New Season, New Rules

Long time, no post.  It's been a busy time for me away from fighting.  If things happen to calm down a bit, I'll get back to writing more regularly.  I realize this post is a little sloppy, my apologies, I'll try to clean it up soon*.  I just wanted to get this started and out there for folks that hadn't had a chance to read the new rules.

Update 2/2/17: added change regarding having one leg hacked and the other pierced.  Also added "Unclear" section.

Update 2/14/17: added head then body to unclear

Update 2/17/17: added Shields lying on the ground can't be broken

Background:

The War Council of Belegarth has recently passed a vote to accept a new, updated version of the Book of War.  This version was crafted by a rules committee, which was appointed by War Council, through a long process of analyzing the old rules for issues and reconciling differences between interpretations from various realms.  It isn't "perfect", but it does give us, the Belegarth community, a solid footing to look at our rules and make changes as needed down the line.  Lots of rules have changed to reflect clarifications or compromises between different interpretations.

I had originally intended to compile a list of changes and break each of them down here.  It quickly became apparent that was beyond the scope of a quick blog post.  Instead, I would like to point your attention to a few items that are definite changes to how the game is played (vs. my local realm of Numenor).  I only highlight below a few of the things I noticed on a couple of quick reads, so this is in no way comprehensive.  If you want to check it out and see for yourself, GO READ THE RULES: http://www.belegarth.com/getting-started/rules/

These are just a quick overview, not exact wordings of the new rules.  Significant changes are those that might have an impact on how the game is played or on current equipment passing weapons check.  Minor changes are those that, while different from the previous version, shouldn't change much of how the game is typically played. Clarifications are things that either were implied through various old rules interactions or were played a specific way that never made it into the rules. Unclear is anything I notice that is either still ambiguous from the old rules, or where I noticed some sort of conflict between rules.

Significant Changes:

• No leg running.  From what I have seen, this is likely to be updated in the next round of voting later this year.  This is a carryover from the old rules that no one seems to remember enforcing.
• Archers can call hits for clarification if they have an clear, unobstructed view of the whole arrow flight.  The target gets to make hit determinations if it is unclear, for all missile weapons.  This will take some adjustment and discussion on how these rules actually work out in combat.  From what I have seen, "archers" are usually playing to these rules most of the time anyway.  "Guys with bows", not always. It does bring archers more in line with everyone else as far as hit taking goes.
• Incidental and courtesy padding have specific, and different, definitions now.  Incidental has to be somewhere between a striking surface and what generally has passed a semi-okay non-striking surface in the past.  Flails, glaives, and other weapons with haft padding need be looked at to conform with the new rules.  For incidental padding, 6" for one-handed, and 12" for two-handed is required for swung weapons.  It will take some time for the community/craftsmen to figure out what exactly passes for incidental padding.
• "Two-handed" is defined as both hands firmly gripping the weapon at the point of impact.  Allows you to pool-cue double, but only if you grab with the sliding hand at the end.  Same applies to the two-handed "ax swing" for swung weapons.

Minor Changes:

• Half-draw for arrows has a little different wording.  It now means "half the force of a full-draw".  Not a big change, but it is a good thing for archers to be aware of.
• Draw stops on arrows have stricter requirements than before. Most of the our archers were already conforming to standards close to the new rules.
• Sufficient force is defined a little differently
• Heavy hits for shield breaking hits is better defined (and is specifically "heavy")
• Communication for "light", "graze", "garb", "armor" is now required, as well as truthfully reporting any damage/armor condition when asked.
• No intentionally hitting a combatant with non-striking surface (like flail haft to hit with ball). 
• No feinting head strikes from non-head legal weapons or shields.
• Weapons "contested" in a grapple take limbs if they are grabbed by the blade.
• The rules for shield bashing/checking were cleaned up.  They also added shield bumping (pushing without trying to knock them over) and bracing (static bracing against someone moving into you).  Basically, don't try to knock people over from behind, and target their center of mass if you are trying to knock them over from a different quadrant.
• Crossguards are now actually in the rules (templated like a pommel).
• If you have a pierced and hacked leg (both will be down), hits to the hacked leg don't do damage. The wording of rule 3.7.2.4.5. is a little goofy, but this seems to be the intent of the second part. (Added here 2/2/17)
• Shields lying on the ground can't be broken. (Added here 2/17/17)

Clarifications:

• "Magic Switching" your weapon when your arm is killed is specifically legal.
• "Shot In Motion" is now official, including "Late" being defined in the rules.
• Shield kicking requires one foot on the ground.
• Grappling has been cleaned up and better defined.
• Grabbing a weapon handle/haft padding is NOT a grapple.
• Grabbing your own striking surface (half-swording) is legal.
• A hit to a disabled arm when you are wearing body armor counts as hitting the body armor.
• Armor definitions got better.
• Handles have to be continuous except on double ended weapons.

