Copyright (c) 2000
Copies may be made by members of the, UNITED EMPIRES OF THE MIDDLE AGES, for circulation to other members, so long as no changes are made and the copyright statement is included.
There are four equal priorities in being a Marshall: safety of combatants, safety of non-combatants, fair witness, and showmanship. Over-emphasizing any one at the expense of the others will tend to make the fighting less enjoyable for everyone (though if you must go overboard, pick safety of non-combatants).
As Marshall-in-Charge, you are responsible for organizing the marshalling. This does not mean that you have to do it all yourself. You do, however need to:
Check that the field can be safely fought upon. Check the site before it is reserved for the event. Can someone in armor, with restricted vision, cross it safely (i.e. without injury to themselves or others, tripping being an inherent hazard of combat in rough terrain)? At minimum, check at the beginning of each day to see if there are holes, soft spots, rocks, etc. If they are serious and cannot be worked around, move the fighting somewhere else.
Arrange for equipment inspection. (This is covered in detail below.) Arrange for Marshalling for all of the combat. That means an absolute minimum of one marshal per single combat(preferably two or three), and enough Marshall's for group combats (melees and war battles) to both surround the fighting (to keep an eye on the boundaries) and keep most of the fights under general surveillance (for things like armor falling off, broken weapons, etc.). (If volunteers seem to be in short supply, point out to the fighters that they do not get to start until sufficient Marshall's are available.)
When it is all over, write up a report on the event (see the Paperwork section above).
At each event, the Marshall-in-Charge must inspect all of the equipment in use in combat (armor and weapons). This inspection should random for Carded Fighters, but should include ALL new (non-carded) Fighters. This in no way relieves the individual combatants of their responsibility for following the Equipment Standards (Appendix 3). Rather, it is intended to provide a second pair of eyes (hopefully at least a little more experienced, but not necessarily) and an outside point of view. A reminder: Equipment that was perfectly serviceable at the beginning of the previous event, may well have broken since. And even the most experienced fighters occasionally forget some piece of armor or another.
The inspection outlined below is merely by way of example. Usable for all combat Classes of the United Empires of the Middle Ages. It necessarily does not include checks for additional requirements that your individual Empire may have added. Until you have done it so many times that it becomes redundant, using a check list might be helpful as you do the inspection.
All of this is based on the Equipment Standards given in the Appendices. You should be familiar with them, as well as with any other requirements that your Empire may have instituted. The fact that one of the requirements is not mentioned on this checklist does not mean that you should not notice if it has not been met.
Armor inspection must be done with all armor on the body of the combatant who is going to wear it. It is not otherwise possible to get an accurate idea of what is covered and what is not, nor of where gaps may occur as the combatant moves.
Before you start, remind yourself that armor is hot, not to mention heavy. If the weather is hot, try to find some shade in which to hold the inspection, or at least for the fighters to stand in while waiting to be inspected. (Similar reasoning applies in case of rain, freezing cold, or other inclement weather. Just because it is possible to fight, does not mean that it is pleasant or desirable to stand around in armor during inspections.)
See that their face does not hit the faceplate. (A gentle touch of the tip of the nose at maximum pressure may not be desirable but is not necessarily grounds for rejecting the helm.) Repeat with the sides and back of the helm. Have the combatant turn their head toward their shield side --- see that their neck is still not exposed. Have the combatant tilt their chin up as far as possible and check the neck again (this is intended to simulate the position they might be in if they had just taken a blow high up on the front of the helm). If you can reach in (with your fist, or the dowel that you used to check the face openings) and touch bare throat, some improvements are in order before the fighting starts. Have the combatant put their chin down as far as possible and repeat for the back of the neck. Lift gently on the front of the faceplate, to make sure that the helmet does not rotate easily to expose the face or throat. After making sure that the combatant is ready, test the chin strap (or equivalent) by lifting up sharply on both sides of the helm. It should not rise up so far as to expose the head or neck. Check for sharp edges, broken or missing rivets, or other signs that the equipment is falling apart.
The primary test is safety. If you, as Marshall do not believe that the weapon is safe (i.e. if you would not be willing to face it), do not let it be used on the field. In all cases, ask the prospective user they would be willing to fight against the weapon. If not, it may not be used regardless of whether it meets all other requirements.
