PENNSIC WAR 39 Marshalling Conventions

One hour before the scheduled start time of any battle, the battlefield shall be considered locked. Any appeals to any rules or the battlefield set-up must be made and completed before this time. After the battlefield is locked, there will be no changes or any movement of banners, hay bales, or objectives.
In rapier battles, death from behind (DFB) will be allowed in the Jungle and the Plateau battles. DFB will not be allowed in the Town battle.
Siege weapon missiles and arrows may not be gleaned during the battle.
Combat archers and siege crew members will be treated as any other armored combatant – they must be properly & safely engaged.
A downed siege weapon will be flagged and cannot be re-used.
Kills by a siege weapon are per the normal conventions of combat for siege weaponry which includes ballistae, trebuchets and catapults.
Combat archers will use the current set of combat archery rules and can maintain their current ability to move freely about the field.

Regarding Marshals

The marshal in charge of Pennsic 39 is the Earl Marshal of the East Kingdom. The Earl Marshal of the Middle Kingdom shall assist him. Any on-site changes to these rules will be at the sole discretion of the Earls Marshal of the East and the Middle, though ultimate responsibility for the conduct of all combat related activities at Pennsic lies with the Earl Marshal of the East. Either Earl Marshal may designate a representative for any battle.

The Earl Marshal of the East may select an appropriate marshal to be in charge of each battle. The marshal selected to be in charge of a particular battle shall remain in charge of that battle for its entirety.

Disagreements with the decision made by any marshal will be dealt with at the Marshals' Court. Decisions made by the Earls Marshal, or their designates, may not be overturned except by a full Marshals' Court in the presence of both East and Middle Sovereigns.

No fighter or marshal, including the Royalty of the Society except the Earls Marshal of the East and the Middle, having fought in a battle, will return to the field to act as a marshal for that battle. Only the Crowns of the Society for Creative Anachronism who have fought in the battle may return to the field as spectators if they have the proper authorization and current waivers.

Marshals in a battle shall be equipped with a marshal's staff of yellow and black, a marshal's tabard and a whistle. The use of armor, gauntlets and a safety helmet is recommended. Eye protection is required in any battles that include combat archery or other projectiles. Acceptable forms of protection are industrial or sports safety glasses/goggles, designed to withstand impact. Note: An SCA legal helm is considered sufficient protection.

Marshals must be present during all combat activities. Working with the Society Marshal, we have determined that a minimum of 1 marshal per 40 combatants shall be required to ensure the safety of the fighters, marshals and crowd. The minimum number of marshals for each war battle must be split in proportion to the number of fighters representing each Kingdom, or as close as possible. No battle shall begin until the minimum number of marshals is present. If half the minimum numbers of marshals do not claim to represent one side or the other, the Sovereign of the under-represented kingdom shall appoint a sufficient number of his marshals to make up the needed difference. If marshal concerns are met, the battles may commence.

The marshal-in-charge reserves the right to stop all combat activities for safety reasons. When combat activity is stopped for this reason, the Kings of the East and the Middle will decide if and when the battles will be cancelled or rescheduled.

Marshals have the power and the duty to remove from battle any person who is violating the rules of the list. This includes, but is not limited to, non-acceptance of blows, ignoring the rules of engagement and behavior that is dangerous to combatants. Marshals should keep in mind that all fighters are honorable people and treat them with courtesy and patience. Remember that honest mistakes do happen. Fighters should remember that the marshals are attempting to ensure the safety of all fighters present and treat them with courtesy. Marshals shall always be obeyed during the battle.

Marshals' Court

A Marshals' Court will be in place and be prepared to address any serious problems that are brought before it. Marshals or fighters can bring these problems. The Marshals' Court will be held immediately following each battle in the Marshals' Tent. The Marshals' Court will review infractions of the rules and combat conventions.

Holds

Holds will be called whenever a question of safety or other major problem arises. Holds will be kept to a minimum to allow continuity of battles to be maintained. Marshals will signal holds with whistles and/or vocally. Fighters may call holds vocally, but only for major safety issues. Any fighter, who is found to have called a hold for strategic or tactical advantage, rather than for major safety issues, shall be removed from the field and suspended from participating in any combat of combat related activities for the rest of Pennsic.

