The Lynx Accords

This document will serve to outline the expectations for combatants, marshals, and event organizers for recreating medieval-styled martial arts tournaments and passages of arms, both in armor and out of it. We seek to uphold medieval fighting traditions and encourage and facilitate the demonstration of prowess in the handling of arms in all sundry manners, from fully armored deeds of arms on foot, to squires’ lysts or armor-as-worn bouting, to mass skirmishes and melees, to one-on-one civilian dueling in fencing masks and clothing.

This is aimed to be a holistic system to cover all such martial contexts, and as such we will be broadly dividing fighting into three categories: Armored (aka harnischfechten, entirely covered in historically accurate plate and mail), Partially Armored (akin to a squire, sergeant, or an infantry kit, with bits of harness augmented with modern HEMA-style safety gear), and Unarmored (fighting entirely in HEMA-style fencing gear). This is a sliding scale, so the more armor you put on, obviously, the more armored you will be, and the Accords will reflect that choice. 

1. To encourage the demonstration of the Art—that is, the Art of Defense. Whether or not you were hit is almost always a more important question than whether or not you landed a good blow. Harnischfechten is possibly the most nuanced martial art there is, and we can never safely simulate the effects of real weapons in real situations against real armor, but we can simulate the actions leading up to it. The minute a quality hit is landed, our simulation ceases to be useful and so it is best to simply reset and try again. 
2. To encourage and facilitate fighting according to techniques which are both martially and historically sound, while being executed safely in a controlled environment. We are trying to recreate a martial context (such as a pas d’Armes a l’outrance or judicial duel, or battlefield single combat) rather than a sportive one (such as jousting, fighting to counted blows, or fighting at the barriers). 
3. To temper the first two points with the third: that armor works, and historical armored fighting treatises instruct us in ways of explicitly defeating armor. We aim to create an armor-as-worn combat environment where armor is able to offer a direct, tangible benefit to its wearer, while at the same time allowing those with less fully protective armor to try to fight against that disparity in a safe and rewarding way, supplementing with modern sporting gear where necessary. 

Simulating combat armor-as-worn 

LIGHT ARMOR is bypassed immediately upon quality contact. Everything can cut or thrust through light armor–it offers no protection. 

Examples of quality strikes to LIGHT ARMOR:

• Any hew with the edge
• Any slice, push cut, or draw cut
• Any structured or unstructured thrust
• Any concussive blow

Examples of LIGHT ARMOR

• Clothing (hosen, pants, arming garment, surcoat, or armor coverings)
• Light leather (shoes, undergloves, non-hardened or non-historical leather armor)
• Padded textile armor (gambeson, fencing jacket, padded aventail)
• Modern plastic or non-historical protective gear (fencing mask, plastic limb & joint defenses, HEMA gloves, plastic brigandines or concealed sport armor)
• Perforated steel plate, as found on visors to make them safe against thrusts (“open face” visors, eye slits, and places where historical helms or visors would have had openings)
• Any style of supplemental base layer throat defense (mail standard or pisan, HEMA gorget, brigandine or leather gorget. Excludes bevors and standing plate gorgets). This is for safety: once someone has gotten underneath the primary throat defense layer (a bevor or aventail, for example), we don’t want them to keep attempting a structured thrust against the windpipe. 

MEDIUM ARMOR is proof against hews, slices, and unstructured thrusts, and it offers a fair amount of protection while being flexible and mobile. 

