Merry Christmas, Legionnaires

 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." (Luke 2: 8-11 NIV) 

May Christ bless you on this most blessed day.

The Legion vs. the Lich

From the journal of Kentarch Elias Palatini, commander of the Chimera Legion on Chovoli Island.

The Legion received a plea for help from the neighboring island of Koryfogrammi. It seemed their capital, Epineio was under attack from an army of undead. Although not part of the Empire, we enjoyed good relations with the Koryfogrammoi. Things had quieted down on Chovoli, so I decided to send a detachment to assist.

Given the seriousness nature of the emergency, I led the expedition with my pentecontarch at my side.

Pentecontarch Basilius Akephalos Kydones

After a short voyage we arrived at Epineio. An army had already gathered and was preparing to move out. It had formed into two divisions. Our forces were split between the two. Basilius commanded the legionnaires in the first division while I led our troops in the second.

We marched toward the invading horde of undead. We rushed into battle and smashed into the zombies. But we discovered that they could withstand horrific wounds that would fell a normal man. We learned to strike mortal blows. Our troops were then able to drive deep into the enemy line. But then we were horrified to find that those zombies we had felled had returned to battle! The more we struck down and the further we penetrated, the more we found ourselves surrounded.

We then discovered that the enemy horde was led by what the Varangians call a lich - an undead necromancer.

"Kill the lich!" came the command. It was the only way to defeat our foe.

I lost track of Basilius, but I believe he led a force on the left flank. He destroyed scores of the abominations, but still they kept coming.

I led an attack on the right flank. We managed to cleave our way through the zombies. Lo, there before us was the lich!

"Charge!" I cried, and we rushed forth. We reached the lich, and I even managed to strike it with some powerful blows. However, I believe it had some magical protection, and survived my attack. Then undead reinforcements arrived and pushed my force back.

We continued to battle on the flank, but swarms of zombies prevented us from reaching the lich again. Yet it seems that we provided a useful diversion. Elsewhere, the allied army broke through and slayed the lich. Without its control, the zombies collapsed. Victory!

Game Notes

Last Sunday we drove up to Crest Haven, an Amtgard chapter in West Palm Beach, to participate in their coronation event. I used a Greek translation of their name for the name of the island and capital city:

• Koryfogrammi = Crest
• Epineio = Haven

The forces of Crest Haven battled a lich and his army of zombies. Players formed into two teams, with each taking taking turns as the undead army. Josh aka Lord GrRakt played the lich.

Robb and I made the trip up. We were split between the two teams. My narrative represents this by putting us in different divisions. Of course, we did not command any players, but in my imagination, we were at the head of our legionnaires.

I managed to reach the lich once and got in a couple of strikes. Amtgard liches have 4 points of armor, so it takes quite a few hits to kill one. I did not quite get enough hits. Fortunately, my teammates were able to break through and kill him. 

The good guys won both battles. Yay!

The Legion Allows No Bull

From the journal of Kentarch Elias Palatini, commander of the Chimera Legion on Chovoli Island.

We received the following report:

After many centuries of sleep, the great mountain at Chòvoli's center shuddered, shook, and reminded us all that it was still very much alive. From it's depths, a mouth to the Kòlasi opened and the great mountain vomited forth ancient horrors long imprisoned. Unnatural, fetid monsters whom desire revenge and human flesh to slake their fell hungers...

Shortly thereafter, we received reports that a bull-headed monster began to prey on one of the inland villages. I led a detachment of the Legion to investigate.

We tracked the monster to its lair in the mountains. The monster's cave was only accessible by a narrow entrance, so I sent in a scout. We only heard horrific screams. I sent in another scout. Moments later, he came back, bloodied and terrified. At the time, he could only stammer in fear. 

Later, he would report:

Hellish snarls and piercing screams echo off the walls of the cavern as you step foot into the labyrinthian corridors of the great mountain. The air is stale, thick with the cloying scent of decaying corpses and other unsavory smells. You hold your torches aloft, trying to see further into the unsettling darkness... it's almost as if the dark is trying to suffocate your light source. It grows warmer with every step. Soon, sweat cascades down your faces. The snarls soon become frenzied howls of delight, a final terrified scream acts as the crescendo to this macabre symphony & then silence...and there you see it. The Minotaur crouched over the corpse of an Imperial Scout, the man's intestines dangling from the creature's monstrous lips as it turns it's gaze toward you. Surrounded by half rotten corpses and the skeletal remains of it's previous victims, The Minotaur rises. A bloodied great axe clutched in it's hands. It roars and charges towards you!

Right, I thought. No time for fiddling around. Let's get to it.

"We're going in" I commanded. "Spread out if you can, swarm the beast, and slay it! Remember, we the Chimera Legion are brave as lions, fierce as dragons, and stubborn as goats. Let's go!

A little poetic license. I wish I had said that for real.

I charged into the den of evil, my soldiers behind me. I entered the cave and spotted the form of the Minotaur. It swung its great axe at me. I dodged, then charged in. The beast backpedaled, trying to get its axe into play. I pressed close, then swung. My finely honed blade struck, lopping off a horn. The creature bellowed in pain and rage, then struck me with a backhand blow of its powerful arm. It sent me flying into the cave wall. I slid to the cave floor, dazed.

