Adventure Time

Collin Alexander sharpened his archery skills for the Freehold of Phoenix Hollow. 

Hagerstown’s live-action, roll-playing group celebrates the imagination during Sundays in the park

By Lisa Gregory, Photography by Rick Gregory

On Sundays, Doub’s Woods Park in Hagerstown becomes a magical place with warriors and elves and battles and quests. This is all part of the Freehold of Phoenix Hollow, a local group and chapter of Amtgard, a live-action role-play (LARP) game using safe, foam-padded replicas of medieval weaponry in a sword and sorcery fantasy setting. 

“Kind of like a live-action Dungeons and Dragons,” says Chris Jones, who leads the Hagerstown group. “But instead of sitting at a tabletop and throwing dice, we actually make swords and go fight it out.” 

Chris Jones

Amtgard began 40 years ago in Texas and has since spread across the nation and around the world, including to countries like Canada, Germany, Croatia, and South Korea. “Because of military people traveling and starting groups on military bases, we actually for about two weeks had a group on a naval ship somewhere in the Artic,” says Jones. 

According to Jones, Amtgard has existed in Hagerstown for quite a number of years. But recently, some members moved to another area. For those who wanted to remain in Hagerstown, the Freehold of Phoenix Hollow was formed a few months ago. At gatherings, the group can have as many as 50 participants and its Facebook page has nearly 200 members.  

With the influence of video games such as Skyrim and Elden Ring and books, movies, and television series such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones, more and more people are embracing LARP.  

“Kids that sit at home and play these games, when they find out there is something out there where they can dress up and become this character, most of them are all in for it,” says Jones. “It’s a great way to get those kids that would otherwise sit at home all day and play those video games to go out and do something physical and creative.” 

For those participating in Amtgard, “The national game is organized more like a sport,” says Jones. “You are playing a fantasy-based character and the object in a battle game is to divide your players into two teams and there’s a way to score a point, an objective to complete.”  

Robb Bird

Games can simulate certain sports like hurling or soccer. “The object is to move a ball or another item like a treasure chest through enemy defense,” says Jones. Or, quest games involve “searching the woods for some vile monster that has been harassing merchants,” says Jones.  

However, for the Freehold of Phoenix Hollow, the story is the thing. “Why are you invading this area? Why is there chaos?” says Jones. “We’re trying to bring it more into a game that tells a story and less of a sport. This team is the enemy team, and there’s a reason for it. There’s a Chaos Lord destroying your town and you defend your town.” 

Each person with the Freehold of Phoenix Hollow is free to create their own story, says Jones, who plays the character of Lord Yogi. “And other players will interact with them along those lines,” he says. “Right now, we are running a central story where I’m playing the bad guy, and it happens to be a Chaos Lord trying to destroy everything in his wake. And all of our players’ characters are trying to stop me and my monstrous minions.” 

Adding, “I’ve got an 11-year-old kid who is just starting, and he wants to be a heroic character, and we’re going to find a way to give him a chance to be that hero.”  

Besides storytelling the group encourages other forms of creativity. “We are a crafting group, as well,” says Jones. “In a general day at our meets, you could find people working on crochet, needlepoint, paintings, chain Maille, and blacksmithing.” 

This part of Amtgard is considered the arts and sciences. Both sports/fighting competitions and the arts and sciences have tournaments where groups can compete against each other.  

Wesley Dickerson

Jones, for example learned the skill of leathermaking in order to create Lord Yogi’s armor. He learned the craft, he says, out of necessity. In creating his armor and costume he came to the realization that purchasing the items would be too costly. “I’m never going to be able to afford it,” he says. “So, I went out and bought two cow hides of leather.”   

A machinist by trade, Jones would spend his breaks working on the leather. Then through competition with others in the arts and sciences, he further honed his craft. “I was able to take that information and improve a little bit here and there,” he says. 

His current costume is quite elaborate and a bit intimidating with its fur cloak, horned hat, and leather armor weighing up to 70 pounds.   

