Michael Lacy (mike@srmdel.demon.co.uk)
Tue, 19 Oct 1999 09:55:47 +0000
>Hi Michael!
>
>Thanks for your email on the subject. I found this bit particularly
>interesting:
>
>>Our group does displays of a behourdium, a
>>type of tournament fought with wooden batons in the 14th and 15th centuries
><snip>
>>These displays are full contact, educational and quite
>>safe. If done right, they are far more 'realistic' than any display of
>>'actual' combat, as no choreography of 'death scenes' need be used. We
>>don't pretend to fight a behourd, we actually _are_ fighting a behourd.
>
>Excellent point.
>
>Would you care to share the rules with us? How many a side? How are
>"points" scored?
>
>Intrigued,
As a starting point, we use the standard SCA rules regarding armour and
weapons (available on the main SCA web site), although we are a bit more
stingent on authenticity (for example, we forbid the use of non-period
basket hilts which are commonly used by most SCA fighters on single handed
swords). The advantage being that SCA standard armour will reduces the
chances of injury, even when the combat is quite frantic. You can have any
number of fighters, from 2 to literally hundreds (SCA 'wars' are in fact
much more analagous to the early period tournaments, which involved often
hundreds of combatatants fighting over an extensive area).
Although the actual 'rules' for behourdium are not know, we have
extrapolated a number of different types from a comparison with the more
formal tournament with steel weapons.
For single combats, a 'bout of counted blows' can be used; i.e., a
specified number of 'hits' are agreed upon before the bout commences
(usually odd numbers to avoid ties), and the combat commences. 'Hits' are
counted, either by the participating fighters themselves, or by marshals.
The fighter with the greatest number of points ends up as the winner. For
example, Sir Bob and Sir Fred agree to a bout of 7 blows - Sir Bob lands 3
of them, and Sir Fred lands 4 - Fred wins. Hit locations can be varied to
simulate different types of tournamenst - head hits only for a crest
tournament (even better if you actually make crests and try to knock them
off), 'critical areas' (usually head and torso) to simulate lethal combat,
or any legitimate target area for the combat a plaisance.
This system also works for larger scale combats, although we have found
that '3' is about as high as the average fighter can count when in the heat
of battle, so a '3 hits your out' rule can work for melees.
But the most fun method for large-scale behourds we have found is to split
the fighters up into equal numbers and let them have at each other for a
set time limit, usually 2-6 minutes. Blows are not counted, but often we
stipulate that fighters recieving a good clout must make their way to the
edge of the list before resuming. 'Winners' are chosen by the ladies of
the court, who watch from (ideally) a balcony. Often, the ladies choose
several fighters who have shown outstanding prowess, skill or chivalry as
the 'winners' of the melee. This works very well for public shows, as the
audience (particularly the children) can act as the judges, which involves
them in the display.
Michael Lacy
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