For everybody
All are welcome to watch from the sidelines or spring into battle with Watchers Keep on the first and third Sundays of the month at Rotary Centennial Park. Get your live-action role-playing on from noon to 4 p.m. at 2625 S. College Drive in Santa Maria.
See @watcherskeepamtgard on Instagram for behind-the-scenes clips and brush up on the rulebook by visiting amtgard.com.
On either side of a grassy battlefield, dozens of live-action role-players held their weapons in the air ready for attack.
“Lay on!” Dean Scott shouted across the park.
Players charged.
As an instrumental version of “Seven Nation Army” blasted through a portable speaker, players in brightly colored tunics and sashes weaved around inflatable obstacles. They whipped swords and staffs through the air at competitors.
Members of the Santa Maria live-action role-playing (LARP) “park” called Watchers Keep faced off in make-believe combat on Aug. 29 to celebrate their official acceptance into the statewide “kingdom.”
Scott, better known as Wrekless Crafthammer in the LARP world, founded Watchers Keep in April with an inaugural event that drew around 60 participants to Rotary Centennial Park. The group started out as an unsanctioned park until it could prove that enough community members would sustain a formal chapter.
Pretend fighting may be the appeal, but LARP is about everything that happens in between games.
“It’s the hanging out, the telling stories, the camping, the laughing,” Wrekless said. “All these fun moments that will come up. That’s what it is, and I think that’s what draws everyone back.”
Santa Maria now has 43 active players who get together every week online and in person. An average of 15 spar and play versions of capture the flag on the first and third Sundays of the month. Many came to the Watchers Keep debut.
“As the leader to cultivating all of this, you get this feeling of like, ‘Oh my gosh. These people are having a great time,’” Wrekless told the Sun. “It feels so good.”
Santa Maria wouldn’t have this outlet without him. Wrekless began LARPing at the San Luis Obispo park, Seven Sleeping Dragons, in 2023. In a short period, he’s quickly achieved some of the highest statuses in the game and created a new park in his hometown.
‘I’m like, “There’s absolutely no way I’m doing this. This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.” But, by the end of the day, I was in love with it.’
—Halle Bohlig, aka Aspen, prime minister of Watchers Keep
During the celebration on the sunny, breezy August afternoon, some spectators sat in camp chairs beneath pop-up canopies to observe and take pictures from the sidelines. Bags of homemade gear and costumes spilled open near the tents like it was an outdoor youth sporting event. Foam swords and shields clashed amid fierce battle cries and spells cast in a foreign language.
The scene at Rotary Centennial Park is common in Amtgard International, which is just one iteration of LARP that combines combat sports and role-playing. Amtgard is the “sweet spot” between the physicality of fighting and the fantasy of character-driven narratives, Wrekless explained, because players can choose their favorite parts to lean in to.
The founder said he’s met some of his closest friends through the LARP world, assembling a community that goes deeper than running around in the grass wielding fake weapons. Members go camping together, eat dinner at each other’s houses, and send memes back and forth in a group text.
“There’s definitely a core group that are Santa Maria locals, like 10 or so people that have never done this before, that now every other week are meeting,” Wrekless said. “And it’s become more than that, which is ultimately the goal with the community.”
Familial spirit
Guadalupe resident James Carlson—called Jae’thas when he’s wearing his black assassin’s garb—met Wrekless at a climbing gym in San Luis Obispo. Jae’thas wouldn’t have started LARPing this year if Wrekless hadn’t created Watchers Keep.
On social media, Jae’thas said he started seeing LARPing videos that Wrekless posted, realizing their shared affinity for “nerd hobbies.”
“It’s funny because I’ve been a huge nerd my entire life. … We met at the climbing gym, and I just thought he was this really fit, athletic dude. I didn’t think he was a big nerd,” Jae’thas said.
The first-timer brought his children along to the park’s inauguration day in Santa Maria. Jae’thas remembered feeling a little nervous walking up to the battlefield with 9-year-old Piper and 6-year-old Finn in tow.
“But then I got there, and everybody was—even people I’ve never met—just so nice and so welcoming and so helpful,” Jae’thas said.
Normally kids must be 14 to participate in Amtgard activities, but at Watchers Keep they’re allowed to run along the sidelines as “siege monsters” throwing make-believe explosives at adults, who cosplay as different fighters.
In LARP games, players earn credits by participating and use those credits to level up. They have the option to embody one of a dozen categories of characters, such as an assassin, scout, healer, wizard, or monk. Colored sashes differentiate their abilities in battle.
Part of the fun for rookie players is choosing their park names. Jae’thas was always Carlson’s persona for hobbies like Dungeons & Dragons, and his kids recently chose their LARP names, too. Piper goes by Sheik, after a character from The Legend of Zelda. Her younger brother Finn, a dragon enthusiast, chose Blazewing.
