Tournaments

From: advent@ukc.ac.uk
Subject: Jousting

Firstly, thanks for those of you who replied to my request for imformation on harvests and weather, particularily Liam Quin for the program. To the person who suggested I look at the manor article in Hârndex, I did, that is why, like their example, I had about a 50% variation possible.

On to the main subject - Jousting. I've just run my players through the "Grand Chelabin Chivalric Tourny" (or your own variation upon the correct name) in Olokand. Apart from the mass market, dancing, musicians, and various mayhem that such would entail, some of them wanted to join in some of the contests... Here's how I decided to handle it. In most categories I had three competitions, novice - open to those who have not competed before, open - for anybody, and invitation - for the outstanding ones. For some events the right to bear arms personally was required, such as the joust. Some, such as the weapon combat, was available for those who held weapons in various lords names (ie Soldiers, Yeomen etc), and others, such as wrestling available to all.

Comments?

Steve

Jousting

Jousting - somewhat different from standard mounted combat with lances. Here the participants are expected to aim for the oponents shield, and blunt wooden lances are used rather than the iron tipped combat version. Process is...

Both participants make riding roll. Failing this means you may only defend this turn. <cf> applies a special penalty of 2d6 for the rest of this round due to lack of control.
Those eligable make lance attack rolls. A failure indicates no attack. A <cf> requires a further horsemanship roll as you are in danger of lancing the ground.
Resolve strikes. Higher success level goes first, otherwise simultaneous.
1. Defender makes shield block roll, look up effect on table
```
                    shield block
               cf    mf    ms    cs
attacker ms    3     2     1     0
         cs    4     3     2     1
```
2. Defender calculates special penalty for the rest of this round. This is nd6, 'n' taken from the table above. This will not affect simultaneous strikes, but may make a later strike fail rather than succeed.
3. Defender makes riding roll to remain in saddle
4. Accumulate fatigue. This occurs as normal, each pass at the joust being one round. There is a special fatigue loss of 'n', as given in the table above, if you have been hit, simulating minor bruises, aches etc.
Return to 1

The joust is won by either unseating your opponent, or achieving 3 more strikes than your opponent.

Archery

Archery Competition: two types: shortbows at 60 yards and lomngbows at 100 yards.

Each competitor rolls for 12 arrows, and scores as follows:

	<CS> - 5pts - centre
	<MS> - 3pts - average
	<MF> - 1pt - edge
	<CF> - 0pt - miss

The highest score is the winner, draws are decided by most centres, then average, and then edge shots. If things are still level, then a further six arrows are shot.

Weapon

I used standard combat rules, though competitors were expected NOT to aim for the head, to allow fallen opponents to regain their feet, weapons etc, and to pull their blows if they looked like being fatal. They are also expected NOT to use counterstrike options.

pulled blows: If upon resolving the strike, ie attack vs shield block, the attacker seems likely to cause a major injury, then he may, before rolling the weapon impact, choose to reduce the damage. A second attack roll in generated, without weapon modifiers. allows the reduction of one category, the choice of either one or two categories. Failure has no effect. The impact is then rolled, armour subtracted, and the non-pulled injury found on the chart, and it reduced by the relevant number of columns. ie Edged_9+ reduced to Edged_5+. It is possible if the wound is already at the smallest Blunt category that no wound occurs, and the attacker has thus missed due to his actions!

Wrestling

Taken directly from the unarmed combat rules. The winner was decided by the best of five throws. The only change was to translate the rolled injuries into fatigue points. Exploitation of hold in other ways than a throw was severly frowned upon by those running the event, as were attacks other than grapple!

From: Jaakko Kankaanp{{
Subject: Re: Jousting

On to the main subject - Jousting. I've just run my players through the "Grand Chelabin Chivalric Tourny" (or your own variation upon the correct name) in Olokand. Apart from the mass market, dancing, musicians, and various mayhem that such would entail, some of them wanted to join in some of the contests... Here's how I decided to handle it. In most categories I had three competitions, novice - open to those who have not competed before, open - for anybody, and invitation - for the outstanding ones. For some events the right to bear arms personally was required, such as the joust.

What exactly do you mean by this? I shoud think the joust would be open to anyboby who is of noble blood, and only to them. The other competitions would be for commoners only.

Jousting - somewhat different from standard mounted combat with lances. Here the participants are expected to aim for the oponents shield, and blunt wooden lances are used rather than the iron tipped combat version.

