Weapon Rules

Approved for the year 2008

 

Weapon rules for War Cry are rather strict and the padding requirements are perhaps greater than what you have gotten used to in LARPs or when boffering with your friends. War Cry is not a LARP, where there are occasional confrontasions, but an event that is continuous fighting through the entire weekend. In War Cry you will also meet people who have a different view on the appropriate force of a hit. It is also to be expected that you might get hits in painful places and in ways you cannot foresee. This is why the weapons have to be especially safe.

The point of these rules is to give the minimum requirements and some guiding principles to the weapons used in War Cry. It is recommendable to use thicker paddings than specified here, especially if you know you use a lot of force when fighting. Weapons inspectors can forbid the use of a weapon they see as dangerous even though it fills these requirements nominally.

All weapons brought to the event will be inspected by the organizers and they will be marked as accepted if they are discovered safe. No weapons that have not been inspected can be used.

If a weapon breaks in battle, under no circumstances can you continue fighting with it. You can no longer even parry with this sort of weapon and it should be removed from battle as quickly as possible. If you notice that you're opponents weapon has been broken, notify him about it and don't continue fighting with him. Broken weapons can't be fixed during battle; you must wait until the break between scenarios. Weapon that have turned dangerous can be removed from the event, eventhough they had originally passed the security inspection. Be prepared that weapons may be damaged during battle - it would be wise to carry with you materials for fixing and extra-weapons more than you expect needing. The organizers will not offer materials for fixing the weapons you have broken.

 

In general

As weapons we use boffers a.k.a. padded weapons. There are many good instructions on how to make one, for example, the intructions of Maahinkainen ry. Latex-weapons (often used in LARPs) are not acceptable.

In these rules, we talk of paddings as cell foam and plastic foam, but the use of other materials similar in characteristics can also be used. Cell foam is the same material that camping mats are made of, plastic foam is a lot softer and it can be found, for example, inside a normal mattress. Different sorts of foam pipe insulations are very good for they are easy to attach to the weapon and they stay put. There are plenty of good experiences from, for example, climasnap foam pipe insulant.

Almost all historical weapon types are allowed, even boffer pitchforks. Forbidden weapons include, among other things, unhistorical weapons, unfit "weapons" for battles and weapon types that are hard to simulate: boffer staff, flails and other weapons that have a floppy part in them, and also small throwing weapons (daggers, throwing stars).

PVC pipe is a good one to use to make the core of the boffer weapon. You shouldn't be able to feel the core under the padding even if you press a little harder with your fingers. This demands a careful padding especially on the part of the two ends of the pipe. Both ends should be padded in all weapons in some way. A 15 cm layer of cell foam is sufficient for the pommel or other ends close to the user.

Glass fiber is allowed only when it's 2 cm thick and only then in spears and pole weapons. It has to be especially carefully plugged from both ends and taped all through its length so that there is no glass fiber to be seen.

For all weapons the common minimun demand for the padding of the blade (or the part you hit with) is 23 mm. In other such parts that you can hit with by accident, for example, the flat of the sword, there has to be at least 15 mm of padding.

In weapons that you may use by thrusting, you must have a proper thrusting tip. A thrusting tip is made of a core tube that is sufficiently durably plugged and padded from the end, of the plastic foam tip and of "blades" that reach beyond the end of the core pipe and that support the plastic foam. The tip can be hidden under tape but it must not be taped so tight that it would become hard. It is good to puncture some little holes into the tape so that the tip will not harden when the air packs when hitting with it.

 

Shields

You can bring a shield to the event. The edges of the shield must be padded so that they are safe. A sure and easy way is to surround the edges with garden hose and then surround them with 15 mm of cell foam. Also the front of the shield has to be padded with at least 8 mm of cell foam and then covered with either tape or canvas (where you can put the sign of your group).

 

More detailed rules about different weapon types

Swords

All swords must have a thrusting tip. The minimum padding on the thrusting tip depends on the entire length of the sword. When a sword is less than 110 cm, 8 cm of padding is enough, swords longer than that require a 12 cm superlon (plastic foam) tip.

