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Stuff that relates to the running of the forums, and not to Ranger reenactment.
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Duathen
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Post by Duathen »

Hello forum,

Happened across your spot here last week and decided to stop lurking and register an account. As I've got interests in wood craft, swordsmanship/martial arts and Tolkien it appears that joining your community is a no-brainer. I'm very intrigued by the idea of roughing it ranger-style, but I don't know that I can bring myself to delve too deeply into the costuming aspect (I suppose I just have some personal hang-ups on this bit).

My wife and I both practice WMA regularly, which makes for an interesting home dynamic. I have a strong interest in both history and fiction (which often branches in separate directions, but at times the paths run blessedly close), as well as militaria through the ages; if it falls anywhere between the Greeks and modern soldiers there's a strong chance I'm interested.

It seems that your forum has a deeper history than what's presented, and I keep reading references to another associated site that I can't seem to find. Curiousity begs that I ask, what lies at the heart of the community? Are it's aims simply to discuss and appreciate Tolkien's rangers, with those interested working at their practices? I ask only because there seems to be a fair amount of history hidden between the lines, and I'd like to know a bit more about how the community views itself and how it defines ranger reenacting.
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Greg
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Post by Greg »

Andy, who I believe is currently serving our country somewhere, built a personal website dedicated to his idea of Ranger Reenactment. The way he saw it, he wanted to follow Tolkien's descriptions of Rangers and everyone else to the letter to justify any and all parts of his kit, and then learn how to appropriately use them through research of the historical and the fantastical nature. Everything he wanted to do was firmly rooted in reality. For example, he found that he was not able to carry everything he felt was necessary for an overnighter comfortably in a bedroll, so he used Tolkien's mention of backpacks,. particularly on the Hobbits in the stories, as a means for assuming that a Ranger could have made use of them as well. Similarly, in his WMA studies, it was clear to Andy (and the rest of us, for that matter) that Tolkien's primary armor type in Middle Earth was Chain Maille. The only plate armor that seemed to exist was in the form of Helmets, so rather than following the inspiration brought by the movies, he faithfully stuck to the books.

And, in the process, managed to make the most legitimately awesome leather Ranger boots this side of Mirkwood.

The other "forum" you may have seen references to, especially in posts a few years old, was an offshoot of Andy's site, I believe. It was a discussion board much like this one, but without the bells and whistles we have now. Andy's site is currently offline, most likely because he hasn't paid for it due to being on active duty. We're looking forward to his safe return, and, hopefully, the re-opening of meranger.com as well.

On THIS site, we now have Rangers, Rohirrim, Men of Dale, and more, all generally moving towards the same goal: A Realistic, Book-Based re-creation of the peoples of Middle Earth. There are some who draw inspiration from the movies or other Fantasy epics as well, and some who draw their inspiration from Medieval Histories and such. But we've all got a love for Tolkien, for taking his people beyond the scope of LARP and Renaissance Faires, and I think that's what really counts.

Mae govannen! Welcome to the Ranger Forum!

*Now that I've thrown a few logs on the fire, I'd appreciate it if Eric, Pete, or any of the others who actually posted on the former discussion board would come in here and either back me up or correct me where I'm wrong, as I was only lurking the forum back at that time.*
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
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Duathen
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Post by Duathen »

Thank you, both for the welcome and your reply.

I'm keenly interested in the idea of testing the hows/whats/whys in the environment they're designed for, and I'm impressed with the efforts you've all got underway here. Hopefully I didn't come across as asking "what the heck are you guys doing," as I was just trying to connect the dots in my head. Hopefully I can contribute more here once I've gotten the chance to knock the dust off my books and my boots. I definitely appreciate the spirit behind your community, and am excited to learn and share in turn with each of you.
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Peter Remling
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Post by Peter Remling »

Greg has it pretty well down pat. Andy was involved in another group who felt similarly and they all (only a few pics were available at the time) displayed a keen sense of interpetation from the books.

Even before mereanger got turned off, Andy had changed the direction and had cut off the forum aspect, I believe because this forum had alreay opened and he saw no reason for both, particularly as he was not able to moniter it as much as he would have liked due to the nature of his job. Unfortunately a good many early threads were lost (at least to us) that I would love to have copied here.

A few of us come under the gramps/grams catagory as far as age goes and we have some much younger folkes here as well. Most of the posters do attempt (even if we don't always succeed) to try our hand at a variety of skills whether they are martial, crafting or woodscraft. At least 4 that have been here over a year have made their own knives, over 20 have done leather work, another 20 or so have practiced one or more of the martial arts and these are of the regular posters. There are a good many more who rarely post.

We don't endorse a grading scale, each to learn what interests them, when and how. Most feel this allows a better sense of community if you're not struggling to be the next rank. We are all mature enough to understand our own shortcomings and work at bettering ourselves. This is not too say we don't help each other, I never been in a group like this that willingly aids others with knowledge or materials and is as supportive as we are to each other.