Unclear:

• Arrows hitting a hand on a weapon has two rules in conflict.  Hand on weapon counts as part of the weapon, so the arrow should go through.  However, the rules for the hand target area specifically say hits to the hand count as hits to the arm.  Traditionally, the interpretation was that arrows go through hand on weapon.  
• A swing that hits both head (illegal target area) and body doesn't specify if the target should take the body hit, or discount it due to the illegal hit.  Strict reading would indicate this is still a valid body hit, as long as it is sufficient force.  Common way to play is based on if the head shot was significant enough, to ignore the body shot. (Added 2/14/17)

Weapon Roles, Part 2

Last time I talked about weapon roles and different ways to get the most out of different fighting styles on their own.  Today's post is all about how those different styles interact and build off of one another. Rather than going through every style combination one by one, I've decided to focus on the basics of what makes individual styles work together, with a few examples in the form of some likely pairs.

Range Control

One of the primary reasons to work together with different styles is range. Every style has a weakness in this category.  Archers and polearms can't do much at close range, shieldmen and two stick fighters lack range to deal with polearms, and min reds have a mix of both problems.  By combining different styles, with different weaknesses in range, a pair can overcome this problem.  Possibly the most common pairing that demonstrates this is a polearm and a shield man.  The polearm is weak at close range, but the shieldman can fight perfectly fine at that range.  Meanwhile, the polearm can help against targets that out-range the shieldman.

This crudely photoshopped image demonstrates the overlapping range presented by a shieldman/polearm team. Note the danger to any target that would stand in the glaive's two handed range. 

The overall effect of this combination of ranges means the an enemy shieldman doesn't have an obvious range to prefer.  Staying at the outer bounds of the shieldman's range means the enemy can't easily attack.  They also can't close on the polearm without being in range of the shieldman's attack.  Better yet, the team also creates a range that is extremely advantageous for them.  In the zone where their ranges overlap, they can both work against the same target.  In the sample above, that means the glaive can be dishing out two-handed strikes while his shieldman is able to swing effectively at the target.

While shieldmen and dual wielders might seem to be the only styles to fit into this close range defense, other styles can also accomplish this task.  Take, for example, a pair of polearms.  Both polearms may suffer at short/close range, but by maneuvering themselves in such a way that their more preferred ranges overlap with each other's weaknesses, they can effectively negate much of this weakness.  One example might be in a formation similar to a phalanx.  The front spear has the longest range and engages targets first.  Behind him, a second spear engages anyone that is able to close on the first spear. Anyone lingering too long in medium range would be fully engaged by both.  This same pair might also exist on a line, spaced out so they can engage against anyone rushing the other while still both engaged against the enemy line.

Risk Management

Combining two shorter ranged fighters poses a different challenge.  Neither of them can reach long range, so the combination doesn't mitigate the weakness.  However, a short ranged pairing can have other benefits.  Lets take a shieldman and dual wielding fighter as an example.  The shieldman has superior defense against missiles and spears, but doesn't have as wide of a shot selection.  This combination allows the shieldman to help reduce the risk of his partner being taken out at long range, while giving the pair exceptional offense once they are able to close to their optimum range.

Risk also comes into play when considering shot selection.  What might be a risky shot in a duel, can now be covered by your partner to make it relatively safe.  One example might be a min red fighter swinging one-handed towards the opponent's sword side, forcing them to block.  This takes the risk away from his partner's attacks, allowing them to choose from a wider variety of shots.  By the same token, the min red might be safe to attack the opponent's shield with a few two-handed swings while his partner cuts off the angle their opponent might have been able to attack from.

Combined Threat

While risk management is about keeping safe on offense, combining the threat of different equipment is all about increasing the opponent's risk.  Choosing the pair equipment that threatens different target areas or angles forces the opponent to make difficult decisions.  Lower their shield to help block off spear stabs or take an arrow to the face, for example.