When a hold is called, all fighters should echo it. All fighting will cease and the fighters, whatsoever their rank, will go to their knees. Those that have demonstrable physical problems going to their knees may stand quietly and not move. Those that remain standing must assist the marshals in determining the cause of the hold. All weapons will be lowered to make it easier for the marshals to find injuries. Those having been warned and still refusing to abide by this rule, whatsoever their rank, may be removed from that battle. It is the responsibility of all participants, marshals and fighters alike, to maintain safety on the field. Talking about tactics during holds is strictly forbidden and may be cause for removal. Fighters may not change relative position except at the express orders of the marshals. Friendly conversations and introductions with your noble opponents are highly encouraged.

Marshals’ Tents

Three marshals’ tents will be set up on the southeast corner of the main battlefield for Lost and Found, Inspections, and Marshals’ Meetings.

The Lost and Found tent will contain armor lost and found during and immediately after each battle. If armor is not claimed by the end of the War, it will be turned over to the main Lost and Found, and may be claimed during the following War. Items not claimed by the end of the following War will be auctioned off for the benefit of the Pennsic War Marshallate.
The Inspections Point tent will be the site of all on-the-field armor, weapons, and missile inspections.
The Marshals’ Meeting tent will be the site of the Marshal’s Court after each battle and the marshal’s meetings before each battle. It will also contain the marshals’ sign up list and will be used for any marshal meetings or Marshallate gatherings. It will contain the box for errant arrows and bolts.

Armor and Weapons Standards

Each fighter must meet the armor standards of their respective Kingdom, and Society armor standards shall be the minimum acceptable. All fighters will ensure that their armor meets those standards while they are fighting. All persons participating in combat or combat related activities (e.g. Combat Archery, Siege Engineering) must wear the minimum Society armor standard and understand that they may be struck while on the field of battle.

All weapons agreed upon must meet the weapon standards of the Middle or East Kingdoms as well as standards described below. The Earls Marshal of the East and the Middle reserve the right to ban any weapon, even if it would be legal in another kingdom. Any unusual or non-standard armor or weapons will be brought to the attention of the Earls Marshal of the East and the Middle before it will be allowed for use. Decisions of the Earls Marshal are final.

Armor and Weapon Inspection

All armor and weapons must be inspected before they may be used in any combat at Pennsic 39, including battles, tournaments, and pick-up fighting. Inspections will be performed at the Inspections Point tent in addition to in-camp inspections by warranted marshals appointed by the East Kingdom Earl Marshal. No inspections will be conducted at the site of the Woods Battle.

Fighters wishing to be inspected must bring their site medallions, authorization card, and photo identification. Without these items, a fighter will not be inspected.

Inspections Point

The Inspections Point tent is located at the southeast corner of the battlefield.

Hours of operation will be: Wednesday, Aug 4 through Friday, Aug 13, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

The Inspections Point tent will close 15 minutes before each mass battle, 30 minutes before the woods battle, to allow time for everyone to get to the battlefield on time. It will remain open during the Champions' Battles at the discretions of the Earls Marshal of the East and the Middle, provided there are sufficient volunteers.

Each kingdom must supply marshals for armor inspections in proportion to the number of fighters it has at Pennsic. Kingdom Earls Marshal wishing to handle the inspections of their kingdom’s troops may request a marshal to aid them from the East Kingdom Earl Marshal.

Rejected weapons and armor may be reworked and presented again for inspection. No marshal will tell an individual to fix a piece of equipment and at the same time pass it assuming that the necessary changes will be made. If it is a piece of required armor, the person must be completely re-inspected, including the presentation of the above information. A roster of failed inspection will be kept, fighters being re-inspected should make sure their name is removed from it.

Armor that has passed inspection will be marked with a sticker placed on the right side of the helm. This sticker will have the entry tag number of the inspecting marshal and the inspected fighter. This sticker remains the property of the SCA-Pennsic War, and may be marked through or removed during a battle as an indicator that the fighter may no longer participate in that battle. Once so marked, the fighter must present him/herself at Marshals' Court after the battle. The court will decide a proper course of action, which may include issuing a replacement sticker. Fighters who refuse or do not attend the Marshal's Court may be excluded from future Pennsic War combat, and will be referred to their Kingdom's Earl Marshal for further action.

Weapons will be marked in bright paint.

Authorizations

All fighters who wish to participate in the battles at Pennsic 39 must have a primary authorization by the last week prior to the beginning of Land-grab weekend, which this year is July 24. Secondary authorizations must occur by August 9.

All Minors (16 and 17 year olds) who hold Authorization cards in their Kingdom who wish to fight at Pennsic War 39, must present themselves and their credentials, along with their Parent(s)/Legal guardian(s) for Armor Inspection. Minors may only be inspected at Marshal's Point and only by the Senior Marshal in charge of Marshal's Point. Parents MUST be present at time of Inspection. No one can inspect minors in camp.

