The Armour Archive

What are your favorite ones and why?

Morgan

(And -1 to the first person to say "One without combat archery")

One without combat ar-....oh.


I love ress battles the most since you can fight and fight and fight. It really lets you test out those tactics you worked out since you have to stay alive for as long as possible to make a difference. If some guy gets a lucky blow or you catch a well shot arrow in the side you're just a minute walk to get back in the game.

Plus..you can also have fun doing stupid stuff once in awhile. Who hasn't done the berseker/army of one thing atleast once? I'm usually the defacto shield wall guy so its fun once in awhile to play rabbit and chase people around or grab the war glaive and hunt.

if commanding, open field

Actually allows maneuver and tactics.

if fighting, woods battles or anything with lots of real terrain as-is.

Sprint to the objective and bulldoze any bad guys in the way!

For me it would have to be storm the castle. Hopefully there'll be a chance to go back to the famed 'corner of death' as used in the old Niebelungen Kriegs.

B

woods battle all the way. There's nothing like slamming a rhino hider into the nearest tree

Woods.

Being in a grounded shield wall, gate battle. When you come out from under the 800+ lbs of people, its like being born again.

I like a melee scenario with an objective. I fought at a Diamond Wars one year where every battle had an objective: Get two fighters past this point, get the general out of the battle, protect the fallen fighters, etc... It's fun to have something to do except fight to the last man standing.

Open field resurrection with timed objectives. No holds. Starts on time.

Rolling resurrection is best. If it's in the "woods" it's better. Getting to get back into the game quickly was fun, as was trying to dodge behind trees and having the branches play into the game as well.


Smaller (50-100 fighters) is better for melees IMO. At Pennsic I felt like I was waiting for a bus given how large the melees were. At local melee events, I had a ball...even though I stink on ice and the armour needs to be reformed to fit better. It was great for an all-action junkie.

I think urban combat with a rolling resurrection would be better though. IF I ever "struck it rich" I'd set up an area for urban combat (house to house) fighting with the SCA.

With respect,

-Aaron

I get a cramp in my face from smiling during woods battles. Seriously.

RULES

Timed battles would be better IMO if it were NOT res. I'd love to have a timed battle that was fought to conclusion as many times as were available within the time alloted but permitted only one death per session. It would (I hope) cut down on the suicidal idiot tactics in that charging into certain death would be a huge disincentive again.

TERRAIN

That said, I love the wood too and any 3D terrain battle. The ones that I have a tough time 'getting into' are the ones where hay bales mark terrain features. They just don't feed my suspension of disbelief enough (like fighting a guy in lime green Kydex with a Nike swoosh on his shiled would be for some people).

OBJECTIVE

Having a goal other than 'kill them all' is nice sometimes, but it certainly insn't a requirement for me. Let's face it... if one could accomplish the objective without engaging in ANY fighting at all... would you show up for the battle? We put on all that stuff to go beat on our friends and get an adrenaline high (or is that just me?). Having somehting else to think about sometimes is a lot of fun, but it should never be so important that it displaces the fighting.

Any res battle, pretty much. Well...maybe not bridges so much, but pretty much anything where you're slugging away res after res.

Probably my fav is the Lost Boys Kamikaze. Something about that single battle. It's just the most fun you can have with your pants on.

Nissan Maxima wrote:I get a cramp in my face from smiling during woods battles. Seriously.

You're welcome I get that sometimes too.

Nissan Maxima wrote:I get a cramp in my face from smiling during woods battles. Seriously.

Oh good I'm not the only one!!!

Woods!

And the tunnel battles we did at Visingsborg castle was hoot as long we were allowed to - and about the unsafest stuff I've done fighting...

This was posted by Master Wallace on the Atenveldt list. I think these would be just as fun in heavy armor.

"Rapier Activities for Highlands War 2009

Battle of the Bandits

There will be three armies/sides in all melee scenarios. Armies may ally as
they will, but only one army can win each scenario. Each scenario is worth
one point. In the event of ties or no clear winners, the marshal in charge
and the three army commanders will figure out what is the most fun way to go
about deciding a winner! To make it even more fun.RBGs are allowed in all
scenarios and there are no shot limits.except for no gleaning of rounds from
the field.

