Exciting Tournaments

[Keith Ewing]

You wrote: 
>
>> The fact is that all tournaments, in all of our combat styles have
>> the potential to be deadly dull.  It's one fight after another with
>> little pomp and circumstance and an endless stream of fighters.  The
>
>I have an idea: what if we split the fighting into two activities, the 

>elimination (or qualification) portion and the finals. The 
qualification rounds 
>could happen off to the side without the expectation that everyone 
would watch, 
>and the final, say, 8 people could fight the finals in front of 
everyone. This 
>makes all kinds of twists available, like having a noble sponsor each 
fighter 
>in the finals, or doing the full heraldry thing, or presenting each 
fighter to 
>the crown, etc. Those last few rounds are what folks who don't fight 
that style 
>really want to see anyway. Watching 150 fighters work out their 
rankings gets 
>dull no matter what the fighting style.
>
>Savein
>
We did this at Bryn Gwlad Baronial during my reign. Remember? We held 
the semifinals and the finals DURING court that evening. We alternated 
one chivalric fight with one rapier fight until all six fights had been 
fought. The populace was already seated to view court. They cheered and 
applauded. It was glorious. Also... noone was bored with court.

Kein