Fighting Ideas?

Aidan Cambel · Post by **Aidan Cambel** » Wed Apr 04, 2001 4:15 pm

Ok, this weekend we are fighting at a Ren Faire. My marshall has asked for some different, but interesting styles of fighting to do for the crowds.

We have thought about the barrier - I am going to try and make one in time.

What are some other "audience oriented" fighting styles we can do? The important thing is - there will probably only be around 5 or so fighters since it falls on the same weekend as our kingdom corination.

suggestions????

>edit< I mean other than the timed bouts, counted blows, etc. that are mentioned below. We will probably fight for several hours so we want a variety of fun things to do for the crowd to. thanks.

[This message has been edited by Aidan Cambel (edited 04-04-2001).]

Conal · Post by **Conal** » Wed Apr 04, 2001 4:36 pm

Aidan,

Pig o' the Field, Man! Crowds love a melee. Do that 3-4 man, bearpit style, winner-keeps-the-field, pick-up melee practice that we did down in Iron Mt. at the war practice. That ought to be fun, and won't take much planning.

Regards,

Conal

Gaston · Post by **Gaston** » Wed Apr 04, 2001 4:55 pm

Realize that many people go to NASCAR races to see the crashes....

You want flashy, fast, and loud.

-bastard swords, counted blows so it isn't over too quick

-SCA "florentine", both fighters

-single hand sword, German style, at the barrier. Rattan makes a lot more noise than maces

-greatswords at the barrier, with no retreating out of range

-well matched two-hand weapons on the open field, glaives or bec-de-corbins

-grossly unmatched (but reasonably tactically even) weapons, a two-swordsman versus a spearman

-drop a small round shield face up on the ground, and each fighter starts with one foot on it. If your foot leaves the shield, you lose

-holmgang. Lay down two sheets of plywood with the long sides together. Two fighters, any weapon. Two shieldmen with no weapons, one to protect each fighter. At lay on, the first fighter hit or forced off the plywood loses, shieldmen don't count. Be careful, this one is really rough.

Aidan Cambel · Post by **Aidan Cambel** » Wed Apr 04, 2001 6:11 pm

Thank you Sir Conal and Gaston!

I had actually mentioned getting a old torn sheet, cutting a big circle out of it, tacking it down and doing the "if you leave the circle your dead" thing. I had actually forgotten about those little 3-4 man meat grinder melee's we did - that was fun but VERY tiring!

I just want to have a visually appealing fighting experience for the crowd. Its kind of like the jousters that come out to it - the crowd just loveeeeeeeeeees the bad guy!!! Its amazing how morbid us humans really are... LOL

Aidan

Otto von Teich · Post by **Otto von Teich** » Wed Apr 04, 2001 6:50 pm

Hey Aidan, I'll be there Sunday for sure, Scott will be there too!....Otto

Micah_Rose · Post by **Micah_Rose** » Thu Apr 05, 2001 3:52 am

You might try having each fighter assume a role out of Arthurian romance. As Aidan pointed out, the crowds dig having a bad guy to secretly cheer on...and the whole drama of characters with names they can recognize would make it more entertaining for a lot of them.

Le Morte d' Arthur has tons of melees and tourneys where there are dastardly villains hacking up the Fellows of the Round Table or this or that knight takes the side of the underdog in the melee.

Ham it up. Lots of swashing the buckler as it were. The crowd will get into it.

------------------
Long live the Prince and Princess of Cynagua!

Murdock · Post by **Murdock** » Thu Apr 05, 2001 4:32 am

Sunday i'll be there

Otto, me and Daniel are nigh in vulnerable in our full rigs. Just let us go at it and fight till we feel we have done enough.

Another thing have a guy in the middle send in a guy. Then in 30 seconds send in another then another. The first guy can't leave until he kills everybody else. See who can get the fastest time. You'll probably end up with 3 or 4 on one.

No blows on the guy being attacked count btw.

Morlahn Hobbs · Post by **Morlahn Hobbs** » Thu Apr 05, 2001 8:20 am

Greetings,

I've only done one Ren Faire, last year right after Pennsic. But along with the other types of fighting mentioned, we also tried a bit of education. . .disguised as "The Conan Bit".

Premise is simple, you've got a small unit of fighters against Conan. The unit has no command structure, flails wildly and Conan WALKS through them (just like the movies) and with much ado and screaming on everyone's part, he hacks and slashes them to pieces - using the biggest two hander you've got. Belly slashes, disembowling, the works. Really act out the deaths.

Then, the herald explains that this is NOT how it really was. Use an example if you wish - Roman army for instance. Now we have Conan facing a tightly knit unit; an advancing shield wall with obvious command structure (the shouting of orders by a battle commander, etc.) - and you advance upon a fear stricken Conan who turns tail and runs off out of the list and doesnt come back.

Works well when someone needs a break or drink of water. Make them Conan, so they don't come back for a while.

Ãšlfr GylÃ°ir

Conal · Post by **Conal** » Thu Apr 05, 2001 9:28 am

Murdock wrote:

"No blows on the guy being attacked count btw."

If I understand you correctly, I have a problem with this sort of schtick at a demo. From personal experience I have found that, once you explain to the crowd how our blow-calling system works, they get it. In my home group, we used to have a practice of not calling arm shots during demos, so we wouldn't have to take the time to switch arms/armour. We thought it made a better looking demo. However, on the sidelines at one of these demos, I heard several mundanes on different occasions say something to the effect of, "Didn't that guy just get hit?" or "Is that guy cheating?" Hey, they're mundane, but they're not stupid.

Nowadays, we just fight SCA style and let the chips fall where they may. Well, except for one difference. We will start most fights by bashing on shields quite a bit. At some point the fighters will step apart, and give each other a nod. That's when the "real" fighting starts.

Y'all do what you want to do, but my advice is don't confuse the mundanes.

Regards,

Conal

Robert Clark Carruth · Thu Apr 05, 2001 10:21 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Conal:


Y'all do what you want to do, but my advice is don't confuse the mundanes.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Confusion could also be avoided by explaining that the particular game you're playing at the moment uses different rules. The audience should be able to "get" that too.

Robert

Aidan Cambel · Post by **Aidan Cambel** » Thu Apr 05, 2001 10:44 am

Sir Conal,

I heard you were actually going to be there. I am so glad that you will be able to make it. Are there any others from your group coming also?

I talked to Talan this morning and he read the psots here, like several of the ideas, but is still looking for something "unique and fun" for the actual tournament.

I think it is going to be a lot of fun.

the problem with changing rules for a paticular "engagement" is that not everyone watching will be there the whole time. Some will walk off, leave, walk up in the middle of a fight, etc. and they might not be around to actually HEAR that this paticular excercise is different . But then, I am not calling the shots, I am just a gopher for information

In Service,
Aidan

Conal · Post by **Conal** » Thu Apr 05, 2001 8:59 pm

Aidan,

I *may* be able to make it. Thanks for your kind words, but I'm not exactly sure I'm gonna' be there, yet.

Robert,

Explaining would be better than not explaining, certainly, but I for one would prefer not to muddy the water. To each his own.

Regards,

Conal