Hello, and welcome to part one of my review of Hynafol. In this post I will be digging into the grittier and practical aspects of the event. If you want to know about the story and gameplay, that will be coming later.  

Also, if you are here for the short version of this review, I won’t bury the lead or make you skim through 3000+ words to find an answer. Hynafol was an amazing experience and I loved having the opportunity to play in this magical world and see the vision come to fruition. The story was thoughtfully crafted, my fellow players went above and beyond to bring Hynafol to life, and everyone worked so hard to create meaningful interactions within the world. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent beyond the mists and look forward to seeing Hynafol grow and evolve in the years to come. 

That being said, this was far from a perfect event. At times, the seams were clearly visible, and some obvious aspects of planning fell through the cracks. Communication about event logistics between the organizers and players was sporadic at best. Deadlines were missed and some promised amenities fell through at the last minute. As this is the first year, I’m willing to offer the organizers a bit of leeway. That said, if I were reviewing an event its second year, I would not be as open minded. The good news is that most of these points can be easily corrected, and I hope to see Hynafol grow to its full potential over the next few years.

First off, what is Hynafol?

From the website: Hynafol is a medieval, fantasy, role-playing experience located just outside of Austin, Texas. Become fully immersed in the ancient and mystical world, as we live out our days in a medieval camp with our guild, discover the ever-evolving Kingdom of Avalon, battle side-by-side with your friends and allies, and celebrate our victories around the campfire every evening. This, and so much more, at Hynafol! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to be a part of the legend. As the first event of the storyline, you will play a real-live part in deciding the fate of the Kingdom.

Full disclosure, Stephanie and I were invited to attend the inaugural year of Hynafol as part of the social media team. We were asked to fully participate in the game as players and immerse ourselves in the various forms of gameplay. To best represent the experience, I was active on the message boards, helped plan the ceremonies and activities for our guild (Team Hellfire!), and went through the entire process of creating a character with a full backstory. This review will be an in-depth look at my Hynafol experience, and the opinions expressed are my own. 

Pre-game Thoughts

While I have minimal experience with LARP outside of tabletop games, I do have a background in event planning and logistics. I’ve helped run everything from small 20-person conferences to conventions attended by 50,000. Most of what I do takes place before the first person even shows up to ensure things go as smoothly as possible for both vendors and guests. I have 15 years of experience working in this space, and because of this I can pick up pretty quickly when things are questionable behind the scenes. 

I give you my background to make this point: You would not have needed the extensive experience I have to see that planning was strained. An event like Hynafol has many moving parts and requires a dedicated team of people to manage communications, planning, vendor relations, customer service, story-writing, setup, and teardown. All of this is in addition to the team needed onsite to run the game and create a safe environment for players and ensure they have the tools needed to buy in and play to the best of their abilities. The fact that the Hynafol team was able to pull off this event with a skeleton of a crew is a testament to their dream, but it comes at the expense of the guest experience.

The biggest complaint I picked up on pre-Hynafol was a general lack of communication. Leading up to the event, there were lots of questions, especially from attendees that were coming in from out of state and those who were bringing in their own camping equipment, that went unanswered for weeks. Part of this was because the Hynafol team needed to make a trip out to Sherwood Forest Faire so they could plan the camping areas with the owners and finalize game logistics, but the radio silence only added to the stress of the situation. And while I understand that it’s frustrating to answer the same question over and over… and over again (even if that answer is “we’re finalizing the plan and will have more information by this day”), leaving the questions hanging in the aether is not an acceptable alternative.

While the pregame communication is a hurdle that must be addressed for Hynafol to function as an annual gathering, one of the things that can be praised is the community of people that have sprung up in support of it. As a cosplayer, you instantly become aware of a certain level of gatekeeping that exists within the cosplay community. While most people are quick to spout the mantra that “cosplay is for everyone,” we have a long way to go before that becomes truth. In contrast to this, the Hynafol community has been one of the most welcoming that I have ever been a part of. Before we even stepped foot on the grounds, everyone was incredibly helpful and excited to share the world that was being created. The message boards, while chaotic at times, were an invaluable resource. Seasoned LARPers and new players alike shared the quirks of their characters and made connections with others. Every post containing an update on garb or equipment was met with enthusiasm. People created gifts to hand out in character and shared tips for packing and organizing. And any time someone expressed a need for help, there were people who could offer advice and encouragement about any number of topics. This online community functioned as an integral part of the game by allowing players to form relationships and decide what guild to join (Praise the Sun!). But more importantly, it allowed us to create friendships, skip some of the awkwardness of having to introduce ourselves to everyone on day one, and begin playing the game.   