All three look forward to park days. Jae’thas said he has fun pretending to be a kid again, and experiencing that with his own children is special. The dad shares custody of his kids, and as a single parent, he said it’s nice to have a predictable, structured activity together.
“The importance of the sense of community that we have, that’s something I really hope the kids see. … The idea that it’s OK to be unapologetically yourself,” Jae’thas said. “I do love that my kids get to see adults dress up with armor and swords and shields and just go out and have fun and be themselves.”
Midweek virtual meetings keep Jae’thas connected to the group without having to keep tabs on the kids. Wednesday calls are usually dedicated to crafting. One person may be shaping a sword, someone else might be cooking a new recipe, and another painting.
Jae’thas has met many new folks since he started LARPing, but Michael Zoppo was a familiar face. They’ve known each other since high school.
It took the towering, long-haired Zoppo the Archer three circles around the Rotary Centennial parking lot this summer to build up the courage to enter the LARPing scene. Once he did, he found a crew of welcoming, friendly folks.
Zoppo wore borrowed gear, and a veteran player gifted the archer a PVC pipe bow that he still uses to this day. Getting his first “kill” gave him an adrenaline rush.
“It is funny because there are like wizards and stuff. People are casting spells and doing things. I don’t know what they are! And I have to ask again, like, ‘What’s that dude?’” Zoppo said.
His son Theo, who named himself Ratskull, joins the other youngsters on the sidelines, lobbing beanbags at the adults.
Archery is Zoppo’s favorite way to play. The level 1 archer wears loose-fitting pants and a sleeveless shirt, strapping a quiver to his back for easy arrow access.
“I am running. I’m sweating, and I’m a grown-ass man, 37 years old in October. And I’m laughing like a kid out there,” Zoppo said. “Literally, I have a smile ear to ear just talking about it.”
Zoppo’s suggestion for prospective LARPers is to get out there and pick up a foam sword. And for those wary of armed combat, there are plenty of ways to participate in Amtgard that don’t involve weapons.
Finding a niche
Engagement in LARP has evolved over the years for Sarah Carroll, aka Elf Greenleaf and Wrekless’ partner. The husband and wife described themselves as nerdy people with a passion for games like Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, but neither had LARPed until a few years ago.
Before moving to Santa Maria together, the couple was living in San Luis Obispo when Wrekless decided to try Seven Sleeping Dragons. He was having a blast, so in just a matter of weeks, Elf was accompanying him to watch the fun. Eventually she got comfortable enough to step onto the battlefield.
“We loved it,” Elf said. “There’s a lot of seasoned players, people who were able to introduce us to the game in a way that was very encouraging. They’re just a really great group of people, so we kind of connected with their personalities pretty quickly.”
With so many ways to get involved, Elf found her place. She said she’s not a great sword fighter, nor is she an artistic leathersmith like her husband. When she battles, Elf will usually grab her bow and arrows, try to stay back, and avoid getting whacked by close-range weapons.
Once she discovered that Amtgard needs leaders to keep the organization running, she tapped into her management skills from her professional career.
Last year, Elf became the monarch of Seven Sleeping Dragons in San Luis Obispo for a six-month term. The local position required her to oversee the group every week and make sure members abided by the rules.
Then, she moved up into statewide office as regent for the kingdom of Westmarch, which consists of 22 parks, including the one in San Luis Obispo. Elf ran a few events and kept the kingdom’s calendar.
“You’re not fully in charge, but it’s a really good way to get into the bigger level leadership. And then I enjoyed that quite a bit,” Elf said. “So, coming off the momentum of that, we do have an election process, and so I ran for monarch of the kingdom in May and won that election. Now I’ve been the queen of Westmarch, which is our kingdom in California, for the last four or five months. It’s been great.”
Amtgard is a registered nonprofit, so it operates like a business. Elf beat two candidates to win the executive role, and during her six-month term she settles code of conduct disputes, offers input for large-scale events, and issues awards to players. The monarch usually spends an hour every day checking in on her Westmarch duties.
“It’s been a nice way to kind of give back to the game with the skill set that I have and just help everything run smoothly,” she added.
Some of her most special memories were made at the biannual weekend-long camping trips that bring together members from the entire kingdom. The next event is scheduled for Oct. 22 to 25 in Hollister. Hundreds of LARPers stay at the fairgrounds, sparring and battling, completing quests, and watching awards ceremonies during “court.” For Elf, it feels like summer camp.
“There’s big battle games. Like, a typical park size can be anywhere from 20 to 40 people, sometimes smaller,” Elf explained. “But at the big kingdom events, you might have 75 to 100 people playing on a battlefield, which really changes the dynamic. It changes the feeling of it.”
Another treasured part of the weekend is catching up with friends from other parts of the kingdom. California, and therefore Westmarch, is so large that Elf only gets to see some friends twice a year while camping.
“A lot of what Amtgard is, is the stuff that happens in between all the fighting. The hanging out at camp, the going to feast,” Elf said.
