This afternoon I received an email from the Dagorhir Boards. I hope everyone else finds it as informative and helpful as I have
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Dear Chapter and Unit Leaders,
My name is Stellaria, and I've been working for a while on an initiative to improve garb rules enforcement in Dagorhir. I don't know if this is the case where you are, but I know that a lot of places don't enforce the garb rules as strongly at home events as they should, and I'm hoping that we all can work together to change that.
The new fighting season has started, and I'm sure everyone is gathering their gear together, making repairs, and figuring out what they still need to make to get them through another fighting season of day events and campouts. This would be the perfect time to remind your people to look over their garb as well, to be sure that everyone has at least the minimum needed to pass the rules.
For clarification, this is what is listed in the MOA:
1.3 - All participants must wear a costume ("garb") that meets or preferably exceeds minimum Dagorhir requirements:
1.3.1 - A tunic or "medieval period" style shirt, dress, or vest of crotch length or longer. This requirement may be waived only if the rest of the costume (pants, boots, etc.) is of exceptional quality and appearance.
1.3.2 - Medieval-style (baggy) pants, kilt, skirt, etc.
1.3.3 - Medieval-style footwear (moccasins, boots that are not blatantly non-medieval in style, earth-tone shoes with leggings, etc.).
1.4 - Forbidden Garments, Patterns/Logos, and Equipment - the intent of this rule is to maintain an appearance appropriate to a fantasy/medieval setting at Dagorhir events, and to ensure that players are not carrying real weapons onto the battlefield.
1.4.1 - Forbidden garments include but are not limited to: blue jeans, white shoes, camoflage patterns such as military fatigues, visible T-shirts or other obviously modern clothing, and modern hats.
1.4.2 - Real swords or knives (even in sheaths or cases) may not be worn or carried during Dagorhir combat.
1.4.3 - Weapons, shields, garb, and armor may not have clearly mundane logos or prints, nor may be made with fluorescent/neon colors.
1.4.4 - Cleats, spikes or any other shoe that can break or pierce a bare foot are not permitted on the battlefield.
Here are a few things that you, as a chapter or unit leader, can do to help:
1. Include in any event advertising that Minimum Garb is required (so people don't show up claiming they didn't know.)
2. Encourage the handing-down of used garb within your unit.
3. Back up any herald or event organizer that asks one of your players to leave the field to get proper garb.
4. Have unitmates look over one another's garb, asking the question "would this look out of place in a medieval fantasy movie?" If the answer is yes, brainstorm ways to eliminate or replace.
Whisper Monsoon, a longtime player of Dagorhir, recently shared with us an anecdote from his earlier days in the game.
"I remember in the old days, wondering how a super-nice guy like Aratar could be so hard-assed about turning people away who weren't in garb. I remember asking either him or one of the other nice guys running the events about that, and they said "It's not me. It's the rules. You speak as the rules. You can't speak as yourself, 'cuz then you'll want to start making exceptions. If you make exceptions, then the rule falls apart and everyone ends up fighting in jeans and t-shirts."
Nobody wants to turn an eager fighter away at an event for not having garb. If we can all work together to make sure that the rules are being followed, and that our players have what they need, nobody will have to. Can Dagorhir count on you?
Please pass this along to any unit leaders, head heralds, or anyone else in your realm that may be interested. The more people we have on the same page, the better we all look!
-Stellaria
Eryndor, Free Cities
For more information about the garb enforcement initiative, please see these threads on the National boards:
http://www.dagorhir.com/forums/index.php?topic=20715.0 http://www.dagorhir.com/forums/index.php?topic=21032.0