Warriors in the Aratari Dagorhir chapter are divided into sub-groups called units primarily to allow friends to fight together and to make choosing teams easier.
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- Your unit can have any name you wish and use any symbol that is appropriate to the fantasy/medieval genre of Dagorhir. Your unit’s Reason for Existence can be anything you and your friends wish, such as re-creating the Army of the Roman Empire, being a band of Dispossessed Elven Royalty, or “Just `Cause We Like to Fight Together.” There was once a Unit that boasted more than 20 Fighters where each claimed to be a bastard son of King Charlemagne! Units instill a sense of fellowship and responsibility among members, increase organization at battles, and give every member a way to have his/her views felt. Dagorhir units should be tight-knit bands of warriors who fight together for a reason, are fiercely proud, and are loyal to the rest of their Unit Unit. There are a number of Dagorhir Aratari units with websites. Note that these links show only the Aratari units that currently have websites; there are other units and also mercenaries who fight solo or in small bands.
- All Units must have a Standard; a flag, totem, or banner that tells something about them. Unit standards should be brought to every battle. What’s on your standard is up to your Unit: Elves might fly a flag showing a Silver Tree; a Mongol standard might be a Totem Staff topped with a painted horse skull; Pirates could fight beneath a stylized Jolly Roger; Warriors from the time of King Arthur might fight under the Welsh Chimera; and an Uruk Hai banner would show the White Hand.
- Many units have Battle Cries to strike fear into their enemies (and to identify one another in the swirling melee that is Dagorhir combat). Some even use other languages for their Battle-Cry. In Dagorhir, Warriors don’t yell, “Bill and Joanne, I’m over here!” Instead you’ll hear, “Blood and Souls!” or “Zabiti!” as units commit to deal death upon one another.
- All units must have a commander. This person does not actually have to be the sole leader of the unit (although in many cases they will be), but they must be a responsible person that Aratari can contact to give information to the entire unit. The commander will be the unit’s way of giving feedback to Aratari War Council (AWC) concerning rules, battle locations, battle types, and event scheduling.
- Unit commanders or their designated second-in-command should ensure that the Unit provides up-to-date contact information to the battle check-in staff for timely dissemination of information.
- Units must keep a roster of members and make it available to the Aratari Administrator if requested. Your unit may be organized any way you wish it to be. It may be run as a democracy, where all members are equal and get a vote on group decisions, such as what your Standard will look like or whether you want to volunteer to run the next Feast. Or your members might decide it would be fun to declare your unit to be a “country” with a Queen or King supported by Thanes or Baronesses. Other units style themselves after military organizations, with Generals, Captains, and Soldiers.
- Many units wear matching costumes or uniforms. Others often wear similar clothing (such as Celtic War-Bands, who dress mostly in plaid wool) that shows them to be a united People. Some units have no standardized garb, encouraging each member to show their individuality and character (like the Fellowship of the Ring).
- Recruiting is important to keep your unit alive and vital. Over time, members drift in and out of Dagorhir depending on school and work schedules, moving, health, family, and other interests. Unless your unit continues to bring in new members, it may eventually stagnate and cease to be. Having a website can be an important component of attracting new members in the Information Age. A unit Website gives you a way of recruiting new members 24/7; provides you a place to publish the history of your unit and pictures of members and your banner, give directions to battle-practices, and provide contact information (email, phone, address, geographical area(s) where members are located, etc.) so interested people can apply for membership. You can even get your web page started for free, using any of the no-cost web hosting services. Most Dagorhir Chapters maintain websites and will link unit websites onto their main site.
- Finally, all units should turn in a written outline describing themselves. Why its members fight together, what their standard means, whether they are accepting new members, etc. This does not need to be typed electronically (although it is requested) but it must be legible. If you wish to submit a duplicate copy in your Unit’s native language, that is all right. These outlines should be posted on your website, so that everyone can learn about the other Units. Unit outlines can be submitted at check-in or sent via e-mail.