Friday:

Rapier Marshal point will open at 1000 for inspections and stickers. Muster
at 1100 on the Main Battlefield (note that all features are live during all
scenarios). Lay on will be called at 1130. Scenarios run until app. 3PM.

1. God's will be done.

Standard kill them all. The three armies will begin equal distance apart.
Last army with live fighters will be victorious. Army start points will
rotate for each fight. Scenario will run until one army has won twice.

2. At the crossroads.

The field will be a standard "cross" intersection of two roads. The armies
will start equal distance apart from the intersection. This scenario will
be run three times with the armies rotating around the three entry legs of
the cross. The fourth leg of the cross will be the exit. The army that
"exits" the field with the most total fighters combined from the three
fights will be victorious.

3. Beheading the snake.

The armies will begin equal distance apart. Each army will designate one
VIP. At the beginning of the battle, the VIP will start out app. 20 feet in
front of their army so they are readily identifiable by each army. This is
different from the more usual rapier VIP scenarios. There is no capture, or
escort, or rescue. The VIP is a fully functioning fighter with a bull's eye
on them. Kill your enemy VIPs. Keep your own alive. The last army with a
live VIP in the field is the victor.

4. Grinding death.

A single flag res. Flag will be set in the dead center of the field. The
three armies will have res. points set equal distances from the flag. Fight
is for 30 minutes. The marshals will check every 5 minutes and score the
flag (or not) based on control of the flag.

Saturday:

Rapier Marshal point will open at 1000 for inspections and stickers. Muster
at 1100 on the Woods Battlefield (note that all features are live during all
scenarios). Lay on will be called at 1130. Scenarios run until app. 3PM.

1. God's will be done.again.

Standard kill them all. The three armies will begin equal distance apart.
Last army with live fighters will be victorious. Army start points will
rotate for each fight. Scenario will run until one army has won twice.

2. Find the message.

The three armies will begin equal distance apart. Somewhere on the field
will be a "message". It might be a chest, or a piece of paper, or a
"thing". First army to find and return the message to their start point is
the victor.

3. Deliver the message.

The armies will begin equal distance apart. Each army will have an exit
point known only to their commanders and the marshals. The first army to
score a member of their army through their exit point will be victorious.

4. Chaos ensues.

The armies will begin equal distance apart. The field will be filled with
"messages". The army to return the most "messages" to their start point
will be victorious.

5. Hounds of Hell.

The armies will begin equal distance apart. Each army will send out a team
of three. Only when their team is dead can they send out another team of
three. For this scenario only, legged fighters can kill themselves. Victor
is the last army with a team in the field.

Rapier Rabid Bear Pit Tourney

Saturday, starting at 4PM. This will be a 30 to 60 minute pit
fight.depending upon the resilience of the fighters.

A starting line will be formed at random. Fighter one is the bear. Fighter
two is the dog. If the dog wins he replaces the bear. If the bear wins he
holds the field and the next two dogs in line take the field against the
bear. If the bear wins again he continues to hold the field against the
next three dogs, and then four dogs, and so on. When the dogs kill the bear
then they turn on each other until only one is left.thus becoming the new
bear and starting the cycle over again. Victor of the tourney will be
determined based on a weighted scale of dog kills versus bear kills.:Rapier Activities for Highlands War 2009

Battle of the Bandits

There will be three armies/sides in all melee scenarios. Armies may ally as
they will, but only one army can win each scenario. Each scenario is worth
one point. In the event of ties or no clear winners, the marshal in charge
and the three army commanders will figure out what is the most fun way to go
about deciding a winner! To make it even more fun.RBGs are allowed in all
scenarios and there are no shot limits.except for no gleaning of rounds from
the field.

Friday:

Rapier Marshal point will open at 1000 for inspections and stickers. Muster
at 1100 on the Main Battlefield (note that all features are live during all
scenarios). Lay on will be called at 1130. Scenarios run until app. 3PM.