My pentecontach Basilius  was next into the fray. The beast struck with its axe, sundering Basilius's shield. He lashed with his spathion but the blade did not penetrate the creature's thick hide. The axe swung around again, smashing into the pentecontarch's ribs. His armor saved him, but the blow was powerful enough to knock him senseless.

By now, the rest of the detachment had entered the cave. They ferociously swarmed the Minotaur, slashing and jabbing. The beast lay about with its axe, smashing shields to bits and cleaving into my brave warriors. But they gave back as good as they got, and soon blood was streaming freely from the beast. Still, it fought with a devilish fury.

Finally, one legionnaire named Xander ducked past the great axe and buried his blade deep into the Minotaur's side. The beast bellowed in pain and stumbled backward. Had the Legion defeated the Minotaur?

But no, the beast merely drew out the blade, and charged at Xander. As it did Legionnaire Xylo (Ashley roughly translated into Greek) lunged. Her blade sunk deep into its vitals. It faltered, dropped its axe, and collapsed to the ground.

We did it!

Our proud heroes "Xylo" and Xander with their spoils of war - the bull horns and its great axe.

Game Notes

Pardon the poetic license in the above account. We actually ran the scenario multiple times, and the account is an amalgam of multiple replays.

The Minotaur has heavy armor, can break shields in one strike, and has the equivalent of Amtgard's True Grit, which allows a dead character return to life.

Initially, we fought the Minotaur one-on-one. As the Minotaur, I killed the other three. Then Robb (Basilius) was the Minotaur against me. Once again, the Minotaur won. These one-on-one fights are represented by the tale of the scouts.

We then did 3 legionnaires vs. the Minotaur. First up, I fought the other 3. I managed to kill Basilius before Ashley and Xander swarmed and killed me. This battle is the inspiration for the account of the beast's death. Then Robb was the beast. Like the account, I charged the Minotaur. My strike knocked off Robb's horns. Unfortunately, it also knocked off his glasses. We paused at the moment to find his glasses. Then we decided to halt for the day. For the above account, I moved around events so it would make more narrative sense.

The two reports came from some fiction that Robb posted on our Facebook page.

Welcome to Chovoli

The Emperor has received reports of pirates raiding the Mediterranean island of Chovoli (a fictional location for our LARP campaign). He has sent the Chimera Legion to defend the island from raiders.

Once there, an earthquake hits the island. The earthquake rends open mountain caves in the island's interior. Since then, the Legion has received reports of monstrous creatures emerging from the labyrinthine depths. Now the Legion has to fight on two fronts - pirates from the sea and monsters from the mountains.

Now that our LARP group has a few recruits, we're going to start a roleplaying campaign. Stay tuned for battle reports!

Thank the Lord!

 As we sit down to feast today, let us thank the Lord for the bounty He has provided. And let us share His blessings peacefully with our neighbors.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank You Veterans!

 May God bless you for your service.

We're Back!

 Praise the Lord. The Legion returns in November. Come to our kick-off event.

Plumb(ata)ing the Depths

When I wrote the guide to Byzantine light infantry, I mentioned the plumbata, a lead-weighted dart.

At the time, I had no idea how to make one for LARPing. A previous attempt failed miserably.

Recently, I was perusing a tutorial for Amtgard throwing weapons when I saw this photo.

It dawned on me that the third weapon from the left would make a decent, simplified representation of a plumbata. The head can represent the arrow tip and the pommel is akin to the feathers. I think we can ignore the lead weight in the middle.

I decided to give it a try.

Here is the result.

The head is a bit more bulbous than the tutorials, but it seems like it will work well enough, I plan to tweak the design and make some more.

By the way, here's the link to the tutorial.

On LARP Chivalry

Knighthood should be about virtue and service, not about how many people you can beat with a foam bat.

- Primarch Ser Hivemind Saligia of The Cairnhold Legion (from the old Dagorhir forum)

What are the virtues of a knight? This is something that I have pondered for many years. Robb Rodgers, Brian Kasheta, and I developed a list of virtues several years ago. I finally got around to fleshing out the ideas.

Introduction
The knights of medieval Europe were expected to live by the standards of chivalry, the knightly code of honor. Although most fell short of this code, it stands even today as a guide for the behavior of those who would wish to be knightly. Furthermore, I feel that chivalry serves as an excellent code for those who wish to act knightly at medieval battlegames.

There are many different versions of the code. This is simply my personal take on the matter. I hope others find it instructive.

Note on gender – Although medieval knights were expected to be male, modern knights can be of any gender status.

Note on religion – The code of chivalry was intricately tied to the Christian faith, the religion of medieval Europe. Because of this, I will often use Bible verses to illustrate the medieval mindset. This does not mean that modern chivalry is restricted to Christians. As with its application to genders, I believe that the code is universal and can be followed by people of all beliefs about religion.

We can summarize the code of chivalry with the acronym CHVLRIE (i.e., chivalry). The acronym stands for seven virtues of the knight. These virtues are:

• Charity
• Humility
• Valor
• Loyalty
• Responsibility
• Integrity
• Encouragement

Let’s look at these virtues in more detail.

Charity
In medieval times, charity meant more than giving money to a benevolent organization. It had a broader meaning encompassing a love for humanity. In the Bible, Jesus commands his followers to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (MT 22: 39 NIV) Paul further stresses the necessity of this love when he wrote “no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.” (1 COR 13: 3 MSG).

How were medieval knights supposed to express their love for humanity? They were to care for the welfare of the people under their charge, to protect them and to serve them. In fact, “knight” stems from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning “servant.” Knights were expected to serve their lord and the lord’s people.

