Cody Nichols has killed more than 10,000 men and has yet to be convicted of murder.

How does he get away with such violence?

Three words: Mass Action Combat.

If this concept doesn’t ring a bell, never fear. It’s just for fun and games.

A mixture of medieval jousting and live action role playing, “mass action combat” is a new phenomenon at OU.

Nichols, University College freshman and “Grand Master” of Dagorhir battle games, established OU’s Medieval Sporting Society this year out of a love for medieval culture and friendly competition.

“I’ve been in this for four years, and I started the group in Edmond,” Nichols said. “When I went off to college, I spoke to some people on my floor and got a few of them interested.”

With a small group of 10 members, Nichols was able to register the group as an official organization, once he was granted approval by the administration. He said the group, which has to sign individual liability waivers, has doubled in size since its conception.

Mass combat involves duels and 10-second group battle with handmade shields and swords, Nichols said. Occasionally, javelins and arrows are used.

There are three kinds of blows which can jeopardize a fighter’s hope of surviving: the “arm chop,” “leg chop” and “torso chop.” If a fighter loses two limbs, he or she pretends to die. This realism is an important aspect of the sport, Nichols said.

It all comes with practice, said Bryan Garza, University College freshman and “squire” of the mass combat group.

The group practices for two hours at least three times per week, Garza said.

“It keeps me active, gives me something to do, and I can socialize with a bunch of my friends,” he said.

Drew Hamilton, University College freshman, said he joined the group five months ago when he saw membersplaying capture-the-flag in the Walker-Adams mall.

New members like Hamilton are always welcome, Nichols said.

“This is one of those sports where the more people you have, the more fun it is. You get tired of fighting the same person 50 times, so you want to bring in some fresh blood, so to speak,” Nichols said.

The group recently ran a booth at the Medieval Fair this weekend where they performed demonstrations and distributed information about the organization.

Kaitlan Nichols, University College freshman and a “knight” of the Norman group, made the costumes group members wore to the fair.

Although out-numbered by her male competitors, Nichols is the team’s third oldest member. She said being a girl on a primarily boys’ team is challenging but enjoyable.

“I wish it was more accessible to women, and I wish women would give it more of a shot even though it’s really intimidating,” she said. “It’s really unique, and I feel like it’s something special that I’m a part of that very few other people are involved in.”

Nichols said she puts her participation in the organization on her résumé.

When the group is practicing outside, she said they receive two kinds of reactions: those from people who think the sport is cool and those which deem the group “nerds.”

“Since this sport is not mainstream, lots of people let their pride get in the way of trying it,” she said.

Her boyfriend, Cody, said they have a good way of handling disapproving spectators.

On a particular occasion, he said they gave swords to students who had been tormenting them, challenged them to a battle, and proceeded to “kill” all of them. He said the students never bothered them again.

Tanner Jones, University College freshman, said his parents support his imaginary war antics.

“Unlike the movie Role Models, they do approve,” Jones said.

The group plans to attend a number of events across the nation to conclude the year. The largest battle, “Ragnarok,” takes place this month in Ohio and pulls in about 2,000 people.