1. God's will be done.

Standard kill them all. The three armies will begin equal distance apart.
Last army with live fighters will be victorious. Army start points will
rotate for each fight. Scenario will run until one army has won twice.

2. At the crossroads.

The field will be a standard "cross" intersection of two roads. The armies
will start equal distance apart from the intersection. This scenario will
be run three times with the armies rotating around the three entry legs of
the cross. The fourth leg of the cross will be the exit. The army that
"exits" the field with the most total fighters combined from the three
fights will be victorious.

3. Beheading the snake.

The armies will begin equal distance apart. Each army will designate one
VIP. At the beginning of the battle, the VIP will start out app. 20 feet in
front of their army so they are readily identifiable by each army. This is
different from the more usual rapier VIP scenarios. There is no capture, or
escort, or rescue. The VIP is a fully functioning fighter with a bull's eye
on them. Kill your enemy VIPs. Keep your own alive. The last army with a
live VIP in the field is the victor.

4. Grinding death.

A single flag res. Flag will be set in the dead center of the field. The
three armies will have res. points set equal distances from the flag. Fight
is for 30 minutes. The marshals will check every 5 minutes and score the
flag (or not) based on control of the flag.

Saturday:

Rapier Marshal point will open at 1000 for inspections and stickers. Muster
at 1100 on the Woods Battlefield (note that all features are live during all
scenarios). Lay on will be called at 1130. Scenarios run until app. 3PM.

1. God's will be done.again.

Standard kill them all. The three armies will begin equal distance apart.
Last army with live fighters will be victorious. Army start points will
rotate for each fight. Scenario will run until one army has won twice.

2. Find the message.

The three armies will begin equal distance apart. Somewhere on the field
will be a "message". It might be a chest, or a piece of paper, or a
"thing". First army to find and return the message to their start point is
the victor.

3. Deliver the message.

The armies will begin equal distance apart. Each army will have an exit
point known only to their commanders and the marshals. The first army to
score a member of their army through their exit point will be victorious.

4. Chaos ensues.

The armies will begin equal distance apart. The field will be filled with
"messages". The army to return the most "messages" to their start point
will be victorious.

5. Hounds of Hell.

The armies will begin equal distance apart. Each army will send out a team
of three. Only when their team is dead can they send out another team of
three. For this scenario only, legged fighters can kill themselves. Victor
is the last army with a team in the field.

Rapier Rabid Bear Pit Tourney

Saturday, starting at 4PM. This will be a 30 to 60 minute pit
fight.depending upon the resilience of the fighters.

A starting line will be formed at random. Fighter one is the bear. Fighter
two is the dog. If the dog wins he replaces the bear. If the bear wins he
holds the field and the next two dogs in line take the field against the
bear. If the bear wins again he continues to hold the field against the
next three dogs, and then four dogs, and so on. When the dogs kill the bear
then they turn on each other until only one is left.thus becoming the new
bear and starting the cycle over again. Victor of the tourney will be
determined based on a weighted scale of dog kills versus bear kills."

Castle battles.
Some of the funniest stuff I have overheard and/or witnessed or been involved in have happened at castle battles.

Woods/Castle
Fixed engagements like the Gates of Rome (last Pennsic) or Wall Battle (Pennsic 36)

Single hand 45min open field unlimited resurrection battle. Probably the best time I've ever had. Morgan, Conor and myself drove home from Lillies like a bunch of T-Rex's. (arms all battered and bruised) And with huge smiles on our faces

Any battle which lets me fight as continuously as possible! The wood res battles are superb; bridges are fun if they move fast (less so, if they end up as a staring contest). Res field battles are great. Non-res battles are a lot of fun with smaller units (20-50 on a side, say) so that you can cycle one battle after another over and over.

My longest "breaks" in a two hour res battle are usually about a minute, to slug down some water, and get back in.

I missed the *five hour* res battle that Acre ran last month down by New York. Sick wife and two sick kids, had to cancel going at the last minute. A five hour res battle with special rules, special objectives, special units, special win conditions - pretty much defines 'fighting Nirvana' for me.

Anything that moves and gives me 7.5 feet of room to swing.

I don't like static lines.