Examples of quality strikes to MEDIUM ARMOR:

• Any structured thrust
• Any concussive blow

Examples of MEDIUM ARMOR

• Riveted mail of reasonable construction (aventail, hauberk or haubergeon, mail skirt or brayette, mail voiders or sleeves). There will be no functional difference between 9mm and 6mm links or whether the weave is 4-in-1 or 6-in-1, and the density and rigidity of the mail will play no bearing on its treatment under our ruleset. This is for consistency in judging and in calling of blows. 
• In extremis, butted mail may be allowed on the field, with the expectation that its wearer will upgrade in the future. 
• Thick or hardened historical leather armor (leather limb defenses, cuir boulli cuirass)
• Standalone semirigid textile defense (20+ layer quilted jacks, tar-impregnated waffenrocks)
• Scale armor mounted to a leather or textile backing in a way that allows a thrust to slide beneath or between the plates
• Lamellar armor (though outside of our medieval scope, it may be allowed in extremis if the host isn’t going for a strictly coherent historical look) which is laced together in a way that a sharp sword could find gaps between the plates or cut laces

HEAVY ARMOR is proof against almost all blows, but is most vulnerable at the joints and the sides or back of the helmet. 

Examples of quality strikes to HEAVY ARMOR: 

• A concussive blow to the head or joints

Examples of HEAVY ARMOR

• Anywhere covered by steel plate defense fashioned like an approximation of historical armor
• In extremis, titanium may be used, provided that it looks like steel and does not offend the host. Keep in mind that it is much lighter and easier to wear for longer, and this may play a part in any discussions of worthiness and prowess. 
• Anything of a brigandine or splinted construction with overlapping steel plates (coats of plates, corazzinas, brigandines, splinted arms or legs, Visby style gauntlets. If the plates do not overlap, a thrust can score between the plates against the textile or leather shell)

• Valid only against light armor. 
• Must be performed with at least a 45 degree arc of motion. 
• Must have good edge alignment. 
• Must be with the ‘weak’ of the sword—the half of the blade closest to the point. 

• Valid only against light armor. 
• Must first press with the edge against the target, then apply either a push or pull motion with at least half of the blade. 
• Slices should be done against the hands, neck, face, belly, and extremities. Slices to the chest are not considered sufficient. 
• The edge can be used to control and bind limbs but simply edge pressing is not a valid scoring action until a push or pull motion is performed or unless it lands as the result of a hewing cut. 

• Valid only against light armor. 
• Any attack where the point lands as the weapon is moving in the direction of the point is considered a thrust. 
• If the opponent is backing away from the thrust, especially faster than it is coming in, any point contact may be considered incidental and insufficient. 

• Valid against light and medium armor. 
• Must attain contact with the point and continue to press and maintain contact until structure is met. 
• A sufficient indication of good structure is arrested motion or displacement of the target or target area and/or flex of the weapon. 
• Special note should be taken that the arms are either fully straightened or fully bent, held close to the body and locked into a biomechanical structure point like the hips, chest, or armpits.
• One handed thrusts will be scrutinized for quality and structure as well, but we accept that in some cases (i.e., with sword and shield fighting) there is no way to achieve as much structure as with a two handed thrust. We assume all weapons are simulating those which are as dangerous as possible to the armor in this case, and may be more forgiving with calling structured thrusts due to safety and feasibility. In those cases where structure is difficult to achieve based on the nature of the weapon, special attention should be paid to arrested motion or displacement of the target area, and/or flex of the weapon.

• Valid blows against light, medium, and (sometimes) heavy armor. 
• Against heavy armor, they must be performed to the head and joints.
• Only the heads of mass weapons and parts of weapons designed to inflict concussive blows will be able to inflict them sufficiently. 
• Punches, elbow strikes, kicks, and other unarmed strikes will not be counted as concussive blows.
• Hews and strikes with the blade of a sword will not be counted as concussive blows against medium or heavy armor. 
• Striking with a shield other than a buckler will not be counted as concussive blows due to safety. 
• Strikes with a buckler count as concussive blows to light armor, as long as they are struck to the head or face of a fencing mask or “open face” helmet. Buckler strikes should be done with the boss or flat of the shield, rather than with the rim, especially towards a fencing mask. 
• Polearm strikes with a hammer, blade, axe, or beak count as concussive blows. Strikes with the haft of a polearm will not be counted as concussive blows against heavy armor. 
• Strikes with one-handed axes, maces, and warhammers count as concussive blows to medium armor and to the sides of the head. There must be a minimum 60 degree arc of motion accompanying any such strike and it is up to the combatants and marshals whether or not it is sufficient. The target should be displaced in a way that briefly halts the action. Mass weapon strikes which glance off of a visor or a helmet are not sufficient. 
• Pommel strikes with two hands on the hilt or one hand on the hilt and one hand free count as concussive blows to light armor, as long as they are struck to the head or face. This must be executed with control—mortschlag strikes or or or pommel or quillon strikes from a halfswording position are to be considered too dangerous for use against fencing masks and so are not to be used against them, but may be simply “shown” without contact to score. 
• Fencing masks are not to be struck with blows from a pollaxe or any other polearm. A thrust from the queue or dague ends to the face is a valid attack and as a general rule, those wearing fencing masks should not be fighting against pollaxes. 