If you wanted to be historically accurate, tournament lances would be tipped with a crown-shaped iron head with three more or less blunt projections. I think such a lance is actually pictured on the cover of the Kaldor molule.

The rules you had made up for tourneying looked very nice and useful indeed. Apart from the little details above, I have no comments and certainly nothing to add. I am planning to run the tournament myself, so if you have any adventure/scenario/encounter ideas you have developed, I would be very interested to see them.

Jaakko
_____
Jaakko Kankaanpaa ! Turku, Finland ! jac@kontu.utu.fi
"I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition"

From: advent@ukc.ac.uk
Subject: Jousting, the sequel

thanks to Jaako Kankaanpaa for the comments...

I suspect that I didn't make clear what I saw as the entrance requirements

Joust - participants must have the right to bear a coat of arms, effectively limiting the contest to the nobility, though I'd also allow the knights of Larani's fighting orders to compete under the arms of that fighting order. (effectively since knights and above of this order should be nobility, this will not cause problems)

Other weapon combat - chivalric weapons - as above, though I'd also include those who carry weapons of this category through sponsorship of nobility, ie the military units etc.

Other weapon combat - open to any free, and the unfree with permission from their lords

Other - wrestling, staff fighting, hollering (see the 100 bushels module!), etc - open to anyone.

The nobility would be eligible to enter anything, though participating in more than the top two would be very unusual!

Jousting Lances...

If you wanted to be historically accurate, tournament lances would be tipped with a crown-shaped iron head with three more or less blunt projections. I think such a lance is actually pictured on the cover of the Kaldor molule.

Fine, I was going by what is currently used. Having seen several modern jousts here, I mmade up the previous rules. Modern competitions are usually team events, though the participants also score individually, and points are awarded for striking the opponents shield. I haven't seen anyone fall at a competition as a result of a joust. I would imagine that historically things were a lot more aggresive, hence the higher chance of falling. The next tourny I run will have the new improved jousting lances, with crown shaped iron head!

Steve

From: SCHMUNK@SPACVAX.RICE.EDU (Robert B. Schmunk, 1-713-527-4939)
Subject: an extra note on tournaments

Steve Bartlett mentions that modern competitions (a la SCA?) are usually team events. GMs who decide to prepare a tournament for their world might want to note that a "team event" did occur in some medieval tournament. I'm hazy on the details, but I remember reading that some tourneys featured a (not so) mock battle, in which the various knights at a tournament would split into two groups and have away at each other in some specified enclosed area. Perhaps 20-30 fighters might be on each side, and a death or three was not an uncommon result. Besides the usual adrenaline rush, I believe that the victors got the usual spoils of battle; ie., they held the losers' arms for ransom. I'm not about to suggest any rules for attempting to handle such an event, but GMs might enjoy describing it to their non-chivalric PCs.

rbs

From: Jaakko Kankaanp{{
Subject: Re: Tournaments

I suspect that I didn't make clear what I saw as the entrance requirements Joust - participants must have the right to bear a coat of arms, effectively limiting the contest to the nobility, though I'd also allow the knights of Larani's fighting orders to compete under the arms of that fighting order. (effectively since knights and above of this order should be nobility, this will not cause problems) Other weapon combat - chivalric weapons - as above, though I'd also include those who carry weapons of this category through sponsorship of nobility, ie the military units etc.

Oh, I see. Very good and well thought of.

Other - wrestling, staff fighting, hollering (see the 100 bushels module!), etc - open to anyone.

Can anybody tell me what a hollering contest would be like? And how would you determine the winner, if some of the PC's wanted to take part?

Modern competitions are usually team events, though the participants also score individually, and points are awarded for striking the opponents shield. I haven't seen anyone fall at a competition as a result of a joust. I would imagine that historically things were a lot more aggresive, hence the higher chance of falling. The next tourny I run will have the new improved jousting lances, with crown shaped iron head!

I saw Geoff and Val Winship's (sp?) tournament show last summer, and they sure did fall! But they were just playing, not competing, of course.

The original tournament of mediaeval Europe was indeed a mock battle, in which the knights were divided in two teams which fought each other, took prisoners for ransom etc. This was called a melee. As time passed and manners became more refined, the individual joust with only two knights fighting at the same time gained popularity at tournaments. These two were often combined; for example, if the tournament lasted several days, there would be jousting during the day and a grand melee each night. Later still, the method of scoring became more civilized, and it was no longer necessary to unhorse your opponent; you won by breaking a set number of lances against his shield.

