Siege Marshal-in-Charge: Maestra Rosalia Iuliana Andere

Official siege activity at Pennsic 53 will be limited to the main battlefield. In case of disputes, the
Pennsic 53 Marshal-in-Charge will make the final call. Society siege rules will be used for
governing all siege activities unless otherwise stated below.

SIEGE COMBAT RULES

MARSHALS
GENERAL: ONLY warranted Siege Marshals can conduct Siege inspections.

  1. All Siege Marshals must wear eye protection such as protective shatterproof eye wear or a
    helm. Siege Marshals should wear a standard black marshal’s tabard and carry a marshal’s
    staff. If you are going to marshal in armor, wear a marshal’s tabard over the armor. If wearing a
    helmet, a drape or other distinctive marking is required to differentiate you from a fighter on the
    field. Please be at Marshals’ Point 45 minutes prior to any battle you will be marshaling. All
    meetings for Siege Marshals will be posted at Inspection Point.
  2. THE USE OF A GORGET FOR NECK PROTECTION IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

SIEGE AMMUNITION DAMAGE

  1. Blows from siege-class ammunition (1-pound rocks, 4-tennis-ball clusters, and 48-inch
    ballista bolts; all of which are colored yellow) will be judged fatal upon striking any legal target
    area and will kill through shields if the shield is being carried. Siege munitions are considered
    spent upon striking a weapon, a fighter, the ground, or a battlefield structure. Only the first
    fighter hit is dead.
  2. Pavises (i.e., grounded shields not supported by a combatant) are destroyed by a single hit
    from siege engine ammunition. Combatants behind the pavise are not killed.
  3. Small arms munitions (single tennis balls and tube-shafted combat archery arrows and bolts)
    fired from a siege engine will be treated as combat archery projectiles.

WHEN A HOLD IS CALLED

  1. All Holds will be general holds for siege engines unless a scenario specifically designates
    local holds for artillery.
  2. An engine may not be loaded during a Hold and any munitions must be removed from the
    engine until “Lay On!” is called. If the engine is already cocked it may remain cocked unless the
    engineer chooses to uncock it, or a Siege Marshal asks that it be uncocked. During long holds,
    decocking is advised if it is safe to do so.
  3. If an engine is cranking the string back when a “Hold” is called, it must be safely returned to a
    non-cocked state. For engines that can stop the cranking at any point (such as with use of a
    ratchet) they are to stop once Hold is called and not resume until “Lay On!” has been called.
  4. The crew of an engine shall not fire its ammunition once a Hold has been called. Violations
    will result in both the engine and crews removal from the battle and possible disciplinary action.

ENGAGEMENT

  1. All fighters are engaged with siege engines at all times during a battle no matter which way
    they are facing.
  2. Direct fire weapons shall not be discharged against personnel at a range of less than 30 feet
    (10 yards) or in such a manner as to willfully allow the projectile to leave the Battle Area Proper
    or land in designated Unsafe Zones.
  3. No engine will be discharged while any non-crew person is within a 5-foot range of moving
    parts. Larger safety zones may be designated where necessary.

DESTROYING SIEGE ENGINES OR STRUCTURES

  1. When engaging an engine or structure, DO NOT STRIKE OR THRUST AT IT WITH A HAND-
    HELD WEAPON! The proper way to destroy these weapons is to safely approach the cone
    placed five feet from the engine or structure, LAY your weapon on the cone, and declare “This
    weapon is destroyed.” This shall be done in a safe and deliberate manner, not in a rush or while
    engaged with any other opponent. Anyone found intentionally striking a siege engine or
    structure will be removed from the field and possibly face further action, such as a Marshal’s
    Court.
  2. Active combat should not take place within 5 feet of an active siege engine. If this situation
    arises, a hold will be called and the engine declared destroyed.
  3. Siege engines can be destroyed by 3 hits from a ballista bolt, 3 hits from a 4-tennis-ball rock,
    or 1 hit from a 1-pound rock unless a scenario has other rules. Siege towers are only destroyed
    by 3 hits from a 1-pound rock.

ENGINEER REQUIREMENTS

  1. Anyone crewing an engine in combat situations must be authorized in siege.
  2. Engineers wishing to defend an engine may do so as long as all action takes place at least 5
    feet from the engine.
  3. Siege engineers may choose to leave the engine and fight if they wish. Remember, if the
    number of crew members at the engine goes below the minimum number required for that class
    of machine, it may not be operated and must be removed from the field and made “safe”.
  4. Siege engineers are to be treated as any other fighter on the field. If they are authorized for
    other weapons forms and have a secondary weapon, they may use it. If not, they may be killed
    as an unarmed opponent; if they yield, DO NOT strike them.
  5. Siege engineers must be inspected at the Armor Inspection Point in order to participate.

