ANST-Announce - New Rules and Standards...Section 8

[Kief av Kiersted]

Heilsa all Combatants in the Dread Kingdom of Ansteorra!

There have been substantial changes to the Rules and Standards!! Please read
everything carefully. Report any problems and/or concerns to me directly at:
   Sirkief at hotmail.com        Please do not post problems or concerns
back to the list that you receive these letters on, post them only to me!

This post is an "unofficial" document. Only the printed version (to be
mailed ASAP) and the Ansteorran Home Page Link will be "officially
offcial"...

Kief - EM Ansteorra

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COMPLETE PARTICIPANTS HANDBOOK
KINGDOM OF ANSTEORRA

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 8 – INFORMATION REGARDING ARMORED AND UNARMORED NON-CONTACT 
PARTICIPATION


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SECTION 8 – INFORMATION REGARDING ARMORED AND UNARMORED NON-CONTACT 
PARTICIPATION

I.	There shall be two classes of Non-Contact Participants:

A. 	Unarmored: Waterbearers, Heralds, Chirurgeons, and banner bearers.

B.	Armored: Scouts, banner bearers, Combat Archers, and Siege Weapon
Crews.

1. All Armored Non-Contact personnel shall have their helm, or hood/mask, 
clearly marked with a large white diamond, such diamonds will be visible 
from all sides of the helm or mask. All Armored Non-Contact personnel shall 
be armored with, at least, the minimum standard armor appropriate for the 
field they are participating on.

2. Any Combat Activity that allows Armored Non-Contact participants upon the 
Field shall have a briefing from the Marshals prior to the start.  All 
Combatants must be informed about the presence of Armored Non-Contact 
participants and about how those Armored Non-Contact participants may be 
neutralized/captured.

3. All Armored Non-Contact participants shall read and be familiar with all 
Rules and Regulations appropriate to the style of Combat in which they 
desire to be a participant.  Armored Non-contact participants must abide by 
any rules that are stated to apply to all participants and must be in 
possession of a valid authorization card.

4. The overriding consideration for any Non-Contact participant is personal 
safety.  All Unarmored Non-Contact participants must stay out of harms way 
at all times during Combat.  The Unarmored Non-Contact participant should be 
observant and be prepared to move quickly away from Combat.  If all else 
fails, be prepared to call "HOLD" very loudly and to drop and cover 
immediately if you find yourself “in harm’s way”.

5. All Armored and Unarmored Non-Contact participants must hold a current 
Authorization Card and have a Waiver on file with the Marshalate Secretary.

C.  	Prohibitions:

1.  Items carried/worn:

a.  No item shall be carried or worn by any Unarmored Non-Contact 
participant that might create a hazard. Unarmored Non-Contact participants 
shall not wear armor or carry weapons that might cause their being mistaken 
for a Combatant.

b. Armored Non-Contact participants shall not carry any weapons nor glean 
any weapons from the field with the purpose of engaging in contact Combat. 
The only exception to this rule is the carrying of bows and crossbows by 
Combat Archers.

2.  Actions:

All Unarmored Non-Contact participants shall not attempt to distract any 
Combatants.  This especially applies to coming up behind any Combatant and 
trying to get their attention by physically touching them.

3. Armored Non-Contact scouts and/or banner bearers will be allowed to carry 
out their duties at all times during Combat.

4. All Armored Non-Contact participants will be considered “dead” if an 
opposing team’s Combatant approaches to within 10 feet of them or considered 
“captured” if the opposing team’s Combatant approaches within 10 feet and 
loudly calls out “captured”.

5.  Non-Contact participants may not assume the duties of a Marshal in any 
capacity other than to call "HOLD" for just cause, unless the individual is 
also an authorized Marshal and their assistance is truly needed.  At such 
time the individual may assume the duties of a Marshal, but may not go back 
to participation as a Non-Contact participant for the duration of the Combat 
activity.

6. Areas may be designated by the Marshals to be free of combat.  Water 
bearers, field heralds, and Chirurgeons must stay in those designated areas 
unless the Marshals call upon them. In those Combat scenarios where Combat 
Archery is utilized all Unarmored Non-Contact personnel must wear, while in 
designated areas, sport/safety glasses/goggles that protect from frontal and 
side impact of missile weapons.


GLOSSARY - FOR TERMS APPLICABLE TO GENERAL AND NON-CONTACT
		PARTICIPATION

Acknowledgment of Blows:  Upon receiving a valid blow to any area of the 
body that would be judged lethal or totally disabling, the receiving 
Combatant should acknowledge such by quickly falling to the ground.  An 
immediate verbal response from the Combatant so struck (such as "Good!”) 
will help to insure that the Combatant is not struck again while on the way 
down.  At the discretion of the Marshals, the fall to the ground may be 
waived if the ground conditions are deemed to deserve such a precaution.  A 
verbal acknowledgment shall then be considered mandatory.