Since when the length of the weapon grows also the force of the hits grow, the absolute maximum length to all two-handed sword is how tall the user is.

If you want to make an annulet, it must be made so stiff that it really protects the fingers from hits. Also the annulet can't have sharp points that might cause harm to yourself or others.

Spears

There are two factors into making safe spears: a thrusting tip that is structured good and is big enough, and a pole that gives in the right amount.

On one hand the pole can not be too stiff, because if it doesn't give in enough, a thrust from it is dangerous. On the other hand, it can't give in too much because then it would allow questionable hits, for example, behind the shield with the help of a swinging motion. The pole is recommended to be made either of 50 mm PVC pipe or of two pipes, where one is inside the other that have been attached to each other with strong glue and have been plugged well from the ends.

The thrusting tip of the spear must have at least 15 cm long and wide enough plastic foam padding that has to be supported in a way that it can not bend away from the hit.

Flails and other chain weapons

Flails and other weapons, where the pole is not one-piece, are forbidden because you can't control the force of the hit.

Axes and clubs

Axes and clubs mean hitting weapons that have a distinct blade or hitting part at the end of the shaft. Only hits made with this particular padded part will count and the shaft must not be used for hitting.

The hitting part must have at least 5 cm of plastic foam or 30 mm of cell foam in addition to the core padding. There must be a 5 cm thick plastic foam thrusting tip at the end of the pole just to make sure. If the weapon is used as a thrusting weapon (a club with a spike in the end or an axe), must the thrusting tip be at least 12 cm long.

In axes and clubs the core pipe must be padded with a 15 mm layer of padding in the parts, which is not considered as the handle, and the handle shouldn't be more than half of the entire length of the weapon. It is recommendable to add some extra padding next to the hitting part or the back in case of accidental hits.

If the axe or club is long, it is classified as a polearm and it must be padded accordingly.

Polearms

Polearms mean weapons that have a hitting blade at the end of a long pole. Some polearms have also historically had a thrusting blade. There are many sorts of polearms. We strive to both create safe rules to using these weapons as well as to ease the recognising of different types of weapons, because it might be hard to distinguish a halberd from a bigger than normal spear in middle of battle.

The maximum length of a polearm from ground up is the length the user can reach with their hand without going to tip toe.

Polearms have the same rules about thrusting tips, the stiffness of the pole and padding the pole as do spears.

The historical use of polearms is connected to the force of the hit that you get with the help of a long shaft and a heavy hitting blade. In practise this means that to be safe, the hitting blade requires even more padding compared to hitting weapons. The blade must always have at least 30 mm of cell foam or alternatively 15 mm of cell foam and 30 mm of plastic foam, or 75 mm of plastic foam in addition to the padding of the pole. It is recommeded to put some extra padding to the pole next to the hitting blade in case you miss with your hit.

It is allowed to put some stiffer insulation on the plastic foam blade to give shape to the blade, as long as there are no hard shapes in the blade.

If you necessarily want to make a guard on the pole of the weapon, it must be done without any hard materials - for example, with an extra 2 x 15 mm piece of insulation.

The momentum of polearms depends on not only the length of the weapon but also of the weight (of especially the blade). It is therefore good to strive in making polearms as light as possible but still considering the regulations.

The hitting and the thrusting blades have to be made as clearly distinct parts so that even in battle situations it is possible to notice what part of the weapon the hit comes from.

Glaives have to be made clearly one-bladed so that the blade can continue from the hitting part straight as a thrusting tip. All multi-bladed polearms blades have to be clearly taped in different colours than the pole part. Black, silver and brown are enough colourwise and look better than more garish colours.

War machines

War machines such as cannons and catapults are evaluated case-by-case. It is wise to ask about these from the organisers already before the event and it is good to get them on the event site to be evaluated as soon as possible on Friday. There are conversations on the forum going on about the allowed type of ammo and war machines. In practise, the organisers have the last word on their use.

