| 4.1 General |
|
| 4.1.1 |
All weapons are subject to rejection for any safety or construction discrepancies as determined by the weapons checkers appointed by the event organizers. |
| 4.1.2 |
Weapons Checkers and Marshals have the final say in determining how to classify a weapon, e.g., whether a weapon with a circular cross-section is a "sword" or a "club." |
| 4.1.3 |
A safe Warbands weapon is one which when used as intended will NOT result in bruises, break bones, or knock out teeth if an unarmored person is struck with a full-strength swing. |
| 4.1.3.1 |
In order to ensure Rule 4.1.3, before being allowed onto the field, all weapons are tested at full force, by event appointed Weapons Checkers, unless previously failed by weapons checking staff for safety. |
| 4.1.4 |
All weapons must have cloth covering over all striking surfaces. |
| 4.1.5 |
Two-and-a-half-inch rule: No part of a weapon's striking surface, whether the tip, the edge, the face or any other part, may pass easily more than 0.5" through a 2.5" diameter hole when tested in the direction of the strike. |
| 4.1.6 |
Two-inch rule: No non-striking component of a weapon, such as a cross guard, a non-striking tip, or a pommel, may pass easily more than 0.5" through a 2" diameter hole when tested perpendicular to the striking surface or shaft of the weapon. |
| 4.1.7 |
The flat (non-striking surface) of bladed weapons must be safely padded to prevent injury from hits from the flat of the blade. |
| 4.1.8 |
Hafts on axes, flails, maces, polearms, and the like must be safely padded except for a reasonable area for a handhold. This means the haft padding on swung weapons must be as safe as their striking surface. The haft on spears (which are thrusting-only weapons) is not required to be as heavily padded as that of a swung weapon. |
| 4.1.9 |
No swung weapon may have more than 1/3 of its overall length unpadded, nor have more than 30" unpadded. |
| 4.1.10 |
Single-edged weapons such as glaives and cutlasses must have their non-striking edge safely padded to prevent injury from hits from the non-striking surface. |
| 4.1.11 |
Restrictions: |
| 4.1.11.1 |
The pommel of a weapon must be padded to prevent injury in the event of an accidental "hit" and must not easily go through a 2 inch-diameter hole. |
| 4.1.11.2 |
All swung weapons must conform to the following: |
| 4.1.11.2.1 |
Blue weapons of 18” or more must weigh at least 12 ounces. Under that length does not need to meet a weight or balance requirement. |
| 4.1.11.2.2 |
Red weapons must weigh at least 24 ounces. |
| 4.1.11.2.3 |
Balance above the un-padded handle section. |
| 4.1.11.3 |
The shaft or blade of a red or blue weapon may not flex greater than 45 degrees when the weapon is swung in the plane/direction of the striking surface. |
| 4.1.11.4 |
The shaft of a spear or javelin may not flex greater than 90 degrees under reasonable testing stress. |
| 4.1.11.5 |
No weapons other than aluminum-shafted arrows may have metal cores. |
| 4.1.11.6 |
No weapon may have a spike or blade at the butt (pommel) end. Note that double-ended weapons (below) may have stabbing points at ends; this is different from a blue sword with a green stabbing spike on the pommel. |
| 4.1.11.7 |
Any weapon with a wooden core must have all wood covered with tape. |
| 4.1.11.8 |
Disallowed weapons include but are not limited to: Nets, lassos, punji sticks, nunchucks, tonfas, quarter staves, double-ended daggers, punch dagger. |
| 4.2 |
Blue Weapons |
| 4.2.1 |
Blue weapons are edged (hacking) or mass (smashing) melee weapons intended primarily for one-handed use. |
| 4.2.2 |
Blue weapons must have a minimum total length of 12 inches and a maximum total length less than 48 inches. |
| 4.2.3 |
Blue weapons other than flails may have green stabbing tips or spikes. |
| 4.2.4 |
Flails: |
| 4.2.4.1 |
The ball of a flail must have a minimum circumference of 16 inches (measured at its narrowest point) and weigh a minimum weight of 4 oz. |
| 4.2.4.2 |
The end of flail haft must follow the 2-inch rule. |
| 4.2.4.3 |
The maximum "chain" length on a flail is 6 inches. |
| 4.2.4.4 |