• Throws will be allowed but do not necessarily always need to be carried out fully in order to score. At any point in a throw where it looks like one combatant has achieved a dominant position to the point where the other combatant has no real options except falling, either the marshals or said combatant can call “set” or “halt!” and the throw will be scored in favor of the one who has compromised their opponent’s structure. This is grappling “to set”.
• If a grappled combatant does not feel like they have been compromised, they may continue fighting to the ground at their option, or may yield the round to the one attempting the throw—unless of course the marshals intervene and halt the action. 
• A throw to the ground with one combatant still standing will be considered the end of the round and a scoring action. 
• Trips or stumbles from a combatant are NOT a scoring action. 
• “Ring-outs” or “shoving from the lysts” are NOT scoring actions, and will simply involve the fighters being reset in “krieg” (close fighting distance) together in the center of the field. 
• Throwing an opponent to the ground and following them down can be considered scoring. The marshals may decide to call Halt immediately if the throw is with control or someone ends in a dominant position. If not, there will be a 10 count to determine dominant position. If no dominant position is reached, the fighters are reset. 
• Joint manipulations, locks, holds, and arm bars should only be shown, SLOWLY, and not fully executed. It is up to the marshals as well as the combatants to sense when a lock or hold is attained. If you are unable to safely do this, don’t try it. These techniques are very dangerous and will come with a warning if done at speed. 
• If a helmet or other piece of armor comes off during wrestling, the combat will be halted and the round reset or awarded depending on superior positioning. (Example 1: fighter A gets fighter B in a head clench and removes his helmet. The action is halted and fighter A is awarded the round. Example 2: the fighters are in close with pollaxe and fighter A’s right pauldron begins to fall off, exposing the shoulder to a thrust. The action is allowed to continue at the marshal’s discretion.)

• A disarm is only a scoring action once the disarmed fighter is deprived of all their weapons. If the primary weapon is lost, the sword or dagger can be drawn and used and the action is not halted. 
• If both fighters lose their weapons, the action will continue and the only way to score will be grappling. 
• Weapons strewn about the field can be picked up by the combatants and used, however they do present a safety risk when both combatants are in full visors and unable to see them. For that reason, marshals, squires, and other attendants are encouraged to remove discarded weapons at their consideration. At the beginning of the next round, the fighters may choose to receive them again or simply continue the fight with their secondary weapons. 
• Grabbing the opponent’s weapon is perfectly legal, so long as it is stationary or being contained while doing so. Grabbing a weapon in motion of a hew or thrust can be considered a hand hit in the opponent’s favor

There are many other optional rules which may be agreed upon prior to the bout between combatants or can be set by the host in advance in order to encourage a specific type of combat.

Many period fechtbucher covering armored judicial combat with the sword feature swords with spiked or sharpened quillons and/or spiked pommels, and these could be considered odd and fantastical weapons if they were not so ubiquitous in the sources. These spiked guards and pommels are of course indicative of how these swords were used, as well as the fact that pommel and quillon strikes against armor appear all throughout the sources. 