There is no easy way to define a certain pound or padding limit for these machines so they are evaluated by using common sense. If possible, it would be good to make a catapult or a cannon so that on the event site it could be set to a certain maximum strength the organisers deem good. In machines that utilise a spring this could be done by adjusting the length of the spring and in catapults this could be done by changing the counter weight.

 

Armour Rules

Approved for the year 2008

 

In general

It's not unusual to get a few cuts and bruises during War Cry and the use of all sorts of safety pads are recommended. Due to the historical nature of the event, only the armour decreed in these rules functions as one that gives you protective points. People should make an effort to make the armour look good and realistic and making it according to a historical pattern is recommendable. If you are planning on wearing armour that is historical, but not in the time frame decided for the event, you should contanct the organizers beforehand.

Armour should not be unnecessary sharp or angular. Possible ailerons on gauntlets, the edges of metal plates etc. should be polished as round as possible.

Modern materials, for example, aluminium, titan and plastic will not be accepted as materials for an armour except in single small parts like in buttons, rivets etc. Unauthentic materials will be accepted only if they clearly imitate the authentic armour material and are equal to it both in appearence and weight as in strength.

 

Chainmail

Chainmail is always an appropriate and easily made good looking gear. Instructions into making chainmail can be found online for example in Ilendil's Chainmail-article and in the Hauberk Pattern-text.

In non-riveted chainmails that have a four-to-one pattern, the ratio of the diameter of the wire into the inner diameter of the link should be atleast 4/25. For example, if the diameter of the wire is 1,6 mm, the inner diameter of the link can be 10 mm at most, and with a 2 mm wire the inner diameter of the link can be 12 mm at most. Chainmail that has been made with another pattern should equal to this in strength.

Chainmail has to be made of metal.

 

Leather armour

Acceptable leather armours are made of at least 3 mm thick cuirboulli leather or some other very stiff leather. By this we mean leather that holds its form without support and that clearly resists twisting. We also accept as leather armour an armour that is made from at least 6 mm thick soft leather that can be made of several layers of thinner leather.

 

Plate mail

Plate mail should be made of metal with thickness of 1 mm or more if it is forced into shape. If the armour has been put together from pieces or splints that have been attached to the leather or canvas (splintmail or something similar), it should be made of metal that is at least 1,5 mm thick.

All the edges and corners of the plate should be smooth (polished dull). No part of the plate mail can damage its user or others as a result of a hit. Fighters using elbow armour are urged to be careful not to harm others with them.

 

Canvas armour

An armour made of canvas should be made of cotton, linen or other natural materials (from it visible parts). Hay, horse hair or other suitable materials can be used for the stuffing or the interior parts. Synthetic materials are forbidden.

Canvas armour may be made with the "tube" -technic or by quilting it. Also armours with many layers must be stiched. Stichless paddings such as pillows will not be counted as armour.

Canvas armour must be thick enough even when squeezed. You can test this, for example, by putting a lot of weight on the armour while it lays on a table. Quilted gambesons should be at least 10 mm thick, the tube -version or some other kind should be at least 15 mm thick.

 

Helmets

Acceptable helmets are considered all that protect the head from injuries for real. As an exception from other forms of armour, also plastic and other clearly unauthentic materials and models are acceptable. For example, a hockey helmet is considered an armour.

For safety reasons, there should be some kind of padding inside the helmet or a system that separates the metallic cover from the user's head. A padded hood or a leather inside of a helmet works fine.

The helmet should have no big and hard extensions that can function as a lever and thus harm the user's neck. For example, the ugly and unauthentic horns in a viking helmet are forbidden. If there is a jawstrap on the helmet, it must not lead the user in danger of suffocation.

It is reccommended to mask the modern helmet to look more medieval by using canvas or tape. Especially garish coloured helmets may be masked by the organizers.

