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.