Pennsic 53 War Scenarios & Tournaments

Schedule
7:30 – 8:00 am Staff Set-Up
8:00 – 9:00 am Entrant & Scorer Registration & Entrant Set-Up

9:00 – 9:30 am Scorers and Entrants Meeting
9:30-10:30 am Round 1
10:45-11:45 am Round 2
11:45-12:30 pm Lunch

• All individuals involved in any way with the Pennsic A&S War Point are highly encouraged to bring their lunch or make arrangements for lunch to be brought to them.

12:30-1:30 pm Round 3
1:45-2:45 pm Round 4
2:45 -3:30 pm Entrant Last Look
3:30 – 4:00 pm Announcements
4:00 – 5:00 pm Clean Up

Executive Summary
Pennsic 53 (2026) A&S War Point will be a panel-reviewed, rubric-based competition with artisans, entries,
and Scorers present. Each Entrant will have 4 Scorers, the lowest Scorer’s score will be dropped, and the
remaining scores are averaged.

War Points will be determined by cumulative score totals on each side, with points awarded for the total of
all entrants and the totals of each division (Laurel and non-Laurel) separately. A fourth War Point will be
awarded for the side which musters the most patronage from the populace.

The single highest average score in each category will be declared the victor in each respective category.

Field Layout:

• 5 Bridges 18 ft, 18 ft, 27 ft, 18 ft, 18 ft, separated by 50 ft each. Each bridge is 90 ft in length
• Start line for troops and forward siege line is 50 ft from the end of the bridge. Traditional starting sides
• Resurrection line and siege start line is 75 ft from the end of the bridge
• Edge-of-the-World will be 150 ft behind the siege lines
• Bridges will run east-west

General Rules:

• Battle to be fought 5 times
• Each battle will last 15 min with a 10 min break between
• No fighting or kneeling on the hay bales. Incidental contact is ok, but you cannot bear weight on the hay bales
• Breakouts are allowed until the 15 min time limit has expired, when teams will fight to determine contested bridges
• Holds:
  • All holds, except medical, are assumed to be local and do not stop the clock
  • MEDICAL HOLDS MUST BE CLEARLY ANNOUNCED BY MARSHALS. Medical holds stop the clock

Projectile Weapons:

• Combat Archery and Siege:
  • Active in battles 1/2/3
  • Allowed to target combatants on bridges 2/3/4
  • May be stationed between inner edges of bridges 1 and 5
  • No arrows or siege ammunition will be re-inspected between battles
• Combat Archery:
  • Archers can go on bridges
  • Archers may not shoot from bridge to bridge
  • Archers may shoot from land to bridge
  • Only Combat Archery tubular arrows/bolts may be gleaned
• Siege Engines:
  • Engines can only deploy no closer than 50 ft from the end of the bridge
  • Siege ammunition may not be gleaned
  • Siege cannot fire into a local hold.
• Thrown weapons will be allowed on all bridges in all battles

Resurrection Rules:

• Resurrection will be active for the first 10 minutes of each battle, and will be closed for the last 5 minutes. Combatants do not need to be on a bridge when resurrection closes to remain active in the battle
• Raised Banners on the resurrection line will indicate that Resurrection is active. Banners will be dropped at 10 minutes to indicate resurrections have ended for the remainder of the battle

Victory Condition: Bridge Control

• Control of the center line at the end of the 15 minutes will determine the bridge winner
• Control of the center line is defined as control of 9 ft past the center line of the bridge with at least one combatant remaining on the bridge
• If the bridge is contested when time has ended, combatants with one foot physically within 9 ft of the center line will fight to the last combatant standing. Breakouts from contested bridges are not allowed
• Victory for each pass is decided by ownership of 3 of the 5 bridges at the end of time or last combatant
• In the event of a tie, no points will be awarded

Field Layout:

• 400 x 280 ft
• 5 colored flip-sticks (banners), positioned unevenly on the field from the South to the North
  • Distance between banners decreases progressively
  • There will be obstacles on the field around or between the banners

General Rules:

• Attack/Defend battle, fought twice
• Whichever side is down on points after Sunday gets to decide who attacks first
• Progressive banner capture (see below)
• Banners:
  • Must be captured in order from South to North
  • Cannot be recaptured by the Defenders
  • Captured banners become resurrection points for the Attackers only
  • Cannot be obscured by any object (e.g. a shield)
  • Will be reset between battles
• Deployment:
  • Attackers must start at the southernmost border of the field
  • Defenders may start anywhere behind the southernmost banner
• Holds:
  • All holds stop the clock
• 10 minutes to reset scenario in between runs

Special Weapon Rules:

• Rapier Spears are allowed
• Projectile weapons (e.g. rubber band guns) are allowed in this battle
• No gleaning of shot on the field
• Only shields are proof against shot

Resurrection Rules:

• Unlimited resurrection for 30 minutes. At the end of 30 minutes, if the attackers have not captured the northernmost banner:
  • Defenders will no longer be allowed to resurrect
  • Attackers will still be allowed unlimited resurrection
• Attackers can resurrect at the starting line OR any captured banner
• Defenders may only resurrect at their designated resurrection zone at the top of the field

Victory Condition: Attack time

The side that captures the northernmost banner in the least amount of time wins the scenario

• 8:00am muster, 9:00am start
• Lunch around 1:00pm
• Anticipate finish around 3:00pm
• No populace shooting on this day
• 40-person teams
  • 24 from principal kingdoms
  • 16 from allies
• Three separate shoots
  • 10 station Roving Range Shoot
    • Four Teams: Mid vs. East / Mid Allies vs. East Allies
    • Winner of this shoot between Mid and East receives 1 war point
    • Winner of this shoot between Mid Allies and East Allies receives 1 war point
  • Friend / Foe Shoot
    • Two Teams: Mid and Mid Allies vs. East and East Allies
    • Winner of this shoot receives 1 war point
  • Clout Shoot
    • Two Teams: Mid and Mid Allies vs. East and East Allies
    • Winner of this shoot receives 1 war point

Field Layout:

• Banner positions and resurrection lines
  • Will be decided at Pennsic by Marshal One, Rapier One, and respective East and Midrealm generals during a walk-through of the woods, a day or more before the battles
  • Will be the same for both the Armored and the Rapier Woods Battles
• Stationary Banners:
  • 3 colored flip-sticks (banners) and hay bales will denote the location of the banner and the color pointed upwards will indicate possession of the banner
  • The Center Banner will be located at the exact center of the rectangle of the woods battle area
  • The North and South Banner will be set equidistant approximately 200 ft from the Center Banner
  • All three banners will be positioned equidistant from the respective start lines
• Mobile Banners:
  • 2 colored flip-sticks will be used as mobile banners
  • Holding the mobile banner will indicate possession
  • A haybale located at midpoint between the center banner and north/south banners will define the starting location of the mobile banners
  • Mobile banners may be moved within the designated zone
    • North mobile banner must stay between center and north banner (30 ft from center and north banner)
    • South mobile banner must stay between center and south banner (30 ft from center and south banner)
    • From 30 ft west of banner centerline to 30 ft east of banner centerline
    • Mobile banner range is approximately 60 ft east-west by 120 ft north-south
• Resurrection Lines
  • Will be clearly designated by the marshals as determined during the walk-through of the woods
  • Will be set equal in distance from the Center Banner Line for each side

General Rules:

• The side that is down in points by 4 pm (16:00) of the prior day will choose which side they want to start on
• One marshal from the East/Allies and Midrealm/Allies MUST be present at each banner
• Time Checks:
  • Exact time checks will be determined by Signal prior to the battle
  • Exact time checks will not be disclosed to marshals prior to the start of the battle and will not be announced or counted down over radios
  • Exact time checks may not be disclosed to combatants any time
  • Mobile banners will be reset to their starting positions at each time check
• Holds:
  • All holds, except medical, are assumed to be local and do not stop the clock
  • MEDICAL HOLDS MUST BE CLEARLY ANNOUNCED BY MARSHALS. Medical holds stop the clock

Victory Condition: Banner Control:

• Majority control of banners at time checks determines the victor of that time check
• Contested banners are not counted. Ties are possible
• A contested banner is defined as:
  • A mobile banner not in the designated zone or not being held by a combatant
  • A stationary banner that is not upright in a haybale

General Rules:

• 90-minute resurrection battle
• All banners must be held in a gauntleted hand
• There will be 3 time checks within ± 2 minutes of 30, 60, and 90 minutes of battle
• 1 Point awarded per each of three time checks.
• In the event of a tie during a time check, no point will be awarded at that time. Instead, the point will be determined by the overall banner count at the conclusion of all time checks.
• 1 (or more, in the case of a tie) Point(s) will be awarded to the team with the greater total number of banners earned across all time checks.

Projectile Weapon Rules:

• Combat Archery:
  • CA will be allowed within the designated zone by the North Banner
  • Both archers and targets must have both feet in the zone to be considered in the Archery zone
  • Only shots within the designated zone will be considered valid
  • The edges of the zone will be clearly marked
  • Only tubular arrows/bolts may be gleaned
• There will be no siege in this battle
• Thrown weapons are allowed throughout the woods. (See Armored Combat Conventions at the beginning of this document)

General Rules:

• 60-minute resurrection battle
• All banners must be held in an open or free hand
• There will be 4 time checks within ± 2 minutes of 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes of battle

Special Weapon Rules:

• No projectile weapons (e.g. rubber band guns) are allowed in this battle
• Rapier Spears:
  • Rapier spears will be allowed within the designated zone by the North Banner
  • Only shots within the designated zone will be considered valid
  • The edges of the zone will be clearly marked

Targets/Range Setup:

• Use standard round targets (no board targets in this format)
• Hard Targets (Rounds)
  • Concentric Circles (pair): three painted concentric scoring zones (for axe and knife). Standard Universal Royal Round Target sizing
  • Three Bars (pair): three horizontal bars; each bar contains a contrasting 1–2 inch square scoring zone (for axe and knife). The bars should be 2 inches high – and somewhere between 8-10 inches long, scoring zone is 2×2 inches. See example images below:

• Soft Targets (Hay Bales)
  • Hay-bale stack (pair): 4 hay bales tall, with a target of a 12 inch square scoring zone (for spear/javelin)
  • Scoring zone on the hales bales should be at the same height/placement between the pair of targets
  • Scoring zone may be painted on the hay bales directly or be made of cardboard or some similar allowable soft weapon target material
• Optional 2 Ground Targets for Plumbata (if space/materials allow)
  • 1 target in concentric rings
    • Suggested Sizing: 1 ft center diameter, 3 ft middle ring, 5 ft outer ring
  • 1 target in the 3 bars style to match the axe/knife style
    • With appropriate size to scale for the plumbata
    • Suggested Sizing: 1 ft high by 4 ft wide with scoring zone 1 ft high by 1 ft high

Team Composition:

• 14 adult champions per team (includes Kingdom Champions and/or Team Captain)
• 1 Youth Champion head-to-head (separate match)
• Select 2 alternates per side that will be ready on competition day in the case someone on the team is unable to compete these folks can step in

Order of Competition/Pairings:

• Kingdom Champions/Team Captains compete first (match 1)
• Head-to-head pairings, post Meeting of the Crowns
  • Winner of the first match will select the next thrower from their side to compete, the other side will select an opponent to meet the competitor (match 2)
  • Match 3 will then be selected by the losing side from Match 1 – the other side will select an opponent to meet the competitor
  • Match 4 will be selected by the winning side from Match 1 …. Etc and the selection process will continue in this manner
  • Do recommend having the youth go near the top or middle of the competition
  • Do make sure the alternates get a chance to throw at the end – they worked for it and deserve to throw

General Rules:

• Minimum Distances
  • Axe/Knife: minimum 10 ft
  • Spear/Javelin: minimum 20 ft
  • Plumbata: minimum 25 ft
• Each competitor in a match shall throw the same number of weapons (same number of scoring throws)
• All competitors must follow posted range safety and retrieval rules

Match Format:

• Adult matches: 14 total head-to-heads.
• Youth match: 1 head-to-head.
• For each head-to-head:
  • Hard Target #1 (axe/knife): 2 heats, 5 throws per heat (10 throws total)
  • Hard Target #2 (axe/knife): 2 heats, 5 throws per heat (10 throws total)
  • Soft Target (spear/javelin): 1 heat, 3 throws (3 throws total) – from 20 ft
  • Soft Target (spear/javelin): 1 heat, 3 throws (3 throws total) – from 25 ft
  • Pennsic 53 Ground Target 1 (Plumbata): 1 heat, 3 throws, (3 throws total)
  • Pennsic 53 Ground Target 2 (Plumbata): 1 heat, 3 throws, (3 throws total)
  • Total scoring throws per competitor: 32
• Heat procedure (hard targets)
  • Competitors select which weapons to throw in Heat 1; the remaining weapons are thrown in Heat 2
  • Where a paired target set is used, competitors swap to the adjacent paired face for the second heat to equalize wear/conditions.
• Heat procedure (soft targets)
  • Competitors will throw the first heat from 20 ft, competitors will throw the second head from 25ft

Scoring:

• Scoring values must be posted and identical for both sides, based on the defined target faces above (concentric circles and bar/square target; soft target square zone)
• Scorekeepers should record per-heat totals and match total for auditability
• Score and Retrieve is allowed on any target at any time – to be called by the Competitors
• Spear/Javelin – if the handle of the weapon is touching the ground, must show clear indication of being in the target (Scorekeeper/Range Marshal must agree)
• Concentric Circles Hard Target
  • Standard URR scoring 5,3,1
  • Line break in favor of the thrower
• Horizontal Bars Hard Target
  • If the target is spaced in such a way that the thrower can hit 2 scoring zones they must pick one after the throw
  • Competitor can only score once on each line
  • Each hit in the scoring zone counts as 3 points, each hit of the bar is 1
  • Line break in favor of the thrower
• Soft Target Hay bales
  • Each hit in the scoring zone counts for 5pts
  • Line break in favor of the thrower
• Optional Weapon Plumbata
  • Concentric Circles – Center 5, Mid 3, Outer 1, line break in favor of thrower
  • Bars – In the scoring zone is 3, hit of the bar is 1 – you CAN repeat lines – line break in favor of the thrower
• Max Score
  • Axe/knife concentric circles: max 25 a heat, 2 heats – 50 points total
  • Axe/knife bars: max 15 a heat, 2 heats – 30 points total
  • Plumbata concentric circles: 1 heat 3 throws max 15 points total
  • Plumbata bars: 1 heat 3 throws max 9 points total
  • Spear 20ft: 1 heat 3 throws max 15 points total
  • Spear 25ft: 1 heat 3 throws max 15 points total
• Tie Break
  • If the match is tied after all scheduled heats:
  • Conduct sudden-death single-weapon throws, starting at the leftmost target in the set and moving to the next target as needed, until the tie is broken.

Victory Condition:

• The team that wins the majority of the head-to-head matches wins the war points

General Rules:

• 1 battle, fought twice as attack/defend for time
• Faster combined armored/rapier attack time wins
• Attackers have unlimited resurrection. Defenders have 1 resurrection. This is true for both armored and rapier iterations.
• The side that is down in points by 4 pm (16:00) on Tuesday will have the option to attack or defend first. If tied, the winner of a coin flip will choose.
• Battle is fought in 2 stages, armored and rapier
• Combatants may participate in both armored and rapier halves of the battle, provided they re-armor appropriately

Stage 1 – Armored – Castle Breach:

• Victory condition will be transport of a heavy, handled box of “explosives” to a marked “detonation zone” (DZ). The DZ will be established by the marshals adjacent/front to the castle gate. The DZ will be the width of the gate, 10 ft deep.
• East will provide the box.
• Box starts behind the initial resurrection line, 300 ft from the DZ
• Anyone carrying the box must do so with a gauntleted hand. Four combatants are required to carry the box at all times. If the box has less than four live combatants carrying the box, the box must remain stationary until four live combatants carry the box.
• Box “explodes” to stop time as soon as any part of the box enters the DZ
• Between the initial resurrection line and the DZ are 5 left/right staggered points every 50 ft marked by a hay bale with a colored flip stick. These can be “flipped” to become additional res points
• Defenders resurrection points will be at the corner towers
• Combat archery and siege equipment allowed throughout armored portion. No gleaning of arrows or siege ammunition allowed
• Once the armored team stops the clock, there will be a 15-minute change out to rapier