 

Bow Rules

Approved for the year 2008

 

The use of bows, longbows, crossbows and other weapons to shoot a rain of arrows on the enemy is allowed. Since, unlike other weapons, arrows can't be controlled while in the air, they will be dealt separately in the rules.

Arrows must be constructed carefully. It is possible to pop out eyes even with an arrow that is made correctly - this is why the archer must be aware of these threats. An arrow can turn nock first and move on to another direction if it bounces of a weapon, or break and spread sharp peaces of wood around. The latter threat can be minimised by surrounding the wooden shaft with tape but the former one can only be prevented by responsible behaviour.

A bow can not be used fully stretched closer than five meters. Learn to use only the required amount of force before the event, because an arrow will fly straight for a couple of meters even with small tension and the arrow will bounce the easier the harder it hits the target.

The same arrow must not be shot twice during the scenario and shot arrows must be examined between scenarios by a person with the authority to do it. Bows and arrows will be examined by the organizers in the beginning of the event when other weapons are being examined as well. To avoid confusion, no other than the person who brought the bow into the battle can take use it or move it at any point of the battle. Arrows and throwing weapons may be moved away from anyone trampling them, but they must not be hidden.

 

Bows

Draw weight is limited at 25 pounds. This is the most powerful bow allowed. The amount of pounds means the force that is required to draw the bow back so that the tip of your arrow will be on the "shelf". This can be measured by setting the string, for example, against a scale or a fish scale and by drawing the bow to the point it would be drawn with the arrow in it. 25 pounds is 11,4 kilos.

Bows have hard and rather sharp points. Be careful not to harm anyone with them during battle. They can also be cushioned.

 

Arrows

There is a good instructions into making arrows by Pasi Jumppanen (ask from forums).

The padding of the tip of the arrow must be sufficient. A sufficient padding is considered a minimun of 5 cm thick foamed plastic layers and at least 2 cm of cell foam. Other materials can also be used as long as they correspond in softness to the materials introduced here. If you can make a leatherhead arrow to correspond with this cushioning, even though the cushioning is of canvas and leather, they can be accepted.

The tip of the arrow must not fit the eye socket (the tip must have a diameter of 5 centimeters), and the tip of the arrow cannot have a real sharp point inside. (There have been cases of target heads that could have burst the entire tip and possibly also the targeted victim.) In no case can the tip turn aside while hitting a firm obstacle.

In the end of the shaft of the arrow, there should be a coin or something correspondive (no matter wheather it's metal, thick leather or wood) to prevent the shaft from bursting through the paddings. A mere wooden tap can go through a matress and foamed plastic in time unless it's prevented somehow. One functional way to do this is to glue, for example, a 2 centimeters long piece of broom shaft, where you have drilled a whole to fit an arrow shaft tightly into the tip of the shaft. With this, there will be no need for a coin and it also supports the tip nicely.

The arrow should be feathered and the shaft should have for example tape covering it to prevent splintering in case the shaft breaks. This is required if wooden shafts are used. If the shaft is made of a material that does not splinter when it breaks, no covering is needed. A thick and stiff packing tape is recommended as too thin tape will let the splinters through.

Arrows should have a nock cover to protect the eye from an arrow that has turned in the air or has bounced after landing. An instruction to make a sufficient nock cover will be added to the web page later. It will be easy to make and add to the arrows you already have.

The goal is to make a safe, slightly forward leaned projectile that feels at most as bad as a normal hit from a boffer weapon. Take into consideration that arrows often come unexpected, the target does not have time to tense their muscles or otherwise have time to get ready for a hit from you arrow.

Also, use of common sense is recommendable. If the arrow is too hard, too heavy, does not fly correctly etc, it will be rejected. Bow and arrows can be dangerous and they are not to be trifled with. If needs be, the arrow will be tested by shooting it to the archer using it with moderate force from a close distant.

The arrow should have three feathers. Those with two will pass if the feathers are ok and the arrow flies straight, but it is recommended to put the third feather there as well. Plastic or bone nocks are not compulsory, but they lessen the splitting of the notched nock on the wooden shaft. In these cases, the string might shoot the departed splinter a long way.

