PENNSIC XXIII WAR RULES

• Armor
• All Society for Creative Anachronism armor standards will be enforced at Pennsic XXIII.
• All fighters will ensure that their armor meets those standards while they are fighting.
• In addition, each fighter is required to be in compliance with the armor standards for their Kingdom of residence.
• Any unusual or non-standard armor will be brought to the attention of the Earl Marshals of the Middle and the East before it is allowed for use.
• If an item is rejected, an appeal can be brought to the Kings of the Middle and the East.
• Both Kings must agree to allow the item in order for it to be used.
• The decision of the Kings is final.
• Armor that has passed inspection will be marked with a sticker that indicates the number of the inspecting marshal and the number of the individual being inspected.
• To be inspected, a fighter must have their authorization card, SCA membership card, and their Pennsic XXIII entry medallion with them, along with a mundane form of identification.
• Without these items a fighter may not be inspected.
• Anyone sponsoring a tournament is responsible for supplying their own marshals for inspection.
• Weapons Standards:
• Weapons are inspected to ensure that all parts of the weapon are in good/safe condition and will be marked when passed.
• All weapons must meet the weapon standards of the Middle and the East Kingdoms.
• The kingdoms reserve the right to ban/reject a weapon even if that weapon would be legal in another kingdom.
• The decisions of the Earl Marshals of the Middle and the East will be final in this matter.
• Any weapon that the normal SCA fighter would consider unusual or unsafe must be brought to the attention of the Earl Marshals, and the decision to pass it must be a joint one.
• Rejected weapons may be "reworked" and re-presented for inspection.
• No marshal will tell an individual to fix a piece of equipment and at the same time pass it, assuming that the necessary changes will be made.
• If it is a piece of required armor the person must be completely reinspected including the checking of identification, all other equipment and weapons must be reinspected before it is marked as passed.
• Specific Weapons Standards:
• Maximum spear length: nine (9) feet, rattan or pultruded fiberglass shafts only. Fiberglass spears must have at minimum a 3-inch diameter thrusting tip, and the end of the shaft must be capped with a schedule 40 PVC pipe cap to prevent the shaft from penetrating the tip.
• No double ended spears.
• No laminated blades are allowed.
• No rattan in the striking surfaces of mass weapons or polearms.
• Maximum Polearm length: six (6) feet, this includes thrusting spikes and tips.
• Maximum Polearm weight is six (6) pounds
• Butt spikes are allowed on Polearms only.
• Polearms must have at least 1/2 inch of closed cell padding on the striking edge. The striking surface must be at least 18" in length.
• Maximum great sword length: six (6) feet with a grip no greater than 18".
• Maximum Greatsword weight is six(6) pounds
• No modern camouflage clothing will be worn in scouting or combat.
• No thrusting shields are allowed.
• All shields must have all the edges covered with at least 3/4" hose to prevent damage to combatants and weapons.
• No passive shields may be carried by a fighter. If the shield is not controlled by your hand it is considered armor and any good blow struck must be taken.
• Shields may be grounded, only one person per shield.
• Fighter Authorizations:
• All new fighters who wish to fight at the War must be authorized by at least July 31, 1994.
• Fighters who authorize must have their authorization cards with them by War. No card, no fighting.
• Marshals Tent:
• A central marshal tent will be set up on the main battle field and is the central point for marshal activities.
• This tent will be well marked as the marshal area and have a posting of inspection times listed.
• This tent contains:

  Armor lost and found during and immediately after the battle.

  At the end of the marshal's court, if the armor is not claimed, it will be turned over to Security Point for placement in the Lost & Found Tent.

  Main inspection point

  Marshal's Court

  following each Battle at a time determined by the Earl Marshal of the East.

