward historical figures like Vikings or knights, while others focus on fantasy creatures like elves or orcs. For some, a group of one kind of persona creates a sense of family and a place to fit in.

This year brings some changes for the group, such as new leadership, room for growth and recruitment.

“I became president after the previous president graduated,” said Gage Zurawski, known as Bolvar Quickblade on the field. “Last year, I stepped up to get the club moving again. We expanded practices and did recruiting to bring more people to the sport.”

While the group does focus on fighting and their garb, they also want to create a sense of community and make Dagorhir a place to build strong friendships. The students in the group are accepting and encourage others to join in and take a swing at them.

“The community is incredible and everyone who is a part of it is a great friend,” Zurawski said. “They will help you with anything that you need to get you started. We accept people for who they are.” 

For students who wish to participate in the fights and swing some swords, the group practices every Sunday at 1 p.m.