Pennsic 53 Rapier Conventions

Greetings,
Here are the Pennsic 53 Rapier Conventions. They have changed a little from the previous
year, mainly to include the updated Rapier Handbook being released in June. Cut and Thrust
Rapier and Youth Rapier are now separate entities from Standard Rapier, report to the Kingdom
Earl Marshal, and will have their own rules. They have both still been mentioned or included
here for clarity and to avoid confusion. Please review this document with them to ensure they
are both OK with their sections. The details of those forms’ rulesets will be published elsewhere.

YIS, Clewin Kupferhelbelinc, Rapier 1 for Pennsic 53

Quick summary of changes/clarifications:

Death from behind is allowed with swords/rapiers/similar bladed weapons and is not allowed
with spears or daggers.
The only ranged (projectile or thrown) weapons allowed at Pennsic are RBGs.
RBGs can strike anyone on the field from any direction.
RBG rounds that ricochet can still land a valid shot.
Blade grasping is allowed in the 1-on-1 heroic champions war point fights, but not in any other war point.
Non-rigid parry items can be thrown on an opponent’s weapon or arm.
Shields strapped to the forearm are allowed if controlled by the hand.
Light-class weapons are now Youth Rapier only.
C&T and Youth Rapier armor standards have changed.

RAPIER/FENCING COMBAT
The Rapier/Fencing Marshal-in-Charge (Rapier 1) is Master Clewin Kupferhelbelinc.

INSPECTIONS
Hours of operation for inspection will be from 9:00am – 4:00pm starting on Wednesday July 29th
and running daily until 15 minutes prior to the last battle on Friday August 7th. The inspection
point will close 15 minutes prior to the start of all mass War Point battles, with the exception of
closing 30 minutes prior to the start of the woods battle.

All inspections will preferably be made by a marshal from the fencing combatant’s home
kingdom. If there is no marshal from that kingdom available, then inspections shall be made by
any inspecting marshal to Society standards. Inspections are to be done every day before
engaging in combat of any form.

For your initial inspection, you will need to bring proof of your authorization (physical or
electronic) and medallion to the rapier/fencing tent to receive an inspection sticker.

CUT & THRUST COMBAT (lead Pennsic 53 Cut and Thrust Marshal: Mistress Gytha
Oggsdottr)
Fencers interested in practicing Cut-and-Thrust (C&T) combat may do so on the rapier/fencing
field using the Society C&T rules or their own kingdom’s C&T rules. Fencers wishing to practice
C&T must be supervised by a marshal warranted in C&T.

YOUTH FENCING (lead Pennsic 53 Youth Rapier Marshal: Lord Daven MacKeannaugh)
Minors wishing to participate in youth fencing activities must first see the Youth Rapier (YR)
Marshal in-Charge, accompanied by a parent, court-appointed legal guardian, or notarized
guardian to complete necessary paperwork. Participation in youth fencing activities shall be
governed by the rules in Section VIII: Youth Combat.

PENNSIC WAR 53 COMBINED STANDARD FENCING/C&T CONVENTIONS
These rules establish standards and conventions for fencing combat at Pennsic for all adult list
fencing activities. Kingdoms sponsoring fencing events at Pennsic will employ these rules at
minimum and may add additional rules specific to the kingdom hosting the tournament. These
rules are designed to promote safe fencing combat at Pennsic, and all participants in events
governed by these rules are responsible for knowing, understanding, and applying them.
However, no matter how clear or accurate, rules cannot replace common sense, good
judgment, and concern for the participants. If a question arises when applying these standards,
choose the response that promotes the greatest degree of safety for all participants.

General Information
The Society-wide revision of rapier combat conventions in place for June 2026 will be the
standard followed for all standard rapier combat at Pennsic 53, with a few additional restrictions.
Fencing combat shall be conducted in accordance with the rules of the lists of the SCA, the
Society-wide rules for fencing combat in the SCA, and these rules. Per the Society-wide rules
for fencing combat, all fencers, prior to every combat or practice, shall ensure their equipment is
safe, is in good working order, and has been inspected by a marshal authorized to inspect
fencing gear. Such inspection must be performed a minimum of once per day by either a
marshal from a fencer’s home kingdom to that kingdom’s standards or, if a marshal from that
kingdom is not available, by any marshal to the specifications described in Society rules.