Authorization:  Authorization is the written permission, granted by the 
Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., through this Kingdom's Authorizing 
Marshals, to participate in SCA Combat Related Activities.  Authorization is 
a requirement for all participants.

Authorization Card: A card issued by the Earl Marshal's Office to signify 
that the individual identified thereby has satisfactorily undergone an 
Authorization Procedure appropriate to the area(s) of desired participation 
as officially marked on the back of the Authorization Card by an Authorizing 
Marshal.  A currently valid Authorization Card allows the individual to be a 
Participant only in those SCA Combat Related Activities that have been so 
marked.

Authorization Procedure: A procedure which determines that an individual 
desiring to be a Participant in any SCA combat-related activity has, at 
minimum:

1. Signed a Waiver and Informed Consent to Participate form.

2. Read and become familiar with the Rules and Regulations appropriate to 
the area of desired participation.

3. Been allowed to gain practical experience in the area of desired 
participation under controlled circumstances.

4. Been observed by a proper Authorizing Marshal while demonstrating 
acceptable abilities in the area of desired participation.  This will ensure 
that the individual wishing to be a Participant in SCA combat- related 
activities:

a. As a Combatant, does not constitute an exceptional hazard to themselves 
or others.

b. As a Marshal, is capable of properly conducting Combat procedures and 
Combatants on the field.

c. As a Non-contact participant, does not present an exceptional hazard to 
themselves or others while in the vicinity of ongoing combat.

Authorization Marshal: A Warranted official of the SCA Inc. who has the 
knowledge and ability to authorize individuals to participate in SCA 
combat-related activities within the Kingdom of Ansteorra and has the 
responsibilities and duties of Field and Inspecting Marshals.

Combat:  Refers to any of the sanctioned SCA combat activities conducted at 
a Society event. (See SCA Combat-Related Activities)

Combatant:  An individual Authorized to be a Participant as a Combatant in 
SCA Combat Activities.

Corkscrewing: (Not legal) The circling of a grounded opponent, either in or 
out of striking range, in order to gain unfair offensive advantage.  The 
following guidelines should be followed when dealing with a grounded 
opponent.

1.  Closing on a grounded Combatant must be done from the direction chosen 
by the grounded Combatant.  Such a Combatant shall orient his defensive 
front toward his standing opponent.  The standing opponent must close based 
on that orientation.

2.  After closing, the standing Combatant must keep at least one foot in 
front of his grounded opponent.  The standing Combatant's other foot shall 
not step past his grounded opponent so far as to cause the standing 
Combatant to straddle the grounded opponent or to cause the foot in front to 
move beside or behind the grounded opponent.

3.  A standing Combatant in the above described position shall be deemed in 
the legal zone and may attack so long as he or she stays within that zone.

4.  Should the standing Combatant decide to break off his attack, he should 
back out in generally the same direction that they had closed from.

5.  Passing attacks are permissible in melee only.  Any strike from a 
passing Combatant in melee must be made while closing from the front and 
only while in the legal zone as described above.  No further strike may be 
made once the passing Combatant has moved in any way beyond, or out of, the 
legal zone.

Disciplinary Action: Action taken against a Participant for violations of 
the Rules and Regulations.

Duly Warned: Official warnings will be given to a Participant in no 
uncertain terms.  Such a warning must include an explanation of the rule(s) 
being violated by the Participant.  Any Participant may be removed from the 
Field if the Participant fails to heed the warnings.  Such a Participant may 
also be subject to disciplinary action.

Earl Marshal: One of the Crown's Great Officers of State.  Also the chief 
Warranted Marshal in the Kingdom who is responsible for the conduct of all 
SCA Combat Related Activities within the Kingdom.

Equipment:  Any and all weapons, armor, shields or other defensive items 
used by a Combatant during combat.

Excessive Force: Significantly more force than would normally be required by 
a prudent person to acknowledge a blow.  It should be noted that, during 
armored combat, using certain techniques with some weapons can result in the 
delivery of blows that strike with excessive force.  These techniques are 
illegal and include, but are not limited to:

1.  Harpooning: Thrusting with a spear or other thrusting weapon while 
pushing the butt end of the weapon with the palm of the hand or fingers.

2.  Running Thrust: Executing a thrust while running at an opponent.

Field:  An area, with or without physical boundaries, designated for the 
conducting of SCA combat related activities.

Field Marshal: A Marshal with the knowledge and ability to marshal any 
Combat scenario and apply the Rules and Conventions of the list to that 
scenario.

