CG

History of Amtgard and Crystal Groves

Amtgard, Inc. is a Non-profit, non-religious, non-political, non-discriminatory
organization dedicated to the premise of medieval battle re-creation and live
action roleplay.

It was started by a fellow named Peter Lagrue around 22 years ago in El Paso, TX.
It has grown into a world-wide organization that is presently comprised of 12
Kingdoms. Amtgard can be found in the U.S., England, Germany, Croatia, Canada,
Brazil, Japan and many other locations around the globe. This is primarily due to
those who are in the military taking Amtgard with them as they were re-stationed.

The first Kingdom and parent Kingdom to Amtgard is The Burning Lands.
Each group that forms may choose allegiance to one of the current 12 Kingdoms.
Each group varies in size and achieves status as they grow and are rewarded by
their Kingdom as such. Groups under 20 members are called Shires. Groups 20-40
are a Barony. Groups 40-60 are a Duchy. Any group that maintains 75 or more
can become a Kingdom. In turn, each small group grows within the neighborhood
of their own Kingdom.

The Kingdom of Crystal Groves meets weekly at the Hagerstown City Park
from 1-5 PM unless it is a holiday weekend or a special event weekend.
It started in March of 1999 and was contracted with Burning Lands and officially
a partof Amtgard in July of that year. There were four founders who are still active.

It has grown from its five original attendees at the first 'official' gathering to
over 250 members. The average weekly attendance in the winter is around 50
people and in the summer,around 75 or more. Of the 250 members, over 100
different members will visit the park in any given month. Crystal Groves
bi-annual events usually have over 300 attendees.

Crystal Groves abides by the Rules set down by the Burning Lands and uses 7.2
version of the Rules of Play on its field for now. There are elections held every
six months to decide upon the people who will govern the Kingdom. The
government of CG is a unique system of Democratic Monarchy. Although major
decisions are made by vote, many priveleges of Monarchy involve the power of
veto and/or command much like a feudal system.

The four positions of Monarchy are - The King/Queen (who oversees all meetings
and is very similar to a President in other organizations),the Regent/Princess
(who oversees Public Relations and Event Organization), the Champion (who
regulates, organizes and oversees battle games on the field) and the Prime
Minister/Chancellor (who maintains records of attendance, points, dues and treasury).

Unlike any of the current large groups, Crystal Groves was THE first group in
Amtgard ever to be given 501c4 tax-exempt status (instead of 501c7). That means
its community involvement and charitable efforts were recognized by the Federal
government as having social merit and deemed MORE than a family recreational
sport. Its continual innovation and fundraising has helped bring about a unique and
successful Kingdom.

In Amtgard, people play different classes (which could be considered skills or
occupations)which enables them to have their own unique set of abilities. Some of
those classes have the ability to cast magic, represented by soft fabric-covered
balls which, when tossed, may hit a target and will administer certain offenses.
(eg, Lightning, Iceball, Entangles, Magic Bolts, etc.) To add even more color to
the game, Amtgard permits the roleplay of races such as elves, dwarves and gnomes.

The battle system used relies on a point system where any two limbs or any torso
shot will kill. Armor provides more points to absorb any attacks. Safety and honor
are key to any battle game. All weapons must be inspected carefully before they
are used to make certain they are safe for use. Each individual carries with them the
responsibility to honor any hits they take and admit defeat if it occurs.



	History of Amtgard and Crystal Groves
	Amtgard, Inc. is a Non-profit, non-religious, non-political, non-discriminatory organization dedicated to the premise of medieval battle re-creation and live action roleplay. It was started by a fellow named Peter Lagrue around 22 years ago in El Paso, TX. It has grown into a world-wide organization that is presently comprised of 12 Kingdoms. Amtgard can be found in the U.S., England, Germany, Croatia, Canada, Brazil, Japan and many other locations around the globe. This is primarily due to those who are in the military taking Amtgard with them as they were re-stationed. The first Kingdom and parent Kingdom to Amtgard is The Burning Lands. Each group that forms may choose allegiance to one of the current 12 Kingdoms. Each group varies in size and achieves status as they grow and are rewarded by their Kingdom as such. Groups under 20 members are called Shires. Groups 20-40 are a Barony. Groups 40-60 are a Duchy. Any group that maintains 75 or more can become a Kingdom. In turn, each small group grows within the neighborhood of their own Kingdom. The Kingdom of Crystal Groves meets weekly at the Hagerstown City Park from 1-5 PM unless it is a holiday weekend or a special event weekend. It started in March of 1999 and was contracted with Burning Lands and officially a partof Amtgard in July of that year. There were four founders who are still active. It has grown from its five original attendees at the first 'official' gathering to over 250 members. The average weekly attendance in the winter is around 50 people and in the summer,around 75 or more. Of the 250 members, over 100 different members will visit the park in any given month. Crystal Groves bi-annual events usually have over 300 attendees. Crystal Groves abides by the Rules set down by the Burning Lands and uses 7.2 version of the Rules of Play on its field for now. There are elections held every six months to decide upon the people who will govern the Kingdom. The government of CG is a unique system of Democratic Monarchy. Although major decisions are made by vote, many priveleges of Monarchy involve the power of veto and/or command much like a feudal system. The four positions of Monarchy are - The King/Queen (who oversees all meetings and is very similar to a President in other organizations),the Regent/Princess (who oversees Public Relations and Event Organization), the Champion (who regulates, organizes and oversees battle games on the field) and the Prime Minister/Chancellor (who maintains records of attendance, points, dues and treasury). Unlike any of the current large groups, Crystal Groves was THE first group in Amtgard ever to be given 501c4 tax-exempt status (instead of 501c7). That means its community involvement and charitable efforts were recognized by the Federal government as having social merit and deemed MORE than a family recreational sport. Its continual innovation and fundraising has helped bring about a unique and successful Kingdom. In Amtgard, people play different classes (which could be considered skills or occupations)which enables them to have their own unique set of abilities. Some of those classes have the ability to cast magic, represented by soft fabric-covered balls which, when tossed, may hit a target and will administer certain offenses. (eg, Lightning, Iceball, Entangles, Magic Bolts, etc.) To add even more color to the game, Amtgard permits the roleplay of races such as elves, dwarves and gnomes. The battle system used relies on a point system where any two limbs or any torso shot will kill. Armor provides more points to absorb any attacks. Safety and honor are key to any battle game. All weapons must be inspected carefully before they are used to make certain they are safe for use. Each individual carries with them the responsibility to honor any hits they take and admit defeat if it occurs.