Item: All combats will be fought à plaisance, with or without encumbrance, for joi de combat and a celebration of chivalric virtue. Combatants are expected to comport themselves as knights at all times regardless of their rank or affiliation.

Item: All combatants are responsible for their opponent's safety as well as their own. All combatants have the right to decline a challenge or halt a fight at any time for safety concerns without loss of renown.

Item: Marshals will be present to stop the fights for safety or conduct violations. While such intervention is not expected, combatants must defer to the Marshals or to the wishes of the gallery in any matter relating to the tournament.

Item: Marshals will carefully inspect all equipment and accept a combatant as prepared to fight in the lists providing that he has met the following requirements:

• Presents a prequalification from a participating school or an authorization card from a recognized combat society (see below) or fights in the Vespers Tournament to become known.
• Has appropriate armour and weapons to compete within the lists
• Has at least one year of training in the European medieval swordsmanship
• Is familar with the conventions of the tournament and has signed the appropriate waiver

Item: Various weapons forms will be allowed within the framework of the pas. Each form will be denoted by a ribbon worn both on the combatant's arm and dressing their shield to better facilitate challenges. Note that combatants will bear one ribbon for each form of combat they agree to.

First: Combats may be fought simply à plaisance au béhourd. For the purposes of this tournament the companions intend à plaisance au béhourd to infer fighting only with bâtons (or appropriate poleweapons), over the barrier, in the field or with counted blows, with the usual target restrictions. In fights à plaisance targets with cuts or thrusts are limited to the head, body, limbs above the foot and the hands are off-limits. No grappling is allowed though any non-cutting portion of a weapon can be gripped if it can be done safely.  This form will be denoted with a ribbon argent.

Item: Note that last year the use of Wasters was allowed, but owing to the breakage experienced, their use this year is still being debated. Give your thoughts directly Brian  or vote on the Sword Forum poll.

Item: Combatants who seek to fight with rebated weapons and have satisfied the Marshal of their preparedness may also fight rebated combats à plaisance. This intention will be shown with a ribbon gules. Note that in rebated combats à plaisance there is no thrusting.

Item: Some combatants may elect to perform deeds of arms only with special weapons they have brought for the occasion, and this will be considered a sufficiently noble approach to admit them to the field as honored guests, provided that they supply enough weapons for potential opponents.

Second: Combats may be fought à plaisance sans encumbrance au béhourd. In this form combatants may use bâtons or wasters and with the discretion of safety grasp a weapon's edges. They may also attempt limited binds provided that the maneuver does not jeapordize their opponent. Sans encumbrance fights will also allow blows to any portion of the body provided that excessive force is not employed. Strikes may also be made with the pommel and hilt of the weapon.  Agreement to fight sans encumbrance au béhourd will be signalled with a ribbon sable.

Item: Same comment as above--Wasters may or not be allowed. If they are allowed--Waster-tips may be used to thrust only by mutual agreement and no thrusts may be made to a face where there is a danger of the weapon entering the occular region.

Item: For the purposes of the Schola and Company of Saint George excessive force means any blow that could cause harm in excess of bruising is prohibited for reasons of safety. In sans encumbrance fights the Marshals will actively caution and curtail practices that are deemed unsafe.

Item: Combatants who seek to fight with rebated weapons and have satisfied the Marshal of their preparedness may also fight rebated combats à plaisance sans encumbrance. This intention will be shown with a ribbon azure.

Item: Combatants shall provide their own harness suitable for the style of combat in which they intend to practice. Elements of harness must prove acceptable to the Marshal of the Day and to their opponent or a fight may not commence. Marshal's will also require that harness elements are sufficiently historical that they do not spoil the chivalric intent of the day.

Item: For challenges à plaisance au béhourd, combatants must be suitably defended by rigid protection over the joints, kidneys and hands. The head and throat shall be defended by a helmet that does not allow penetration by a weapon's tip into the face or to the neck. While grilles are allowed, they must be medieval in design and will be considered an open face such that a lighter blow to the face will count as a point. No wasters may be used for thrusting when one combatant fights with a grilled face defense. Greaves are strongly recommended as blows are now allowed to the entire leg region. Cuisses, spaulders or pauldrons, rerebraces and vambraces are strongly recommended. Coats of plate or equivilent body defenses are encouraged.

Item: For challenges à plaisance au béhourd san encumbrance, combatants must be armoured satisfactorily as above and have the following: Frontal greaves of plate or cuirboille are strongly encouraged, as are sabatons.

Item: For challenges with rebated weapons à plaisance combatants must bear the following armour and have experience in the use of rebated weapons: helmet of no less than .065" construction with occularia not wider than 1/2".  Segmented occularia are strongly preferred. The neck must be completely guarded against penetration by a blade (an aventail is the preferred defense). The body must be defended with at least a heavy gambeson, extending to the hips and including the armpits. The limbs to the knees must be defended with a minimum of leather; the knee joint must be defended by "rigid" material to include leather or plate, but not plastic. The arms must be similarly defended. The hands must have some form of rigid defense for the hands and wrist. Groin protection is mandatory for all combatants.

Item: NOTE THAT BY NEXT MAY ALL HELMETS FOR USE IN REBATED COMBATS MUST BE FITTED EITHER WITH A) SEGMENTED OCCULARIA, B) SPORTS GLASSES WORN UNDER THE VISOR OR C) LEXAN OR EQUIVILENT INSETS UNDER THE OCCULARIA.

Item: For challenges with rebated weapons à plaisance sans encumbrance combatants will need to meet the above standard with the following additions: the should have a segmented occularia; the joints must be defended by rigid materials on the exterior and mail on the interior (including the underarm, elbow and hip regions), and they should wear at a minimum frontal greaves of plate or cuirboille. A minimum of a mail shirt over a gambeson for the body and joints is required. Sabatons are strongly recommended.

Item: All combatants must present themselves in harness that is a best effort comprised of documentable medieval components. Hidden elements may be modern (as in the case of a sport cup usually adopted for defense of the groin), but obviously modern elements may be disallowed by the Marshal or gallery, so a well maintained, medieval harness is strongly recommended.

Item: Combatants shall provide their own weapons suitable for the style of combat they intend, though some combatants may provde additional weapons for use by their opponents. All weapons must meet the approval both of the Marshals before the pas begins. Before each fight should be quickly approved by the Marshal and the opponent.

Item: Bâtons or wasters should meet the usual standards. Poleweapons intended for use in the béhourd should be padded sufficiently to defend the opponent's from serious injury. Weapons constructed from rubber or with the various forms of foam should be considered adequate, while those constructed wholly from wood are deemed too dangerous for use in competition.

Item: Steel swords and daggers must be of good quality material, 1.5mm in thickness at the edge, with tips no sharper than a dime. Excessively heavy or sharp weapons will be disqualified. No rebated polearms or massweapons will be allowed for reasons of safety. A combatant may decline to face any weapon without loss of honor.

Item: Note that due to breakage "Starfire" brand swords are expressely forbidden.

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Pas d'Armes  | Armour & Weapon Standards

Unarmoured "Vespers" Tournment
Fencing Tournament Rules & Weapon Conventions