Putting actual spikes on our training weapons is not an option, but we can easily simulate the behavior of such specialized armored fighting swords with the following rules. Of course, these techniques are fairly valid even without sharpened quillons too, but certainly more viable once we assume all weapon simulators perform as well as their most dangerous counterparts.

• Strikes with the crossguard or pommel of the sword count as concussive blows to medium armor and to the sides of the helmet. There must be a minimum 60 degree arc of motion accompanying any such strike and it is up to the combatants and marshals whether or not it is sufficient. The target should be displaced in a way that briefly halts the action. Hilt strikes which glance off of a visor or a helmet are not sufficient. Both hands must be on the weapon, in a half-sword grip with one hand on the hilt and one on the blade. 
• Just as with thrusts against mail, special attention should be paid to structure. Not all hilt strikes are equal, just like not all thrusts are equal. Marshals should look for displacement of the target area or the arrested motion thereof. For instance, a pommel strike which glances off a visor is likely insufficient, but one that causes the opponent’s head or body structure to give way should generally be awarded. 
• The marshal should halt the combat when a hilt strike occurs which causes a brief break in the action. If a combatant is struck by a hilt and briefly stops fighting, staggers back, or if they self-call the strike as successful, they yield the point for that hilt strike to the other fighter. If the action is uninterrupted by the hilt strike, it may be deemed as too light and glancing and the combat should be allowed to continue. 
• If a fighter is struck by a hilt and neither combatant feels like it is sufficient, the combat should be allowed to continue.
• These kinds of hilt strikes are to be considered too dangerous for use against fencing masks and so are not to be used against them.
• 
  

Same as above, assuming sharpened quillons and spiked pommels here makes a lot of sense. Still, these attacks are ruthlessly effective even in full armor with blunted quillons and rounded pommels at anything resembling high speed. Skill and restraint should be the focus of this style of combat. 

• Mortschlag strikes with the crossguard or pommel of a sword count as concussive blows. Mortschlags will not be counted if performed with only one hand on the blade, those fall under Hilt Strikes (above).
• If using non-steel polypropylene, wooden, or aluminum simulators with rubberized hilt furniture, this rule can be considered implicit rather than explicit.
• If using steel swords, control and respect must be used and even then only between two very experienced combatants. If the marshals deem it as unsafe, the combatants may be asked to use more appropriate simulators or to fight without mortschlags.
• These kinds of strikes are to be considered too dangerous for use against anyone in partial armor or light armor, and so are not to be used against them.

• Grappling is by default allowed, but if one or both combatants choose they can score throws “to set”. It is up to the combatant to yield when they have been taken far enough off balance that they no longer feel comfortable or safe with the level of grappling. At any point in a throw where it looks like one combatant has achieved a dominant position to the point where the other combatant has no real options except falling, either the marshals or said combatant can call “set” or “halt!” and the throw will be scored in favor of the one who has compromised their opponent’s structure. This is grappling “to set”. 
• At their option, combatants can also simply state their wish that there be no grappling. In this case, neither combatant may grab any part of their opponent or their opponent’s armor and combat will be halted and reset if this occurs. Grabbing the weapon is still legal in this case, however. 

• If the combatants approach with spears, the marshal may ask them if they intend to throw the spears. 
• The marshal may decide, due to the presence of spectators, the nature of the list field, or any other safety concern, that spears will not be thrown. 
• If a spear is thrown and hits its target with the point, it is counted as a structured thrust and is valid against light and medium armor. 
• Daggers, pollaxes, and swords should not be thrown. Spears for throwing should ideally have rubber spearheads, unless the marshal deems it safe to use steel spears. 
• Weapons which are thrown, lost, or discarded should be safely removed from the list field by a squire, marshal, or other attendant. 

• For every fight there will be one Marshal, at least one Judge, and two Fighters.
• Especially for fully armored combat, there should also be an Attendant or Squire for each Fighter. Their job is to lock and unlock visors, supply appropriate weapons, and help coach and hydrate their fighter as well as anything else necessary to ensure their fighter is fighting at full capability with minimum distractions and hindrances. 

