Pas D'Armes Tourney
Let all princes, lords, barons, knights and squires of the marches of the Isle de France, Champagne, Flanders, Ponthieu first of seignories, Vermandois and Artois, Normandy, Aquitaine and Anjou, Brittany and Berry, and also Corbie, and all others of whatever marches that are in this kingdom and all other Christian kingdoms, who are not banished or enemies of the king our lord, may God save him, know that on the 20th of September, in Dragonship Haven, there will be a very great festival of arms and a very noble tourney with maces of one measure and rebated swords, in appropriate armor, with crests, coats of arms and horses covered with the arms of the noble tourneyers, as is the ancient custom. This shall be done in all ways at the direction of the wise and puissant Baron Angus Kerr of Concordia, who shall be the Master of the Tourney.
Tournament Rules
Overall Guidelines
This is a Pas Tourney, so Chivalry, Heraldry, Pageantry, Nobility are foremost in the day. Come with a retinue, make your entrances grand. Bring ransoms, bring gifts for honorable opponents, show the kingdom your largesse. At the Pas we strive for the great prize of renown.
Armor Regulations
Armor must be accurate to the time period of the Hundred Years War. European armor only please. Some anachronisms will be allowed for safety, ie. hand protection. Sneakers or blatant non period footwear is disallowed. Armor may be made of non period materials as long as it looks period from a distance of ten feet. All kits must be vetted by the Grand Marshall before being allowed on the Field of Honor. * A note on hand protection. All weapons to be used are a form of great weapon, so half gauntlets/basket hilts are not acceptable. Hockey gloves and “bear claws” are likewise unacceptable.
Weapons Regulations
The weapons allowed are as follows. No EXCEPTIONS. And since there will be no jousting, there will be NO Shields allowed. A single sword up to 48 inches A Pole Axe up to 6 feet A Spear Up to 6 and a half feet A dagger
Heralds and Heraldry
All entrants are Strongly recommended to bring their own personal field herald for the day. Heralds will be used to make challenges and to introduce combatants before their bouts. All entrants are encouraged to bring banners, pennants, and shields showing their devices. Pageantry is highly encouraged.
Conventions of Combat
There will be two conventions allowed at the Tournament.
Conventions of Pleasure (a Plaisance)
Under this convention, there is no killing blow, the combat is fought based on counted blows, to be agreed upon by the combatants.
Conventions of War (a Guerre)
Under this convention, counted blows may be used, but killing blows are also allowed. Killing blows are, a thrust to the armpit, the inside of the elbow, the buttocks or the groin, as well a thrust to the eye slot. If the combatant is wearing an open face helm, a face thrust is considered a killing blow.
Tournament Structure
The tournament will be comprised of two major elements, a series of passes at the barrier and a Grande Melee. As this is a Pas, Chivalry is the tone of the day, and the joy of combat is its own reward. As such, there will be no winner in the traditional SCA sense. Combatants are encouraged to bring items to give to opponents they felt did them most honor.
Barrier Combat
Fights will be fought over the barrier. They may be either a Pleasance or a Guerre, the exact form will be left up to the discretion of the combatants.
Rules of the Grande Melee
The sides will be drawn up on the basis of persona allegiance, English versus French. The melee will be fought a Guerre with the ability to capture your opponent. Three stout blows to a combatant’s head will render them stunned and you will have the ability to “capture” them. A captured combatant may retake the field after paying a ransom to their captor. Combat continues until one side has no ransoms left and cannot retake the field.