Highland River Melees 2010

Tascius · Post by **Tascius** » Mon May 17, 2010 6:17 pm

Highland River Melees 2010
THIS EVENT IS AT A NEW LOCATION!

http://highland-foorde.atlantia.sca.org ... melees.htm

After some 10 years at the Hager House, Highland River Melees is at a new location. Little Orleans Campground & Park Area, 31661 Green Forest Dr., S.E., Little Orleans, MD 21766. Opens 3:00 Friday, June 4 and closes Noon Sunday, June 6. The location is primitive but features 11 acres of flat ground with camping. Site is wet.
Pets are allowed on a leash, picked up after and controlled.

As for the event itself, the theme is the hundred years war. I wanted to do something a little different so here you go. I have set up a terrain (the Loire valley) and an economy. Teams will have coinage (at MOL each fighter gets 5 coins) and everything can be bought/sold bribed or rented. Opportunities to make money will abound. Feel like a tourney, go to the town tourney field and fight an opponent. Win the fight; take your reward from the loser. Broke and your friends are stingy, hire yourself out. Take a castle, sell it! If fighting in the field, when you 'kill' an opponent you capture them and get to ransom them. (All resurrections are by ransom or hiring. All fighters can be ransomed at the town/money changer for one coin but they must wait in line for their turn to be ransomed. You are now on the team of the ransomer. A ransom in the field is immediate, paid by you or your team, but the price is negotiated /set by the victor. You return to your team.)

Come in teams of 7 to 14. Those teams will represent both French and English Duchies, Mercenary bands, Rival households all of the diverse elements that looked to profit from the war between England and France. Teams will be placed on different sides of a 'river'. On the river will be the town of Orlean. Forts/castles will exist on both sides of the river to be occupied by teams. (One team per castle.) Gates to the castles will be made out of posts sunk into the ground to eliminate all of the 'can't fire over the hay bale' problems. Castles must be taken through the gates but defenders can sally out of the back of the castle at any time. Castles will basically be large sheet wall 'V's with a gate in the corner. No fighting over the walls unless if from special siege platforms. (Will be made available.)

At he beginning of the day there will be two tourneys. The type of each will depend on the number of combatants entering. One will be male only- winner leads the English forces. The second tourney will be female only- winner will be Joan of Arc. These winners will receive extra cash (30 coins?) and command of their sides. This coinage will be different and will not count towards a teams coinage.

The fighting will take place all day long. The Tourneys start at 10AM, as do the authorizations. The battle happens from Noon till 4 PM. Food and drink will be available, set your own pace.

The winning team is the team with the most coinage at the end of the day- provided they are on the winning side. (If your English/French and your side loses (Most castles and real estate held determines winning side.) then no matter how much more coinage your team has, the team with the most coinage on the winning side wins.

I hope that is not too complicated. A list of costs for castles, building items, boats, bridges, siege items, etc. will be on site. I reserve the right to change coinage amounts based on the number of attendees.

For an idea as to the castles- here are some photos from the last Highland River Melees.

http://www.bogpages.com/SCA-photographs ... 3711_623mz

Uneg · Post by **Uneg** » Mon May 17, 2010 9:39 pm

The whole "economy" thing sounds interesting, and could lead to some very cool challenge/ransom situations.

Will there be a torchlight tourney Friday night? If so, will those who check in on Friday get coin then?

We're really looking forward to camping at a Highland River Melees as well. It's just far enough, and private enough for our comfort level.

Tascius · Post by **Tascius** » Mon May 17, 2010 10:01 pm

Its prize will be coin related. Bring gauntlets. :wink:

I want to do a random weapon tourney but that depends on this Thursdays meeting. General idea, fighters enter into screened areas such that they do not know who they are fighting. They are unarmed. Weapons are all around the edge of the arena. When lights come on each fighter has 4 seconds to run and grab weapons of choice. Once armed the fight begins. There will be only three shields on the field, one lefty, one righty and one a buckler. Like I said bring gauntlets!

Cunian · Post by **Cunian** » Tue May 18, 2010 9:38 am

It sounds like you expect me to use my head. For something besides a pell. So, is there some plan for us paupers who blow our 5 coins in the first half-hour getting killed all the time?

