You asked a few questions in there, and I'll try and answer them all:
1) Can I start a realm, and how do I do it?
I'm not going to say that starting a new realm is easy, but it isn't as difficult as it sounds.
First, find people that are interested. Even if you don't have weapons yet, get those people wrangled in. Next, find the time to get as many of those people, yourself included, to a practice at an established realm. Fight with their weapons, see the fighting first hand, and talk to them about your endeavor. At this point, you'll have done two things: 1) You've got a core group, and 2) You've got the support and acknowledgement of another nearby realm. This will go a long way in helping your group get started. I can't think of a realm that wouldn't go out of their way to help a new realm succeed. Often, you can work it out where they'll come visit your area and practice with your group, and help you recruit new members.
2) I'm really new, can I start a realm? How do I even run a realm effectively?
Being new doesn't mean that you can't start a realm. Most of the time, new realms are started by people that saw this "fighting thing" somewhere else, and wanted to do it, but couldn't find anyone around them that they could just go join. Being completely new is a bit of a handicap, but you have remember that you'll never be completely alone. There are tons of people on the boards and in the community at-large that will offer their help along the way, and will answer your questions as you go.
As for how to do it effectively, there isn't really a guide book, but there are some amazing resources.
- 1) Read the rules. And then read them again.
- 2) Go check out the Resource Store. It has flyers, pamphlets, and many other recruitment and promotion tools.
- 3) Download the New Realm Start Kit. This isn't an all-exhaustive kit that will tell you how to run your realm, and how to handle every situation that you will encounter, but it is a great launching pad from which to start. In fact, read through this before you go and wrangle up those new members. Setting up a leadership and government isn't pivotal to starting your realm, and may over complicate things at first, but it's something that you should keep in mind as you go.
- 4) Ask questions. If something doesn't make sense to you, or you are confused about something, post your question on the boards, or contact the folks in the realm near you. Often, someone else has had the same question, and an answer already exists, so don't forget to try out the search feature too.
3) What about equipment?
You can't fight without equipment, so the best thing to do, in my opinion, when you're a new realm is to get everyone together and have a "build day". That is, find an experienced foamsmith that is willing to drive out to you, or you can go to them, that can take a day to show your group how to construct equipment. They'll help you figure out what materials you need to buy, they'll help you build your first equipment, and you'll get first hand experience in doing it on your own. Alternatively, you can buy equipment from reputable vendors such as
Forged Foam, or other independent foamsmiths. Buying equipment is not so economical as making your own, but it gets you started, and there's nothing wrong with that.
4) Where do I fight?
A park, typically. A grass field clear of obstacles. Your mom's backyard. Wherever you can find somewhere to start fighting, really. Ideally, when you get your realm off the ground, you want to find somewhere that has exposure to the public, is open enough to allow some running about, and is reasonably free of dangerous obstacles. Again, parks are your friend.
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If there are questions that I missed, or something wasn't clear, please ask. Starting a realm is hard, there isn't any doubt about that, but it's rewarding, and the more it grows, the more rewarding it becomes.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Thurat
P.S.: PAPERWORK
As for officially starting a realm, here's what you need to do.
A) State that you're going to be a realm.
B) Come up with a name.
C) Post the following information in the
Realm Founding Info thread:
Realm Name:
Your realm nameCity/State:
Where you're locatedYear Founded:
the year you started your realmContact Email:
How to contact you about your realm (some people make an email dedicated to realm business)Website:
A Facebook group page is perfectly acceptable hereWiki Link:
Go make a page on the GeddonFledgling/Speaking/Voting:
You're a "Fledgling" realmD) Go out and start your realm.