The applicability to battlegame knights is clear. They should serve their comrades in the organization, helping them learn and grow. They should serve their officers, assisting where they can with the organization and maintenance of the group. They should also serve the community at large, ensuring good relations between the battlegame group and mundane authorities and people. They should be generous, courteous, helpful, kind, patient, and merciful (forgiving) in their dealings with others.

Humility
While many medieval knights used their position to lord themselves over the commoners, the code of chivalry actually frowned upon such behavior. The chivalrous knight was supposed to practice humility. The Bible stresses this concept; Jesus commented that “all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (LK 14: 11 NIV). Paul emphasized this teaching when he wrote “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (PHIL 2: 3-4 NIV). 

Knights were expected to be above such petty, worldly concerns as status and position in society. They should place their interests below those of their lord and his people. In reality, knights often ignored this virtue, but it still stands as a wise guideline to behavior.

How can modern battlegame knights exhibit humility? They should not boast about their achievements. They should seek to elevate others rather than protect their own prerogatives. They should not bully or viscously target others. They should seek to serve their group, the organization, the battlegaming community, and the larger community.

Valor
Naturally, medieval knights were expected to be valorous. It was their job to rush into the thick of battle and meet their lord’s foes face-to-face in mortal combat. Cowardly knights could not fulfill their primary purpose. It may come as a surprise, but the Bible also calls people to be courageous. There are many passages encouraging followers to fear not and trust in God. As Paul wrote, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 TIM 1: 7 NIV).

Obviously, modern battlegame knights need to be valorous on our mock battlefields. Giving into fear and running away during a battlegame will leave the team open to defeat. Instead, battlegame knights need to stand firm and fight on.

But valor is also needed off the battlefield. Distressingly, there have been far too many incidents of harassment within the battlegame community. Our knights need to stand firm, condemn such behavior, and take appropriate actions against malefactors. When battlegame knights see bullying, harassment, denigration, or other negative behaviors, they need protect the victim and stop the behavior. They do not necessarily have to confront the perpetrator, but they must report the offense to the proper authorities (which could include park and organization leaders, event organizers, and even law enforcement officials). However they do it, the battlegame knights must have the courage to make the game safe and enjoyable for all.

Loyalty
Loyalty was a crucial virtue for medieval knights. The king or lord entrusted them with protecting his safety, his possessions, and his subjects. If the knights betrayed their lord all these things would be lost. Similarly, Christians were expected to be loyal (i.e., to be faithful) to their lord, Jesus. How did Christians express their loyalty? As Jesus stated, “If you love me, keep my commands.” (JN 14: 15 NIV) Obedience was the hallmark of loyalty.

Similarly, modern battlegame knights need to display loyalty through obedience. They must listen and obey the marshals. They must follow the rules of the game and not try to get away with cheating. They must heed the instructions of their officers. For example, if an officer tells them to guard a flank but they run off in a different direction, then the unit is placed at risk. Knights must practice the virtue of obedience.

There is a caveat to this, however. Knights should only obey legitimate commands. If asked to do something immoral or contrary to the other chivalric virtues, then the knight is justified* in refusing. For example, if an officer commands battlegame knights to cheat, those knights must ignore the order. 

* For Christians, the justification is simple; God’s Law is superior to man’s law. Any earthly law that violates God’s Law is null and void.

Responsibility
We could also call this Duty (but I needed a word that began with “r”). Medieval knights had responsibilities to their lord. They were expected to serve in the lord’s army. During peacetime, they typically served as administrative and legal officers of their lord’s demesne. Their Christian faith buttressed this requirement. Jesus told the story of three men given talents (coins) by their master. (MT 25: 14-30) Two of them invested responsibly and reaped a profit. Their master commended each as a “good and faithful servant.” The third negligently buried his talents and was scolded as “wicked and slothful.” This story demonstrated the importance of responsibly managing one’s resources.

 
Modern battlegame knights also have responsibilities to bear. They should assist newcomers by training them and helping them acquire equipment (e.g., teach them how to craft equipment or show them what and where to buy items). They should also assist officers in running practices and leading the unit. If something needs to be done, the knights should be quick to volunteer. Without knights meeting their responsibilities, the unit will crumble.

Integrity
Integrity, honor, was of paramount importance to the medieval knight. Accusations of dishonor could lead to duels! The Bible frequently commends integrity. Proverbs states “The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!” (PRO 20:7 ESV). Jesus noted: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (LK 16:10 NIV). If knights were dishonest with little, how could the king trust them with their own estates? Integrity was crucial.

Similarly, integrity is crucial for battlegame knights. The game, after all, is based on an honor system. If knights do not obey the rules, ignore valid hits, or cheat in any fashion, how can we expect new players to behave properly? Furthermore, our knights must be true to their word. If they say they will help the group doing this or that, they need to follow through. If they abandon their pledged word, then the group suffers. Thus, the very fabric of the game is dependent upon the integrity of its players.

Encouragement
To be quite frank, I added this because I wanted a seventh virtue.  I figured the best place to add it was on the end, so an “e” virtue made sense (chivalrie was an alternative spelling in medieval times). Nevertheless, I think encouragement is crucial. Paul exhorted Christians “to encourage one another and build each other up.” (1 THES 5: 11 NIV).

battlegame knights should do the same. Too often I have seen so-called “knights” lord it over others and treat others as lesser. That’s not what should happen. The knights should encourage others to improve their game, get more involved in the group, and most importantly have fun.