Inspecting Marshal: A Warranted Marshal with in-depth knowledge of the armor 
and weapons standards listed in the Kingdom’s Combat Rules, the ability to 
inspect Combatants and their equipment prior to any Combat scenario, and the 
duties of the Field Marshal.

Kingdom Rapier Marshal: The Warranted Officer of State who is entrusted with 
monitoring the safety and conduct of all SCA Rapier Combat Related 
Activities within the Kingdom.  The Kingdom Rapier Marshal works apart from, 
but under the jurisdiction of, the Earl Marshal.

List:  Any contest designed for the conducting of SCA combat-related 
activities (i.e. tournaments involving individuals or teams).

List Official: The individual given the responsibility for designing and/or 
organizing the List at a Society event.  The List Official should be 
appointed by either the Marshal-in-Charge, the Autocrat, or the Ranking 
Nobility.

Local Knight Marshal: The chief Warranted Marshal of a local group that is 
responsible for the conduct of all SCA combat-related activities within that 
particular group. The local Knight Marshal must be, at least, an Inspecting 
Marshal. (The responsibility for the conduct of all SCA Rapier 
combat-related activity within a local Knight Marshal's jurisdiction will be 
assumed by the Kingdom Rapier Marshal, and then delegated to a Warranted 
Local Rapier Marshal.)

Local Rapier Marshal: The Warranted Rapier Marshal of a local group who is 
responsible for the conduct of all SCA Rapier Combat Related Activities 
within that particular group.

Marshal:  An individual who is monitoring the safety and conduct of SCA 
combat related activities on the field.  Individuals doing the Marshaling at 
Society events may or may not be Warranted Marshals, but they must, at 
minimum, have Authorization to participate as a Field Marshal in the 
appropriate SCA Combat style, and the Marshal-In-Charge must deem them 
competent.

Marshal-in-Charge:  The Warranted Marshal who is responsible for monitoring 
the safety and conduct of SCA combat-related activities at a Society event 
as well as assuring that all applicable Rules and Regulations of the SCA 
Inc. and the Kingdom of Ansteorra are being followed by all participants.

Marshalate:  The body of Warranted Marshals within the Kingdom that is 
headed by the Earl Marshal.  Also referred to as the "Kingdom Marshalate".

Marshal of the Society: The chief Warranted Marshal of the Society for 
Creative Anachronism, Inc. who is responsible for the monitoring of all SCA 
combat-related activities within the Society.  Also referred to as the 
"Society Marshal".

Melee:  A combat that involves teams or groups of Combatants rather than 
individual Combatants.  Such scenarios are typically fought with "Melee 
rules". Melee Rules differ slightly from the rules regarding single combat 
bouts.  The differences have been noted within this Handbook where 
applicable.

No-Firing Zone: The zones/areas that have been designated by the Marshal-In 
Charge as illegal areas for the firing/throwing of any kind of projectiles.  
Any target that might otherwise be considered a legal target may not be 
attacked with any kind of missile fire when the would-be target's 
positioning would jeopardize the No-Firing Zone.

Non-contact Participant/Participation either Armored or Unarmored: An 
individual Authorized to participate in those SCA combat-related activities 
that may or may not involve engaging in, or the conducting of, actual 
Combat.  Examples of such activities may include, but are not limited to: 
Scouting, Field Heralding, Banner Bearing, Water Bearing, et cetera. These 
individuals may or may not actually be on the field and in the vicinity of 
the field during the ongoing Combat. Their presence must be taken into 
account during all combat activities.

Participant:  An individual Authorized to participate in any of the SCA 
combat-related activities.

Prohibited Target: Prohibited targets include the following:

1.  Any Armored or Unarmored Non-Contact Participant on the field.

2.  Any Marshal on the field.

3.  Any other individual, not fully armored, that may be on the field with 
or without authorization.

4.  Any individual, fully armored or not, outside the designated boundaries 
of the field.

5.  Any Combatant on the field prior to the command of "LAY ON" or while a 
"HOLD" is in effect.

At the discretion of the Sovereign, properly Marshaled Combatants, off and 
away from all spectators and the field, that are engaged in warm-up activity 
or instruction, will not be considered Prohibited Targets within the context 
of their activities.

Real Weapon: Refers to an actual weapon, whether an original or 
reproduction, that may be fully or semi-functional.

Regional Marshal: Any Warranted Combat Marshal designated the administrative 
Deputy of a recognized region within the Kingdom. Appointed by the Earl 
Marshal or any of the various designated Deputy Earl Marshals of the 
Kingdom.

SCA Combat-Related Activities: Includes combat, Marshaling, and non-contact 
participation for both Chivalric and Rapier weaponry.

SCA Legal Weapon: Any weapon that has been approved by the Marshalate for 
use upon the field during SCA Combat Activities.

