#ragprep

A few of my unit’s new attendees have been asking what Ragnarok is actually like. That’s hard to answer succinctly, so let’s learn about Rag by look at a few days the life of an imaginary player!

We’ll call her Aoife. Aoife is a standard Dagorhir attendee: she’s over the age of 21, she’s camping with a small group of friends, she’s been to local practices, and she had to drive for a ew hours to get to Cooper’s Lake. She’s been told Rag is a huge event, and she doesn’t really know what she’s getting into.

Luckily, she has a secret weapon: her bro Throgmor, who carpooled with her, has been to a few Rags, so he’ll help guide her through. Her camp master, Lark, is also very friendly and helpful, so she’ll look out for our warrior. :)

What is arrival and set-up like?

Troll

Aoife and Throgmor arrive on Sunday. The first thing Aoife does is park in one of the designated spots near the “Troll” tent, where she will check in. She does not go to the main parking lot, where she will stash her car for the week once she has unloaded all her gear at camp.

Aoife pre-registered and paid online, so the volunteer who is working inside the Troll tent looks up her name, checks that she’s signed a waiver, looks at her ID, and hands her a Rag tag on a string. This is a metal tag with a number on it. It shows she paid to get through the gate. Whenever Aoife leaves camp, she’ll have to have her Rag tag on her to get back in. She also gets a tag for her car.

She chooses to buy a Ragnarok Survival Guide for $1. This pamphlet lists all the camp rules and has a lot of information on the scheduled battles, classes, and evening events. She notes down a few things she won’t want to miss.

Throgmor hasn’t pre-registered, so he pays at Troll and gets his own paperwork sorted out. This means he has to stand in line longer and pay more than if he pre-registered. Boooo, Throgmor.

Throgmor and Aoife’s camp master came on Saturday for land grab, so our pair checks the big map at Troll to figure out where their camp is. 

Set-Up They get back in their car and carefully drive into the camp ground proper. The speed limit is very low and amply marked, but there are SO many people around that Aoife still has to drive quite carefully down the mostly one-way roads. As they drive, Throgmor points out the upper bath house, Merchant’s Circle, the camp store, the Medic tent, and the Arts and Sciences tent, which are all grouped together near the main gate.

Their camp is a little way down the big hill. They pull off the road enough that other cars will be able to pass and find Lark, their camp master, who points out a good spot for their tents. The weather is dry, so rather than setting up all their things right there, Aoife and Throgmor totally unload their car before starting to get settled in. Cars aren’t allowed in the camp ground after dusk, and on Saturday and Sunday, the sooner they can get their car out, the less chaotic everything will be.

They pile all their stuff in their camp, then take the car out to the big parking lot field outside the gate. They try to memorize where the car is, because this field is HUGE.

They then walk back into the camp. Security at the gate checks to see their Rag tags. Good job, Security.

Throgmor spots some friends from previous years as they walk back into the camp grounds. He stops to talk to them. Because he is not a jerk who would just leave his noob friend awkwardly standing there, he introduces Aoife by name to his friends. Good job, Throgmor.

Back at camp, they set up their tents, meet the rest of their camp, and get dressed in their garb. Garb, Aoife noticed when she read the rules, is required at all times at Rag, unless she’s walking to her car or to the bath house. Changing into garb is fun: it makes her feel more like she’s involved, already!

What’s the first night like?

There isn’t any organized fighting or weapons check on Sunday, so they’ll have the evening to relax and have fun.

Dinner

Because Aoife is a responsible noob, she thought about where and what she will eat before she got on site. She and some friends agreed to share food and cooking duties. Other people in her camp signed up for meal plans at Aunt Pat’s kitchen at the Barn (owned by the Coopers), or with Lady Feri (a merchant on Merchant’s Circle), so they go eat there.This costs more than cooking collaboratively in camp, and it means they don’t get the chance to bond with their camp while they eat, but that’s up to them!

Volunteerism

As they are eating, a member of Security, who has a walkie-talkie and an orange tabard drives up in a golf cart. They’re getting people to sign up to do a four-hour Security shift, which mostly involves checking for Rag tags at the gate and responding to walkie-talkie calls. Aoife has heard that volunteering is a good way to meet people, so she and a camp mate sign up for the same morning shift early in the week. Because they are, again, good kids, they will not flake on this. Good job, kids.

Nightlife 

It’s getting dark, now. They clean up from dinner. Some of Aoife’s camp mates put on their fancier night time garb. Some of them want to stay in camp and hang out, but others want to wander around and greet friends who camp in different spots, or go to organized night life events listed in the guide. Those older than 21 put their drinks in “period” looking tankards or cups and go off exploring the camp. Aoife goes along.

Etiquette

She notices that every camp has some sort of boundary, whether it’s a wall or just a colored rope, separating it from the path. Throgmor teaches Aoife that when she wants to enter someone else’s camp, she should stand at the entrance and shout “hail camp,” then wait to be invited in. To do anything else would be sort of aggressive and deeply discourteous, like walking into someone’s front door without knocking or ringing the doorbell.

Exploring

They walk through Merchant’s Circle. Some of the merchants are still open at this hour, and they’re always fine with attendees browsing their wares. They sell food, garb, weapons, trinkets, and more. Most of them take credit or debit cards, now, but for the ones who don’t, there’s an ATM right nearby at the camp store. The camp store sells every necessity, from tarps to candles to ice cream bars.

