KRMs e-Newsletter for November 2002 Topics: November Pale Letter Newest Rapier Champion Recent Awards Regional Rapier Championships Authorizations at Practices Honor before Victory The Drop Tester MidRealm Legal Blades Planned Events -------- November Pale Letter Greetings Rapier Combatants. I will continue to accept applications for my successor until December 31st. I already have 4 highly qualified applicants. The new drop tester will become the SCA and MidRealm standard for armor testing in about a year. (Go to http://www.iceweasel.org/sca/ for details). If your armor passes the foil punch test but fails the drop test, you need to upgrade your armor before the drop tester becomes official (date TBA). Remember, ALL layers, including tabards and t-shirts, count for armor. I explain about armor testing (and other topics) in more detail in my KRM e-newsletter. If you'd like to receive it, contact me at scheltem@yahoo.com and I'll put you on my Bcc list. Or go to the MidRealm Rapier website (http://www.midrealm.org/marshal/fencing/kmof.html) and read them there. Dienst mit einem Laecheln, Max --------- Newest Rapier Champion At Coronation Their Majesties selected Gevehard von Baden to be Their Rapier Champion. Hoo Bah, Herr Gevehard! Another German done good. --------- Recent Awards: Court Baron Warder Vincent Furnier (Harvest Day - 9/14/02) Cavendish Knot Lord Adrian Flechyr (Coronation - 9/28/02) Lady Brighid MacCumhal (Fall Ball - 10/5/02) ---------- Regional Championships: North Oaken (tourney was October 12th) Winner - Baron Warder Vincent Furnier Seconded by - Lord Edward Fitzranulf Constellation (tourney was October 12th) Winner - Lord Caen MacAddis Seconded by - Lord Gregory Bryant Midlands (tourney on November 2nd at Crystal Ball) Pentamere (TBA) South Oaken (TBA) Northshield (TBA) -------- Authorizations at Practices From the Kingdom Earl Marshal's October Pale letter; "Authorizations at practices should only be done in the case of emergencies and must always have at least one outside marshal in attendence. If you're not sure what constitutes an emergency, please contact your regional marshal or myself." For rapier, contact your Rapier Regional Marshal or me. --------- Honor before Victory I've heard from several regions now that the adage "Honor before Victory" has been forgotten. There seems to be many fencers whose primary concern is winning the bout. The term rhino hiding is coming back into play. This is not good. Forgive me while I step up on my soapbox and quote from a very excellent paper written by Geoffrey of the Bay from Ansteorra (more details below) "Reputation is the most powerful factor in your enjoyment of the Rapier community. A negative reputation will last far, far longer than a tournament victory. Once you have a bad reputation, it can be very difficult to change people's perception." "Many fencers simply don't see the fact that they are entering a community of fencers. It isn't a simple matter of showing up to practice and poking at people with metal sticks. Those who approach the game from this aspect will have a harder time getting help, advancing, and even, occasionally, finding people who are willing to fight with them. Think of the rapier field as a big sandbox where you can't do anything interesting by yourself." "One of the most important things to learn about the community is that people's view of Honor is critical to your acceptance within the community. Unfortunately, everybody has a different view of what Honor means, and how it applies to rapier." "The main components of Honor are generally held to be Honesty and Fairness. I won't go beyond that in trying to describe Honor, but I would like to make one point. Honor and Courtesy are frequently confused. As an example, asking somebody to yield because they are wounded, and yielding when asked to yield due to a wound, is not an honorable or dishonorable act. Asking your opponent to yield in this situation can only be measured in terms of courtesy, and is highly dependent on the details of the situation." "HOWEVER. It does no good for anybody, most of all yourself, if you do not win by skill. Your goal is to best your opponent, to prove to them that on this day, on this field, that you are the better swordsman. Err on the side of conservatism. Call any questionable shot. Call back any shot that you aren't sure landed. Don't let the fight end with a victory for yourself if you did not earn it. Each time you lose to a questionable shot - vow that next time you will defend well enough that they won't even get that close to you." "Yielding when asked is a courtesy to your opponent, and a sign of high respect for their