Combat Rules: Quick Reference

Simplified from the Hearthlight Treatise of War for Experimental Philosophy

1. Honor

1. Safety first. Common sense always. Instructor has final say.

2. Weapons

2. All weapons must pass a safety check before use.
3. A hit from any melee weapon has the same effect, regardless of size or shape.
4. Bows, arrows, and javelins are permitted. Crossbows are not.
5. One shield per fighter. Shields must be padded on front and edges.
6. No metal weapon cores.

3. Combat

7. Combat starts on "LAY ON" and stops on "HOLD."
8. Arms (shoulder to end of forearm; wrist and hand excluded) and legs (hip / top-of-buttocks to toes): melee or missile.
9. Torso (everything a tank top covers, plus groin and buttocks): melee or missile.
10. Head and neck: missile weapons only. No melee strikes.
11. Hands and wrists: not a legal melee target. Melee strikes to hand/wrist don't count. Missile strikes to the hand still count (treated as an arm hit).
12. A strike counts when it lands with a solid thump, not a tap or graze.
13. You judge your own hits. Only the instructor overrides.
14. Strikes through garb or ungripped weapons count as if unblocked.
15. Lose an arm: drop your gear, arm behind your back. Further arm hits count as torso.
16. Lose a leg: kneel on that leg. Move by knee-walking, lunging, or crawling. No hopping. Further leg hits count as torso (unless knee is firmly planted, then immune).
17. Death: torso hit, two lost limbs, or missile to head/neck.
18. When dead: fall or shout "DEAD!" Hands/weapon on head. Leave the field with hands on head.
19. No feigning death or wounds. Report your damage honestly if asked.
20. Do not kneel unless your leg is disabled.
21. The dead do not speak. No game info to living fighters. Safety warnings only.
22. Body checking is allowed. No punching or kicking (except shield kicks).

4. Shields

23. Shields block any attack.
24. Shield-checking: within two steps only. No running starts.
25. No checking into the face, head, or neck.
26. No shield-checking fighters who have lost a leg.
27. Shield kicks: one foot on the ground at all times.

5. Missile Weapons

28. Only shields block arrows. Do not intercept arrows with weapons or hands; that is instant death.
29. Accidental arrow blocks by weapons still count as hits.
30. Arrow must hit with its foam head to count.
31. Deflected arrows are harmless; no multi-target hits.
32. Half-draw (bows) / half-force (javelins) inside 20 feet.
33. Archers call "Point!" (hit) or "Haft!" (miss) for clarity. Target still decides.
34. Return arrows to their owner when asked.
35. Javelins may be blocked, caught, or knocked down by anything.
36. Javelins must fly at least their own length to count.

6. Safety

37. No grappling.
38. No melee strikes to head or neck.
39. No shield strikes to head or neck.
40. No deliberate melee strikes to hands or wrists.
41. No punching or kicking (except shield kicks with one foot planted).
42. No cleats or spikes on the field.
43. Safety gear (shin guards, etc.) goes under clothing.
44. "HOLD" means freeze. Immediately. Play resumes on "LAY ON."

Experimental Philosophy · johnasija.com/experimental-philosophy