So Welcome to the group!
kaelln

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Post by kaelln »

Greetings Duothen! We're in the same state; I live in Middle Georgia, in Macon. Like many others here, I try to learn as many different skills as possible in my present circumstances. I have to confess that I love the garb aspect; it helps get me out of the modern world. A lot of us like garb, but it's certainly legit, IMHO, to focus on the skills you're most interested in. Mike, for instance, mostly hangs out in the WMA/NMA section. Some, like Greg and Frothgar, seem to be good at everything! So welcome! I, for one, would love to hear more about your experiences with MWA.
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Willrett
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Post by Willrett »

Hi welcome to the group.

I understand the garb reservations since I am the only one within several hours (that I know of) who has this fun hobby. I am looking at the garb and skills as a way to make hunting, hiking, and camping more fun. My garb as I make or purchase it will be fully functional for anytime I am in the woods. The other skills and items speak for themselves, leather work be what I'm starting to work at.
"Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed." Richard, the Seeker (Sword of Truth)"
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Duathen
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Post by Duathen »

Kaelin, Willrett - thanks for the warm greetings!

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm against costuming, it's just I don't know that it's my cup of tea? We'll see, I really like the idea of trying my hand at constructing a functional outfit and testing it in inclimate weather. Modern outdoor gear is really nice, but overpriced and a bit...well...soulless. There's something to be said for gaining the satisfaction of tailoring your own gear for an outdoor trek, and I have a preference for rustic and functional things.

As for WMA, let's see. I've been a member of the ARMA for a little over a year, now. Just in the past few months have I really been able to get some serious regular practice going though, so I'm a lot further behind where I'd like to be. While still a novice, I feel pretty proficient with longsword. I've also done a little sparring with sword and shield and polearms, but no serious study yet. My wife really wants to learn sword and buckler, though, so we're probably going to start sinking into several of the manuals and doing some drills. Before I started with wma, I studied muay thai and some Japanese koryu styles. I really want to study more ringen and dagger work, as well as cut and thrust, rapier, polearms (and staff)....the list goes on... :wink:

I've always toyed with the idea of archery, but now I think I've got a reason to start saving up for a decent stick. The wife used to shoot a little with her dad when she was a kid, so it shouldn't take too much arm-twisting to get her to go along with me on that too.
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Greg
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Post by Greg »

Well I'd say, with the experience and interests that you and your wife have/share, you're cookie-cut for this community! Again, welcome!

I'm sure you already have, but if you haven't yet, poke around our WMA forum; there are a LOT of links to online WMA resources, which have made my first year of study a lot cheaper than it would've been if I'd been forced to buy copies of books and such (though that is certainly part of the plan...)
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
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Willrett
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Post by Willrett »

If your looking for bows you could try http://www.darkknightarmoury.com/c-29-t ... -bows.aspx they have really good prices for all different kinds of bows.
"Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed." Richard, the Seeker (Sword of Truth)"
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Greg
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Post by Greg »

However, you get what you pay for with most replica bows. I'd save to invest in something nicer, or look into bow building yourself.
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
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Ernildir
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Post by Ernildir »

Greg wrote:However, you get what you pay for with most replica bows. I'd save to invest in something nicer, or look into bow building yourself.
I concur. I got one of those replica bows from Medievalcollectibles.com, (which it seems is really the same company as Darkknightarmoury but with a different website name and layout, considering that all of the products and prices are identical) and it shattered within months. I also have a couple friends who have had the same sort of replica bows shatter on them. Replica bows, although they're very beautiful and can be great for costuming, are not, in my experience, generally very durable. I suppose there is a possibility that you could luck out and receive a well constructed one, but I wouldn't risk it.
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Mirimaran
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Post by Mirimaran »

Hello and welcome!

Glad to have yet another new member on the forum! I look forward to reading your posts and hope to learn a thing or two!

Ken
"Well, what are you waiting for? I am an old man, and have no time for your falter! Come at me, if you will, for I do not sing songs of dastards!"
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Duathen
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Post by Duathen »

Thanks, Ken!

Greg - I'm not certain I'm ready to take on building a bow yet, any brands you'd recommend? I'm just looking for something in the plain-jane longbow department, sans arrow rest with a draw weight of up to 50 or 55 lbs.
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Greg
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Post by Greg »

I'd say go with a Damon-Howatt (sold through Martin Archery) "Stick" longbow. You can get them anywhere from 30# up through hunting weights, they're a nice, lightweight, straight shooter, and they're made by one of the best in the business, and can easily be made to look period.

http://www.damonhowatt.com/stick.php

They're gorgeous, too, I might add. Just don't get it through that site. You can get them for $199, not the ridiculous $400+ that you see there. Shop around; you'll find them. They turn up on ebay a lot, too. They're quite the workhorse.

On the other hand, you can get a good workhorse longbow through rudderbows.com
I'd recommend poking around there, too.
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
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Duathen
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Post by Duathen »

Thanks, Greg! I'll stuff a little more cash in the mattress and start digging around online.
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