Additional Notes

Why not prowess? 
Quite a few medieval manuals list prowess a characteristic of the medieval knight. This makes sense; a knight needs to be able to fight well in order to serve the king. I chose not to include it because I don’t think it is necessarily relevant to a game. 

There are a few reasons why I think this is so:

• It tends to encourage selfish ends – players usually try to demonstrate their prowess through individual success, such as winning tournaments (this also applies to practitioners to the arts)! Thus, players are encouraged to focus on themselves instead of serving the group.
• You don’t need to be good to have fun – a group of middling fighters can still have enjoyable battles, and fun is the main reason we do this! Thus, prowess does not necessarily make the game better.
• Everyone is good at something – a player does not necessarily have to improve as a fighter to serve the group. As the opening quote of this post says, knighthood is "not about how many people you can beat with a foam bat." Find out where the players can best serve and encourage them to contribute in those areas.

This does not mean that I eschew improving one’s game, by all means work on bettering yourself. But that by itself does not make you knightly. Using your improved skills to help the group makes you knightly.

The Helmet Project

I have decided to tackle as my next project from my legionnaire's wish list.

Here is the goal - a helm with padded aventail.

The wish list shows a plastic helm available from Wyrmwick. It is expensive and shipping from England could make it prohibitive.

I dabbled with making a helm from foam. It had potential but I never finished.

I then had an idea to convert a cheap Halloween costume item. I found this Viking helmet from Amazon for $14.

I removed the horns and braids. I love the spike but fear that it could pose a safety hazard so I reluctantly removed that as well.

I then made some additions:

• Cover the holes left by the horns with foam
• Decorate the foam with patriarchal crosses
• Add some foam to replace the spike. Soon you'll see what it's for.

8/3 - I removed the foam top. I decided it just did not look good.

Next step - plastidip the entire helmet.

8/5 - In the interim, I have begun the aventail portion. Actually, I am doing a bit of a cheat. I'm actually doing an arming cap with a long tail in back. I'm also not padded it. Padding is not really necessary because:

• I don't need it to count as armor
• I'm primarily using it to keep the sun off my neck.

Here is a picture with my cardboard template (left) and the unfinished cloth version.

I'm using the blue masking tape to hold it together while I fit it.

Here it is on my head.

I just need to sew it together.

8/8 - I sprayed on the plastidip.

8/15 - I made a few different attempt to plug the hole on the top of the helmet, where the spike originally went. My efforts met with failure, until I had a bright idea. Here is the result.

The half sphere at the top comes from a foam cat toy. I like how it looks.

Next, I painted it gold.

I plan to hit it with some clear coat.

To finish it up, I ordered a liner and chin strap from Dark Knight Armory. Unfortunately, the liner did not work out. It was too thick. However, I attached the chin strap.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Legionnaire's Wish List

This is a record of my desired kit for a Byzantine legionnaire persona. I know that "legionnaire" is anachronistic, but we are calling our fictional unit the Chimera Legion so it works for us.

Items I already have are marked in gold font.

ARMOR

Helm with padded aventail

Byzantines often paired their helms with an aventail of chain, scale, or even padded cloth. I'm leaning toward padded, like this picture. 

Wyrmwick offers the cheapest helmet option that looks historical.

        

Here's a padded aventail for sale, but I may start by making my own.

Lamellar klivanion (body armor) - made of small plated laced together. I am in the process of making one using Newcastle plates from PlasticLamellar.com, but I am using a non-Byzantine lacing pattern.

One day I would like to get a Byzantine one. The plates are riveted to leather strips, then the strips are laced together.

Pauldrons - Byzantine pauldrons have some distinct features, as you can see above. There is a plate shoulder protector with upper arm protection hanging from it. The upper arm protection can be lamellar or leather strips. I'm thinking of leather.

One idea I have is to make the pauldron from a plastic knee pad, as shown in this video, then add leather pteruges.

Kavadion (padded armor)

As armor on its own or as a base for the klivanion, padded armor was commonplace. I already have an off-white, sleeveless gambeson but I'd like one in red.

I just found this on Amazon. It comes in red.

Bracers

The most common forms of bracers seem to be splinted or padded. For now, I want to get padded bracers, like these Farald bracers:

I ordered a pair from Medieval Collectibles but they are on backorder. They are also available from their sister company Dark Knight Armory as part of the Farald Arming Wear set.

Perhaps one day I will get a splinted bracer for my sword arm. Wyrmwick has a set.

Pteruges
These are leather straps hanging from a belt. You can see an example in the klivanion picture above. They provide lower torso protection.

I would love to get some in heavy leather, but price seems a bit steep. For now, I plan to make some out of faux leather layered with canvas so they are thick enough to count as light armor in WotS.

Splinted greaves

My bracers order comes with padded greaves, which are also historical. However, I would ultimately like to get heavy greaves. I own some faux plate greaves, but they are not typically associated with Byzantines. 

I would like to get some splinted greaves. I just discovered Wyrmwick's plastic version.

WEAPONS

I would ultimately like to have a collection that comprises all possible personal Byzantine weapons. No Greek fire just yet.

Spear - standard weapon of the heavy infantry. I have a 6' one.