Spears are often a natural pairing when discussing threat.  Their long range allows them to attack from a variety of angles, even from behind the front line.  Lower angles of attack force shields to come down a bit, while moving more towards sword side to cover the hip.  Other weapons can take great advantage of this shield position, such as flails, glaives, and min reds.  All of these weapons excel at placing shots on the shield side shoulder, which will kill the target or force their guard up and away from the spear.

Threat also has great influence on the enemy's ability to attack.  Archers are a prime example.  Other than shieldmen, no one has great defense against arrows other than perhaps mobility or a helmet.  Even without shooting, the archer can apply threat by holding an arrow at the ready.  Those without shields are forced to either gamble on dodging or to duck for cover behind a shieldman.  Most choose the latter.  Because they are forced to the second rank, they have a harder time applying offense to the front.  Even though spears and glaives can reach targets from the second rank, their own shieldman cuts off a significant angle of their attack, limiting their options for targets. As you might have noticed, this is nearly a case of risk management achieved through the application of threat.

Total Offense

Combined total offense of a pair of styles may give the combination an advantage.  While threat is about opening the target up and increasing their risk, total offense is about overwhelming a target's ability to block. A pair using glaives or other two handers, might be a good example.  Regardless of the threat applied by either glaive, the pair can simply place enough two handed strikes on one target to negate the defense of a shield.  Four solid, shield breaking hits to a shield outright kills anyone, assuming they haven't dropped it before then.  The first two take the shield, the third the arm, and the forth takes the body.  This means that each glaive only needs to successfully land a single hit on the shield for the pair to be able to remove it from the equation.  They may only need two swings each to kill a target, even less if they get a limb or two.

The major drawback of a pairing like this is that it relies on killing targets before they can return strikes to the pair.  A combined charge from multiple targets or a threat that has greater range than the pair greatly reduces their effectiveness. However, while working together with a team on the line, this type of pair may be able to overwhelm a few targets quickly.

Conclusion

Working together with different styles and gear boils down to playing off of your team's strengths and covering each other's weaknesses.  Even though I have written this from the perspective of a pair fighting some target, pairs are a natural building block towards full line fighting.  Take a moment next time you are on the sidelines to watch how the line includes many of these pairings of equipment.  Even in larger groups that seem to be all working together, much of their teamwork will be done within pairs of fighters occasionally supporting other pairs.  This is especially true when looking at how support weapons are deployed.

When combining equipment and styles, the four categories I've mentioned above are all worth considering.  However, regardless of what combination, they all benefit greatly from teamwork and communication. Find a friend, work together, kill lots of people with foam covered sticks.

Weapon Roles

This is the first in a series of recent requests.  I'm a little rusty, so this on isn't quite up to the typical standard.  I'll try to do better next time, which will be soon-ish*. Part 2 of this topic is now posted.

In previous posts, I've discussed the various roles a fighter could take on the field and a little bit about how different roles can interact. Today I'd like to take a look at how different weapons and fighting styles fit in to the mix and the roles they serve on the battlefield. In a future post, I'll be looking at how these different weapons and fighting styles can be used in conjunction to maximum effect.

Arrows and Javelins

Missile weapons can rack up a large kill tally, but their primary role in a fight is to take down key targets.  This often means targeting enemy support weapons, skilled archers, or even great shieldmen that are making an impact on the fight.  A few well placed shots can have a dramatic effect on the line.  All of a sudden, one side might have a significant advantage in polearms on one flank and be able to gain a major breakthrough.  Even taking an arm or leg of a support weapon will generally sway the fight against them.

When missiles don't have a good line on hitting a target, they can still offer a significant threat from a distance to limit that fighter's options for position and strikes.  By having an arrow nocked or a javelin pointed, it will usually cause the other team to cover up and slow their offense for a little bit. As with other support weapons, the goal is to have an impact on the fight, either through kills, wounds, or threat.

