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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.

If you frequent Landis Green, I’m sure you’ve seen groups of people with foam swords and billowing capes battling each other. If you’ve found yourself perplexed about what they’re doing, look no further. I’m here to answer the pressing question we all have: What exactly is LARPing?

LARP itself stands for Live Action Role Play, but after speaking to the Public Relations representative for Tallahassee’s LARPing realm, Morgan Gabauer, “For general ease of understanding, they refer to themselves as Fantasy Combat.”

Fantasy Combat plays under the Belegarth rule set and is officially registered as a realm under the Belegarth Medieval Combat Society. Realms for Fantasy Combat are equivalent to club chapters or branches, and the Tallahassee realm calls themselves the Realm of Canaur.

Many people have an idea that Fantasy Combat is inspired by Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), and in this case, “While they’re not directly related, there’s a lot of crossover between Belegarth members and D&D.” Gabauer mentioned that about three to five different D&D campaigns are going on between various members of the realm at a time.

According to Gabauer, “Belegarth is a full-contact foam combat sport,” where many members have a background in martial arts. They said that although there’s a popular belief that they use magic, spells, or healing mechanisms as a part of role-play, they don’t implement these during the game.

The elements of role-play they implement include character creation, arts and crafts, and period-appropriate clothing or garb. Role-play aspects are considered optional to “provide an extra element of immersion for those who want it and those who choose to be non-combatants but still want to participate.”

Choosing an alternate name to play under is optional, but Gabauer says, “Being able to choose a name that you feel represents you better has been key to some of our members being able to step out of their shell.” Speaking of stepping out of your shell, I posed the question of social anxiety to Gabauer, who deals with both general and social anxiety herself. They mentioned that a period of initial anxiety is common among the community, but the members of Belegarth are welcoming to new people.

Gabauer told me how they combat this anxiety themself. They said, “As you come to more and more practices, you realize that everyone tends to mind their own business on Landis and that there is nothing wrong with engaging in your hobbies! I’m a firm believer that if people decide to judge you for how you choose to spend your time, then they are not worth the effort of thinking about or engaging with.”

I asked Gabauer what they would say to anyone who has been intrigued by Fantasy Combat and the activities that take place on Landis, and they said they would tell them to “dive right in!” Anyone can join, both students and nonstudents alike. The Realm of Canaur meets on Landis on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m., so don’t be afraid to join in on one of their practices! If you’re interested in learning more about Fantasy Combat, there will be an Instagram takeover this week from Wednesday to Sunday that will be detailing what it’s like to go to a Belegarth event!

Fantasy Combat doesn’t stop at Landis Green, though. Some events take place all around the country at various campgrounds. According to Gabauer, “There’s everything from arts and sciences competitions to fighting pit tournaments!” Different realms across the country attend these events, and Gabauer says they’re a great chance to network and meet others in the sport.

If you’ve spent time trying out different clubs at FSU but haven’t found your place yet, don’t stress it. There are tons of opportunities to meet lifelong friends around campus, and Fantasy Combat is one of them. Drop in on one of the Landis practices if you find yourself drawn to Fantasy Combat’s combat, community, and acceptance!

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Grace is an English Education major at Florida State University. In her free time, she enjoys setting up her hammock and laying out in the sun with her friends. She is an avid lover of romcoms, green tea, and dad rock.