SIEGE ENGINE AND STRUCTURE INSPECTION
Inspections will take place on the battlefield on Friday, July 31, Saturday, August 1, and
Sunday, August 2 from 1:00 to 5:00 PM each day.
Get your engines, ammunition, and structures inspected early, so that if you have a problem you
will have time to get it fixed and re-inspected.

There will be NO “Morning of Battle” engine inspections conducted.

ENGINE INSPECTION

  1. Preliminary inspection of the engine shall be made before any shots are fired. This inspection
    will be to check for structural integrity of the components of the engine. This will include all
    structural elements, axles, weight boxes, pull ropes, torsion ropes, winches, slings, prods,
    triggers, and safety. This structural inspection will be done according to the specifications
    published in the Society rules.
  2. The operational demonstration phase of the inspection shall, at minimum, consist of at least 4
    shots in a row without mechanical failure from the engine when configured for the maximum
    power it will use on the battlefield. These 4 shots shall deliver the ammunition between 40 and
    80 yards (36.6 to 73.2 meters) fired at a 43 degree incline. The siege engine shall consistently
    deliver the ammunition in a reasonably straight and stable path downrange (curving due to
    cross wind is acceptable).
  3. Static inspection for stability of the engine, mechanical observation of the framework and the
    mechanism shall be made after the firing.
  4. Strings used on any siege weapon must be properly served in the center and on each end
    loop. All string serving must be visible for inspection. TAPE may not be used as an alternative to
    serving; tape may not be used to cover ANY part of the string where serving is required. Strings
    may have not more than 2 loose strands
  5. Passing engines will receive a sticker marking the position of the prod and blocks on a
    ballista, or on the structure of other engine types.

SIEGE TOWER AND OTHER STRUCTURE INSPECTION

  1. Inspection will include at a minimum structural integrity, stability, condition of hardware,
    condition of any safety devices (barriers, walls, etc.). Inspection will ideally be made with a
    maximum load of armored combatants on board the siege structure. Inspection will include a
    demonstration of mobility if the structure is designed to be mobile. (Please refer to Society
    Siege rules for Approved Structure Construction.)
  2. If you are planning to bring a siege structure to Pennsic, make sure that a Siege Marshal in
    your kingdom has been informed of it and inspected it prior to a battle, or contact the Siege MIC
    about it before Pennsic so you do not bring it miles and miles and then find out it will not be
    allowed.

AMMUNITION INSPECTION

  1. All siege munitions will be inspected prior to battle. All ammunition fletches must abide by the
    half-inch rule. They may not penetrate a face grill by more than a half inch. Ballista bolt fins
    must use materials or techniques that abide by this rule.
  2. No siege ammunition may exceed 16 oz in weight. At inspection, the weight will be written on
    the bolt or rock.
  3. All siege ammunition must be labeled with the owner’s name, group, and Kingdom in English
    on a printed label. If a group owns the ammunition, then you use the group’s name and
    Kingdom.
  4. After the initial inspection, ammunition will be sprayed as proof of inspection. No further
    spraying will occur.
  5. After each battle that uses siege ammunition, the bolts, rocks, and other approved siege
    projectiles will be re-inspected for the next day’s battle. Please help clean the field following battles and complete the reinspection off the field to allow the activities that follow the battle to take place.
  6. See battle descriptions regarding rules for gleaning and note that the MIC reserves the right
    to make changes at the time of the battle.
  7. Siege crews are responsible for ensuring that ammunition that fails reinspection do not re-
    enter the field without repairs making them legal.
  8. Abandoned ammunition may be held by the marshals, with consequences for repeat
    offenders.
  9. Any ammunition shot but not marked as inspected will be confiscated and the owner will lose
    the right to shoot for the remainder of Pennsic.

HONORABLE CONDUCT REGARDING AMMUNITION INSPECTIONS

  1. This process has been successful at Gulf Wars.
  2. Should any fighter feel as though they have been hit with an illegal bolt, they should retrieve
    the offending munition and contact the Siege Marshal in Charge who will re-inspect the bolt or
    rock to determine fault.
  3. Should any crew attempt to circumvent the safety precautions set in the ammunition
    inspection process, they will be dealt with up to and including Marshal’s Court.