Sword - Also standard issue. I have a few omnis but I would like to make flat blade that looks like a Byzantine spathion.

Dagger or short sword - I made a makhaira. I would like to recover it in gray.

Danish axe - we need some WotS "red" weapons. I figure a Danish axe is appropriate. I'll make it 4' long.

Bow and Arrows - I own a set.

Javelin - used by light infantry. I have a 4' one but it is made of PVC. I would like to upgrade to a kitespar core.

Plumbata - heavy darts. I can make some as WotS throwing weapons.

SHIELDS

I currently have a 24" round shield. I want to re-cover it in red and add our chimera sigil.

 

I also want to get a teardrop shield.

Beginner's Garb

 Something I put together for new folk

Realms of Elzwehn - the Elevator Pitch

Last year, my friend Robb and I began work on a set of LARP rules called Elzwehn. Even as we prepare to launch a chapter of Way of the Sword, I have been fiddling around with Elzwehn. I've named the latest iteration Realms of Elzwehn. Here is my elevator pitch:

What is Realms of Elzwehn? 

An open-source, generic, universal set of rules for playing live action battlegames (LABs)

What is a live action battlegame (LAB)? 

A cross between a LARP and standard foam fighting. LABs are played in a series of connected combat scenarios that form an ongoing story. Players form 2 teams that take turns being PCs and NPCs.

Yes, I created my own term. This emphasizes that RoE is not quite a full immersion LARP but offers more than the standard foam fighting organization.

Why open-source? 

This gives the group organizer (which I call the Realm Master) the freedom to develop a setting, create adventures, run battles, and determine the effects of victory or defeat (which could include in-game awards and titles).

Why generic and universal? 

Once again, this gives the group organizer freedom to develop the setting. A group can also skip around between settings without having to learn new rules.

What does the name mean? 

It is intended to highlight two important aspects of the rules:

• We see each group as autonomous, without interference from a higher organization. Essentially, each group is an independent realm. I have taken to referring each setting (and a group can develop multiple settings) as a realm. Hence, multiple groups will form multiple realms.
• Elzwehn (i.e. elsewhen) emphasizes the universal nature of the rules. Settings may exist across time as well as space.

Have Some Class

"For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function." Romans 12:4

As I pondered recruiting for my new LARP group, I realized that having a class system has certain advantages. If we are recruiting D&D players, having classes makes the game more relatable. But one of the drawbacks of Amtgard was that its class system seemed very unbalanced and overly complicated. I've long been considering ways to simplify yet still have classes. In fact, the first draft of Elzwehn included a system where each class had 1 to 2 abilities with no levels (to make it newbie friendly).

Recently, another idea has been rattling in my mind. In a way, it is an even simpler system, but it provides some flexibility.

Classes

There are only 3 broad classes:

• Fighter - the front-line warriors. They tend to specialize in melee, but can use missile weapons. They would include standard fighters, barbarians, and monks.
• Sneak - they primarily rely on stealth and surprise, although they can mix it up in melee. Often they use missile weapons. Rogues, assassins, and scouts would fit into this classification.
• Caster - users of magic, whether arcane or divine.

Skills

Each class would have a pool of skills available to it. Players can choose the skills that match their character conception. For example, we could have a Fight After Death skill available to fighters. If a player wants to be a barbarian, he/she could be a fighter with the Fight After Death skill.

How many skills does a player get? That's to be determined, but I would keep it small.

Arms and Armor

We could limit armor by class. For examples, casters cannot wear armor, sneaks can wear light, and fighters are allowed heavy.

Similarly, we can limit weapons. For example, casters may be limited to staffs and blue weapons.

Perhaps we can allow armor and weapon upgrades as a skill, e.g., casters could purchase use of light armor.

Levels

I'm ambivalent about levels. It significantly disadvantages new players when they play with more experienced LARPers. Yet leveling up is a powerful incentive. Perhaps we could include a simple leveling system that allows players to buy one skill per level. Something to think about.

Anyway, just some random thoughts.

We're Doing It Wrong

As I prepare to launch a new boffer LARP group using the Way of the Sword rules, I have been reflecting on ways to recruit new members. And it struck me that our seemingly perfect target audience is not joining our ranks. Consider this - Dungeons and Dragons had record sales in 2019, and then topped it in 2020. Yet even before the pandemic, the ranks of boffer fighters seemed to be dwindling in South Florida. We are just not tapping into the popularity of D&D.

I have some ideas to make the game more palatable to the D&D crowd.

• Call it a LARP, not a sport! Many members of boffer organizations downplay the roleplaying aspect and highlight the athletic aspect of their games. I suspect that the priorities of most D&D players are the reverse. We should emphasize roleplaying, and create more scenarios that accentuate it.
• Run it like a D&D campaign. Boffer events seem to boil down to fight, reset, fight again, etc. In a sense, each fight is like a short sporting match that stands alone. Usually, there is no connection between each fight. And more importantly, there is no story. We should try to create linked scenarios that build to a larger story.
• Embrace fantasy. Add magic and different classes to the mix. Just be careful that magic is not too powerful, or else your warriors will get bored of being fodder.
• Level the playing field. In most boffer games, new members are thrown into the thick of battle with much more experienced members. As a result, they become fodder. This is a downer for a new player who dreams of being a hero. I'm not exactly sure how to mitigate against this, because skill matters. Perhaps we should have more battles with smaller groups, then set up teams to provide support to the new players, and then let them fight other new players. Veterans, don't target the newbies!
• Make the rules more accessible. It's true that boffer rules are available for free online. But you have to be looking for them to find them. We should make our rules visible to people who may be interested but not have heard of the game. They should be on Amazon, Drivethrurpg, and in game stores.

