The RULES
"Ya wanna know the truth of it? It all comes down to Metal and Guts. When the Priests are all done with their screamin' to the Heavens, when the Wizards waggle their last finger wiggle, when all the Rogues run, it boils down to Metal and Guts. Ya won't live through the day without the metal, and without the guts behind it, well the day is lost already. I can teach ya the use of Metal, the guts are yours to supply, or yours to spill. You choose."
~ Weapons Master Phineas Phine-Edge.
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~ The Rules of The Mixed Medieval Arts~
All rules must be followed, for anyone caught breaking a rule will be removed from game play and may not be allowed to return. These rules are not only written for game play but for player safety.
Rule # 1
JUST SAY YES.
The quick paced and imaginative world of The Mixed Medieval Arts is a wonderland of many marvelous magical abilities. It is impossible for anyone to remember everything, every time. When a proper announcement of a skill, ability, spell, prayer, game mechanic, etc. is used against you, even if you do not know how to "properly" react to the announcement, just accept it as true and try your best to display the effect you think is most appropriate. Play it for the length of the announced duration. If you don't think the player in front of you has the capacity to do what they just did to you remember, with magic anything is possible at any time. We are all here to play the same game, so we all must play by the same rules, or there will be no joy for any. So please ~
JUST SAY YES.
Rule # 2
Wanton destruction, Theft, Vandalism and Littering will be cause for removal of Player from Game.
Rule # 3
No use of Fireworks in any way are permitted at all.
Rule # 4
Cooking or campfires are only allowed in game designated permitted fire pits only.
Rule # 5
When on the Game controlled lands, in and out of town, and at all times of Game play the atmosphere and the spirit of the Game must be maintained. Modern technology and fashions must be out of sight and sound at all times.
Rule # 6
Every person wishing to participate in any way in the Mixed Medieval Arts and its activities must first read and sign a permanent waiver to be stored in their Characters Master File, AND the Daily Sign In waiver. Anyone who does not sign these waivers will be asked to do so, or will be asked to leave The MMA grounds.
Rule #7
Protective Head Gear is STRONGLY recommended to be worn when Out of Town.
Rule #8
Faction Huts are to be considered as Players Characters property, and therefore may only be looted for lootable items only, and during game play only.
Rule #9
All alcohol must be immediately surrendered to Tavern, and all ale must be in cans.
~The Rules of GateHouse~
Rule #1
Always pay heed to the GateKeeper
Rule #2
All shall remain in the ceter room unless otherwise instructed by the GateKeeper.
Rule #3
Items taken from GateHouse shall be returned to GateHouse from whence it came.
Rule #4
Peasant and Novice Characters will be provided for, Guilded Characters will not.
Rule #5
GateHouse is for the storage of The MMA equipment, and not for personal use. The MMA assumes no responsibility for personal items.
Rule #6
All obvious modern items must be stored out of sight, in a Faction Hut, or in the CoachHouse.
Rule #7
If personal garb shows/uses modern clothing, always follow the "Rule of Black".
Rule #8
Some items in GateHouse may cost real world gold.
~ Combat ~
" We are here to kill each other, not to hurt each other. "
~ Worgn Magnamus Dwarfkin
In The MMA our rules for the making of and use of weapons, shields, armour and everything else that is on the Field of Combat, are very specific and are very unbending. The reason for this is simple, safety. Other groups use rattan swords (solid bamboo sticks an inch and a quarter thick minimum), some groups use four inch round 'pool noodle' foam with a piece of plastic pipe in the center for a sword, others still use hockey sticks and broom handles.
WE ARE NOT THOSE GROUPS.
To promote skill with the use of medieval weapons, very great care is put into trying to come as close as possible to the actual real world equivalent of size and weight for our weapons. We still have W.M.I.'s (Weapons of Mass Intimidation) but even they are built by the same rules as the simplest dagger. These rules apply to every weapon, shield and suit of armour on the Field, and at any time, any item may be inspected by a representative of The MMA for safety concerns, and if any are present the item will be disallowed in the game until repairs have been performed to make the weapon safe by The MMA standards.
