[Ansteorra-rapier] Cut and Thrust Calibration

[Andrew Heinrich]

Greetings,

I wanted to talk a bit about calibration in Cut and Thrust combat.
Specifically as it relates to the required force of a blow, and the calling
of blows in certain circumstances.

First and foremost, the baseline calibration for Cut and Thrust combat is
as follows, from the Society Rules -

"In rapier combat, blows will be counted as though they were struck with a
real blade,
extremely sharp on point and edge. Any blow that would have penetrated the
skin shall be
counted a good blow. Any blow that strikes a mask, helm or gorget shall be
counted as
though it struck flesh. Kingdoms shall not alter this standard."

Unless you are fighting in an event that has rules for armor-as-worn, this
is the calibration standard you need to be using when calling a blow. When
you fight armor-as-worn, this is still the calibration standard you use
when being struck in an unarmored spot on the body (so, in essence, it's
probably going to be the calibration standard you use universally, since
armor works).

Furthermore, there is no provision in our rules regarding blows that first
strike a buckler or sword or some other object, and then strike a fighter's
body. Fighters are to call blows according to the rule, and if the blow
would have wounded them, they are to call it.

Please remember this is not a touch-kill standard. That being said, you
don't need to wait for a blow that you believe would have cut you fatally
to call a shot. I've been seeing us slowly creep up our frequency of
calling blows "light" and want to remind folks of the baseline standard for
blow acknowledgment on the C&T field. It's not a game where we hit harder,
it's a game where we can hit with the edge.

I would also like to strongly recommend some things to folks in terms of
armor and safety gear. If you use a helm, and it's not paded, get it padded
properly or install a period suspension system. A hood is insufficient.
Expect that to be a requirement in the future, once we work out the
details. If you use a mask with rigid protection for the back of your head,
you will want to pad it as well, especially along the sides of the mask
where it tends to push against the ears/side of the head. Our rules are
pretty minimal in terms of protection, but it's a good idea to protect your
hands in accordance with the weapon you will be fighting against. WMA
gloves might be sufficient for lighter rapier play against a Spada or other
similar weapon, but you'll want stronger hand and wrist protection when
coming against a longsword or some of the heavier mortuary blades, etc.

Please note that Ansteorran rules *do* require rigid elbow protection.
There was some confusion about that this weekend.

Thank you for your kind attention.

In Service,

Don Mateo Montero de Madrid
Kingdom C&T Marshal
-- 
it is good to know, it is better to do, it is best to be.
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