The rope or cloth of the flail "chain" must be completely covered with segmented foam (rings) to reduce the risk of injury if the chain strikes a fighter and reduce the risk of the chain wrapping a weapon or limb. |
| 4.2.4.5 |
Flails are always blue weapons regardless of length. |
| 4.3 |
Red Weapons |
| 4.3.1 |
Red melee weapons are long hacking and smashing weapons intended to be used primarily with two hands. |
| 4.3.2 |
A swung weapon (sword, axe, mace, glaive, halberd, etc.), 48 inches or longer is considered a red weapon when swung with two hands. |
| 4.3.3 |
A red weapon used with one hand counts as a blue weapon for damage. |
| 4.3.4 |
Red weapons may have green stabbing tips. |
| 4.3.5 |
Red weapons go through armor on the first hit when used two-handed. |
| 4.3.6 |
All Red weapons when used two-handed can destroy a shield with two solid blows from their legal striking surface (e.g., a solid hit from the haft of a glaive would not count). Blows which are mostly blocked by another weapon and light or glancing hits to a shield do not count as "shield breaking" hits. The fighter wielding the shield judges if the blows are solid "shield-breaking" red hits; however, the physical size of the fighter delivering the blows must always be considered, i.e., a "solid" hit from a smaller, lighter person will generally feel "lighter" than one from a more massive fighter. |
| 4.3.7 |
Red weapons must weigh at least 24 ounces and balance above the top of the hand-grip. |
| 4.4 |
Green Weapons |
| 4.4.1 |
Green weapons are stabbing weapons, such as spears, sword points, daggers, and stabbing points on pole arms. |
| 4.4.2 |
One-hand green thrusts do not penetrate armor, including "pool-cue" style thrusts where the spear slides through one hand while being pushed with the other. |
| 4.4.3 |
To penetrate armor, a green weapon must be thrust with both hands from the beginning of the thrust until it has connected solidly with the target. |
| 4.4.4 |
Spears must have at least 1/3 of the haft padded, but because spears are strictly thrusting weapons (as opposed to hacking weapons), the padding does not have to be as thick as on a hacking weapon. |
| 4.5 |
Yellow Weapons |
| 4.5.1 |
General |
| 4.5.1.1 |
Yellow weapons must be used at half-drawn (arrows) or thrown with half force (javelins) at ranges closer than 20 feet. |
| 4.5.1.2 |
A yellow weapon must travel its own length through the air after it is released to count as a legal hit. |
| 4.5.1.3 |
Yellow weapons do no damage if they strike shields. |
| 4.5.1.4 |
Players may not ever carry another fighter's missile weapons around without the owner's express permission. You may return fire with missiles that have been shot/thrown at you, but if you leave the immediate area where the missiles were fired/thrown, you may not take any missiles other than your own with you. Players must always return the owner's missiles to the owner upon request. |
| 4.5.1.5 |
Warbands-legal head/neck armor such as a helmet or coif are proof against a single missile weapon. The second hit causes death. |
| 4.5.2 |
Javelins: |
| 4.5.2.1 |
The maximum weight of a javelin is 1.5 pounds. |
| 4.5.2.2 |
Javelins must be between 4 and 7 feet in length. |
| 4.5.2.3 |
Because they may be used as both thrown- and hand-weapons, all javelins must pass standards for both yellow and green classifications; "yellow only" javelins are not allowed. |
| 4.5.2.4 |
All javelins must have a yellow cover on the head (not on the pommel). No other weapons may have a yellow cover. This is to clearly show in the heat of battle which end of a javelin is safe to throw at the enemy. |
| 4.5.2.5 |
Javelins are exempt from weapon flex rule and instead must not flex more than 90 degrees. |
| 4.5.2.6 |
Any block which stops the head of the javelin from striking its target is a legal block, including catching the javelin by the shaft or blocking it with any weapon. |
| 4.5.2.7 |
Javelins must be padded along their entire length. |
| 4.5.2.8 |
Javelins may not easily pass (<0.5") through a 3.5" diameter hole. The softer padded face of the javelin must be at least 3.5" wide in all directions. The stiffer structural base foam must be at least 3" in
diameter where it meets the open cell face foam.