• General Marshalling Conventions:
• The Marshal in Charge is the Earl Marshal of the East Kingdom.
• He is assisted by the Earl Marshal of the Middle Kingdom.
• They shall select appropriate marshals to be in charge of each of the battles.
• The marshals in a battle are suggested to be equipped with a marshals staff of black and yellow, a marshals tabard, and a whistle.
• The use of armor, gauntlets, and safety helmet is recommended.
• No marshal, having fought in a battle, shall return onto the field to help marshal, excepting Their Royal Majesties of any of the Kingdoms who wish to marshal.
• No War Points shall be fought until there are sufficient warranted marshals present to help insure the safety of the fighters.
• The minimum number of marshals must be evenly split between those Kingdoms or groups fighting for the East and those fighting for the Middle.
• The Earl Marshals of the East and Middle shall determine this number for each battle before the start of the Pennsic War.
• If half of the minimum number of marshals do not claim to represent one side or the other the King of the under-represented Kingdom shall appoint a sufficient number of his Chivalry to make up the needed difference.
• No steel weapons of any type shall be allowed on the field during War Points. This includes the marshals.
• Marshals have the right and duty to remove from the battle any person that is violating the rules of the list, including non-acceptance of blows.
• Marshals should keep in mind that all fighters are honorable people and treat them with courtesy and chivalry.
• Fighters should remember that the marshals are attempting to insure the safety of all fighters present and treat them with courtesy.
• Remember, honest mistakes do happen.
• A Marshal's Court will be in place and be prepared to address any serious problems which are brought before it. These problems can be brought by marshals or fighters. The Marshal's Courts will be held immediately following each battle as needed. Marshals shall always be obeyed during the course of the battle.
• Holds will be called whenever a question of safety or other major problem arises.
• Holds will be kept to a minimum to allow the continuity of the battle to be maintained. Marshals will be equipped with whistles by which to signal holds.
• As always a hold can be called verbally by marshals or fighters.
• It is the responsibility of all participants to help maintain safety on the field.
• Keep in mind that marshals have the authority to expel a fighter from combat. Infractions of the rules and combat conventions in use at the Pennsic War are grounds for review by the Marshal's Court.
• Fighters are reminded to wait patiently during holds. No tactical talking is allowed, but talking with your friends and "enemies" is highly encouraged.
• General Combat Conventions:
The Pennsic War will follow the Society Rules for Combat at all times.

The following rules and conventions will also be observed.

1. No face thrusts, except in the Friendship Battle. (Using a positive force convention.)
2. No swings with polearms or greatswords of more than 90 degrees.
3. Combat archery shall be allowed using heavy combat archers in the Friendship Battle.
4. Weapons may be fouled from behind.
5. You may not use your hand to grapple with an opponent's shield.
6. Charges: Fighters may run to cover ground or change position.
They may not do so to gain momentum for crashing/charging into individuals or units. For purposes of breaking lines, shield walls, etc., charges must be limited to 3/4 speed. (A discernable decrease in speed must be seen.) Marshals are encouraged to remove from combat individuals who show total disregard for this rule.
7. Holds: When holds are called they should be echoed by the fighters themselves, who will immediately cease combat and drop to their knees. Those fighters that have problems going to their knees should stand quietly and not move. Talking about tactics/strategy or repositioning during holds unless ordered by the marshals is dishonorable and forbidden. All weapons will be lowered to allow marshals to find the injured.
8. An opponent that has fallen will be allowed to regain a defensive position before they are reengaged.
9. No declared death from behind.
10. Striking from behind is in most cases forbidden (see Rules of Engagement).
11. All fighters are expected to remain calm and "cool" during combat, remembering that their opponents are honorable, chivalrous, and there to have fun, just like you.
12. Drinking or being under the influence of alcoholic beverages or use of controlled substances by anyone on the battlefield while any of the battles are going on is not only prohibited but just plain stupid.
13. These general conventions are designed specifically for the War Point battles at the Pennsic War. Rules for all other tournaments will be the responsibility of the sponsoring party of the tournament.
14. No fighter or scout may change the color of tape on their helmet for the purpose of deception.
15. It is each fighter's responsibility to understand the rules for combat at the Pennsic War. Ignorance is no excuse!!
• Rules of Engagement:
• Except in the case of shield walls, no more than four fighters shall attack a single opponent.
• When a fighter is a member of a formed unit (e.g. a shield wall) that is fighting a similar unit, he may strike and be struck by any opponent within range.
• If a breakthrough occurs in your segment of the unit, you may strike and be struck by a passing opponent. Only one blow may be delivered.
• Attacking an opponent from the rear who is not aware of your presence is both unsafe and unchivalrous. It is not allowed.
• You may only strike an opponent under the following conditions:
1. Eye to eye contact has occurred, and
2. The opponent has acknowledged your presence by a nod, blocking a light blow, or striking at you.
3. He turns to face you (Neither fighter should be delivering a blow as he turns. Two weapon fighters should be especially aware of this.)
• If an opponent ignores your attempts to attract his attention, you may not proceed to attack him. He may simply have felt he was bumped by his own team members. In such an instance, you should foul his weapon or shield with your own weapon. This way, you gain the advantage of being to the rear of an opponent without jeopardizing his safety. Deliberate refusal to engage an opponent is grounds to be removed from the battle and marshals are encouraged to remove any fighters who do not engage.
• Fighters without a weapon or a shield shall be treated as scouts and killed at ten (10) feet when not part of an organized defence.

