Combat Role as a Ranger

Can someone tell me what my role is as a Ranger (during combat)? Maybe compare it to a class type from an mmo (tank, dps, range, etc)? Also, what type of weapons/armor do rangers generally have? Any and all help is appreciated

That all depends on your skills.

Rangers have an incredible diversity of options available to them, with a wide array of weapons, spells, and tag skills, even at low level. Weapon profs and Master Florentine can make you a striker, druid spells can make you really good crowd control, sword and board can put you on the front line, cloak of the green and traps give you good ambushes...

Have at, basically.

Your role as a ranger is really what you think your character would do. If you choose to be a shield fighter, you can use a shield and 1H. If you want to be an archer you could do that.
I know of a ranger that only does archery. Meanwhile I am a ranger that is in a shield wall as a front line fighter.
Rangers also get 1st and 2nd rank druidics, so if you wish to focus on that you can put a lot of work towards that.

As nate said traps and cloak of the green could make you good at ambushes. The ways to take your character is ultimately up to you.

From experience I use my druidics joined with my shield and sword as an offense and protections.

So I suppose if you want to put it under a broad spectrum, I would say rangers fall under the classification of Range/Close combat/Trapper, as you can do either.

As for armor, that is up to you personally, I use chainmail but that doesn't mean that a ranger couldn't use plate, or leather. Just make sure your armor works for YOU. That is the most important thing.

If you'll be at this event, find me before registration, or after new player training. If you want we could even talk IG about this. I have no problem discussing this with you.

Thanks! I can't come in oct either unfortunatly. November and december are my best bets for now.

Keep in mind that how your character acts, fights and looks like all depends on your interaction with others IG. Sometimes people will have a set plan of very specific guidelines they want their character to follow, but for your first PC its best to let the gameplay guide them. From there you can shape how your character will remain.

For example, remembering back to recent discussions we've had about fighting styles, I came in with a bastard sword and did well with it for a while. I didn't really think I'd ever change my fighting style until I began noticing that it was slowing me down. My character started off wanting the big guns to do more damage, but now, after experiencing different battles, she realizes that its not always about how hard you hit, but how fast. Thus, I've been making the change to florentine fighting (I'm a ranger too, if you remember!)

With other things like armor, that goes into a slightly more personal perspective. Honestly, I only wear what is needed, and what's comfortable for my character. (Which reflects on her personality anyway) You have to think about what your character would think about and want. Maybe he wants to better protect his arms while swinging a sword, so he has arm bracers. Or maybe, from being a ranged fighter, close encounters are a weak point, so he has to protect his torso. If its a type of armor you're worried about, that is all up to what you like best, or what you think looks best for your character. (Afterall, we're all a little vain when it comes to our characters haha)

Just remember LARP fighting isn't the same as MMO or TT fighting. We're "LIVE ACTION". That means your real-life skill, reflexes, abilities do come into play. What everyone else has posted is correct, & you should take into account most importantly of what you see for your character.

Best bet is to NPC a lot your first event, get a chance to fight in a lot of different styles, & see how you fair/gauge yourself. Be brutally honest with how you feel with each type of fight & then make you decision then.