Min Red

"Min Reds" are roughly the smallest possible size to be considered a red weapon (minimum 24 oz, 48" long in Belegarth).  In an intense, packed line fight, we often see them sort of trumped by 8'+ polearms.  However, they do still fit into a very useful niche as a very fast, anti-armor weapon.  While they can break shields, their low weight and short range make it much harder to land a solid, shield-breaking hit.  They are best used on a thick line as an arm sniping weapon.  See an arm, hit the arm.  This lets the user stay relatively safe near a shieldman, while still out ranging enemy shieldmen as they swing.  When the lines are thinner, they are good when working in pairs with any other style. This reduced the danger of a rush and allows the user to utilize that bit of extra range to help their teammate.

Rather than fighting in a more fixed position on the front of the line, min red users are better suited to in/out, hit/run tactics.  By only advancing into range when they have a solid opportunity to take a limb or get a kill, they can mitigate much of the risk against polearms and missile weapons. Important to note here, however, is that extremely dense lines make getting in and getting out of the fight much more difficult--there just isn't enough room to get between teammates.

Another useful way to deploy weapons of similar length and weight is as a one-handed weapon with a shield.  Too slow and awkward for most one-on-one fights, the combination gives the user a great deal of reach over the typical shieldman.  When the line is dense, this advantage is further improved by reducing the enemy's ability to advance into their range.  This creates the ideal scenario in the range game, where you can strike at an opponent that can't reach you back (with the exception of support weapons).

Flails

All sorts of hate is always directed at flails, but they are an extremely effective tool--especially when combined with various support weapons. Many fighters haven't learned how to effectively defend against flails one-on-one, let alone when faced with other threats. On a heavily packed line, they excel at either exploiting or causing shields to be out of position.  As fighters lower their guards against spears, the flail makes quick kills targeting the shield side shoulder.  As people raise their guards to counter the flail, spears can more easily target the sword-side hip.

The other sort of key area for flails is in situations like flanks or gaps where the enemy isn't already prepared for fighting against them.  The typical fighter, when flanked or rushed, will default to the normal guards and blocks.  Flails require a slightly different approach to blocking and can catch fighters off guard, all while having their natural advantages. That's part of why we often see them used by flankers and shock troops. However, flails are shorter ranged than support weapons and max length one handed swords.

Two stick

Florentine, flo, two stick, dual wielding, whatever you would like to call it, often gets left out of line fighting. The advantage in defense of a shield or range in a polearm makes two sword a less obvious choice of weapon. Two swords can deal out a lot of damage in a short span of time with proper practice, position, and timing.  The key to using them in a line battle is to pick your moment to go in.  Vision gaps, staggered gaps, breakthroughs, or anywhere light on support weapons are great places to go.  The extra weapon allows you to apply significant pressure to a single target as well as a fair range of blocking (like a very tiny punch shield).

As a skirmisher, two stick can be very effective at winning a series of one-on-one fights.  Generally, they are good at taking down stray enemy fighters that can be singled out.  This includes shock troopers and flankers that have successfully broken through to the backfield.

Two stick really shines, though, when it can flank the enemy.  The ability to strike many targets quickly and efficiently can wreck a line that is facing the other way.  Even though they will have little defense against archers hanging out in the backfield, the two stick fighter can have a huge impact before they are shot.

Polearm

Polearms are really the main offensive tool of the line (at the initial phases of battle) and the primary defense against enemy polearms. While ranged weapons get some kills, polearms have a much higher attack rate and often a better angle of attack.  Add in the occasional glaive to break shields, and it is easy to see the damage they can inflict.  Besides directly killing targets, they are one of the best tools for pushing an enemy line back.  Most groups of fighters will back up to stay just outside of the range of a polearm, or advance to that point if the polearms back off.

The initial target of most polearms is other polearms.  However, weakening the shieldman around those polearms is an equally important job.  Taking a shieldman's leg reduces his ability to block missile weapons or to cut off the line of attack against polearms.  This makes it easier to take out the enemy polearm.  Event threatening those shieldmen will leave openings for friendly fighters to exploit, just like flails and missile weapons.

On defense, polearms play the role of disrupting the enemy.  Pushing spears off target, blocking off lines of attack, or threatening legs to slow an advance.  Their job here is to suppress the area and make their presence felt, even if they aren't getting kills or wounds.  This is similar to missile weapons being a threat, but requires the polearm to attack very quickly against many targets, while trying to fend off enemy polearms.