Armor Inspections:  All armor must be inspected before participating in any of the War Points or any of the tournaments 
at War.  
Inspections will be done at the marshal's tent on the main battlefield.  
Fighters must bring their site medallion, their 
authorization card, SCA membership card, and a form of mundane identification to be inspected. People holding tournaments 
are responsible for doing their own inspections.

If you have a large group of fighters that wish to be inspected you may contact the Earl Marshal of the East and he will try to 
arrange a team of marshals to come to your camp and help to inspect the fighters.  
Each kingdom should supply marshals in 
proportion to the number of fighters present at the War.  
Kingdom Earl Marshals wishing to handle the inspections of their 
Kingdom's troops may request a marshal to aid them from the Earl Marshal of the East.  
The inspection point will be manned 
for inspection from 10am to 4pm starting Monday, August 16, 1994.  
Inspection point will close 30 minutes before each 
mass battle to allow time for everyone to get to the battlefield.  
It will remain open during the champion's battle at the 
discretion of the Earl Marshal of the East Kingdom, provided he has sufficient volunteers.

Scouts:  Scouts will be killed by an opposing fighter fighter getting within 10 feet of an undefended scout and declaring 
them dead.  
Under no circumstances will a scout be touched with a weapon.  
Marshals are encouraged to remove any fighter 
who violates this rule. Marshals are also encouraged to "kill" scouts that allow themselves to be placed in a obviously 
dangerous position. Scouts may not kill other scouts.  
No scout can may carry any item that would cause them to be 
mistaken for a fighter (Shields, Weapons, etc.).  
Scout helms will be marked by the solid white diamond pattern identifying 
them as scouts and by the kingdom tape denoting which side they are on.  
Scout Helms must be constructed in accordence 
with there kingdom rules and in such a way as to survive one heavy blow from a rattan weapon.  
Scouts will be allowed in 
all battles.  
All scouts will be required to wear a helmet, and strongly encouraged to wear elbow and knee pads, groin, throat, 
and kidney protection.  
Scouts may not touch or move any banner.

WAR POINTS and MAJOR EVENTS

Friendship Battle (not a war point)
Just for fun.  
The Kingdoms of the East and Middle shall stand against all others in the open field.  
All holds shall be general.  

Heavy combat archers shall be allowed and will be centrally inspected at the start of the battle. Arrows must have a 1.5 inch 
head.  
 Face thrusts shall be allowed using a positive force convention.

Belted Champions Battle
This battle shall consist of Twenty-five (25) fighters who are Chivalry or Royal Peers by their own hand (except Viscounts).  

All must be from the Kingdoms of the Middle and the East.  
The Royal families of the Known World are invited marshal this 
fight.  
All holds will be general.  
Victory in this point will be awarded to the last team on the field.