|
| 4.5.3 |
Archery: |
| 4.5.3.1 |
All bows must have a draw weight of 35 pounds or less at 28 inches draw. |
| 4.5.3.2 |
Compound (pulley) bows are not allowed. |
| 4.5.3.3 |
Crossbows must have a maximum draw weight of 35 lbs. with a draw length of 12 inches. |
| 4.5.3.4 |
Arrows must always be shot; they can never be used as hand weapons. |
| 4.5.3.5 |
To be an archer at an event, a player must bring at least 2 passing arrows to the field. |
| 4.5.3.6 |
If an arrow is deflected, even minutely, it is considered to have hit. |
| 4.5.3.6.1 |
An arrow must strike with its head to cause a hit. |
| 4.5.3.7 |
Once an arrow has hit an object (changed its path) it is harmless. An arrow cannot strike multiple targets. |
| 4.5.3.8 |
To better simulate the speed and power of real arrows in flight, the only things which can stop arrows are shields or Warbands-legal head armor such as a helmet or coif. Arrows cannot be caught, blocked, deflected, or knocked out of the air by anything else, including hands, feet, weapons, or other equipment. If an arrow is blocked intentionally with anything other than a body part, shield, or head armor, the fighter doing the blocking is dead automatically. |
| 4.5.3.9 |
Bows may be used to turn aside thrusts without suffering any damage. However, if a bow is hacked or smashed by a red or blue weapon, the bow is considered broken. A healer may heal a bow. |
| 4.5.3.10 |
Archers are allowed to call shots for clarity, i.e., they may call out to let their target know where a hit landed or if the hit was "good," as in the case of a glancing or ricocheting arrow. |
| 4.5.3.11 |
If an arrow strikes a limb which has already been hacked or smashed by a blue or red weapon, the arrow is considered to have continued as if the limb were not there, hitting whatever is in its path. |
| 4.5.3.12 |
If a weapon accidentally blocks an arrow from hitting a target, the arrow is considered to have hit the target anyway. |
| 4.5.3.13 |
If an arrow hits a fighter's hand, that arm is lost (regardless of whether the handheld a weapon or shield). |
| 4.5.3.14 |
If an arrow hits a foot which is off the ground, that leg is lost. |
| 4.5.3.15 |
Arrows: |
| 4.5.3.15.1 |
All arrow shafts over 28" in length are required to have a draw stop (generally a ring of tape around the shaft) placed between 27" and 28" down the shaft from inside of the nock. |
| 4.5.3.15.2 |
Arrows may not easily pass (<0.5") through a 2.5" diameter hole. The softer padded face of the arrow must be at least 2.5" wide in all directions. The stiffer structural base foam must be at least 2" in
diameter where it meets the open cell face foam.
|
| 4.5.3.15.3 |
All arrows must contain a circular metal disk measuring at least 3/4 of an inch in diameter and 1/16 of an inch thick (the size of a penny) secured perpendicularly (flat) at the end of the shaft, unless it is an arrow with a golf tube shaft. In this case, a washer or disk slightly larger than the golf tube's rolled edge must be used instead. All circular disks must be at least the hardness of a penny. |
| 4.5.3.15.4 |
All arrow striking surfaces must be constructed of open-cell foam. |
| 4.5.3.15.5 |
All arrows must have at least two full vanes/fletchings (feathers) and a nock. |
| 4.5.3.15.6 |
Masking-like, unenforced cellophane, rigid, metal based, hard, sharp, or poor adhesion quality tapes may not be used in construction. Examples include but are not limited to: ducting, packaging, scotch, masking, and painter’s tapes. (Note: duct tape is allowed, as ducting tape is a separate type) |
| 4.5.3.15.7 |
Wooden arrows are not permitted. |
| 4.5.3.15.8 |
There can be no tape on the striking surface of an arrow. |
| 4.5.3.15.9 |
The head of the arrow must not be able to move easily in relation to the arrow shaft. This movement includes, but is not limited to: twisting without return, twisting more than a quarter of the shaft circumference with return, plunging up and down, wobbling from side to side. |
| 4.5.3.15.10 |
In order to avoid confusing golf tube arrows with javelins, no arrow using a golf tube shaft may have a yellow cover. |
| 4.6 |
White Weapons: |
| 4.6.1 |
Rocks must be at least 4" in diameter and constructed of foam with as little tape as possible, and all aspects of their construction must conform to the 2-1/2 inch rule. |
| 4.6.2 |
The maximum weight of a rock is 1.5 pounds. |
| 4.6.3 |
Rocks must be thrown; a fighter may never strike another fighter with a hand-held rock. |
| 4.7 |
Shields: |
| 4.7.1 |
Shields must be safely padded on the front and all edges. Any dangerous protrusions (bolts, handles, etc.) on the rear must be taped and/or padded for the user's safety. |
| 4.7.2 |
A shield may be used or worn in any manner, and it will still remain a shield, e.g., a shield may be carried on the arm, held in one or two hands, worn on the back, or propped against a fighter's side. |
| 4.7.3 |
A fighter may wear or carry only one shield at a time in combat. |
| 4.7.4 |
A shield may not be taller than the distance between the wielder's chin and their ankles, nor wider than 3 feet. |