Single Combat: A Combat that involves only two individuals such as a bout in 
a typical List that does not involve teams or groups.  The rules regarding 
single combat differ slightly from those regarding melees.  The differences 
have been noted within this Handbook where applicable.

Sovereigns:  The individuals who are current reigning King and Queen gained 
in the Crown List by right of arms.  The Sovereigns are the final Marshalate 
authority within the Kingdom.  Also called the "Crown".

Striking from Behind: (NOT LEGAL in Ansteorra)

1.  In single combat, opportunities to strike from behind are rare and are 
typically covered by the rules regarding Helpless Opponents.  Striking an 
opponent from the rear, while they are attempting to execute an offensive or 
defensive maneuver that involves the voluntary or intentional turning of 
his/her back shall not be considered a violation of this convention.

2.  In melee, the likelihood of coming up behind an opponent is great and 
caution must be used to assure that this convention is not violated.  A 
Combatant must make certain that he/she has gotten their opponent's 
attention and that the opponent has had an opportunity to recognize a threat 
before blows are thrown.  An opponent who purposefully ignores valid 
attempts to get their attention and keeps his/her back turned shall be 
deemed to be in violation of the Rules as stated within the Conventions of 
Combat.  It shall be generally accepted that a Combatant has made valid 
attempts to get an opponent's attention when the following guidelines are 
satisfied:

a.  The approaching Combatant shall attempt to get the opponent to turn and 
face him/her by verbally calling a clearly audible warning about the 
approaching Combatant's presence and threat.

b.  If the opponent does not respond, the approaching Combatant may lightly 
tap (not strike) the opponent with a weapon, or lightly press (not shove) 
the opponent with a shield or buckler in order to give some physical clue 
that a foe is besieging them at the rear.  This tap or press should be 
accompanied by another verbal warning.

c. A second such tap or press along with verbal warning may be given.  A 
Combatant who has not responded to these valid attempts to get their 
attention shall be considered to be in violation of the Rules as stated 
above.  A Combatant still may not strike such a Combatant though he/she may 
be subject to disciplinary action.  Should the opponent turn to face the 
approaching Combatant, blows may only be thrown at such time as the opponent 
has had an opportunity to recognize a threat.

d. At any point the approaching Combatant may elect not to make any, or any 
further, attempts to get the opponent to turn, but may instead opt to move 
around to the front of his/her opponent to initiate the engagement.  
However, leaping just into view and simultaneously striking the opponent 
without warning will NOT be allowed.  The opponent must be given an 
opportunity to recognize the threat before blows are thrown.  An opponent 
shall be deemed to have been given the opportunity to recognize threat when 
one of the following guidelines has been satisfied:

i.  The approaching Combatant has moved far enough around the opponent that 
he can see both eyes of the opponent.

ii. The opponent has turned far enough around so that both his eyes can be 
seen by the approaching Combatant.

Note: A Combatant will be expected to obey the spirit of these guidelines 
when dealing with opponents whose head protection does not allow the eyes to 
actually be seen.

3.  Once a prospective opponent's attention has been obtained, it is the 
responsibility of the acknowledging Combatant to verify that an individual 
is in fact a Combatant (not perhaps a Marshal or some other unarmored 
Participant trying to get the Combatant's attention) before responding by 
throwing a blow.  Therefore, simultaneous turning and striking will not be 
allowed.

Waiver and Informed Consent to Participate Form: A document executed by an 
individual desiring to be a Participant in SCA combat-related activities. 
Whereby they acknowledge that individual’s awareness of the potential 
hazards of being a Participant and expresses an agreement by the individual 
to abide by the Rules and Regulations as set forth by the Society for 
Creative Anachronism, Inc. and it's Officials.  A copy of this document will 
be kept on file with the Earl Marshal's Office or their designated Deputy.  
Also called a "Participation Waiver" or just "Waiver". (Be sure to always 
read and understand any waiver before you sign it.)

War:  Large scale melees.  Wars fought with other Kingdoms may use rules and 
regulations that are an agreed upon mixture of the rules and regulations of 
the involved Kingdoms.  If such is the case, a Marshalate briefing to 
explain the rules and regulations will be given to all Participants prior to 
the start of any Combat Activities.

Warranted Marshal: An individual Warranted by the Society for Creative 
Anachronism, Inc., and/or it's designated officials, who is entrusted with 
monitoring the safety and conduct of SCA combat-related activities.  
Warranted Marshals are responsible for enforcement of all applicable Rules 
and Regulations of the SCA Inc. and the Kingdom of Ansteorra at Society 
events.

Yield/Yielded: To surrender with or without terms.  In the case of Combat 
Archers or siege engine operators, however, to voluntarily yield without 
having been requested to do so shall be considered to be the same as that 
Participant having been slain.


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