 As far as organizing and running games, these are my latest thoughts:

• Focus on the local group rather than big, inter-group battles. This will allow more personal stories.
• I'm thinking the optimal group size should be 7 to 13. There will be one gamemaster and two teams of 3 to 6 players. 
• The teams take turns as player characters and non-player characters. For example, in one scenario, team A will be the adventurers sent to rescue the mayor's daughter who has been kidnapped while team B plays the orcs who did the kidnapping.

Anyway, just some thoughts for now. I'll probably elaborate at a later time.

Remember the Fallen

We remember those Americans who have fallen in the service of our nation. May the Lord bless them and keep their souls.

The Empire Falls

Legionnaires, let's lower the flags to half mast. On this day in 1453, the Turks breached the walls of the Empire's capital, Constantinople, and after intense fighting they captured the city.

The Emperor Constantine was last seen leading a last ditch charge against the invaders.

Byzantine Arms - Light Infantry

 Now we move on to the psiloi, light infantry. 

We are going to focus on two types that are most applicable to our mock battlefield. They are illustrated below - the toxotai (archers) and akontistai (javelineers).

For archers, the standard bow would be a recurve bow. However, we don't need to get so picky for our mock battlefields. The Bear Archery Firebird Youth Bow is just about perfect for battle gaming. Pair it with 28" carbon arrows. Remove any points from the arrows and add a foam arrowhead, like the ones sold by Gorg.

Next, let's turn to the javelineer. Note that he carries two javelins (throwing spears). Javelins are constructed differently than standard infantry spears. Again, you can purchase or make your own (see the heavy infantry post for links). Also note that the javelineer is carrying a shield. We recommend that our light infantry javelineers carry a small shield, 18 to 20" in diameter, called a buckler.

While light infantry's primary arms are missile weapons, they would also carry melee weapons in case the fray got up close. Levantia mentions that light infantry carried a sidearm called a makhaira (knife).

A makhaira
(aka Makh the Knife?)

In the illustration, it appears very similar to a Saxon seax. We can represent it with a short "blue" sword.

Let's discuss one last missile weapon - the plumbata, a lead-weighted dart. 

A plumbata

The Roman historian Vegetius mentioned that legionnaires would carry five of these darts in the hollow of their shield. Thus, It seems that this is a missile weapon applicable to both light and heavy infantry. One interesting aspect of these weapons is that it seems they were thrown underhand in a high arc. They would rain down on the enemy as it approached the Imperial line.

As far as acquiring some for our mock battles, we won't find any foam plumbata for sale. Instead, the Legion intends to craft some using the plans for Amtgard throwing weapons.

Sources:

• Sources cited in Part 1
• Comitatus website
• Wikipedia article on plumbata

Byzantine Arms - Heavy Infantry

Now that we have completed our overview of armor, let's turn our attention to the arms of the Byzantine soldier. What would he carry into battle?

We'll start with the skutatoi, the heavy infantry.

Look at the above three soldiers. Notice that two of the three carry spears. That would be the standard armament of the heavy infantry. Accordingly, the Chimera Legion will outfit itself with spears. Byzantine spears ranged from 8 to 16 feet. Those can be a tad impractical for the modern battle gamer, so the Legion plans to experiment with 6 foot spears.

Take a look at soldier one. He is also carrying a sword. That was also standard equipment. The Byzantines typically used two types - the straight-edged spathion and the curved paramerion. We can replicate the spathion with the typical boffer "blue" sword.

Soldier 3 is one of the Varangian guard - a Viking in Imperial service. He carries and axe. This shows that there is some variety within the arms of the skutatoi. Axes and maces were also common.

Finally, notice one other feature common in most of the posted pictures - shields. The heavy infantry are invariably shown carrying shields. Even the name skutatoi means shieldman. To create an appropriate representation of the Byzantine heavy infantry, we're going to need shields.

What kind did the skutatoi employ? As shown below, they wielded all kinds - oval, round, teardrop, heater.

This gives us a lot of options. A round shield (recommended size is 28" diameter) is a good starter shield that is easiest to make or to buy. The Legion also intends to experiment with 24" by 36" teardrops. But any shield is fine. We are going to dress our shields up. The Legion standard will be a red background with the chimera sigil in yellow/gold. We have a stencil for the sigil.

What about shield-breaking, two-handed weapons that are so common on the mock medieval battlefield? I didn't find any reference to use of these weapons. However, given their utility on our battlefields, the Legion may experiment with them. Given that many Anglo-Saxons joined the Varangian Guard in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest, it seems plausible that they would introduce their two-handed axes.

How can one acquire heavy infantry arms suitable for our mock battles? Weapons are readily available from online vendors. Make sure you are buying weapons for boffer combat or full contact combat. They may also be listed as Belegarth, Dagorhir, or Amtgard weapons. I have found two sources currently operating:

• Forged Foam - the oldest maker of boffer weapons. Postage can get a bit pricey
• Gorg the Blacksmith - highly respected manufacturer. He is based in Florida, which means you can pick up weapons in person if you attend an event he is at.