| 4.7.5 |
The minimum diameter of a shield is 12 inches. |
| 4.7.6 |
Shields may be virtually any shape but must have handles and/or arm-straps. If a shield is made to strap onto the body and has no means to carry it on the fighter's arm, it is not allowed. As with all weapons rules, Weapons-Checkers and Marshals have the final say in determining what is a shield versus what is armor. |
| 4.7.7 |
All Red weapons when used two-handed can destroy a shield with two solid blows from their legal striking surface (e.g., a solid hit from the haft of a glaive would not count). Blows which are mostly blocked by another weapon and light or glancing hits to a shield do not count as "shield breaking" hits. The fighter wielding the shield judges if the blows are solid "shield-breaking" red hits; however, the physical size of the fighter delivering the blows must always be considered, i.e., a "solid" hit from a smaller, lighter person will generally feel "lighter" than one from a more massive fighter. (Duplicate of Red Weapon/Shield Info 4.3.6) |
| 4.7.8 |
When a shield is destroyed by two red-weapon hits, the wielder of the shield must immediately drop the shield. Additional hits from any type of weapon that strike before the shield is dropped count as though the shield isn't there (generally counting first against the shield-wielder's arm, then their torso). |
| 4.7.9 |
Anviling, laying a weapon on a shield to avoid taking damage is not permitted. Thus, a weapon must intercept the red weapon before it strikes the shield. If the blocking weapon is driven back against the shield by the hit from the red weapon, it does not constitute anviling. If the red weapon continues past the attempted block with significant force, the blow still counts as a red weapon hit. |
| 4.7.10 |
Fighters may use a red weapon while also using a shield. |
| 4.7.11 |
Shield "spikes" are for ornamentation only and do no damage. |
| 4.7.12 |
Shield Kicking: Players are allowed to kick shields with the bottom of the foot (as opposed to the toe), provided the kicker keeps one foot on the ground. (No flying kicks!) Shield kicking must be done with regard
for the safety of other fighters and will be monitored carefully by the Marshals.
|
| 4.7.13 |
Shields may be covered in non-latex based soft plastic sealant (e.g. Plasti-dip) as an alternative to cloth as long as they pass all other requirements. |
| 4.7.14 |
No shields may have metal cores. |
| 4.7.15 |
A shield must exhibit sufficient rigidity to prevent it from significantly deforming when struck with a solid blow from a padded weapon. |
| 4.8 |
Shield Bashing and Checking: |
| 4.8.1 |
A shield bash means using a shield to strike an opponent starting from a distance more than two steps away. |
| 4.8.2 |
A shield check means using a shield to strike an opponent starting from a distance two steps away or closer. |
| 4.8.3 |
Players may shield bash an opponent on their front or side. Bashing an opponent from the rear is prohibited. Bashing a kneeling opponent is prohibited. |
| 4.8.4 |
Players may shield check an opponent from any direction. Players may shield check opponents who have lost a leg. |
| 4.8.5 |
It is never permissible to strike a fighter in the head or neck with a shield. |
| 4.9 |
Grappling: |
| 4.9.1 |
Grappling is defined as wrestling in a safe and reasonable manner, attempting to subdue or unbalance your opponent without strikes, throws, or joint/nerve holds. |
| 4.9.2 |
A person in armor or rigid plastic safety equipment or carrying a bow and/or arrows may never initiate a grapple. |
| 4.9.3 |
Players are not allowed to initiate a grapple starting more than two steps away from an opponent. |
| 4.9.4 |
Grappling from behind should be done with great caution and will be closely monitored by Marshals for safety. |
| 4.9.5 |
Body checks (blocking your opponent's movement using one's body) are allowed. |
| 4.9.6 |
Punching and kicking are never allowed, except in the case of shield kicks as outlined above. |
| 4.9.7 |
An unarmored fighter may choose to initiate a grapple with any opponent, including those who are armored or carrying bows or arrows. |
| 4.10 |
Miscellaneous: |
| 4.10.1 |
Whenever you strike an opponent from behind, simultaneously call out the color of your weapon ("Red!" "One-Handed Green!") so that your opponent will know how to react. If a weapon color is not called out, expect
that your opponent will treat it as a hit from a blue weapon, the most common weapon encountered on the battlefield.
|
| 4.10.2 |
Strikes ignore sheathed weapons (i.e., one that is attached/hanging from one's belt or over one's back) or any other worn object, including baggy clothing such as cloaks. If an attack would have made legal contact with a fighter had the object been absent, then it should be counted as a hit. A weapon must be in a fighter's hand to intercept an attack. |
| 4.10.3 |
Anviling, the act of laying one's weapon on a shield or body part to avoid taking damage, is not permitted. |