They notice that some “neighborhoods” at Ragnarok are rowdy (the Tilted Tavern down by the lake is always noisy and fun!), while others (near the Guard Camp past the upper bath house) are designated quiet zones for campers with children or light sleepers. She hears musics, cheering, drumming, sparring, and more as they pass different camps.

There are a few campers and RVs parked near the camp gate. These belong to the Coopers’s paid mundane staff and family. We won’t bother them— they’re at work, while we’re on vacation!

Bedtime

Aoife goes back to camp at “dark o’clock” (anywhere between nine PM and three in the morning). She wants to fight a lottomorrow, so she goes to sleep.

What’s an average morning like?

Breakfast

Aoife wakes up at nine the next morning and makes breakfast with her camp-mates. At ten o’clock, she hears someone bellow that weapons check is now open.

Weapons check

Aoife mostly fights sword and board, so she can take her weapons to either the upper or lower check, which both check melee weapons.

Lark is an archer, so she has to take her arrows up to projectile check at the upper check, as well as attend archery safety course before she can shoot on the battlefield.

At weapons check, Aoife stands in line with her weapons. When she gets to the front, a volunteer checks that her sword meets the weight and dimension requirements, checks it for broken pieces, and, once it’s confirmed to not be broken or anything, checks it by hitting it against the back of another volunteer. Another volunteer checks her shield. Both pass, so she gets a colored wristband on both weapons, which means they’re good for two days. She won’t have to get her melee gear checked again on Tuesday. Throgmor stays behind to be a “back” to test weapons on.

Lark comes back. Some of her arrows failed, so she carefully puts them in her tent separately so she doesn’t bring them onto the field by mistake. Good job, Lark. Since arrows take a lot of abuse, even Lark’s passing arrows will need to get checked every day she wants to use them.

Time to kill

Weapons check closes at noon. Since they went through check early, Aoife’s camp still has some time before the battles begin for the day, so they spend it relaxing, visiting, attending Ragnarok university classes, repairing weapons, shopping, eating lunch, or sparring.

What’s going to the field like?

Get ready!

At about noon, they all agree to head up toward the battlefield, which is out of the camping area in a big field past troll and the parking lot. They pack up water bottles, sunscreen, bug spray (the ticks are FIERCE this year), some snacks, and take all that and their weapons to the garb gates / field customs.

Field customs volunteers confirm that everyone has their Rag tag, is wearing passing garb according to the Dagorhir Manual of Arms, and has put their weapons through weapons check. They don’t care about the quality of your garb, as long as it’s not blatantly illegal. A friend who is wearing just a sports bra is sent back to get a tabard to put over it, etc, but another friend wearing sports bra + tabard is fine.

At the battlefields, they put their stuff down on the sidelines and fill their water bottles at the spigot. The Cult of Hydration is setting up there, too. They’re volunteers who are filling a bunch of bottles to let people drink from at the res points during the battles. Some units have put up sun shelters, while other people are ling under the shadows of their shields. There isn’t much shade at the big battlefield, so Aoife slathers on extra sunscreen.

Fight fight fight!

Our friends fight in pick-up battles. At one, the big scheduled field battles begin. Heralds divide the teams as evenly as they can. Aoife’s friends brought their own headbands, so when they are sorted onto the blue team, they put their blue headbands on. Good job, Aoife’s friends. Less-prepared people get headbands from the heralds.

The battles go until about four, with breaks for water and sunscreen in between. Some units arrive late, some leave early. Some people keep fighting after four, either sparring or arranging small pick-up battles for themselves.

What are the afternoons like?

Time to recharge!

Aoife goes back to her camp at about four thirty, tired and thirsty. She takes a shower at the bath house, puts her weapons away, and changes into clean garb. She and her camp mates make dinner, then some of them go to check out afternoon Ragnarok U classes on fighting, crafting, or performing. Others go to the Barbarian Trading Post to swap their wares. Someone might drive into Slippery Rock, Butler, or New Castle for supplies, while others might wash their clothes in the laundry machines below the upper bath house.

Now is also a good time for a nap, because Aoife doesn’t want to miss evening events.

What are the evenings like?

So much to do!

At night, Lark, Aoife’s chapter representative, might attend Ragnarok War Council to hear the rules proposals. Others go to the scheduled parties listed in the Survival Guide. Still more might attend or observe combat trials, visit Merchant’s Circle, visit other camps, play banner wars or assassin’s tourney, or do volunteer shifts.

The evening winds on much the same way the last one did, but Aoife is making new friends! She sees more of the site and starts to feel comfortable. She agrees to fight in tomorrow’s battle with her new buddies.

And so it goes

The rest of the week goes on apace. It feels both very slow and very fast! Aoife might go to the Bardic Competition, the Hafla party, the Garb Exposition, or enter into the Arts and Science Competition. She might do night fighting or play board games in the classroom building when it rains.

What’s leaving like?

By next Sunday, the last day of Ragnarok, Aoife is very exhausted, but she’s had so much fun! As she packs up, she reflects that she’s no longer a Ragnarok noob. Next year, she’ll know what to expect. She’ll be better prepared, able to have even MORE fun, and just as capable as her buddies at showing new attendees around! :)