• The marshal will introduce the fighters and ask them their terms: how many exchanges they have agreed to, whether or not they will use hilt strikes/mortschlags, whether or not they want to grapple, etc.
• The marshal will loudly call “ENGAGE” or “LAY ON” or some equivalent to the fencers in order for combat to begin.
• The marshal will loudly call “HALT” to halt the combat after acknowledging a scoring action or to halt the action due to a safety concern.
• The marshal will declare the outcome of the round, based on input from the judges and fighters. The marshal, judges, and fighters all work together to determine the outcome, though the marshal has final arbitration.
• The marshal may reset the fighters “in krieg” (close fighting distance) in the center of the lysts if the outcome is messy, unclear, or the exchange ended prematurely due to a ring-out or being driven from the lysts. 
• The marshal will focus on the safety of the fighters at all times, and can give out warnings for excessive force or reckless behavior. The marshal will also authorize armor, equipment, and weapon pairings before each fight. If they see something that is unsafe or not sufficiently protective, the marshal can halt and ask for fighters to change their equipment accordingly before proceeding.
• The marshal should have a staff, a spear, or a polearm handy that they can use to start matches, control the bounds of the combat with, intercept stray blows, and, if necessary, separate the fighters.

• The judges are responsible for being an extra set of eyes on the combat and assisting the marshal in watching for safety concerns and scoring actions.
• The judges will loudly call “POINT” or similar to denote a scoring action, but should not call “HALT” unless it is due to a safety issue or armor failure not related to any scoring actions taking place. That is reserved for the marshal’s judgment, and the marshal may not think a blow was good quality and so may continue combat despite a judge’s call. 
• The judges will explain what they saw as the marshal asks it of them.
• If there are two judges, each judge will be assigned to watch hits delivered FROM a specific fighter. 

• We expect the fighters to fight to show their skill at arms and exemplify virtues of chivalry, especially prowess, courtesy, and honor. Who “wins” a match is not always the same thing as who is the most Artful. Show your Art. Be technical and skillful. 
• We expect the fighters to be respectful and controlled with their strikes and blows. If an opponent is wearing a light level of gear, it is not Artful to powerfully strike them with reckless abandon. Fight only to the level that you must, and use only as much power as you need. No more. Brutality is not Artful nor is it chivalrous. Excessive force will be met with a warning from the marshals. 
• The marshal has final say for matters of disciplinary measures against combatants who are becoming too hot-headed, angry, dangerous, or quarrelsome. Be chivalrous and courteous. 
• The fighters must keep their equipment well-maintained according to the safety standards in this document. It is the responsibility of the fighter and their squire to reduce the chance of armor failures happening. Harness should be frequently tested on a regular basis and the fighter and their squire should understand it thoroughly.
• Fighters must maintain their weapon simulators to a safe standard. All steel swords, spears, and daggers intended for harnischfechten shall be tipped with a 3/4” rubber tip to prevent entry into the occularia or other weak points. In unarmored fencing, rolled or spatulated tips may be used. All mass weapons (pollaxes, etc) must be of a safe rubberized or polymer material and must be significantly lighter than their steel counterparts. 
• The fighters shall fight and defend themselves from the time the marshal calls “ENGAGE” to the time the marshal calls “HALT”. 
• The fighters may call “SET”, “POINT”, “GOOD”, or equivalent any time if they themselves feel like a good blow has been struck against them and yield the point for the round to the other fighter. 
• The fighters may also call “HALT” or “HOLD” etc., to stop the fight anytime they experience an equipment malfunction, safety issue, or need a short timeout. 

• We expect a fully armored harnischfechten deed or passage at arms to have at least a few squires or attendants to volunteer in various roles. This role is not as necessary if there are overall lower levels of armor being represented.
• Ideally, each fighter in a heavily armored deed of arms has one squire, though in extremis squires can take care of multiple fighters, and volunteers can be pulled from spectators if necessary. 
• A squire shall aid in the donning and doffing of armor, making sure their fighter is ready for their bout when they are up to fight.
• A squire shall make sure their fighter is hydrated and rested between bouts.
• A squire shall procure weapons  for their fighter according to the terms of combat.

