Battle for the Ring 2019

Battle for the Ring 2019

Battle for the Ring 2019 was a long weekend event with trials, tournaments and foam sword fighting from Thursday until Sunday evening. Everyone went home on Monday because it was a holiday weekend. Thank you Martin Luther King Day for giving most people a Monday off work. Cool 🙂

California’s Prado National Park, only an hour from the beach in a valley surrounded by mountains, was the most beautiful setting for this foam-fighting event. The weather was generally lovely with the exception of the first day we arrived. I guess we brought rain with us when we flew in from Florida because they said it rarely rains there.

Instead of a receipt for admission, Troll gave out unique event tags that were actual rings from Lord of the Rings. This was a nice twist that set the theme for the weekend. More functionally, they used color-coded wristbands with different meanings including underaged and over 21. Good idea for us to do over on the East Coast!

Foam-Fighting at Battle for the Ring 2019

There were tons of people at the event… I’m not sure the final numbers but BFTR definitely felt larger than Oktoberfest 2018. It was definitely worth flying out for. If we come again, then I think Gorg & Lady G need to drive the trailer out. Shipping a few boxes of Secret Bats and Secret Swords seemed so small compared to the impressive number of fighters gathered together.

I didn’t like the way the event overlapped the fighting schedules. Tournaments started at 9 AM while weapons check was still happening. Also, field-fighting was going at the same time as trials. It seemed like everyone had to pick and choose what they wanted to do and could not do/see it all. What a shame!

Compared to East Coast Dagorhir, the tournament selection was strangely small including only: sword and board, polearm, archery, and 4v4man. However, Tussles also hosted an elaborate 10v10 tournament.

Food at Battle for the Ring 2019

There was a great variety of food vendors. The taco stand was terrific and we were surprised by a sarsaparilla bar with all kinds of flavors. My favorite was the fresh donut machine that sold donuts by the bucket along with snow-cones… Can’t beat that!

The feast was fantastic! They served hand-held pies, salads, and fresh fruit. Pies included things like chicken pot pie, beef, cheese, and even guava. All and all, it tasted great and wasn’t messy. No fork or plate needed. Good planning and solid execution.

Unfortunately, after feast, we all had to fight over only one set of bathrooms that were already gross. 🙁 I was very glad we were sleeping at a nearby hotel.

All in all, we want to go back to California for Battle for the Ring again 🙂