PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS TO OFFENCE THIS IS JUST MY OPINION
Ive noticed these past few months with new players joining that we need a GRAY AREA rule refresher. alot of topics have been coming up on rules with no definitive answers. E.X. Anviling, grazing shots, simos, and many more. I found a blog on grey areas. IM NOT 100% positive if these rules r official but they r convincing to me. we also have had issues with head shots, not particularly on the individual placing the shots but the ones blocking the shots incorrectly into there heads or ducking in to the blows. i know i duck into blows alot and get hit in the head alot but i dont count it as a head shot do to me ducking into it. ive scene multiple players blown up on for headshots that were not there fault and mutliple players who blatantly blocked a shot directly into there heads and blow up on the offender.
Ive noticed most veteran players at rag have a similar stance with there backs arched back and their heads out of the way. I believe we need to teach this to new comers do to the initial difference dagorhir fighting has from say movies or pre determined ideas of how to fight.
Dagorhir: The Gray Areasby: Adam Freswinn Wright
So by now the new fighters have been taught all of the basics. We need now to cover some of the gray areas.
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Kneel (or Hold): The actual official term in Dagorhir would be "Kneel," but some holdovers still say "Hold" reflexively.
The "KNEEL!" call means that there has been an injury on the field. When you hear someone call "KNEEL!," it is your duty to stop fighting, go to a knee, AND relay the message back to others who may not have heard it. This allows any present medics to come and remove the injured individual from the field (if possible) and tend to the injury.
After a Kneel has been called and the injured person has been taken care of or removed from the field, a call to Resume will follow, where fighters are to resume with the same limb and armor damage they had prior to the Kneel.
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Close Calls: A general rule of thumb, if you have to stop and think about whether a hit counts, take it.
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Two Hit Locations With One Swing: There's two parts to this: Body Part + Parry, and 2 Body Parts
- Body Part + Parry: Let's say someone throws a shot and it hits your shield or weapon but some of the shot hits you. This shot still goes through if the hit on your body or limb is hard enough to count otherwise.
- 2 Body Parts: Officially, the ruling is that you take the hit that would be more valuable (if it hits you in the body and the arm, you take the body). I typically take both. It's a rare-enough occurance that it's not gonna be a game-changer.
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Not-Quite-Hits: This covers the calls you can make against hits that don't get enough meat to count.
- Light: This means the hit didn't hit hard enough to have realistically caused injury. There should be a good-sounding thwack, thud, or a sting associated with a valid shot. A general rule of thumb: if it's questionable (or if you have to stop and think about it), take it anyway.
- Garb: An attack struck only your clothing. Fighters with experience will already know that they didn't hit a body, but it's always good to call anyway.
- Graze: I have pretty much removed this word from my vocabulary and folded it into "Light" or "Garb." It means that a shot only grazed you, not getting enough bite to count. There are some grazes that sting or hurt, and generally it's good form to take those.
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A rehash of piercing rules:
As you know, losing two limbs or taking a hit to the body counts as death. The most important part of this statement is actually the "losing limbs" part. If a limb is pierced (struck with a javelin, spear, stabbing sword/dagger, or arrow), you do not "lose" the limb:
- If you are pierced in the arm, you drop whatever is in the arm and it dangles loosely at your side. It can then be used to protect yourself against subsequent stabs and can still take one slash (the form of attack that actually "removes" limbs);
- If your leg is pierced, you drop to the knee as normal, but it is still counted as being there.
Pierced limbs do not count towards death. A fun tactic is to pierce an opponent in all four limbs, effectively making them a potato.
A stab to the body (or an arrow to the head, which IS legal) still counts as death.
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Late and In-Motion:
For those attacks that happen at the same time (or ALMOST the same time), it can be hard to determine who hit who first. It is up to the fighters involved, most times, to make this determination.
The determining factor on whether a shot was "Late" or "In-Motion" is how many more motions were involved between the two impacts. We will use labels, Fighter A and Fighter B.
- Fighter A strikes Fighter B before Fighter B finishes the redirecting turn on a wrap shot. Fighter B's shot would be "late," and doesn't count.
- Fighter A strikes Fighter B AFTER Fighter B finishes the redirecting turn on a wrap shot. Fighter B's shot would be "in-motion," and DOES count, producing a simultaneous (simo) hit.
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Calls for Javelins and Archers:
Throwing a javelin and shooting a bow grants special permissions associated with the fact that these attacks are sometimes unnoticed or hard to determine from the receiving end.
- Javelin: The individual throwing a javelin has the ability to call whether or not a javelin hit on the Shaft or Point of the weapon. If the weapon hits with the Shaft, then it counts for nothing; if it hits with the Point, then the fighter will take whatever damage that inflicts.
- Arrow: An archer has the ability to call their shots, and is the ONLY individual who has this ability (except for heralds). If an archer calls out a body part (and sometimes also includes a name or general description of the individual, such as "RED SHIRT!"), you take that hit. Period.
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Grappling Rules: Some individual rulings on legal and illegal grappling.
- Controlled Throws: A controlled throw is allowed. Controlled throws would be things where the individual remains mostly on the ground or is dropped to the ground supported enough that they do not impact hard enough to knock the wind out of someone or cause broken bones. Hip throws and the like are perfectly fine as long as they adhere to these rules.
- Tackles: Sure! Shield bashes are preferred but tackles are not expressly forbidden.
- Pins: As long as there are none of the other disallowed aspects, pins are more than fine.
- Joint Locks: No.
- Chokes: No!
- Punches and kicks to the body: ABSOLUTELY NOT!
- Tripping: No; tripping would be considered an "uncontrolled grapple or throw," which is strictly forbidden. I have seen Angmarth get tripped in the middle of a shield bash by an individual who rolled into his legs. It's pretty bad.
- Dog-Pile: I mean, there's nothing written against it, but it's not good form or necessary.
Now, realm-specific, we don't want to see unguaged grappling out on the field. If you move in to tackle someone, make sure they're not gonna break. Also, age limits on grappling I would put at 15; any younger and I don't want to see any of it.
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The Nooby Knee-Slide: This is a phase that most new fighters will hit at some point, where they discover that if they run in (especially as a flourentine fighter), slide on their knees under their opponent's guard, and then attack, they are pretty effective.
However, if we see you do this, we will remove you from the field for the day. If you want to know why, ask Talus who, at least three years ago, did the Nooby Knee Slide and got shield checked, blowing both of his knees out. A likely-permanent injury.
https://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=114253431966167&topic=127AS A SIDE NOTE i personally believe a few number of people have been dealt with a little too harshly. We have to remember that NEWBS r NEWBS. they will screw up almost always, they wont know the rules for months and they will almost always question authority. ITS A GIVEN. I say cut them some slack. People will be people and shit happens but we need to remember as role models of the realm to be some what patient with them. i miyself have fallen victim to this once and awhile and i have been working on my patients. fuck the drama lets just have fun, please?