Marshals have the power and the duty to remove from the field any person who is violating the
rules of the list. Such violations include, but are 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 fencers are honorable people and treat them with
courtesy and patience. Remember that honest mistakes do happen. If someone is so removed,
the parties involved must go to the next Marshals’ Review. Fencers should remember that the
marshals are attempting to ensure the safety of all fencers present and treat them with courtesy.
Marshals shall always be obeyed by combatants on the field.

Use of Weapons and Parrying Devices in Standard Rapier
Valid blows are performed by:

Thrusting with the point of the blade (thrust).
Sliding the edge of the blade by pulling (draw cut) or pushing (push cut) a minimum of 6” across the target, or completely across the target if the target is less than 6″.
Placing the tip of the blade upon and then drawing it (tip cut) a minimum of 6” across the target, or completely across the target if the target is less than 6″.
Spears may be used for thrusts only; spears may not be used for “death-from-behind”; spears may not be used to deliver any other type of blow, including cuts. Spear may be used with 1 hand or with 2 hands.
Though the hand may be used to parry, it shall not be used to push, grasp or strike an opponent. Blade grasping is permitted in the Rapier Heroic Champions War Points that are single combat matches. Blade grasping is not allowed in any other Pennsic Rapier War Point. The use of blade grasping in other fencing activities shall be at the discretion of the marshal in charge of a particular melee or tournament.
Parries may be performed with weapons, parrying devices, the hand, or any other part of the body. Striking an opponent with any part of a weapon or parrying device not approved for that purpose is prohibited. Fleeting contact between opponents is allowed, as long as no grappling, deliberate striking, or other unsafe behavior occurs. Conduct in violation of this rule which creates a significant safety hazard on the field will be grounds for immediate removal from the field.
C&T adds calibrated percussive blows in addition to all of the sections above. The amount of force used is similar to that used in standard rapier. Consult your kingdom rules for more details.

Blades
There are two classes of fencing in the SCA: standard rapier class and cut and thrust class. Any
standard rapier class blade may be used in C&T, but C&T-only blades may not be used in
standard rapier. Use good judgement if there is any question if a standard rapier blade will be
safe for C&T combat. Check with the Rapier/Fencing Marshal-in-Charge if there is any question
as to the safety or legality of a blade for a particular event.

Groups hosting a particular fencing event may specify the types of blades to be used at that
event. If a tournament specifies allowed blades only by general type, i.e. standard rapier or
C&T, then all blades allowed at Society level in this category will be allowed.
Youth Rapier rules can be found in the Youth Combat section.

Parrying Devices
Parrying devices shall follow the SCA Rapier Handbook, with the additional rule that
shields/bucklers cannot be more than 40” on any diagonal and may only be wielded in one
hand.

No passive shields, bucklers, armor bits, etc. will be allowed in Rapier War Points. Unless
combat is happening in an “Armor as worn” convention, any worn objects are treated as part of
your body and any legal blows delivered to the objects should be recognized as legal blows. IE
You can wear a finger buckler for personal hand protection, but if struck, you must take the
blow, as the buckler does not “stop” the blow. Similarly, you cannot strap a shield to your back
and be protected. Strapping a shield to the forearm is allowed if it is used and controlled by the
hand. Sword and dagger guards, active shields, etc., act as normal.

Spears and Pikes
Spears that follow Society Rules are permitted for thrust only use in fencing activities and for
specific war points as announced beforehand. Note: any spear head that has had any filler
added is not permitted.

Ranged Weapons (projectile or thrown)
Rubber Band Guns (“RBGs”) are the only ranged weapons allowed in Rapier Combat at
Pennsic.