When making the nock, we recommend drilling a hole and then cutting a slit all the way to the hole with a knife. This way the bottom of the slit will be round and it will not split so easily and it is better to the string as well.

The arrows will be marked with the colours of the group, whose archer it is. This will make it easier for the arrows to be returned to the groups after the scenario. Each group chooses a colour combination of 1-3 colours (these have to be notified in the forum so other groups won't use the same combo) and marks their arrows with it. The group sign will be placed on the shaft near the tip. If you want to mark your own arrows separately from others in your group (which is also recommended), the personal sign can be placed somewhere else than in the spot reserved for the group sign.

This year IDV-arrows will not be allowed in War Cry. Their functionality is being tested outside scenarios to determine the path we're taking for the future. Those interested are welcome to come and be testsubjects to be shot.

 

Combat Rules

Approved for the year 2008

 

The combat rules are very simple. A hit from a weapon to a limb makes the limb useless and a hit to the torso or the head kills. A new hit to a limb that has already been damaged will lead to death.

A hit to the arm means a hit between the area starting from the bicep and going downwards to the tip of the fingers. The shoulder is considered to be a part of the torso. You can move a weapon from a wounded arm to a healthy one quickly, after which the wounded arm is placed behind the back. The hip and the groin are a part of the torso and everything below them is considered as your leg. An injured leg will be lift off the ground and you cannot place your weight on it. Everything from the neck upwards (neck included) is considered the head. Everything that is not your arm, leg or head, is your torso.

A hit is considered to be any hit from the blade or the part that is meant to do the damage (for example the tip of the club) of any weapon, which touches the fighter and has come from a proper move meant to hurt the opponent. Hits that have only hit clothes in parts that are clearly not touching the body will not be counted. In unclear situations it is good to clarify the situation by, for example, yelling "You broke my cloak - you'll pay for this!" or nod your head as a sign for a hit on the armour. It is polite to make the hitter know whether the hit given missed or no.

Everyone counts their own hits like a gentleman/woman. If someone does not count hits, the supervisors and he/she can be remarked in a gentleman like fashion after the scenario. In unclear situations, it is best for all to act like a gentleman/woman and to just take the unclear hit as a hit.

 

On contact

It is allowed to grab the opponent's weapon - however not from the blade.

Bodycontact between participants is allowed. Nevertheless, grabbing your opponent is forbidden, as is pushing, tripping someone and other sorts of wrestling that is taken too far. Any technic cannot lead to locks.

It is allowed to contact the opponent with a shield by pushing and it is also allowed to push yourself through the lines of the opponents by using your shield. It is not allowed to hit or fell opponents by using a shield. Charging that is uncontrolled or aimed at felling your opponents is forbidden.

It is allowed to push shields and guns with weapons that have shafts (spears, axes, halbards etc.), but it is not allowed to wrestle with them and it is not allowed to hit the opponents with the shaft.

 

Hitting from behind

A hit that comes from the behind or unexpectedly is always deadly; not even armour is of any help against these hits.

If you are in a position to hit your opponent from the behind or otherwise without the opponent noticing the hit that is coming, the hit should be aimed at the shoulder, buttocks or some other part that is sure not to break anything. When hitting be especially careful to avoid hitting the back of the head, the neck and the kidneys.

If, during the event, you are hit to the leg without you knowing who is hitting you, you will be dead and you won't stay to explain the situation. The force of the hit does not matter - a light tap is enough to express that the hit could have been made anywhere. This rule is used so that the person attacking from behind will not have to hit their victims to the head or to another part that is actually dangerous for your health. The same one hit principle is valid in situations where the attacker can freely choose where to aim there hit. If the defender is, for example, surrounded from all sides, or if there is a weapon placed at his throat, several hits are not needed.