• Every pairing of two fighters will, for clarity, be henceforth called a “match”.
• At the beginning of a match, the fighters will clarify their terms. This may be agreed on well in advance, in which case they only need to clarify to the marshal the terms of their combat. Terms may include:
  • How many rounds they intend to go to–three or five is a good number for well-paced matches. 
  • Their terms on wrestling (no grappling, grappling to set, grappling to the ground, or grappling after the ground)
  • Their terms on hilt strikes, if swords are being used (no hilt strikes, hilt strikes allowed, mortschlags allowed)
  • Their terms on spear throwing, if spears are to be thrown. 
  • Any additional terms the combatants may come up with may be discussed here.
• The marshal will inspect the fighters and their equipment for major safety issues, especially with untested kit or new fighters. This gear check need not be done every match, but should be done at the start of a deed, usually before a fighter’s first fight of the deed.
• The marshal will call, “READY?”, and visually check the fighters and their equipment for safety, even if they have already been gear checked previously. If the marshal is satisfied and the fighters respond by calling, “READY”, or saluting their opponent or similar, the marshal calls, “ENGAGE!” and the round begins. 
• The round continues until a Scoring Action has been achieved. The judge calls “POINT” and the marshal calls “HALT".
• The fighters pause for a moment after the halt and then return to their respective corners/starting positions in the lysts. 
• The marshal decides the outcome of the round, taking input from their judge and sometimes even taking input from the fighters themselves. The fighters should be courteous in this privilege and should only self-call the hits they received, not the hits they dealt. The marshal will weigh this decision but has the final say.
• There are only three possible outcomes to a round: Fighter A survived and gets the point for that round, Fighter B survived and gets the point for that round, or a Double Kill (neither fighter survived and nobody gets the point for that round). No weighted scoring or continuous fencing will take place. 
• If necessary, the marshal has the option to decide a round was sloppy or inconclusive, or if it went out of bounds, and so reset the round in “krieg”--that is, close fighting distance where neither must take a step to hit the other–in the center of the field.

The Lynx Accords are designed to be flexible and lightweight, able to easily be used in many different formats for many different traditions of combats and tones of events. Since this document mostly covers scoring rules and armor & weapon efficacy, it is very easy to host any style of fighting event, from a competitive HEMA-style tournament, to a mass skirmish with mixed armor levels, to a fully armored deed of arms with as much pageantry and fanfare as that warrants. 

The fighting in a Pas d’Armes shall be done for honor and prowess, and to show skill at arms and demonstrate ability and judgment and all understanding of the gentlemanly art of fencing, either in or out of armor as the case may be.

Once the company of combatants feel that they are satisfied or that time or energy is running out, we will adjourn the fighting for that event, and  each team shall later meet and discuss who among them was the First Among Equals in that event. One should not name one’s self, of course, and it is important that not only prowess be recognized but other virtues too. 

Tenans & Venans

If there are enough people that there are two teams, then a captain of each team shall be named. 

These teams are traditionally the Tenans (those who hold the field/the home team/the tenants) and the Venans (those who come to take the field/the away team), though their actual names and compositions can be changed to balance teams or to fit a theme.

In the combat of the event, combatants should only fight those of the opposing team. 

Traditionally the Venans make their challenges and choose the weapons they wish to use, and the Tenans will send someone to meet them. This can also be dealt with fairly loosely if the fighters have a clear idea of what fights they wish to have—the primary goal is to keep things moving smoothly. 

At the conclusion of the fighting, each team will go into its own conclave and discuss who shall be named First Among the other team. The Tenans will name the First Among the Venans, and likewise should the Venans name the First Among the Tenans. 

