Tomorrow starting at noon, Salem’s Woodmansee Park will be transformed into a battleground for a fantasy-themed foam baton combat tournament in support of the Salem Fire Department’s Toys for Tots charity event.   The event at the park is hosted by Silvermoon, the Salem chapter of Amtgard, an international live action role playing combat society formed in the 1980s focused on sword and sorcery, medieval and ancient genres, according to the group’s website.  “Honestly, it is just (Dungeons and Dragons) in real life,” said Dimitri Messier, a representative of the group’s Corvallis chapter who helped coordinate Saturday’s event.   The free event will run from noon to 6 p.m. at the park located at 4629 Sunnyside Road S.E. and will involve both the toy drive and the competition, which is open to anyone whether they are familiar with Amtgard or not.  “Thet basic idea of Amtgard is, we are a bunch of nerds that like fantasy stuff, we like to dress up, go cosplay, fight and follow these different traditions, Messier said. “It is very open-ended on what anyone can do in Amtgard. There are people who just show up and hang out. There are people that go all in with the role play, the armor, the lifestyle, and there are people who are in the middle.”  Toy donations are requested for all ages and must be in the original packaging, unwrapped, new or unopened.  More information on Silvermoon is available on its Facebook page.  Messier said the battle usually unfolds as a bracket or team tournament depending on the specific competition.  Those who join the tournament will be provided the necessary equipment which includes foam padded batons that come in all different shapes, as well as armor and other gear necessary to defeat one’s enemies on the field of battle.  The objective of the tournament is to reduce an opponent’s health points associated with each limb and body part, Messier said. Armor helps to modify a participant’s strength and different spells are also used to weaken an opponent in order to win.  “There are some really experienced and mean fighters out there,” Messier said. “There are people who have been doing this since the inception back in the ‘80s and they are terrifying.”  Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected] or 503-335-7790.A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE – If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post Fantasy-themed combat tournament for charity to fill Woodmansee Park Saturday appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less