Sandy Gilmer, who participates along with her two children, busies herself on the sidelines on Sundays crocheting and creating fantastical creatures through yarn, such as griffons and dragons. “Just things I never thought you could do with crochet,” says Jones with a bit of awe in his voice.  

For Gilmer, whose character is a fairy, it is a labor of love. She says she is thankful for the Freehold of Phoenix Hollow and how it has embraced her children. Her 19-year-old daughter, Ahja experiences crippling anxiety and her 16-year-old son Will is on the autism spectrum and has ADHD. Both struggle in social settings. Ahja, for example, was bullied in school. “Social anxiety is one of her biggest problems,” says Gilmer. “And everybody here has been so kind and welcoming, and they’ve helped her get through it. And Chris has been her rock.” 

“They’re really starting to flourish within this game and make friends and come out of their shells,” adds Jones. Ahja has even found a boyfriend within the group.  

Ahja’s character, Kirari Nightwave, is a moon elf who is developing skills as an archer. Will’s character, Redstone, is a human farm boy who has had his home destroyed by demons and is learning to be a fighter so that he can seek revenge. 

“We want to get them involved and give them a good experience,” says Jones of the young people attending. “And we do that by letting them let their imaginations run wild and be that hero who they don’t really get to be in today’s world.” 

And during a recent Sunday more than one young person and a parent wandered over to the group asking for more information. Kaitlynn Mading, who stopped by with her mother, signed up on the spot and even got a practice combat drill with Lord Yogi himself. Asked why she was interested in joining the group, the 14-year-old replied, “I like dragons, and I like hitting people.” 

Jones can relate. Sundays with the group are a great way, he says, to let go of the stress of the week. 

A Medieval battle about to engage in Doub’s Woods Park in Hagerstown.

“I can go out and hit people with a foam sword and just enjoy myself all day,” he says with a chuckle. “It keeps me sane when work is driving me nuts. I get to be somebody different and do something just for the sake of having fun.” 

Chris Jones and Joseph Swan of the Freehold of Phoenix Hollow engage in mock battle with padded weapons. 

It may be fun, but Jones will be the first to tell you, safety is the name of the game. Not only are the weapons foam-covered, but they are checked thoroughly prior to each event to prevent mishaps with a faulty weapon. 

“We have dedicated people who check each weapon for safety before it’s used on the field every day,” says Jones. “We check to make sure the foam isn’t breaking down and that the tips of swords are big enough that they won’t go into an eye socket if you accidentally hit someone in the face.” 

The focus on safety and looking out for one another reflects the community the group created. And, everyone is welcome. 

“We are absolutely inclusive,” says Jones. “We accept everybody, and we accept them for who they are. We have players who range from those on the spectrum to the LGBTQ community to a backwoods Pennsylvania country boy like me.” 

And they then are free to create the persona they want. While the group has the feel of the medieval era, “If somebody wants to come out dressed in more like steampunk style, that’s cool with us,” says Jones. “Or if they want to do Lord of the Rings elves, that’s cool with us. And if they want to do medieval, that’s cool with us, too. As long as you’re creating some kind of character and participating.” 

Being creative with crafts is part of the Freehold of Phoenix Hollow society. Here Sandy Gilmer offers dream catchers.

As such it is easy to understand why one is drawn to the experience even many years later. Angel Roman, who recently underwent a heart procedure, was leaning up against his automobile and observing the activities from the sidelines on a recent Sunday. He has been involved with Amtgard since 1999. That day watching and not taking part in battles or quests was not easy for him.  

When asked if he was eager to return to action, he breaks into a big smile and says, “Well, let me put it this way. My gear is in the trunk.”  

Both he and Jones as well as other members of the group are well aware that not everyone understands the idea of LARP and why one would want to spend a weekend in a fantasy world. 

“Sometimes we have people drive by and shout out, ‘Nerds!’” says Jones with a grin.  

But after a Sunday spent in the midst of community, creativity, and boundless imagination, Jones has the perfect answer for those who question his activities. “Well, what did you do with your weekend?”