Linnagond adventurers bring “a nerdy good time” to local parks

The angry sea churned beneath them as the Linnagond adventurers charged across the gangplank onto the enemy ship. 

Their foes, a band of lizardfolk cultists, jeered at them and huddled protectively around a baby dragon. The lizardfolk had recently kidnapped this dragon and its keeper, Nethea, and the Linnagond heroes were determined to rescue both.

This is the conflict that played out in a field in Jackson Park on the evening of May 15. 

The warring ships were delineated with string tied around stakes in the ground, and blows were dealt with homemade foam swords and spears. Spell-casting roleplayers shouted incantations over the din of battle, at some times slowing enemy attackers and at others lending magical aid to their allies.

In the end, the heroes made a final valiant push and vanquished the lizardfolk, bringing the dragon and Nethea safely back to Linnagond.

“We love roleplaying, casting spells, and being silly here,” said Des Lindsay, who plays the bard Nethea.

Linnagond is the local chapter (or “park,” as they’re called) of a province-wide medieval fantasy realm that acts as the setting for participants’ live action roleplaying (LARP) games. LARP brings the fantasy of popular tabletop and video games to life. Players dress in period garb and craft their own armour and foam weaponry. Then, they devise adventures and act out battles, conversations, and explorations.

Lindsay started coming to the Linnagond park to participate in live action roleplay six years ago. The group is also where they met their husband, Justin Lindsay. “The first compliment I ever got here was from Justin,” they remembered. “He said I had great battlefield awareness and I thought to myself, ‘Aww he noticed.’”

Since then, the couple has traveled together to most of the LARPing parks across Ontario and they remain heavily involved as organizers in the local LARP community. “My favourite thing about doing this is the people. Most of my social circle is here today,” Lindsay said. “I really consider this my found family.”

Grace Crichton is one of the founding members of the Linnagond park in Peterborough. She first started LARPing when she lived in Sudbury, Ontario, and she founded the Peterborough park with her husband Jason Chretien and her wife Julie Thornburg after they moved to Peterborough eleven years ago.

“This park just started as three nerds sitting on a park bench so it has grown a lot,” Crichton said.

Now, it is common for about 20 people to attend the group’s weekly meet-ups, with 50 or more coming to their larger events. Crichton explained that this is how the game propagates, with players moving away from the parks they started playing with and forming new parks once they settle into their new towns and cities.

Local teacher Kayla, who wished to go by her Linnagond character name Delilah Hazelbrae, served as the park’s monarch for the past year. As head of the park, her duties included interacting with the press, coordinating the group, and making sure things continue running smoothly overall.

“I started playing in November of 2019, when my therapist told me I needed to find a friend group separate from my partner,” she said. “It was great advice.” 

She played with Linnagond for a couple of years before taking office. “As a teacher I love facilitating things, so when a couple of the core players moved and there was a bit of a vacuum of leadership, I thought, ‘Okay let’s give it a try,’” Hazelbrae said. 

“Often I’m actually too tired to play after organizing everything, but seeing the results of that work is so rewarding,” Hazelbrae said. “It’s great having people come out and find something they love to do. This is a great group of people so I really encourage folks to come out, try something new, and have a nerdy good time.”

Hazelbrae stepped down from her role as monarch on May 15. Every three months, the LARPers hold a meeting where officers rotate so that there is equitable decision-making power over time. The new Linnagond monarch goes by the name Critter Creature and will hold the office for up to two six-month terms before making way for the next monarch. 

Group members can pay dues of $10 every six months for the right to vote for officers or to run for office themselves. Otherwise, it is totally free to play.

“We really pride ourselves on being affordable and accessible,” said Hazelbrae. “A lot of us have experienced exclusion in our lives, so having a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere is at the forefront of everything we do.”

Drop-ins are welcome and loaner gear is available for those interested in trying LARP for the first time. Linnagond adventurers gather at Jackson Park starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and at Inverlea Park starting at 1 p.m. on Saturdays.

To learn more about live action roleplay with Linnagond, visit their Facebook page or check out their website www.ptboamtgard.wixsite.com/linnagond