[Ansteorra-archery] What are things that are keeping outCombatArchers of the field?

[Sam Milligan]

First, an answer to your question:
It all depends on what the unit commander orders, according to the battle plan.  Some scenarios might have archers moving forward, some might have them stand fast, some might have them rove, etc.  A battle is fluid, and often changes with lightning rapidity, so even previously issued orders may be changed.

Which brings me to my next point.
I am also a stickler for the rules on the battlefield.  I would NEVER intentionally hit a non-contact participant; to do so would be intensely dishonorable for me, and those who know me know that I value my honor very highly.  I believe that the fighters that I call my brothers and sisters in arms would also never intentionally hit a non-contact participant.

Is this a 100% guarantee that I will never hit a non-contact participant accidentally?  No, it does not.  Note the operative word here:  "accidentally".  You'll never get that 100% guarantee, and it's not realistic to expect it.  A battlefield is an extremely volatile situtation under barely controlled conditions, requiring split-second decisions to strike or not to strike.  While no fighter I know would intentionally hit a non-contact participant, sometimes it happens.  Marshals get hit, as they must be in the thick of things to ensure the maximum safety of all involved (and are sometimes more careless of their own safety than that of the fighters).  Non-contact archers sometimes get hit accidentally when they get caught in the thick of things, or when a fighter fails to notice the red pheon.  None of us wants these things to happen, but we must be realistic and realize that they do, and that there is no certain way to prevent it without making battles so stodgy and stylized that they become little more than choreographed dance routines.

BATTLE IS DANGEROUS, even with the safety precautions and sensible rules that fight under.  If you eliminate ALL danger, however, you also eliminite one of the most exciting aspects of the game.  Most of us who participate in fighting have been hurt to a lesser or greater extent at one time or another - accidentally.  But I've been hurt worse playing football at a church picnic, and never mind the one time I tried playing rugby!  :)  Most human activities are dangerous to some degree - look at any sport, and consider jobs such as building skyscrapers, or being a fireman.  The world is not a safe place, and it never will be.  Can we minimize danger?  Certainly, but we will never completely eliminate it.

I am fully in favor trying to ensure that everyone who wants to participate in SCA combat can do so, but it will never be a safe pasttime.  Walking onto a battlefield where hundreds of people are doing their level best to hit each other with sticks while trying to avoid being hit in return is an inherently dangerous thing to do.  This is why we must sign waivers before we are allowed to do it.  Boiled down to essentials, the waiver means "I know that I'm about to do something dangerous, I'm walking into it with my eyes open, and I take full responsibility for whatever happens."  If it wasn't dangerous, there would be no need for waivers.

It was not my intent to offend or insult anyone with the above words.  These are merely my opinions, though I like to think that they are backed up by the facts and are the product of careful consideration on my part.

I am very willing to listen to and discuss any ideas that make the game safer and allows more people to participate.  I do not believe that I know everything about SCA combat, or that my own beliefs on the subject are some kind of gospel.

Hoping that we can all come to a meeting of minds,

Padraig Ruad O'Maolagain
Spearman for Fian Ruadh

Maria wrote:

>I think that she meant that your e-mail came across as a little on the gruff
>side. It sounded to me the same way. I have been reminded many times that
>e-mail does not convey tone of voice or facial expressions.
>
>I am not asking for special rules. But, if there is a rule that's in place
>that says when I wear a special symbol on my helm that says I'm not a
>contact participant, well I expect not to get hit. That would not be fair.
>It's like when we were all children. When the child we played a prticular
>game with (say CandyLand) cheated, you didn't want to play anymore with that
>child because it was unfair. Well, I don't want to play with people that
>break the rules.
>
>Well, right now there is a rule in place that fighters either just plain
>ignore or they forget in the heat of battle. I don't think that it is a pipe
>dream to get to a 100% gaurantee of not being hit. I think that it is just
>going to take a while. We just need some really good ideas on how to prevent
>this from hapening. The pheons might just not be working as well as we would
>like them to work.
>
>So, my question that might lead to a suggestion....Do archers usually stand
>in one place or do they move forward with the troops?
>
>Maria






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