Of course, you can make your own equipment. Here are some tutorials:

• Omniblade "sword" - Many boffer fighters use these "omnis" because they are easier to construct and maintain. I recommend replacing the pool noodle with Frost King pipe insulation.
• Light flat blade sword - When you want a weapon that looks more like a real sword
• Shield - TBD. The Legion plans to use all-foam strap shields using a shield blank, but I cannot find a tutorial using this design. Talk to the Legion officers and we'll show you how.
• Spear - An older design. You should replace the PVC with a fiberglass or bandshoppe pole
• Other weapons - Amtgard, Belegarth, and Dagorhir have useful tutorials.

Regardless of the route you go, the Legion recommends that you speak to an experienced member before acquiring new weapons. We have loaner weapons so you can try out different types before making a final decision, and we can show you how to make your own equipment.

NEXT - Light infantry

Byzantine Armor - Helmets

So far, we've looked at body armor and limb armor. Let's top off our armor discussion with a look at helmets.

As you can see, there were a plethora of different helmet designs.

We are going to focus on two of the most common - the ridge helmet and the spangenhelm.

Ridge helm (left) vs spangenhelm.

There are differences in construction of these two types of helms, but we can simply differentiate them by their appearance. As you can see above, the ridge helm is a bowl shape while the spangenhelm is more conical.

Notice a couple more features (or lack of features) of these helms. While western European helms often featured cheek plates (during early Byzantine days), oculars or nasal bars (mid Empire), or even full face protection (later Empire), these were often lacking in Byzantine infantry helms. Instead, many Byzantine helms featured some kind of protection for the neck. This protection could take the form of padded or scale armor, or a chainmail aventail.

If we focus on the helmet without the neck protection, there are plenty of viable options at Medieval Collectibles.

• Ready for Battle Helmet ($47) - it appears to be a one-piece construction, in which case it would not be a true spangenhelm. However, it looks the part
• Thorsten Steel Spangenhelm ($64)
• Dietrich Steel Spangenhelm ($78) - looks more like a ridge helm

Finding a proper helm with an aventail is a bit more difficult, especially if you do not want an ocular or nasal. While it appears Middle Eastern, the Arlan Steel Helmet is a design used by Byzantines and it has an aventail without other accoutrements. Be prepared for sticker shock, though.

If you would like something lighter than metal, your best bet is probably plastic. Companies have begun making plastic LARP armor that will work for us. For example, Norton and Wyrmwick both make nice spangenhelm-style helms. I don't recommend leather; either it doesn't look right or is far more expensive than either metal or plastic.

Even though the Byzantines are technically Roman, I recommend staying away from the "Roman" helmets sold online. Those tend to be early Imperial helmets from before Byzantine times.

Neck protection is not strictly necessary so it may be easier to dispense with it. If you must have it, you could get a separate coif. Medieval Collections offers both chain and padded.

And remember, a helmet is also not a requirement. They just look snazzy and were commonly worn by the soldiers of the Empire.

NEXT - Heavy Infantry Weapons and Shields

Sources:

• Sources cited in Part 1

Byzantine Armor - Arms and Legs

 Now that we have body armor out of the way, let's turn our attention to arms and legs.

Last time, we mentioned that this soldier was wearing a long-sleeved kavadion (gambeson). The sleeves provided basic arm protection. Separate padded lower arm protection also existed (but I can't find the reference right now).

For our purposes, padded armor is an excellent option. It provides light armor in the Way of the Sword rules, and is inexpensive. Medieval Collectibles offers an arming wear set, including padded arms and legs, for $19. My recommendation would be to get it in brown, because red and black or so overused in battle gaming.

When we discussed Byzantine garb, we mentioned that high leather boots were worn by the infantry. The leather was thick enough to act as leg protection. I am not certain about Way of the Sword, but most battle game groups will not count boots as armor. We can replicate the protection of leather boots and still get armor points by using leather greaves. Medieval Collectibles has a whole section for leather greaves; some are less than $30. My recommendation would be to spend a little more on their Simple Leather Greaves. Their thick leather construction actually counts as heavy armor, and they have straps (much easier to put on / take off compared to laces).

If you want heavier protection, it seems that Byzantines primarily relied on splinted armor for arms and legs. 

Unfortunately, splinted armor seems more expensive than solid bracers or greaves. Thus, I don't have recommendations as of yet for this kind of armor.

As with body armor, the Chimera Legion recognizes that the Byzantines had a lot of contact with other cultures, so some crossover is plausible. Thus, while not our primary choice, we will accept solid metal or chain arm and leg protection.

Sources cited in part 1

Byzantine Body Armor

Part 2 - Body Armor

This is the second in a series of posts about Byzantine infantry. See the previous post for garb suggestions.

The Byzantine army featured a vast array of different body armors, giving members of the Chimera Legion many options.

The most common option would be padded armor, known as a kavadion. This is similar to the western gambeson. The kavadion had long sleeves with openings to allow you to expose your arms. This helped soldiers keep cooler on the march.

One of the good things about the Way of the Sword rules is that padded armor gets an armor point. This makes it an excellent choice for Legion members who want some protection for low cost and low weight. Medieval Collectibles has an entire section of arming wear. We recommend their light sleeveless gambeson. It is the cheapest gambeson on the list and is sufficiently close to a kavadion. It lacks sleeves, but that does help with air circulation, critical in our Florida climate.

