How does combat work? What is fighting like?
— Go to Top Archaea is a live-action padded weapon wargaming system. Weapons are constructed out of layers of foam with a core of fiberglass or CPVC and covered in soft cloth. Archaea is considered a full-contact “sport” and combats are real-time, real-skill. Combat isn’t staged or choreographed. Players swing their weapons, block with their shields, run, dodge, and grapple as if they were in a real melee. Combat is often fast, furious, and exciting. Weapons are always carefully checked for construction, safety, and feel. There are specific rules and guidelines about how to wield weapons, how to strike, what legal hit locations are, and how to behave in combat. No one has been seriously injured in an Archaea combat. Players are encouraged to be extremely conscientious when fighting. If there are complaints, it’s usually only bumps and bruises. Archaea has been likened to a friendly pick-up football game in the park. Different weapons are assigned different levels of damage. The charac