Skutai · Post by **Skutai** » Tue May 18, 2010 9:45 am

We'll be there Saturday.

This time please don't use my buckler as a target for siege weapons.

Tascius · Post by **Tascius** » Tue May 18, 2010 10:23 am

@ Cunian- As I said there will be ways to make more coin. Teams will pool cash so your 5 coins will become part of your teams treasure.

@Skutai- No your buckler will be safe from siege engines- of course it was also last year as nobody managed to hit it. :lol:

Tascius · Post by **Tascius** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:23 pm

Though not on this forum, I am getting lots of questions as to how the coins work. Do I have to carry them? How can we hold them? These are some of the many questions.

It is simple- each force (7-14) has a basket/bank at the MoL table. The combined monies of that force are in that basket/bank. As you come back to 'res' you announce what team 'captured you', the MoL takes a coin from your forces bank and puts it in the other forces bank. When no more coins are in your forces bank you get into the mercenary line and your hired. The price of your hire goes into your bank. Whoever hired you has payed your ransom. (Note the last team who killed/captured you gets no coin- thats the breaks!) When you are killed/captured next time- if money is in your forces bank- that money pays your ransom and off you go back to your team. This way teams still make money and never entirely dissapear. It also makes for a pool of mercs for the Black Prince or Joan to hire.

I hope that clears up any confusion.

Glaukos the Athenian · Thu Jun 03, 2010 8:23 pm

Just busted a knee and can't go....

Jonny Deuteronomy · Post by **Jonny Deuteronomy** » Sun Jun 06, 2010 10:02 am

Fun fighting.
Lovely site.
After-party got rained on but was fun anyways.
Goode Tymes.

DukeAvery · Post by **DukeAvery** » Sun Jun 06, 2010 12:54 pm

Glaukos the Athenian wrote:Just busted a knee and can't go....

How bad?

If I may presume - take heart and work on other projects. Do not give in to despair. Getting your knee back online will be one of those projects.

Regards

Avery

Lucas · Post by **Lucas** » Mon Jun 07, 2010 4:39 pm

I hope you are ok Rowan. You were missed. It was a fantastic event.

Glaukos the Athenian · Mon Jun 07, 2010 5:19 pm

Thanks, Your Grace, Lucas,

It started with what felt like shin-splints on the instep and lower leg. Probably because of doing running intervals. That messed up my gait, and then the outside tendon of my left knee started to hurt to the point of impeding walking. I switched to exercise bike but it took a few days to stop hurting.
Now the knee does not "hurt" but there is that weir sensation that tells you not to do anything funny besides straight exercise, and that with great caution.

Since I have a vacation with the wife (Greece!) and then Pennsic, I thought if I am going to bust something, let it be at Pennsic and not before Pennsic...

Amazing, I discovered that in my late 40's I don't recover from injury as well as in my 20's.... remarkable...

Still, I am hoping to have my helmet duly pounded at Pennsic and thereafter, if you gentles will honor me... Just watch the Greeks bringing presents...

Thanks,

Glaukos the Athenian

DukeAvery · Post by **DukeAvery** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:13 pm

The first duty of the SCA knight is to take care of his or her duties to family and state - the world we survive and preferably thrive in. I'm watching a PBS 3 part special on early Greek culture and Athens - I am floored by the similarities and juxtapositions against ... all this.

If there be Spartans in the SCA, then I declare for the Athenians (even as I equip myself as a Landsknecht)

.

Become well.

Regards!

Avery

Tascius · Post by **Tascius** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 1:44 pm

Ursus has put up his Highland River Melee shots. Here are a few of them.

The rest can be seen here.
http://www.bogpages.com/SCA-photographs ... 3358_tCVyc[/img]

Sigurd of Jorvik · Post by **Sigurd of Jorvik** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 2:10 pm

Hey Trystan!

The fight might have been a little early, but you still could have gotten out of your jim-jams!

Jonny Deuteronomy · Post by **Jonny Deuteronomy** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 2:18 pm

You no likey me jim-jams? :sad:

It's the latest in genericelt styling!