skill. In effect, you say "You have bested me this day, and I give you the field without forcing you to prove yourself further." You do no dishonor to yourself by continuing to fight, nor by yielding. It is your choice, and it should be made in reference to your feelings about your opponent." "In discussing yielding, it is assumed that either you or your opponent has been wounded. In either case, there is an advantage on one side or the other. It is a common practice to give up an advantage gained and fight evenly again. For example, if you lose your arm, you will find that many opponents will match your loss before taking to the fight again. Additionally, some opponents will give up a part of their advantage. For instance, if you take your opponent's sword arm, you may elect to stop using your off hand, but retain your sword arm. Finally, any fighter may choose to keep their advantage and continue the fight. As with yielding, giving up an advantage is a deeply personal decision, but it is not about honor. It is about respect, and courtesy, and a willingness to match a fighter -skill against skill, until victory is certain." "If you have a question about a shot you received, ask your opponent. A good tactic is to approach your opponent, tilt your head close to theirs, and quietly ask - "was x shot good?" If they answer in the affirmative, or that they don't know, simply fall." "If you thought you hit your opponent, you should ask them. It is unfair to them to let them leave the field without explaining what they thought happened if you disagree with their call. If you still disagree with their call, ask the marshals what they saw. If you feel strongly that the fight was not concluded within your belief, it is rarely remiss to request a refight. There are two points to consider, however. Don't get involved in a contest of wills that leads to long discussions on the field. If things get ugly, or seem to be taking a long time, simply yield the fight and walk away. If you are angry - give courtesy to your opponent and leave the area so that until you are completely calm and accepting, and then come back and address any possible problems with the marshallate and ask that your opponent be watched in the future." "Then, let the loss go, and vow to fight another day. No matter how new or how old, it is hard to accept a loss when you deserve it, much less when you don't. There are other tournaments, other days. Your good deeds will be remembered as much as their bad deeds. Seek clarification, but never confront someone on the field. Seek outside advice before making rash decisions - fights frequently look very different from the sidelines." "Once you are off the field - be gracious about the opponent's victory. Do not spread rumors about bad blow calling or otherwise negative conduct. This will haunt you more often than it will accomplish anything. It is permissible to discuss any possible problems with the marshallate and possibly" your most trusted sparring partner, "but beyond that, I recommend not discussing it with anybody." "When you step into it, you get just as much mud on your own boots." (I have taken much of this text from an excellent paper written by Geoffrey of the Bay, from Ansteorra titled "(Previously) Unwritten Rules of the Rapier Community." If you'd like, I can send you the entire 12-page paper. I don't remember what website I got it from.) --------- The Drop Tester As I stated in my Pale letter, the drop tester will be THE STANDARD in approximately a year. All kingdoms have to deal with this new standard. Many kingdoms are up in arms about previously acceptable armor, now failing the test, primarily when it comes to linen and silk armor. I think what has occurred in the past is during the foil test the armor gets pushed into the ground by the foil. This effect is exactly why, allegedly, the Mongols wore silk armor; to remove arrows from their bodies. Well if this is true, this means that if a broken blade hits you your thin silk/linen armor will not prevent the blade from puncturing your skin, but will merely go along for the ride. OK, granted, the armor proved to be puncture resistant, but the intent of the armor is to lessen the chance of piercing your skin. The fabric holder for the drop tester holds the fabric in place and prevents it from wrapping around the pin and riding along with it. The drop tester will yield the same results no matter who uses it. The same cannot be said for the foil test. I like the drop tester. Below are some comments from other kingdoms. "Utilizing the new drop tester I've tested a layer of linen sandwiched between two layers of raw silk, and it's passed with flying