 

The effect of armour in to the battle

Armour protects from one hit in every hit-area that it covers, but only the areas actually covered by the armour. Armour does not regenerate during the scenario. There is more information about armour in the more detailed armour rules. If you are planning on using armour in War Cry, try to practise fighting with your armour on and recognising that you have been hit in advance.

 

There is no miracle healing, magic or anything of the sorts in the battle. There are, however, people who can fix small wounds. In practise this means that part of the participants are given the "authority" to do this. Such person can tend to wounds to arms and legs in the middle of battle. In practise this means that one wound per warrior can be taken care of (not one per hit-area) during battle so that the wound does not influence the warrior anymore. The organizers will explain the details to those who have chosen to be a healer.

 

Death

After receiving a deathly hit, raise your hands above your head, hold your weapon upside down in your hands and protect your head with all your gear. All this has a practical meaning, which is that everyone, even the ones behind you, can see that you have stopped fighting. At first chance, step aside from the most intense fighting trying to disturb the fighting as little as possible.

When you die, return to the breakspot that was pointed to you before the battle holding your hands or at least one hand on top of your head as a sign of you not being a part of the battle anymore. Strive in returning to the breakspot without moving through your own lines or those of your opponents. Do not have a conversation with those still involved in the battle and don't stay to deal with the possible injustices while still on the battlezone - deal with the situation on the breakspot with the supervisors.

In case exiting from the battlezone is not possible because of the action going on on your return route, go to the nearest tree, rock or something similar, sit and stay down waiting for the situation to calm down. Remember to keep your sign up as long as you are still on the battlezone, especially when there are people around who are still involved in the battle. In unclear situations notify on your own initiative whether you're alive or not. If someone asks whether you're alive, answer immediately and truthfully. It is not appropriate for the liveones to be knowingly hiding amongst the dead.

 

"Hold!"

If in the middle of battle you notice a dangerous situation that is about to cause someone to get hurt, yell "Hold!" from the top of your lungs. This will cease the fighting and everyone will shout "Hold!" as hard as they can. When noticing a dangerous situation or when hearing "Hold!" being shouted, the supervisors will blow a whistle or honk the foghorn as a signal to temporarily interrupting the scenario. When hearing "Hold!" being shouted or the signal from the foghorn or the whistle, everyone stays where they are, go down to one knee and hits coming after the first shout will not be counted. After the dangerous situation has passed and before continuing the scenario, people move back to the places they were in when they heard the shout if they had moved essentially during the break.

When the dangerous situation has been solved, the supervisor who solved it yells "Jatkuu!" (= "continues") and confirms this (if needed) with a continuing signal from a whistle or the foghorn. The participants repeat "Jatkuu!" shout and the battle will continue from where it ended after the shout that interrupted the battle.

Not all situations are dangerous. For example, a loosened tip of the sword can be yelled simply "Your sword is broken!" to the one using it. Also falling to the ground is not a dangerous situation unless the person is in danger to be trampled on. Injuries that have already happened, like spraining your ankle does not require "Hold!", but someone to assist the injured person to the first aid point. However, in unclear situations it is better to shout "Hold!".

The abuse of "Hold!" to improve the tactical situation is forbidden. "Hold!" is meant only for preventing dangerous situations.

 

Supervisors

The duty of the supervisors is to supervise that the battle is going safely. In case of need, they can interrupt the battle, if there is dangerous behaviour or they can remark on a singe combatant on their actions. They can advise you to the first aid point and they have phones that will allow them to call for help in case of emergency. The supervisors can also check the safety of your weapons, if you or someone else suspects that the weapon might not be fit anymore. If needs be, the supervisors can remove dangerous weapons from use even in the middle of a scenario.

If a participant is behaving dangerously or in a way that disturbs the others very much, the supervisors can order him to leave the spot during battle. In gross or repeated cases, the supervisors can order the person to leave the entire event. In practise, beating like a raving lunatic or continuous gross cheating may result in removing from the entire event.

If there is an argument about rules and the participants are not able to solve their problems, the supervisors will solve the situation.