There may still be, at the option of the host, the ability to name a First Among Equals, irrespective of their team. 

 As previously stated, one of the primary objectives with the Lynx Accords is scalability of techniques according to the armor people are wearing. This should be organic and not necessarily as cut and dry as it is listed here. Depending on the context, a combatant may choose to wear more or less armor than listed here, but these requirements are a good standard for what constitutes combat in a “knights’ lyst”, that is, a passage of arms meant to be fought only between combatants with full armor.

Weapon Requirements

• Weapons must be agreed upon before the bout. These could be swords, spears, pollaxes, daggers, or anything else that the combatants agree to and that the marshal deems safe. Weapons may even be switched out mid-fight depending on the terms of combat. 
• Swords should be steel and fairly stiff, yet suitably safe for harness fencing.
• All steel swords, spears, and daggers must be tipped with rubber blunt tips larger than 3/4 inch diameter, so that they cannot possibly enter a visor opening.
• If desired, polymer swords may be used, in which case mordschlag actions are implicitly allowed.
• Pollaxes should be of a light, hard rubber, such as thermoset plastic, and should be less than half the weight of a steel pollaxe of equivalent size. Dense, heavy rubber is not allowed, as its mass is overall too similar to a real axe. It should have a dague or thrusting spike at the top which has some flex but not too much. Polearms may have rubber spikes or blunts on the queue or butt end. If this is the case, the queue is a valid simulator of a butt spike and can therefore be used to deliver thrusts as if it were a spear. 
• Spears should be steel, though rubber can be used in extremis–especially against an opponent who is not wearing mail.
• Daggers may be worn at all times during all fighting, and may be drawn at any time. Daggers may be steel, rubber, or wood.
• One-handed mass weapons such as axes, maces, and warhammers should be of a rubber or polymer construction, never steel. 
• Crossguards or quillons should be button—tipped or rounded, so as to be unable to enter an eyeslot or any visor openings. If necessary, rubber tips may be added to the ends. 
• Shields should be of a historical design appropriate to the era of armor they are being paired with. Keep in mind that in our era, shields are giving way to more complete armor configurations, so those who wish to use shields should wear a level of armor that a shield would supplement. 

Protective Equipment Requirements

Armor should be representative of a style worn in Europe from 1350 to 1550. We recognize that this is a very broad time period and that people may be matched up in uneven situations against people with a far better level of coverage. We assume that combatants will realize and accept this challenge. Safety trumps authenticity, but of course period solutions should be sought wherever possible, and modern equipment should be used where period solutions fall short of our requirements.

