If you love the Lord of the Rings books or movies, then you will be a fan of Ring War. 

   Ring War is a live 'reenactment' of the Lord of the Rings series.  Reenactment is used loosely here because there are no special effects, no real monsters, and no one can actually use magic.  Even without any of that, it is still a very fun experience.  The character you play can be from a lowly Red-Eye Orc to Gandalf or Sauron.  Characters are chosen at a meeting that takes place a few weeks before the Ring War, and unclaimed characters or no-shows are claimed the morning of Ring War during judging. 

   The way Ring War is played is akin to a very large scale tag game.  At the beginning of the day everyone is judged based on costume, weaponry, armor, and miscellaneous (as in, bribe points).  When you want to enter battle with another group one member from your side tags the opponent, and then everyone within a ten-step distance joins the battle.  Points are tallied up, and the side with the most points wins! The losers are then 'dead' and must sit out for 15 minutes. 

   There are three ways the Ring War can end; Good can win, Evil can win, and the 'White Hand' can win.  For Good to win, they must reach the top of Mount Doom and touch the ring to the crack there.  For Evil to win, they must capture the hobbit that has the ring.  For the White Hand team to win, Saruman and his team must capture the ring and bring it to the crack at Mount Doom.  However, if Evil wins then by default White Hand also wins because they are also evil.

   In Ring War, there are also 'tokens' used to represent items from the books and movies.  These all serve the same purpose as they do in the series, and can be used to gain advantages in battle, especially the final one that inevitably takes place on Mount Doom.

   The place where all of this occurs is Governor Dodge State Park in Dodgeville, Wisconsin.  The park is very large and has some really great scenery.  The park has been divided up to represent all the different places from the Lord of the Rings, most notably places like Mordor, Mount Doom, and all the other citadels. 

   From experience it's a really fun day, even if you haven't read the Lord of the Rings series or seen the movies (neither of which I have done).  It's always a great way to make new friends, and everyone there is always incredibly nice and will help you with whatever you need!  Both times I've gone the side I've been on has won, and even if this weren't the case I'd still say it was a great time.  On a side note, it's also a really great way to get exercise!

   If this sounds like something that would interest you, go to the next Ring War this fall! The set date is October 13, and more can be learned from http://www.ringgame.net.