As in the west, chainmail was fairly ubiquitous in the Empire. It would typically reach to mid-thigh or so, with sleeves reaching near the elbow. The full chain hauberks of the Crusaders do not seem particularly common.

While commonplace in the Empire and relatively inexpensive, chainmail does not make for good armor in the Way of the Sword rules. Currently, it is rated as 1 point, the same as a kavadion. Thus, we recommend padded armor over chainmail because it is less expensive and lighter. If you want to get chain (which would be legal for Dagorhir), get riveted. It is more expensive but it is also more durable. Butted rings tend to pull apart and fall off.

Lamellar and scale armor are the primary options that count as heavy armor in Way of the Sword. Scale armor generally consists of small metal scales sewn to a leather backing. Lamellar features larger plates of metal laced together or riveted / laced to a leather backing.

Lamellar (left) and scale armor

Scale is pretty expensive and difficult to make so I won't spend much time discussing it. Lamellar body armor (called a klivanion) is also expensive, but is not difficult to make. Plastic Lamellar sells plastic lamellar plates (big surprise) along with paracord lacing. You can probably get the materials you need for under $100. You just need to lace it all together (they will also provide instructions). It's not difficult to do, just time consuming. You might be able to save money by making your own plates, either out of leather, metal, or plastic. This site shows you how to do it all from scratch.

Full plate cuirasses, typical of the "knights in shining armor" of western Europe, do not really appear in the documentation. It seems likely that some (mostly rich officers) would have worn full plate in the later days of the Empire. Nevertheless, it does not really seem appropriate for a rank-and-file foot soldier.

The Chimera Legion does not have set armor standards; we will evaluate every piece on a case-by-case basis. Our goal is to have reasonably appropriate armor for our culture, but we can be flexible (thanks to the Byzantines' diversity). Nevertheless, we recommend that you have an officer review any armor, preferably before you acquire it. We are also experimenting with construction techniques, so speak to us if you would like armor.

Sources:

• Sources cited in Part 1
• Byzantine lamellar and scale armour (Reddit)

A Guide to Byzantine Infantry

Part 1 - Garb

The Chimera Legion portrays a unit of Byzantine infantry, so Let's take a look at their garb and equipment.

As this graphic shows, the soldiers' look varied greatly over nearly 1,000 years.

But there are still some general observations we can make. Let's begin with basic garb, 

Torso

As demonstrated by this soldier, the most noticeable piece of garb is a knee-length, long-sleeve tunic. This type of tunic was common across Europe through most of the Middle Ages. His tunic is white, but the color may vary.

The Chimera Legion has adopted red as its uniform color. For an inexpensive option, we recommend the Ready for Battle tunic. It is not strictly authentic (short sleeves for instance) but it will suffice for our purposes, especially if you wear bracers. You could also wear a long-sleeve shirt underneath to give the impression of an undertunic.

Add a belt (preferably leather) to cinch the tunic at your waist.

Legs

While bare legs were the norm in the early Roman Empire, by Byzantine days legwear was the standard. Similar to western Europe, hosen (wool stockings) over braies (kind of like boxer shorts) was typical.

Notice the look that these leggings give. The material is not baggy but is fairly tight on the leg. You don't need to get reproductions of these garments to achieve this look. Just look for pants that are close to the leg. In a pinch, plain-colored sweatpants will work, but you can also find reasonably priced costume pants.

One nice thing about the Byzantines is their cultural diversity. They had contact with a myriad of cultures, which means that we can get away with some diversity in garb. A perfect example would be Rus pants, like these.

The Varangians (basically Vikings in Byzantine service) may have worn something similar. While tight legged pants are more common in the Empire, baggy is OK.

The Chimera Legion does not have specific pants requirements. Bare leg, hosen (real or simulated), or even baggy Rus pants are acceptable. We recommend but do not require a light color - white or off-white.

However, there are some types of pants that are not really acceptable. When acquiring garb, stay away from jeans or straight-legged pants like khakis. Do not get wild, fluorescent colors or anything with printed patterns or logos. Finally, avoid wrap pants. These are very popular in battle gaming circles, but bear little resemblance to any period legwear. They look more like modern basketball trousers than anything medieval.

Feet

The most common footwear for the Byzantine soldier appears to be knee-high or thigh-high boots. The leather would be thick enough to serve as leg protection.

Note that this differs from western Europe, which tended to low boots or shoes.

The Chimera Legion does not require boots. Low shoes are fine. Shoes or boots, however, should be black or brown.

Head

The Byzantines sported a plethora of different hats and headwear, but soldiers would be more limited. Surprisingly, the most common form of headwear would be a turban.

A turban can be fashioned from a piece of cloth. This video shows how Byzantines tied their turbans. 

Another option is the so-called Pannonian or pillbox cap. This style appears more common in the early Empire.

Either option (as well as bareheaded) is acceptable for soldiers of the Chimera Legion. Medieval Collectibles offers some useful options: a wool cap that is close to a pillbox cap and a head scarf for making a turban. In either case, the Legion recommends a light color.

The Legion will accept other types of period-style headwear. For example, a Varangian persona may want to wear a Viking-style cap. Speak to an officer to confirm if an item is acceptable.

NEXT We'll talk about armor.

Sources:

• 800 Years of Byzantine Infantry - YouTube video
• Byzantine Infantryman: Eastern Roman Empire c. 900-1204 by Timothy Dawson, one of the world's foremost experts on the Byzantines
• Levantia - Timothy Dawson's website