Stage 2 – Rapier – Castle Assault:

• The victory condition is flipping 3 banners within the castle
• Banner/Flip Stick 1 is 50 ft inside the main door. Banner/Flip Stick 2 & 3 are 50 ft inside each side entry point
• Banner/Flip Stick locations will be designated by hay bales
• Once flipped to the attacker’s color, they cannot be flipped back to the defender’s color
• The clock stops when the 3rd banner is flipped to the attacker’s color
• Combatants may only enter the castle through the main gate or side entries
• Back edge of the castle is the edge of the world
• Attacker resurrection line will be the southernmost edge of the DZ
• Defender resurrection line will be the edge of the world

This scenario is designed as a proving ground for combat archers and siege crews. It places ranged combat at the center of success while still giving rattan fighters a meaningful role that does not rely on hand-to-hand dominance.

General Rules

There are two timed phases: Attacker Phase and Defender Phase. Both sides run the same scenario. A coin toss will determine which side attacks first. The side with the fastest successful capture of the flag wins. Attackers have unlimited resurrections. Defenders have 2 resurrections (3 total lives).
For purposes of this scenario, “direct fire against fighters” means any siege shot intentionally aimed at, led onto, or adjusted onto an individual fighter or a discrete group of fighters.

Weapons and Roles

• Primary Combatants:
  • Combat archers: no more than 25 per side
  • Siege engines and their crews
• Restricted Combatants:
  • Rattan fighters may use only thrown weapons and shields.
  • No more than 15 rattan fighters are allowed per side.
  • Rattan fighters may:
    • Carry the battering ram, if in full gauntlets
    • Build the bridge
    • Retrieve the banner once objectives are met
    • No rattan striking. No shield rushing

Attacker Phase Overview

• Objective 1: Build the Bridge
  • A marked Bridge Zone represents a moat or gap
  • The bridge is considered built when five living attackers are simultaneously inside the Bridge Zone for two consecutive minutes. If the number of living attackers in the zone drops below five, the timer is paused until the number returns to five
  • After two consecutive minutes are completed, the marshal calls “Bridge built.” The bridge is then considered complete and passable
• Objective 2: Knock Down the Gate
  • To bring down the gate, the attackers must complete one of the following:
    • Knock down all four pavises with siege fire
    • Hold the Gate Zone for five consecutive minutes with the battering ram
  • The gate timer may not begin until all four pavises have been knocked down by siege fire or five minutes have passed
  • The battering ram is heavy and may move only at a walking pace. It must be carried by at least four living carriers. Carriers must wear full gauntlets on the carrying hand and may carry a shield in the other hand
  • To count time toward the Gate Zone objective, the ram must be in the Gate Zone with:
    • at least four living carriers
    • at least two living combat archers inside the Gate Zone
  • If either number drops below the required minimum, the timer is paused until both requirements are restored
  • When the attackers complete two consecutive minutes under those conditions, the marshal calls “Gate down.” The door is removed immediately
• Objective 3: Capture the Flag
  • The inner flag may only be taken after the gate falls
  • Area control is expected to be achieved primarily by archery and maneuver. Siege supports the assault by engaging designated scenario objectives and marshal-approved area-denial zones
  • Siege engines may engage only designated structural or scenario objectives, including pavises, gates, walls, and other targets specifically identified by the marshals. Siege may not be used for direct fire against individual combat archers or other individual fighters
  • Once the flag is removed or seized, the phase ends and the time is recorded

Defender Phase Overview

• Sides switch roles. The defender phase uses the same field, same objectives, same restrictions, and same marshal calls
• Combat archery and rattan defenders may begin anywhere behind the Bridge Zone. Defending siege must begin behind the fort and will operate with limited targeting opportunities based on the field layout
• The defending side’s goals are to:
  • Kill or suppress archers
  • Break ram teams
  • Prevent bridge completion
  • Delay flag capture as long as possible

Overall Victory Condition: The side that captures the flag in the shortest time across both phases is the winner.