RBGs are approved for use in a melee if it has been announced beforehand.
RBGs are engaged with all combatants on the field and may fire at any target at the call of lay
on.
EVERYONE on the field or on the edge of the field during a melee that is using RBGs and
that is not properly wearing a fencing mask/helm must have safety eye protection (including side
shields of some kind). This includes all spectators, marshals and water bearers. The marshals
will point out a distance off the edge of the field where it is OK to remove the eye protection.
“Dead” fencers must either keep their masks on or use safety eye protection until they have
reached this zone.
RBG rounds may strike any part of a fencer, from any angle and regardless of awareness,
including from behind.
If an RBG discharges and the bullet round bounces off anything and into a valid target, the
shot landed and is good and therefore cannot strike anyone else. This includes “friendly fire”
and accidental discharges.The validity of any given shot from an RBG shall be judged by the
recipient of that shot. Fencers are encouraged to ask if they are unsure what happened.
At the end of melees, the fighters must unload all RBGs before leaving the field.
RBGs are only approved with surgical tubing shot. Use of tubing containing any liquid,
sand, beads, or any other material is not legal.
RBGs should mimic the appearance of a period firearm.
RBGs must pass the same safety requirements as a rigid parrying device if they will be
used as such.
When a hold is called, all loaded RBGs should be aimed at the ground, or if this is not
possible, aimed away from all persons. In the case of rubber band cannons, a fully armored
crew member must stand in front of the cannon blocking any accidental shot.

MARSHALING CONCERNS IN FENCING COMBAT
Excessive impact: combat at Pennsic poses risks to the participant. This recognition, however,
does not excuse fighters from exercising control of their techniques. If a fighter throws blows
which force the opponent to retire from the field from a real injury (even one which only causes
brief incapacitation), the marshal responsible for the field shall take such steps as are
appropriate to stop the problem from recurring.

In scenarios allowing Death From Behind (DFB), the thrower of the DFB must come to a
complete stop before proceeding. Per Society rules, DFBs may then be made by laying the flat
of the blade across an opponent’s shoulder with the point into their view, and uttering a short,
clear phrase such as, “You are dead from behind.” The recipient fencer is dead the moment the
blade touches them. Hyper-DFBs or machine gunning (“deadmylorddeadmylorddeadmylord…”)
is forbidden.

Blind shots are illegal. Combatants must have visual contact before throwing a shot at an opponent. Note: this is a safety rule, not a scenario rule (i.e. a “hay bale wall” does not create a “blind shot” for purposes of this rule. It is unsafe to throw a blow when you cannot physically see where you are throwing).
Daggers and spears may NOT be used for DFBs.
Running from place to place in melee is permitted. Running TO engagement is permitted.
Running FROM engagement is permitted. Combatants must all be especially aware that
engagement distance when including spears goes off the reach of combatants with spears.
- Running attacks, either against a line or an individual, including running engagements or
  running through engagements, are prohibited. Combatants must be in control of themselves and their weapons before beginning an attack, fouling a blade or otherwise engaging any
  opponent(s).
- Combatants may NOT throw shots at an opponent who is running toward them. Again, all
  combatants must all be especially aware of their engagement distance. Combatants violating
  this rule will get one warning from the marshals; a second offense will be grounds for ejection
  from the battle.
A combatant who steps off the Edge of the World is considered dead. They will get one
loud, verbal warning from the witnessing marshal when they are approaching the edge, but
the onus is on the combatants to always know their surroundings. Edge of the World
deaths mean the combatant must leave the field or return to their resurrection point (if
applicable).
All defeated or disabled fencers should safely remove themselves from the melee field,
retaining their mask/helm fully on until it is safe to remove it.
Fencers withdrawing from the field should do so with weapons held above their head to
indicate non-combatant status. The preferred methods are by holding the blade of the primary
weapon or holding the spear straight up. Fencers who have lost both hands or arms are
considered disabled and must retire from the field.
Fencers may not pretend to be dead or purposely hide themselves among the dead. If asked
by a marshal or another combatant, combatants must answer truthfully whether they are alive or
dead.
Dropped weapons do not need a hold unless they present an immediate safety issue.
- Combatants may not steal an opponent’s dropped weapon, but are allowed to move it aside if
  it represents a safety issue.
- Combatants are not required (but are encouraged) to allow opponents to pick up their
  dropped weapon.
Dead fighters may only say they are dead. They may not give orders or other information.
During a hold, fighters are welcome to discuss safety concerns with their teammates, or engage
in good-natured conversation, but must not discuss tactics or strategy.
Fighters in any battle may call themselves dead at any time. In a resurrection battle, a fighter
can always walk back to the resurrection point.
Except for hay bales used to secure flags and flag systems to the grounds, combat over the
hay bales is not allowed.
In any tournament or melee, additional restrictions may be imposed by the marshals as needed.