For Class 1: Make sure that the NERF(r) bat is not falling apart.
For Class 2: Make sure that the PVC is not broke and that the foam covering it has not started to come apart. Also make sure that the duct tape is not warped around the foam as to compress it. Check that it meets the minimum diameter (3 inches). A 3 inch no-go gauge will speed this up enormously. Check the quillons or basket hilts for sharp edges, broken or missing rivets, or other signs that they are coming apart. Check the wrist strap to make sure that the weapon will not fly away (See Appendix 3 on Weapons Standards).
For Class 3: Make sure that the PVC is not broke and that the foam covering it has not started to come apart. Also make sure that the duct tape is warped around the foam as to compress it. Check that it meets the minimum diameter (2 inches). A 2 inch no-go gauge will speed this up enormously. Check the quillons or basket hilts for sharp edges, broken or missing rivets, or other signs that they are coming apart. Check the wrist strap to make sure that the weapon will not fly away (See Appendix 3 on Weapons Standards).
For Class 4: Check that they meet the minimum diameter (1 1/4 inch or 33 mm). A 1 1/4inch (33 mm) no-go gauge will speed this up enormously. Check that the ends are taped, and that there are no exposed cuts in the rattan. Check the quillons or basket hilts for sharp edges, broken or missing rivets, or other signs that they are coming apart. Check the wrist strap or other means that is being used to keep the sword from flying away (see Appendix 3 on Weapons Standards).
At minimum, there must be one Marshall for a single combat. Two or three would be better, and will be able to see more of the fight. Four or more will get in the way, and block the view from the sidelines, without providing noticeably better marshalling.
As noted earlier, marshalling has four parts of nearly equal importance: safety of combatants, safety of non-combatants, fair witness, and showmanship. Excessive concern for any of these, to the neglect of the other three, will make fighting less enjoyable for all concerned. While these concerns apply to all marshalling, they are most detailed and balanced in single combat.
The field itself can cause safety problems. Before you begin, look over the area where the fighting will take place. Look particularly for large holes, soft spots, and rocks. (The fighters will generally accept small holes, rocks, etc. as part of the background.) Once the fight starts, you will want to try to keep it away from these areas. If the hazards are serious, move the fight.
As the fighters come out onto the field, take a quick look to see that they have remembered all armor pieces --- especially elbow, neck and hand armor. These are the likeliest to be removed and then forgotten. This should not take any time at all; it is not a full inspection nor an attempt to catch some idiot who is trying to play silly games with the rules --- just a quick double check to help someone who may be distracted by the excitement of the day.
Once the fight is started, watch particularly for breakage: broken armor, broken tempers, broken people (i.e. injuries), broken boundaries (outsiders, especially small children and pets, do not always realize that they are supposed to stay off of the field during combat). If something breaks, first off shout "Hold!" --- several times, if necessary. (Fortunately, most fighters will hear and respond to a cry of "Hold!", even when they won't notice their own names). If the first cry of "Hold!" does not cause the fighters to stop, get in between the fighters (or between the fighters and whoever has wandered onto the field) and block the weapons with your staff until the fighting does stop. (Keep yelling "Hold!" while you do --- eventually they may notice.) That is why marshals should always carry staffs on the field.
Bear in mind that in the United Empires of the Middle Ages we are here to have SAFE fun, as such you as Marshall are in charge of the field, and the event at ALL times! Various re-enactment groups have somewhat differing traditions as to how much the Marshall should intrude himself at a event. On one extreme, some groups expect the Marshall to keep his opinions to himself except in the case of clear and immediate safety hazards, during combat only. At the other extreme, some groups expect the marshal to volunteer advice anytime. If you are new to marshalling, try to find a good balance between the two, this is expected of you. BUT REMEMBER THAT YOU AS MARSHALL CONTROL THE SAFTEY OF ALL PERSONS AT THE EVENT! IF AT ANYTIME YOU FEEL THAT YOU HAVE LOST CONTROL, DO WHATEVER IS NEEDED TO REGAIN IT. EVEN IF THIS MEANS CALLING OFF THE REST OF THE EVENT(AN EXTREME MEASURE.).
You are expected to be an impartial witness to exactly what you saw happen during the event and any combat. Ideally, be able to describe any event out of the ordinary that you saw to the Marshall-in-charge. (Do not be afraid to state "I don't know" if you were looking at one part of the event when something (perhaps) happened in another part.) Do not try to impose your view unless you see what appear to be major and repeated problems.