Target Areas
In The MMA we have five different Target Area (places on a Target Players person where you are allowed to hit them) and they are the Body, both Arms, and both Legs. All have individual Hit Points, and must be individually remembered as the Character takes damage.
The Body - The Body Target Area is from the point of the hips on either side of the body, the waist, the trunk and torso, both shoulders from pivot point ( where the upper arm meets the shoulder) to pivot point, and up to, but not including, the nape of the neck.
The Arms - From the pivot point in the shoulder to one inch above the wrists.
The Legs - From the point of the hips on either side to an inch below the knees.
Non-Target Areas
The Head and Neck - Accidents happen, and no amount of safety precautions can avoid this. Players are strongly encouraged to wear Protective Head Gear AT ALL TIMES when Out of Town. When In Town, Protective Head Gear is less necessary but may still be encouraged. Players are also encouraged to wear Gorgets (a protective neck piece, like a medical whiplash collar, to prevent the head and neck from bending too greatly in any direction.) when fighting as well. Rules for Protective Head Gear can be found in the Armour - Construction and Use section below.
The Wrist and Hands - Fingers and Wrists are small without a lot of protective meat on them and should never be Targeted by any Player. Accidents happen though and all Players are STRONGLY recommended to wear protective gloves or gauntlets.
The Lower Legs - Ankles are delicate and the potential of tripping hazards leading to strains and pulls and traumatic falls with weapons getting between running legs is too great a risk. Accidents happen though and all Players are STRONGLY recommended to wear protective shin pads.
The Groin - Please, please, please do not hit here. Accidents happen though and all Players are STRONGLY recommended to wear protective Jocks or Jill's as the case may be.
Hit Points and the Honour System
Every Player will have a certain amount of Hit Points (the number of times a Target Area can be hit with damage, ie: an Arm with 1 Hit Point can only be hit once, then it is rendered useless until healed) assigned to each Target Area. As the Player adventures and takes damage the Hit Points will dwindle.
When an Arm is reduced to zero Hit Points it must be placed behind the Body and it may not be used. If an attacking Player hits a defending player in an arm that was already lost, the blow is considered to have hit the Body instead, and the defending Player must accept the damage. If Both Arms are reduced to zero Hit Points they both must be placed behind the back and may not be used.
When a Leg is reduced to zero Hit Points that leg must remain stationary if it is on the ground. Player can not lift or stand solely upon a Leg that has been reduced to zero Hit Points and furthermore the foot of the Leg that is 'gone' can not be stepped on. If the foot is on the ground it must remain immobile and the Player can only pivot on the foot as it stays in place, much like a basketball pivot. When traveling with a zero Hit Point Leg, the player may choose to drag the Leg behind them as if it was useless, or the Player may choose to hop on the good Leg or be carried by another Player. If both Legs are reduced to zero Hit Points the Player must kneel or sit upon the ground and may not get up or stand until healed or assisted by another Player.
When the Body is reduced to zero Hit Points the Player is dead and must lay or sit upon the ground and act dead. Player must remain there until midnight, when everything resets and comes back to life, until Resurrected, or until they can use the 10/40 Good Buddy Rule. The 10/40 Good Buddy Rule allows a Player that has been dead for more than 10 minutes to look around them and see if there are any Players at all within 40 feet of their corpse. If there is the Player must remain dead until they are gone. If no one at all is within 40 of the dead Player then the Dead Player can stand up and remove all their weapons (they may keep a Knife or a One Handed Mace if they have one) and their armour as well as anything else that easily describes the pile of belongings as being the dead Player still on the ground. With their belongings spread out on the ground in a dead person shape, the Player may now become a random, nameless Peasant and may then travel back to town to find someone to heal them or at least to tell them about where their "Body" is located. The Peasant Player must now go back to their belongings and put it all back on then they must continue playing dead. If no-one comes to the dead Player in 10 minutes, they must start the 10/40 Good Buddy Rule all over again from the start, and try to find someone else. Worse case scenario, the Dead Player waits til midnight, then everything is reset and brought back to life.