• Fully enclosed steel helmet with mail or rigid throat & neck defense. 16 gauge steel minimum. There must be no place on the helmet or underneath where a ½ inch by ½ inch object may pass through to the eyes, head, neck, or face. Larger openings must be filled with perforated steel plate and are counted as open faced in those areas. All visors must have a means of being locked down so that they cannot accidentally be opened during a bout.
• All helmets must be properly fitted with padded textile suspension liners and/or modern anti-concussion foam padding, preferably both. Padded arming caps may be worn as an augmentation to helmet systems without proper padding, as long as they still have a solid suspension system. Helmets should fit the wearer’s head well enough that they do not shift or loosely about the head during combat. 
• All helmets must be securely strapped to the head and face so that there is no chance of the helmet, visor, bevor, or any part of the helmet system being driven into the chin, mouth, or face. 
• Helmets with large oculars, open face visors, or other gaps must cover those areas with perforated steel plate. If instead there are no such gaps, and the visor instead has lots of fairly large breaths evenly distributed across the visor and no discernible oculars as target zones, then it is considered as pierced plate. As this is a historically documented visor design for a variety of different helmets, it is counted as heavy armor and is therefore proof against thrusts and cuts. This can be fairly confusing for beginners to understand intuitively but intent and historicity are the major factors determining what is pierced plate and what isn’t. It should be up to the marshal and combatants to determine intent. 
• If a visor is intended to be treated as “open face”, its visor should be constructed of perforated steel plate, similar to pierced plate as described above except for having many smaller holes much closer together. This is not a historical armor design, and therefore it counts as protective gear (light armor) rather than as full face protection. Again, intent is a major motivation behind this. A pierced plate visor can be treated as open face if its wearer opts for it, but not vice versa.
• Rigid torso protection of a period style (such as a breastplate, cuirass, brigandine, coat of plates, or corazzina)
• Mail shirt, voiders, or sleeves & skirt covering the torso & everywhere from elbows to groin that is not covered by rigid protection. Armpits MUST be protected by mail and a sturdy arming garment, or a puncture-resistant Newton-rated fencing jacket if mail is not worn. 
• Sturdy arming garment or gambeson. Must have fully covered seams at the armpit, no open armpits are permitted. 
• Steel gauntlets of the five-finger or mitten type. For pollaxe, mitten gauntlets or “finger rondels”, or gauntlets with an extended metacarpal plate which protects the knuckles should be used. 
• Rigid steel forearm or elbow protection at minimum (floating or articulated arm harness, bazubands, vambraces & couters, large pauldrons, etc)
• Rigid steel knee or shin protection at minimum (greaves, cuisses & poleyns, floating knees, etc.)
• Rigid gorget (leather, steel, reinforced mail standard, or modern). Mail standards must have a trauma plate reinforcing the throat area. 
• Shoulder protection (spaulders/pauldrons/besagews) is optional, but incredibly useful for pollaxe fighting.
• Cup, required as gender dictates. The groin is a very real target in armored fencing. Be warned.
• Mouth guard. Optional, but very useful when dealing with concussive blows and wrestling, especially as supplemental protection within a helmet suspension and padding system.  

In unarmored fencing, combatants will be wearing modern HEMA protective gear and simulating an unarmored fight. If medium or heavy armor is worn in this style of event, hits against it will still count as hits against unarmored targets. Since armor confers no benefit in this tournament aside from safety, you are encouraged to wear soft, HEMA-specific protective gear such as fencing masks and jackets.

Things such as surcoats over jackets, period hoods over fencing masks, historical doublets and gambesons rather than modern fencing jackets, etc, are encouraged to maintain a period aesthetic but are not required to participate. 

Historical accuracy or period portrayal is not required as such, but it is welcomed. Safety certainly trumps authenticity, particularly in a blossfechten tournament where our gear is by nature ahistorical. On the other hand, combatants should also keep in mind that there is no need to over-armor, as this contest is about demonstrating skill rather than about proving who can hit harder or faster, and the over-bulk of protective gear can be a detriment to clean fencing ability. Keeping fencing clean and masterful is the primary objective.

Weapon Requirements

• Weapons must be agreed upon before the bout, but may be almost anything from sword & buckler, longsword, messer, dagger, sword & shield, arming sword or sidesword, alone, or anything else that the combatants agree to and that the marshal deems safe.
• Steel swords of suitable flex and safety for unarmored fencing (according to the marshal’s discretion) with rolled, spatulated, or rubber tips
• No steel sword that is primarily a harness-fencing sword shall be used against an unarmored opponent
• Daggers should be wood or polymer
• Bucklers should be steel, wood, or polymer
• Weapons should ideally fall within the medieval or early renaissance time period
• Spearheads should be rubber tipped, rather than steel
• Other weapons (axes, polearms) are subject to the marshal’s discretion as they are generally more dangerous outside of armor than in it

Protective Equipment Requirements

• Fencing mask with back-of-the-head protection or “open face” steel helmet (counting as protective gear)
• Padded fencing jacket, sturdy arming garment, or quilted gambeson
• Fencing gloves appropriate to the weapon system intended to be used–hard clamshells, steel gauntlets, lacrosse gloves, leather gloves, etc. subject to the marshal’s approval 
• All skin must be covered
• Hard elbows/knees recommended
• Cup & gorget recommended