Field Battle 
The fight is to the last man.  
All holds will be general.  
There is no time limit.  
The Middle shall start on the east side of the 
field and the East Kingdom shall start on the west side of the field. Combat archery shall be allowed according to Middle 
Kingdom conventions.  
There will be an inner and an outer barrier on the field that is at least twenty (20) feet wide.  No non-
combatants are allowed into this space except for the Marshals.  
All fighting shall stop if forced in to the inner barrier.  
A 
unit may anchor itself against the barrier, but may not cross into the marshalling space beyond it.  
If a fighter is pushed past 
the inner barrier, they are not dead.  
They will be allowed to resume a position just inside the inner barrier but no further 
down.  
Once a fighter is dead, they must leave the field and continue past the outer barrier.  
No persons other than marshals 
shall be allowed between the inner and outer barriers.

Unbelted Champions Battle
This battle will consist of  sixty (60) fighters chosen from the Kingdoms of the East and the Middle that are not members of 
the Order of the Chivalry or Royal Peers (except Viscounts)by their own hand.  
All combatants must be current residents of 
the Kingdom that they fight for. The Royal families of the East and Middle Kingdoms and their respective Earl Marshals shall 
marshal this fight. All holds will be general.  
Victory in this point will be awarded to the last team on the field.

Mountain Pass Battle
This  battle will be fought in a mountain pass as shown on the diagram running East/West in the main battlefield.  
The battle 
shall continue for two (2)hours with instant resurrections after the start of the battle.  
The resurrection points shall be 125 feet 
from the ends of the pass.  
There will be 3 banners in this battle.  
 Banners may be defended but not moved.  
One banner shall 
be placed at the center of the pass and the other 2 will be placed at the centers of the paths on the North and South sides of the 
major pass.  
Victory is achieved by controlling 2 of these banners at the end of the time limit.  
No fighter may sit, stand, 
walk, or run on the haybales.  
A fighter may use the bale to regain his balance or stop his fall.  
If you land past the bale or 
use your weapon, hand, etc., to stop your fall over the bale, you must return to the major pass entrance for your side.  
Combat may not take place over the bales. At the end of  battle the following procedure shall be followed.  
A marshal shall 
mark a circle 9ft out from the banner in all directions.  
Those fighters in this circle will then fight to the last man to 
determine the control of the banner. All holds shall be general and not stop the time.

Queens Champions Tournament
This point shall be decided in a series of single combats between the champions chosen by the Queens of the Known World.  

Each Queen shall select a champion to advance her favor for the day.  
The remaining positions in the list will be filled by the 
Kings champions of the East and Middle and combatants chosen by the Queens of the East and the Middle.  
There shall be 16 
fighters on each side 8 of which may be Royal Peers.  
The list shall be a double elimination tournement.  
Surviving 
combatants will then face opponents drawn as lots by the Queens of the Middle and the East. Wounds shall not be retained 
and opponents may choose any weapons between themselves for their fight.  
The Royalty of the Knowne world and their 
respective Earl Marshals are invited to marshal this fight.  
Victory in each tournament shall be awarded to the last team on the 
field in each list.

Fencing Champions Tournament (Exhibition only -  not a war point)
This point shall be decided by a test of skill between the Fencers of the East Kingdom and their allies and the Fencers of the 
Middle and their allies.  
Each team shall consist of 30 persons of which 10 may be from Allied Kingdoms.  
The first round 
shall place opponents against each other on the basis of their place in the order of precedence with those of the highest rank 
facing each other. Combatants losing a fight are eliminated from future rounds.  
Surviving combatants will then face 
opponents drawn as lots by the Queens of the Middle and the East.  
Bouts will be fought for the best 3 out of 5 touches with 
weapons drawn by lot by the Queens of the East and Middle Kingdoms for each pass. The standard blades for this competition 
will be the epee and flexi-dagger.  
The standard blades may not be mixed in fights against non-standard blades.  
All 
combatants must pass armor and equipment inspections by the Marshals of Fence for the East and the Middle Kingdoms.  
The 
target area will be a full body target.  
Bouts including fencers from Allied Kingdoms may use alternate blades at their request 
with the approval of both the Marshals of Fence from the East and the Middle. The Royalty of the Knowne world and their 
respective Marshals of Fence are invited to marshal this fight under the rules set forth by the Marshals of Fence of the East 
and Middle Kingdoms.  
All holds will be local.  
Honor and glory in this exhibition will be awarded to the last team on the 
field.

