From the Rapier Marshal.

Effective June 1st, 2003, Rubber Band Guns are legal. See rules below. Change pages can be found at the MidRealm Rapier website (via the Earl Marshal’s page).

Also while at the MidRealm website, go to the Marshallate Database off the Earl Marshal’s page and check your personal information. If the data is incorrect, inform your regional who will in-turn validate the information and forward it to me. You have until August 30th to get it corrected with a simple message. After that date, you may need to re-authorize.

Dienst mit einem Laecheln,

Max

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Proposed rules changes:

1.1.9 TOURNAMENT PROHIBITION AGAINST PROJECTILE WEAPONS: No projectile weapons shall be allowed and no weapons shall be thrown within the Lists of a tournament. The use of approved projectile weapons for melee, war, or combat archery shall conform to the appropriate Society and Kingdom Conventions of Combat.

No change.

1.4 MIDDLE KINGDOM RULES FOR MELEES

1.4.7 Added - Rubber Band Guns (RBGs)

When RBGs are used during a melee:

A. Spectator safety is the number one consideration

B. Marshals will wear eye protection (for example, shop safety glasses, wrap around sun-glasses, mountain/sailing glasses with side blinders, etc).

C. Shots from RBGs are to be treated as real musket shots (parry devices and weapons do not block RBG shot). At a minimum, the shot does the same damage as a rapier thrust.

1.5 MIDDLE KINGDOM CONVENTIONS FOR MELEES

1.5.6 Added - Rubber Band Guns (RBGs)

A. The time it takes to reload a RGB should mimic that of a real weapon (typically 30 seconds).

B. Gleaning shot from the ground is not allowed.

C. Shooting in the back is allowed in DFB scenarios.

2.2 MIDDLE KINGDOM STANDARDS FOR WEAPONS & PARRYING DEVICES

2.2.4 Added – Rubber Band Guns (RBGs)

A. Only RBGs that are designed to fire surgical/medical rubber tubing loops as shot (ST-Shot) can be used. The ST-Shot will not contain any metal.

B. RBGs will mimic the appearance of period firearms.

C. RBGs will have a trigger mechanism to fire.

D. There are no size restrictions on RBGs (e.g. swivel guns and cannons are acceptable)

E. There is no limit to the number of ST-shot a RBG can fire simultaneously.

F. If the RBG is also a rigid parry device, it must pass a rigid parry inspection.

3.3.3 MARSHALLING MELEES

3.3.3.C Crowd Control

When marshalling a melee that involves rubber band guns (RBGs) additional safety precautions must be taken to protect the spectators. The simplest way is to keep spectators at a distance greater than the range of the strongest RGB. But that would push spectators too far away. A better way is to arrange the melee field so all shooting will be away from spectators or that the most powerful RGB (probably a cannon) can only be shoot away from the spectators. Keeping the spectators confined to one area will help.