In Hârn, which is quite a civilized place compared to much of mediaeval Europe, either the jousting & unhorsing or the jousting & breaking lances variety would be the most likely form of tourneying, I should think.

Jaakko
_____
Jaakko Kankaanpaa ! Turku, Finland ! jac@kontu.utu.fi
"I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition"

From: advent@ukc.ac.uk
Subject: Re-enactments

Following up on the comments about both medieval competitions, and their modern equivalents. Robert Schmunk mentions a mass combat type event...

I also remember bits about 'mock' battles, though also somewhat hazily... They were fairly epic affairs, lasting anything up to about a day. The knights would form into opposing sides, often lead by a champion, head off to opposing hills, and then charge each other. They would fight until all of one 'team' was down. I'd back up the 'death or three' being not uncommon!

I remember such events being detailed in Mallory's Morte d'Arthur, I'll have a look this evening, though I have definate memories of such an event, with Gawaine championing the kings 'team', and Lancelot the queens.

Re-enactments

Strangely enough we don't have the SCA here in England (or at least I haven't heard of them here. What we do have are a couple of other organisations.

The Jousting Federation of Great Britain, is the lot I've seen in action. They hold events every bank holiday, they used to be at Chilham Castle (about 15 miles from me), but have unfortunately moved :-( They deal almost exclusively in jousting and mounted competitions such as the quintain, though also have some foot combat. They use armour varying from chain to plate, variety of swords, jousting lance, knight shields, mace, and occasionally quarterstaff to discipline peasants such as minstrels. They also usually have people in period costume for the 'royal box', as well as a minstrel or two. I doubt if you could tie this lot down to a specific time period, but I'd say they aim for about the twelfth century.

There are apparantly other organisations abroad, since they go off to compete abroad. There is also apparantly a world championship. I'd guess that other competing countries would include France and Germany, though I don't know... For the last few years the world champion has been british. To show how safe the 'sport' is, he's apparantly broken virtually every bone at some time or other! He's also about fifty...

The Sealed Knot

(I've never actually seen this lot)

Re-enact various battles from the English Civil War (16 century?) (my history is not on form today!). They field two to three hundred people, in various regiments, a few times a year, and reenact various battles. The fighting is with muskets, pikes, rapiers etc, and usually on foot. In their latest event (this easter), they had about 200 people, and two injuries, a broken arm, and a concussion. I suspect if they hadn't used blanks and blunt swords there might have been a few others.... (this was held at Chilham Castle, mentioned above, but unfortunately I didn't hear about it 'till after it had finished :-(

The numbers, and technology level, ie muskets/flintlocks etc (sorry, my gun-lore isn't too good), make this a bit out for Hârn comparisons...

Grand National Archery Society

(I'm a member of this lot)

The archery club for the UK, with clubs scattered throughout the country. They cater mainly for modern archery, though do have a section devoted to longbows. This section is for the real fanatics, since with inferior bows, and no sights they shoot at similar targets, at equal or greater distances than anyone else! (OK, I admit it, I want to get good enough to join them!)

They use either target archery, similar idea to the archery competition I detailed with the jousting article, but with 12 dozen arrows, and with 5 scoring bands (9,7,5,3,1) on a yard diameter target at 100 yards, or clout archery, where a similar number of arrows are shot at a similar target that is laid on the ground at 240 yards.

Can't think of any others that carry out things relevant to the Hârnic chivalric competitions. Anyone else?

Subject: tournaments
From: Paul Stratton (Sierra Geophysics, Inc.)

To my fellow Hârniacs,

Tournament styles in history were many and varied. Check out the book Tournaments. I'm not sure who the authors are, but it was published in 1990.

Depending on when in history (~1100 to ~1350) and location tournaments took many forms. Everything from fighting in pairs with wooden swords (SCA tourney style) to large battles (SCA wars).

At several times there was literally a circuit of jousts one after another and the landless knights went from place to place to earn prizes. The church tried to get this banned because of the hight death rates on the nobles participating.

Another type of "tourney" would be where several knights would get together at some bridge and defend it against all comers for say 30 days. At one ducal coronation in Germany there was a week of tourneys of all types.