Targets/Range Setup:

• One Hard target each for: Axe, Knife
• One Soft Hay Bale target for Spear

General Rules:

• Any member of the populace may participate, subject to standard range authorization and safety rules
• Points earned by throwers will be tallied daily and posted in the marshal tent.
• Range closing: barring environmental/safety closure, the populace range shall close no earlier than 15 minutes before posted range closing time.

Competition:

• A single pass consists of throwing at all three stations: Axe, Knife, and Spear
• At each station, the thrower may make up to 3 scoring throws with that weapon form
• Maximum per pass: 9 scoring throws (3 per station × 3 stations)
• Each individual may have points tallied for up to 5 total passes
• Passes may be completed all at once or across multiple days

Scoring:

• Axe/Knife targets:
  • 5 points = center
  • 3 points = middle ring
  • 1 point = any other stick on the target face
  • Score and Retrieve at any time
  • Line Cross in favor of the thrower
• Spear target (hay bales):
  • 5 points = top hay bale
  • 3 points = middle bale (or second from top if 4 high)
  • 1 point = stick anywhere else on the stack/target face
  • Score and Retrieve at any time
  • Line Cross in favor of the thrower

Victory Condition: Highest overall points scored (as defined by the war point bookkeeping method in the Pennsic ruleset—e.g., cumulative by side if the war point is side-scored)

Targets/Range Setup:

• Castle Clout Shoot
  • The target is a simulated castle turret.
  • 27 ft x 27 ft square set 100 yards from the line.
  • There will be a moat monster protecting the castle in front at about 50 yards.
• Advancing Soldier Shoot
  • Targets set at 15 yards, 35 yards, 45 yards, and 55 yards
• Castle Window Shoot
  • Target is an object inside the castle window
  • Castle window will be set between 25 and 35 yards
  • The Castle Window will be at least 8 inches wide by 36 inches tall

General Rules:

• 3 separate competition shoots
  • All shoots are untimed
  • Archers are allowed to shoot 6 arrows or bolts for each shoot
• Total number of points earned by archers will be tallied daily for each shoot
• Scores will be tallied each day and posted in the Marshals Tent
• Any member of the populace may participate
• Individuals may have their points tallied for 5 total passes at each shoot which can be done all at once or over multiple days
• Multiple individuals may share a bow; however, it must be inspected with each user to ensure safety

Competition:

• Castle Clout Shoot
  • Archers will shoot at about 100 yards into the castle turret
  • Scoring:
    • 1 point for inside the moat
    • 2 points for hitting the moat monster
    • 3 points for inside the castle
    • 4 points for hitting objects inside the castle
• Advancing Soldier Shoot
  • Any arrow or bolt hitting the painted portion of the target scores as follows:
    • 1 point for the 15-yard target
    • 2 points for the 35-yard target
    • 3 points for the 45-yard target
    • 4 points for the 55-yard target
• Castle Window Shoot
  • Scoring:
    • 1 point for each arrow or bolt inside the castle window
    • 2 points for each arrow or bolt inside the object in the castle window

Victory Condition: Overall points scored for each Shoot

Service Challenge (1 Point)

• Sunday through Thursday of War Week
• Will be reported by the volunteers in charge of the volunteer points at the end of each day via a google form via a QR-Code (East alignment Blue, Midrealm alignment Red)
• Service Categories/places to log hours that count towards the challenge. QR-Codes will be posted at each of the service organization locations and non-electronic reporting formats will be available at the East & Midrealm Kingdom encampments main gates.
  • Marshal Point
  • Watch
  • Herald Point
  • Family Services
  • Archery Range
  • Thrown Range
  • Information Point
  • Troll
  • Lost & Found
  • Accessibility Services
  • Teaching classes (Pennsic University registered)