( Letter from Winter's Edge when presenting the pre-bid at Clan 2016 )
In late 2002 a small coalition of Amtgard chapters located in the southeast formed together to make the Central Eastern Alliance. Just far enough away from the kingdoms around us, ours is a somewhat remote location from the rest of the Amtworld. In September of 2003 we sought sponsorship from the Kingdom of Neverwinter to become the Principality of Winter’s Edge. Over the years we, along with much of Amtgard, have grown up exponentially. From our humble beginnings of just 5 chapters we are now comprised of 12 chapters spanning 5 states. Geographically Winter’s Edge has the potential to be one of the largest kingdoms in Amtgard.
When we submitted our original pre-bid we made a big push for kingdom with a realistic goal of reaching it no later than 2016. Winter’s Edge unified together to make this happen yet we came up a little short. Presented with this situation we felt we had two options: present a bid that would be weaker than what we wanted or galvanize ourselves to present something stronger in 2017. We have chosen the latter and we wanted to present our positive progress here in our Pre-Bid 2.0.
Our administrative paperwork is looking very good. We are an approved 501(c)(3) by the IRS. We are mostly autonomous with our own corpora and we are currently in process of separating our BoD bylaws in their own document within the next couple of months. Attendance wise, our numbers dropped slightly during this past year’s pre-bid period. However, overall our averages are climbing upwards. Over the past six months we have an event average of 82.5 sign-ins per month.
Winter’s Edge now runs three signature events a year. Just like other large Amtgard events they draw in members from our neighboring kingdoms. Our first signature event is Crystalline Chronicles which is in its sixth year. Inspired by NERO style games, this event has the potential to become nationally known as Amtgard’s premier roleplaying event. Our second signature event is Wyld Hunt is also a role-play-style event with its own style inspired by Crystalline Chronicles and Knoblander. Our last signature event is the Arts & Sciences Symposium which true to its namesake serves as a huge outlet for crafters in the overall LARP population. We have a big cross gaming community here in the southeast so this event in particular attracts our friendly Dagorhir and SCA locals to learn, teach, and share in our mutual LARPer camaraderie.
Our initials are “WE” and it is through working together we have accomplished remarkable things. The guidance from our sponsor kingdom, Neverwinter, has been invaluable. As one of the few Kingdoms which have been around since the very beginning, it is truly an honor and privilege to represent Winter’s Edge as her monarch.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Very respectfully,
Sultan Pahyum Sumac Asayri
Prime Minster of Winter’s Edge
Dear Circle of Monarchs...
( Letter of Support from our parent kingdom monarch in Neverwinter )
To the esteemed members of the Amtgard, Inc. Board of Directors and Fellow Members of the Circle of Monarchs,
It is with great honor and and pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for the future Kingdom of Winter’s Edge. This amazing group of people has transformed a region with a mere 5 parks into one of the largest collectives known to Amtgard. Boasting 12 individual parks with their newest addition of Soul’s Crossing, they continue to grow and still maintain their cheerful, never-give-up demeanor. While their previous bid fell short of the recommended number of attendance, this past year they came back with a vengeance, with an average of 78 unique sign-ins per month with their singular highest reaching 138 attendees.
Over the past few years, I have personally watched the members of the monarchy and populace help to better define what it means to be an Amtgarder. They’ve embraced and encouraged other LARPs, including Dagorhir, WOTS, NERO and SCA, through cross-gaming to create a welcoming environment for all in an ever-evolving sport.
With their unparalleled leadership and skill, they have proven time and time again that they can handle themselves, come what may. This past year alone, they hosted SKBC with the largest recorded attendance ever of 178 attendees, while their own Coronations and Midreigns continue to be a resounding success with attendance boasting 100+ per event. In their efforts to encourage artisans, they created an entirely new event to foster and promote the craftier side of our game, The Arts and Sciences Symposium, which is now in its second year and has drawn the attention of many talented individuals vying to become instructors. It is my firm belief that this event could do for the A&S community what SKBC has done for our fighters over the years.
I know that they will continue to impress us with their efforts for many years to come. For this reason and many more, I give my support and endorsement for Winter’s Edge bid for kingdom status.
Baron Pumpkin Jack
King of Neverwinter