Overall, the atmosphere is inviting to all, even though some of the physical elements are still male dominated, Elf said.
“We have a lot of diversity, very LGBTQ friendly,” Elf said. “Even if it’s male dominated, it doesn’t feel like it’s not inclusive.”
Halle Bohlig is proud to be a woman who LARPs and said she believes women are more likely to be underestimated and overlooked in physical matches.
“The more female fighters that participate in the tournaments, the more likely it is that we’ll be able to make it more inclusive,” Bohlig, aka Aspen, told the Sun. “They do also have at some of these events a special tournament that’s for non-male fighters, and so a lot of women are really attracted to that format just because they don’t want to be smashed with a sword really aggressively.”
Aspen is the prime minister of Watchers Keep. It’s a treasury role, so one of her responsibilities is collecting optional dues from participants.
The recent UC Santa Cruz grad began LARPing her sophomore year and became friends with Central Coast players by traveling to their park days.
Although she lives in San Francisco now, Aspen occasionally makes the trip south to Santa Maria. She was one of 10 players from Santa Cruz who “raided” Watchers Keep for its inauguration in April. She also joins their midweek calls to bond with the new group.
“It’s a very unserious game, but I think it also has such lasting impacts on your actual life because of the community and the skills that you’re learning,” the prime minister said.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Aspen LARPed for the first time with no clue what she was getting into. She thought live-action role-playing had something to do with improv.
“I show up, and I see all these people in their tunics swinging around their foam swords, and I started laughing so hard,” Aspen remembered. “I’m like, ‘There’s absolutely no way I’m doing this. This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.’ But, by the end of the day, I was in love with it, and I have been obsessed with it ever since.”
The rulebook can be complex for newbies to learn. Aspen would rather take up a sword to spar one-on-one than try to decipher characters’ spells and magic powers in battle games. It’s confusing and can get a little annoying, she said, but the payoff is worth it.
“I think I found my closest friends in LARPing,” Aspen said. “You’re seeing these same people who you share a common interest with once a week, typically, and it just really fosters that sense of community. It’s easy to get along with people when you’re having fun out doing this silly little sport.”
The founder’s future
No matter what’s going on in the world, Wrekless will bet on LARP for an exciting outdoor afternoon with some of his closest buddies. But the craftsman has taken a step back from playing since establishing Watchers Keep because he’s in the driver’s seat of nearly everything else. Sustaining a brand-new park requires time, money, and resources.
Wrekless invested in a storage unit to stow all his supplies. Every other Sunday he and Elf unload inflatable obstacles, gear, and bins of equipment to bring to the grassy field. He’s the one ensuring the permits to use Rotary Centennial Park are squared away and that players in Watchers Keep act safely and fairly.
On LARPing Sundays, he referees the games, adjusting the rules depending on how many people show up and what their skill levels are. He understands that somebody must be willing to coordinate the fun for everybody else.
“I don’t feel like I’m losing out on anything,” he said. “I like being in a position where I can sacrifice myself to make sure that new generations and new people can find this thing and have fun. It’s stressful, and it’s tiring, but it’s fulfilling.”
His leadership role is on the cusp of growing. Wrekless may become part of the Circle of Knights, an exclusive group of the highest achievers in their skills, for his craftsmanship.
The artist is known for making leather suits of armor and belts, and he leads craft days at his house to teach others how to work with the material.
“I have all these tools and everything in my garage for leatherworking, and I would say, ‘Anyone who wants to come over and learn how to make stuff, come over,’” Wrekless said. “I’m having a good time because I’m teaching people a new craft, and also, it’s just community. We’re just hanging out and laughing and learning about each other.”
Wrekless amassed enough competition wins in the skill set to receive his “masterhood” and become eligible for knighthood. Recently, 22 knights voted to allow him into their circle.
“I think I might be one of the first unanimous yes votes to become a knight,” Wrekless said.
The only thing in the way is affirmation from the kingdom’s queen, who happens to be his wife. To avoid a conflict of interest, Wrekless plans to wait for the next monarch to be elected before pursuing knighthood.
If he gets voted in, it’d mean his teaching responsibilities would become larger, and he’d have a say in who becomes a future knight. He said it would be an honor.
“It basically means that these people who right now are currently entrusted with safeguarding our game and our community have decided that I’m someone that should join them in being able to protect this thing that we all love,” Wrekless explained.
Yet he feels that building Watchers Keep from the ground up is “way cooler” than becoming a knight. It’s the tangible form of his LARPing legacy, and he gets a sense of accomplishment from introducing the activity that he loves to new players.
“It’s happened with everyone, where they experience something new, have this feeling they’ve never felt before or they haven’t felt in a long time,” Wrekless said. “Like suddenly you’re a kid again.”
Reach Staff Writer Madison White at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in October 15, 2026 – October 22, 2026.
