User Guide

Marshal’s Manual: III. Marshalling Combat in General Page 7 of 36

C. What to Watch For

1. Timing of blows

• Simultaneous blows (in order to judge whether or not a double-kill has occurred)

2. Boundaries

• Combatants approaching the list or battlefield boundary

• Spectators getting too close to the list or battlefield boundary from the outside

3. Breakage

• Broken weapons

• Loss of blunting tips

• Broken armor or straps

• Excessive splintering of shields or hafts

4. Health and Injury

• Signs of extreme exhaustion of the combatants, marked by a combatants inability to defend or

attack effectively

•Injuries

5. Combatants' Behavior

• Blatantly ignoring blows received

• Excessive force (See Combat Manual, Article I.E. for issues concerning excessive force and

fighters conduct on the field)

• Loss of temper (If a combatant loses his temper, instruct the combatant to calm down or leave

the field. The marshal has authority over any combatant regardless of their rank, status, etc.)

TOURNAMENT

If a combatant is hit with an apparently good blow:

• Allow the combatant a few seconds to accept the blow.

• If it goes unacknowledged, call a hold and ask the combatant that was hit if he felt the blow.

• Inform him of where you saw the blow land, angle of the blow and what part of the weapon

landed.

• Refrain from sounding judgmental (e.g. “It looked like it came in from here and landed here,”

as opposed to “You are so dead”).

• Also, ask the combatant that threw the blow his opinion of the blow and what he felt when it

landed (e.g. Was it a dull thud like hitting a shield; or a mushy impact, like hitting gambeson?).

• If this occurs a second time, the marshal may make the decision for the combatant.

• If the initial blow was obviously good, the marshal shall award the point and caution the

receiving combatant to be more aware of incoming blows.

WAR

If a combatant is hit with an obviously good blow that goes unacknowledged:

• Point your staff at that combatant and announce that he has been killed (or wounded) loud

enough for him to hear you.

• If the combatant does not hear you, tap him with your staff to get his attention or call a hold if

you cannot get to him.

If a combatant is injured on the field, immediately call a hold and call for a physicker to attend

to the injured combatant. Do not remove any pieces of armor until the physicker arrives

unless that armor is restricting the breathing of the combatant in some way.