colors. I'm making myself a set of armor based on this, although I may make the shirt linen and the doublet silk." "I can say the biggest difference in how well something will pass is the weave of the fabric, obviously the tighter the better but the type of weave makes a big difference. Jacquards pass the best (fabrics in which different threads are woven in to make a pattern, often used in drapery or upholstery, jacquards were _very_ popular in period). Next would be corduroys. Next in strength (of the common weaves) would be a twill weave (one side of the fabric there are visible lines running diagonally), velveteen seem to do as well as twill weaves, but they seem affected by the fiber content a lot. Finally a straight weave comes last. Basically the more complex the weave the better it passes. " "Also mixing the fabrics for the armor does better. For example with cotton twills, two different fabrics may pass three layers apiece but one layer of each together will pass. And remember test all fabric _after_ washing or dry-cleaning it once. That first wash changes the mechanical properties of the fabric a _huge_ amount." "One thing I think we're going to have to educate our fighters on is that washing garb is slowly going to break down the fibers. One of the best tips I ever got from a costuming laurel was never to use fabric softener with rapier armor. Apparently how the "softener" works is that it breaks down the fibers." "I also recommend a "gentle" or "soak" cycle and not using the dryer, hang it to dry. Modern dryers are brutal on clothes (if you are putting it in the dryer put it in with heavy, wet, towels, the heat on the jackets will be much nicer)." "What we recommend though is that if you make armor or have armor made have a sample of all the layers involved, about 8-10 inches wide and as long as you can. Whenever the armor is washed, wash the sample and store the sample with the armor. If there is no noticeable difference in wear between the sample and the armor the sample can be tested rather than the armor (which is good with a destructive test like we use), but if there is a noticeable difference or a wear spot in the armor the armor has to be tested. As well people can have the testing marshal initialize and date the test so they have proof it was done. I will also sign and initial masks if people want it done after they are tested." "If people want to do the "test square" method, I would recommend sewing the square to the inside of the armor, maybe as a flap on the inside of the back, or perhaps designate one peplin on your doublet as a "test dummy". That way you *know* that the test square has had the same level of abuse as the armor itself." In reference to having armor testing documented on your authorization card. "As to the card thing, yikes! I have 4 different doublets that I fight in, with 3 different shirts I might wear under them (some doublets need the shirt for enough layers, some don't). Plus a Triplette undergarment that I'll throw "any old shirt" over as yet another outfit to fight in. Oh yeah, a mask and a helm, each with separate hoods. I'd hate to have to carry cards for all my armor combinations." "As for the cards/honor system, Society rules specify it is the burden of the fighter to make sure they are in compliance. If the kingdoms want to implement something else, that's up to them, but personally I think the administrative hassle would be mind-boggling. And when you get down to it, we can really only do so much to manage the risk, and the more you try to test and guarantee safety, the more effort it takes, and it increases exponentially. The drop test is better than the old test, but it does not fix all the problems, nor was it intended to." ----------------- MidRealm Legal Blades Rapier: Schlaeger (diamond and oval) blades Del Tin practice rapier blades Del Tin bated rapier blades Scottie Diamond Schlaeger blades Zamorano rapier blades Starfire rapier blades Hanwei Practical series Daggers: Flexi-type Daggers Scottie Flexible Dagger Blades Safe-Flex Mark 2 Dagger Blades The following blades are SCA legal, but I have had no requests to make them MidRealm legal: Rapiers: Alchem Safeflex rapier Angus Trim practical series rapier Daggers: Triplette dagger (Approx $59 - not yet available) Angus Trim practical series dagger (Approx $125) **Remember** Even though a blade is deemed MidRealm legal, it still needs to pass the flex test. ----------- Planned Events My next planned events are: 11/9/02 - Toys for Tots (Morrice, MI) 11/23/02 - Dancer's Revolt 1/4/03 - Pentamere 12th Night 1/19/03 - Pentamere Open 2/8/03 - St. Valentines Day Massacre Dienst mit einem Laecheln, Max