Woods Battle
The battle is a timed fight of 2 hours duration.  
Both sides will have 1 resurrection point.  
 Once a fighter is killed, they must 
return to resurrection point.  
Resurrection shall be instantaneous in this battle.  
The only permissible points of entry into the 
woods is through the resurrection points.  
The entry area will be limited by the Earl Marshals to an entrance 100ft wide.  

Victory conditions are possession of 2 out of the 3 banners in the woods at the end of the allowed time.  
No false banners 
will be allowed.  
The banners that will be used will be on display at both the Middle and Eastern Royal encampments 
throughout the week.  
Both sides shall start with one banner each.  
The third banner shall be hidden in approximately the 
center of the woods at the beginning of the battle by the Earl Marshals of the East and Middle Kingdoms.  
Banners may not 
be mutually defensible, may not be within 250 ft. of an entrance point into the woods and may not be deliberately hidden 
from view. Once a banner enters the woods or is captured by the opposing side, they have 5 minutes to place the banner.  The 
Earl Marshals of the East and Middle shall divide and mark the woods into 4 roughly equal quadrants.  
The Warlord of the East 
and the General of the Middle shall aid in this task.  
Each side may place only one banner in each quadrant at any given time.  

Both sides shall enter the woods at the same time.  
It is recommended that fighters wear some sort of eye protection while in 
the woods.  
The tree line and fivefeet in from the road will be out of bounds.  
The banners that will be used will be shown to 
the fighters at the beginning of the battle.  
All holds are local and time does not stop for holds at banners except in the last 5 
minutes of the battle.

Bridge Battle
There are three Ninety (90) feet long bridges, two(2) are eighteen (18) feet wide, and  one (1) shall be Twenty-seven(27) feet 
wide. There will be a spacing of one hundred (100) feet between the bridges.  
Each side shall start 50 feet from the edge of the 
bridges.  
The battle shall continue for two hours, or until the last man.  
Victory is achieved by controlling the center of 2 of 
the 3 bridges at the end of the time limit.  
The center shall be clearly marked for both sides.  
The control of the center of the 
bridge shall be defined as contiguous control of the bridge to an end.  
No combat archery shall be allowed in this battle. No 
fighting shall take place on the haybales.  
No fighter may sit, stand, walk, or run on the haybales.  
A fighter may use the 
bale to regain his balance or stop his fall.  
If you land past the bale or use your weapon, hand, etc., to stop your fall over the 
bale, you're dead.  
Combat may take place over the bales.  
All holds are local until a break-out after which they shall be 
general. At the 1/2 hour and hour mark there shall be a 5 minute hold for water on all bridges.

Town Battle
Victory conditions are control of 5 of the 9 huts in the town at the end of the allowed time or the last man.  
The town shall 
be 275ft by 275ft and the huts shall have the same dimensions as last year (see figure 2).  
Set up of the town shall be subject 
to the approval of the Earl Marshals of the East and Middle Kingdoms.  
The fight is a 1 1/2 hour timed fight with no 
resurrections.  
No combat archery shall be allowed in this battle.  
 No fighting shall be allowed outside of the town walls.  

All fighters shall start fifty (50) feet from the east and west edges of the town.  
The Middle Kingdom and it's allies shall enter 
form the east and south entrances.  
The East Kingdom and it's allies shall enter from the west and north entrances.  
The gates 
to the town will close after 30 minutes.  
If a unit or fighter is pushed out of the town they will be allowed to come back in 
through a normal entrance.  
All doorways shall have rope forming a top sill at seven feet to prevent weapons from coming in 
at a higher than realistic angle.  
No fighting over the hut walls is permitted.  
Fighters are asked to be especially careful of the 
marshals in this fight.  
All holds shall be general.