If combatants ask about their combat. Be prepared to recount the last 3-4 blows on your side of a combat: where they started, their angle of approach, how they were blocked or where they landed. Leave the blow counting to the participants of combat unless you see dents forming in armor; usually, they have a much clearer perspective than the Marshall. When stating what you saw, try to do so tactfully. Prefacing your statements with "It looked to me like . . ." or "It appeared . . ." is preferable to a dogmatic assertion of what happened. Similarly, it is preferable to ask, "Was that dent in your helm before?", rather than saying "That blow put a 6 inch dent in the side of your helm" --- the latter may be 100% accurate, but It is unnecessarily antagonistic to someone who may honestly have thought the blow too light (because most of its energy was absorbed in bending metal).
In order to be able to answer as accurately as possible, you need as clear a view as possible. This means being close to the combat. You need to strike a balance between getting closer to see, and staying back out of range of the combat yourself. Just what the appropriate distance is for you will depend on your level of experience with combat, i.e. how well you can judge what the range of the weapons is and whether you are in or near it. In general, for single combat 20 yards is to far, and 2 yards, to close. In the absence of a better idea, consider 5 yards for weapons less than 3 1/2 feet in length, and 8 yards if either combatant has a longer weapon. Try to keep moving so that the combatants are roughly centered between you and the other marshals for the fight.
Keep an eye on the audience. UEMA events are a spectator sport just as medieval tournaments were. (A spectator sport for members of the Society and our guests, but a spectator sport none the less.) Your part of the show is to keep things safe and fun to watch, avoid blocking the view from the sidelines during combat, and help were needed at other times of the event. This means fast pre-fight checks and announcements, a minimum of holds and discussions during the fight, and a strenuous effort to stay out of the way and help keep the event moving smoothly. (If it's cold, wear several layers of tunics and move even more; one man in a cloak can cut off the view from a whole pavilion, or even two.)
When marshalling a melee, the witness function is necessarily relegated to a very low priority. (It is not that it is unimportant, just that it is impossible for a handful of Marshall's to be accurate witnesses to the details of a couple of dozen separate combats.)
You should have a minimum of 3 Marshall's for the first 20 fighters, plus one additional Marshall for each 10 fighters up to a total of 500 fighters and 51 Marshall's. If you have more than 500 fighters (actually, if you have more than 50 fighters) you should have an experienced Marshal-in-Charge and a sizable fraction of experienced marshals. It is preferable to have more marshals for free-for-all melees.
The Marshall's should station themselves around the edges of the melee. This allows control of the borders at the same time as they see as much of the melee as possible in one glance. It also keeps them from having a combat run into them from behind. Be careful that you do not get so interested in the part of the fight in front of you that you forget about another part which is moving around behind. As always, keep moving and stay close enough to spot safety problems.
In very large melees it may be desirable to have some of the Marshall's in the middle of the field, in addition to those around the edge. These Marshall's should be wearing Class 2 Armor. If you are one of these, be especially aware of fighters who may be coming up behind you (or who you may be backing into).
Before the War:
To end a "Hold", the Marshal-in-Charge will call "All Rise"; when the combatants have resumed their feet, the Marshal-in-Charge will call "Lay On" to signal the resumption of the fight.
All persons who wish to participate in UEMA combat activities must get authorization from the Marshall-in-charge at each event. UEMA combat is defined as armored combat, combat archery, marshalling, scouting, and banner bearing in combat. Other activities clearly falling within the scope above are also considered combat-related activities.
In addition to the above requirements the candidate must demonstrate that he/she is able to function on the field in a manner that is safe both to himself/herself and his/her opponent.
Minors (6 to 18) may be given authorization with these additional requirements:
The following text (i.e. the section on Combat injuries) is the policy statement on the procedures and protocol for treating injuries that may occur in combat areas.
It should always be remembered that when an injury occurs on the field the primary concern is getting to and assisting the injured party. Second to this objective, but no less Important, is the safety of persons entering the field to help and the well-being of anyone already on the field. (For example, fighters standing around in armor in the sun could be subject to heat problems.) The Marshall's shall work together to assist the injured and promote the safety and well being of all parties on the field.