The Four Hits
Every time a weapon is swung and a Target Player is hit, the attacked Player must instantly decide what one of the four types of strikes, or blows, that they have received. The four types are -
Light - the weapon simply did not strike with enough force to penetrate armour, or to leave little more than a flesh wound or bruise if we were pretending the weapon to be made out of metal instead of duct tape and foam. Weapon hits should feel like a firm but friendly shoulder punch from a buddy, not enough to cause pain, but enough to move the shoulder a little bit and to feel the concussion of the hit through hard armour. A Player may acknowledge the blow as light with a negative shake of the head to their opponent to tell them the shot did not count, or by announcing "Light".
Glancey - When a weapon strike successfully hits a Target Player but due to the angle of the swing, or the design of the armour being struck, or any one of many other reasons, and the weapon does not " Stick to the hit ". The blow is rather like a ricochet, where the weapons momentum does not stop with the blow being landed but skips off of the Target Player with out any great loss of force. If we were to consider our weapons as real metal, the blow would have produced a loud clang of metal on metal, and little else. A Player may acknowledge the blow as a Glance, or Glancey, with a negative shake of the head to their opponent to tell them the shot did not count, or by announcing "Glancey".
Tippy - When a weapon strike on a Target Player successfully hits them but with only the last inch or so of their weapon. Even if the weapon was made out of real steel, the blow would have only opened up a nasty flesh wound at best, and certainly not enough to stop or hinder a trained warrior of epicness. A Player may acknowledge the blow as a Tippy with a negative shake of the head to their opponent to tell them the shot did not count, or by announcing "Tippy".
Good - This is a blow that hits with sufficient force as to be impossible to ignore, hits clean and with the proper striking surface of the weapon. A Player may acknowledge the blow as a strike that caused Hit Point damage with a positive shake of the head to their opponent to tell them the shot did count, or by announcing "Good".
Writs of Nobility and Royalty
The undisputed leader of our town named Sunder Wall is the Regent. This is the person who has won last seasons Regent War, and has earned the right to declare all laws in Sunder Wall, to collect taxes on all citizens, to set fines and penalties for law breakers, and to enforce those laws. While only one person at a time can be Regent, there are ways to share in that level of decision making and power, and that is to be Noble, or Royal.
In a land where we can all be what we want to be anyways, and anyone can just say that they are from a royal lineage, why have rank and Nobles at all? The answer ~ Privileges.
A Writ of Lesser Nobility ~ guarantees that the holder of the writ has title and rank, and therefore they are allowed once a day to speak to the Town Watch and to "borrow" up to 3 Town Guards to serve the Lesser Noble exclusively for the next half hour. The Guards can be used for any purpose the Lesser Noble desires, short of Treason, crimes against the Towns citizens or against the Town of Sunder Wall itself.
A Writ of Greater Nobility ~ guarantees that the holder of the writ has excellent title and rank, and therefore they are allowed twice a day to speak to the Town Watch and to "borrow" up to 3 Town Guards to serve the Greater Noble exclusively for the next half hour. The Guards can be used for any purpose the Greater Noble desires, short of Treason, crimes against the Towns citizens or against the Town of Sunder Wall itself.
A Writ of Greater Nobility also guarantees one exclusive audience with the Regent per day, so the Noble may help to guide the wisdom of the Regent.
A Writ of Majestic Nobility ~ guarantees that the holder of the writ has the title and rank of a reigning monarch, and therefore they are allowed three times a day to speak to the Town Watch and to "borrow" up to 3 Town Guards to serve the Majestic Noble exclusively for the next half hour. The Guards can be used for any purpose the Majestic Noble desires, short of Treason, crimes against the Towns citizens or against the Town of Sunder Wall itself.
A Writ of Majestic Nobility also guarantees two exclusive audiences with the Regent per day, so the Noble may help to guide the wisdom of the Regent.
All Writs will be kept at Gatehouse, and can be obtained with admittance to the land, or by decree by the reigning Regent.