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Playing the Game

 On to gameplay. I’ll delve deeper into this in another post, but I did want to hit a few of the major points here. First and foremost, one of the things that worked well for Hynafol was all the different types of characters players could create. While there are strict guidelines for costuming, you are limited mostly by your own imagination when it comes to character creation. Between the different guilds and Peoples (Hynafol has opted to use the term Peoples rather than races when referring to the different types of characters that exist such as elf, fae, orc, human, etc.) you could really go all out with your character. If you wonder where you fit in at Hynafol, there really is something for everyone. From the youngest among us (we had a changling child living with the fae that turned 6 months old at Hynafol) to some of the most seasoned players, there is no “correct” way to play the game. Yes, some of the major story elements are driven by the outcomes of the battles, but I never once picked up a weapon and still found my day full of activities. I did, however, find myself stabbed in the kidney. So I might pack a dagger along for next time. 

 I also want to take a moment and give some extra praise to our Hynafol Game Master, Taylor (AKA Lady). As Game Master, the narrative she created was engaging, complex, and full of surprises. It was impossible to uncover all the storylines taking place simultaneously and even harder to separate the truths from the rumors. Looking back, I now know that my guild spent an unfortunate amount of money chasing down a false lead, but that’s part of the fun and politicking. Many people had backstories that were woven into the bigger story of Hynafol and sometimes you had to rely on luck to happen across another player who would have answers to your current quest. Things that seemed insignificant in passing led to “aha” moments later in the game. Honestly, it was just really cool. There were a few times where we would have benefitted from a little extra guidance from the NPCs (Non-playable characters – basically, people who knew aspects of the narrative and were planted in-game to facilitate major storylines), especially since most players were first time LARPers, but I know that this is one of those things that will resolve itself as more people play the game and develop a working knowledge of the lore of Hynafol.

Is it worth the cost?

Now here is where your mileage may vary. The standard experience clocks in just under $400 per person and the immersive experience (along with the ability to camp within the grounds of Sherwood Forest Faire and live *in* Hynafol) starts at $900.  

If you are a seasoned LARPer or avid camper with a truck full of equipment that can easily make the trip to Texas, I would say the experience is worth it and you are likely to have an amazing time. Depending on your personal situation, you can decide if the extra $500 is worth the bonus of having a tent set up for you inside Hynafol and not worrying about meals. If you chose to pay out of pocket for meals it would be $120 per person, but you are welcome to bring your own food if you would rather cook for yourself. 

On the other hand, if you are flying in, or lack most of the necessities for camping, that answer becomes a little trickier. Yes, the immersive package includes a tent, cot, and meals but you are still on the hook to supply your own bedding, lighting, and other camping essentials. And packing that much equipment for a flight is no easy task. Unless you are willing to pay the extra baggage fees, you’ll have to consider your personal levels of comfort when it comes to “roughing it” for the week. 

Do I recommend Hynafol?

Do I recommend Hynafol as it currently exists? Mostly. Despite the shortcomings, I can’t deny that I had an amazing time. There is a great foundation here, but it needs some finessing. Like I said before, this was year one and I was willing to allow for some growing pains as management works to build out the world. Going forward, I will be less likely to look past the lack of communication, missed deadlines, and last-minute changes. 

Do I recommend Hynafol if the issues with logistics and planning are addressed? Emphatically, absolutely, and resoundingly: yes. This event has the seeds to be something wonderful and beautiful. The community of people it brought together were some of the most creative, helpful, and inclusive people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. If year one is the prologue, I have great hopes for the future of Hynafol and can’t wait to see what the team and community create.