The problems were that the contestants would get out of hand and the town the tourney was held in would have a bad fire or immense damage would be done to the town or the populace. This led to large damage deposits and large groups soldiers to insure order.

Any excuse to hold a party!

Paul Stratton

From: "Brian A. Dorion"

Robert B. Schmunk, writes:

Subject: an extra note on tournaments Steve Bartlett mentions that modern competitions (a la SCA?) are usually team events. GMs who decide to prepare a tournament for their world might want to note that a "team event" did occur in some medieval tournament. I'm hazy on the details, but I remember reading that some tourneys featured a (not so) mock battle, in which the various knights at a tournament would split into two groups and have away at each other in some specified enclosed area. Perhaps 20-30 fighters might be on each side, and a death or three was not an uncommon result. Besides the usual adrenaline rush, I believe that the victors got the usual spoils of battle; ie., they held the losers' arms for ransom. I'm not about to suggest any rules for attempting to handle such an event, but GMs might enjoy describing it to their non-chivalric PCs. rbs

I will quote from _William Marshal Knight-Errant, Baron, and Regent of England_ by Sidney Painter, published by University of Toronto Press, 1988. Pages 58-59.

"Thanks to his (William Marshal) enthusiasm for warlike sports, one can obtain from the _History_ a fairly clear idea of the twelfth century tournament. Some two weeks before the appointed day messengers would ride through the countryside to announce the time and place of the contest and sometimes at least the composition of the two parties. In the case of William's first tourney it was proclaimed that the knights of Anjou, Maine, Poitou, and Brittany would content against those of England, Normandy, and France. The nature of the contests varied. There were carefully prearranged affairs where even the ransoms were fixed by the rules, but these were scorned by true knights. As a rule a tournament was a regular pitched battle fought for amusement and gain. One entered when one pleased with all the knights one could muster. The victors harried the defeated over the countryside in the hope of capturing as many of them as possible. In at least one combat Philip of Flanders used serjeants as well as knights, and on another occasion three hundred infantry were used to cover the retreat of the vanquished. Only the provision of refuges where the knights could arm and repair injuries to their Hârness and the fact that prisoners could give their parole instead of remaining in custody differentiated these combats from ordinary battles. A great tournament might last several days. On the eve of the general engagement the young knights had an opportunity to show their skill without the competition of the more experienced warriors. After the combat the knights of both parties gathered together to discuss the events of the day and to settle the ransoms of those who had been captured. Later in the evening the knights would visit one another in their lodgings. Apparently the ladies and their romancers had not yet had their way with the tournament. In the romances the ladies are enthusiastic spectators of the combats, present the prize to the best knight, and crown the day with dancing and such feminine festivities. Only in the case of the tourney at Joigni does the _History_ mention the presence of ladies. Their complete conquest of this knightly sport was still in the future. William and other pure lovers of battle were still in control of the cult of chivalry."

In my campaign I envision the tournament being in a period of change. During his youth Torastra (the son of Haldan II of Kaldor) romped from tournament to tournament. All of the old style, bloody clashes that raged from village to village in the countryside. When his mother Imelene came to the throne as Chelebin III, she endevored to change the fundamental nature of the tournament, to a more restrained form. Probably the purest form of the "new" style of tournament is the Royal Chelebin Tournament, which is a glorious festival of pagentry and noble chivalry. At the RCT, the vast sprawling melee of old is tempered. It is now restricted to a single field, with a refuge at either end. All contestants must use blunted weapons or pull their blows. All combatants must follow the rules of the "new" chivalric code; no blows from behind, no striking unhelmeted foes, no striking horses, and allowing disarmed opponents to rearm are among the most common of the "new" rules. One of the biggest differences is the presence of marshals on the field, who act as judges deciding when someone has been eliminated.

Also new at the RCT is the presence of the Joust, a series of runs with a blunted lance where the goal is to unhorse your opponent.

The balance of popularity is slowly changing from the old style of tournament towards the new style. However both styles of tournament are still to be found. Players of suitable rank may participate as their desires indicate.

I feel this situation can lead to a wonderful blend of adventure possiblities for the GM and the players. I must recomend the game Pendragon by Chaosium as being an excellent source of ideas for a 'high chivalry' tournament.

Brian Dorion			Konrad Matthias Jager
Kitchener, Ontario		Bryniau Tywynnog, Ealdormere
Canada				MK
"Sanity is a sawed-off shotgun." -Frank Glup