Armor

As I've mentioned in a previous post, armor shouldn't be exclusively used as a "whoops, I didn't block that" crutch, but as a tool.  You will get surprised, get back hacked, or miss a block, and the armor will sometimes catch it, cool.  When armor really comes into play is when a fighter can intentionally go into a high-risk situation (like rushing a spear through a couple of shieldmen) and come out intact and swinging.  While it is possible to do so without armor, those extra hits give a few extra options to someone like a shock trooper or flanker to exploit and gives them a much higher chance of success.

The other role of armor is helping manage range against polearms.  Because armor mitigates single-handed stabs, polearms have to approach a bit closer to land a solid two-handed strike accurately. The advantage gained for your team is that your own support weapons can now more easily target the enemy polearms.  This extra protection against one-handed stabs also can prove crucial when defending a friendly polearm because the enemy will be stabbing at or near your frequently.

Sword and board

I saved this for last because it is the most common style on the line.  Shieldmen serve many roles. Their sort of primary role is forming a strong line for support weapons to support.  This means maneuvering to cut off gaps, to block missile sight lines, and to keep a solid formation.  A number of shieldmen must be dedicated to direct defense of support weapons.

While those defensive roles are paramount to a successful line, shields also allow offense that is more unique than other styles.  The ability to rush and survive (just like armor) can have a huge impact on a fight. The shield cuts off many angles that a line fighter would use to counter a rusher, especially when in the hands of a skilled fighter.  In essence, it allows the fighter to almost ignore counters from one side while using their sword to tie up fighters on the other. While a great fighter with two swords could accomplish this, it isn't particularly easy with a shield, let alone without one.

This passive defense is ideally suited for shock troopers and flankers as they maneuver through gaps or in close proximity to the enemy line without support. The typical flanker uses a decently sized, lightweight punch shield that allows them to block off a variety of angles as they engage the line and are surrounded by threats.  In contrast, shock troopers tend to prefer a strap shield better geared for bashing and punching. This is because they will more often be pushing through a line, rather than being between the enemy line and their archers/reserves.

Archer vs guy with bow

This is in no way meant to point fingers at any particular archers. This is in no way intended to be a guide on how to shoot arrows. I'm not much of an archer, so this is largely taken from the viewpoint of "guy getting shot at, all the time".

People complain about archers, a lot. Archers complain about people, a lot. The combination of miscommunication, flawed perspective, and getting shot in the face have lead to countless disagreements and heated discussions. As a herald, I've often been forced to spend too much time monitoring archers and their targets to keep bad calls and poor hit taking from ruining otherwise good fighting.

But, "archers aren't people", it must be entirely their fault. Some blame, does in deed, land squarely on the shoulders of "guy with bow". More on him later. However, people seem to get all bent out of shape about bad calls or getting shot. I'm sure I've been upset plenty of times about poor calls, but I try not to let it ruin a day of fighting. If I know for sure a call was bad (like hit arm clean, and they called leg), I might mention it to the archer after he fight. This isn't meant as a complaint, but as a gentle reminder to watch their shots closely. The same idea behind asking someone of a shot I threw landed or not if I think I hit them. Open, calm communication.

I did mention "guy with bow". These are people that give good (and unskilled) archers the bad name. We've all seen it. Bow strung incorrectly, arrows that barely pass, calls almost every shot wrong. Then there are good archers, people that rarely have complaints against them, other than maybe from being too good at killing someone that day. Rather than go through a list of what "guy with bow" does wrong, lets look at what good archers do right.

1) Knows the rules. Yes, there are plenty of people with bows that haven't read the Book of War.

2) Plays safe. Half draws, even outside of the distance, especially when rushed. Stops fighting if the bow or arrows cause an unsafe situation.

3) Calls off questionable hits. "Nothing". If they aren't sure, they don't want you to take the hit.

4) Gives target benefit of the doubt. Shots on the borderline are left up to the target's discretion, as long as they took the hit.

5) Avoids full draw face shots. Still will shoot you in the face, but doesn't do a full draw at the minimum distance allowed.

6) Watches their shots until they hit. Many archers get caught up pulling out their next arrow rather than watching the last one hit.

7) Calls hit zones, not "dead". Saying dead could mean the archer is dead or the target.

There are, of course, several factors that separate a good archer from an unskilled one, but that's better left to the archers to teach. What separates an unskilled archer from a "guy with a bow" is not being a detriment to fighting and not creating a negative environment.