Minors must mark their helms/Fencing Mask with four 2" x 2" Yellow Diamonds (Duct Tape is acceptable for marking) one on each side of helm. Minor's inspection sticker must be marked with the word "MINOR"

Kingdoms wishing to authorize fighters in secondary authorizations must have a marshal present at the Marshal's Point, with the required paperwork for their Kingdom. Qualification bouts will be fought on the list just in front of the marshals tent and during posted inspection hours only.

All Fighters, Combat Archers, and Siege Engineers must have their authorization cards with them at Pennsic. No card, no participation, no exceptions!!!

General Combat Conventions

Pennsic 39 will follow the Society rules for combat at all times. These general conventions are designed specifically for the war battles only. Rules for all other tournaments will be the responsibility of the sponsoring party of the tournament. The following rules and conventions will also be used:

Face thrusting shall be allowed in all battles. An acceptable thrusting blow to the face shall be a directed touch and shall be substantially lighter than a thrust to other parts of the body.
Combat Archery and Thrown Weapons shall be allowed in designated battles. All combat participants may be targeted and hit by missile fire from combat archers and siege engines. In other words, archers and siege engineers do not need "eye contact" with their opponents to shoot them. Legal target areas are the same as a thrust with a hand weapon.
Siege Weapons will be allowed in designated battles.
No declared death from behind.
No thrust to side, back or top of the head
Striking from behind is forbidden.
Charges: Full running charges greater than five steps are NOT permitted. Five step running charges that begin with the initiation of forward running motion and end on contact with any Enemy unit or fighter will be allowed
All helms will be obviously marked on the front and back with tape denoting the army which they are part of: RED for the Middle and BLUE for the East. No fighter may change the color of his helm for the purpose of deception. Failure to mark a helmet is unchivalrous and cause for removal.
Except in the case of unit-on-unit engagement, no more than four fighters shall attack a single opponent. When a fighter is part of a formed unit (i.e. a shield wall) that is fighting a similar unit, he may strike and be struck by any opponent within range. If a breakthrough occurs, one shot delivered in passing is allowed to the fighters passing and being passed.

Rules of Engagement

Attacking an opponent from the rear who is not aware of your presence is unsafe and is strictly prohibited. The opponent must be made aware of your presence and intent by gaining engagement before you may strike him. You gain engagement by the following circumstances:

Eye contact has occurred with your opponent and the opponent has acknowledged you as a threat by reacting to you in some way (examples of which include, but are not limited to: nodding at you, making a defensive reaction to you, going on guard against you or blocking a light blow)
Fighters may not strike while they or their opponent are turning to engage.
If an opponent seems to be ignoring your attempts to attract his attention you may NOT proceed to attack him. He may simply have felt he was bumped by his own team, did not hear you or may already be engaged. In such an instance you may continue your attempts to gain engagement, as well as fouling his weapons or shield with your weapon or shield. This way, you gain the advantage of being to the rear without jeopardizing safety.
Deliberate refusal to engage an opponent is grounds to be removed from the battle.
Deliberately striking from behind without gaining engagement is likewise grounds for removal.
The marshals are encouraged to actively enforce these rules. Treat your opponents with safety and courtesy.

Pennsic 39 Specific Weapons Standards

Maximum spear length is NINE feet. Only pultruded fiberglass and rattan are allowed. Fiberglass spears must have a three-inch diameter (minimum) thrusting tip. The end of the shaft must be capped with a schedule-40 PVC pipe cap to prevent the shaft from penetrating the tip. Rattan spears must have a two-inch diameter (minimum) thrusting tip.
No laminated weapons.
No Experimental Weapons.
No punch daggers, T-grips, shovel handles, offensive shield bosses.
No passive shields are allowed; an arm must control the shield.
No hinged shields or flexible shields are allowed.
No more than one hand may be used to hold/control a shield.
Shield may be grounded. Only one shield per person is permitted.
All shields must have all the edges covered with hose or equivalent to prevent damage to combatants and weapons.
Shield edges may not have flexible extensions or flaps that extend beyond the rim or edge of the shield.
No thrusting shields are allowed.
Javelins must be a minimum of three feet in length and constructed in accordance to Society standards, and may be used in any designated battles.

All members of the Kingdoms of the East and the Middle will be held responsible for their appropriate Kingdom's specific armor requirements. All Ally Kingdoms will only be held responsible for Society Armor Requirements.

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