Growing the Game

I'd like to cover two topics today, both a bit more philosophical than technical.  After a busy summer of sword pilgrimage, I'd like to discuss two things: the way the game is approached by different regions, and the way the game grows.

As a fighter who travels a considerable amount to fight, I love observing the flavors and subtleties that different regions bring to the game.  Certain realms are heavy on certain weapon combinations, or wear a particular style of armor more often.  They vary in their skill gaps, their number of vets, the way they hold their weapons, and what they call their shots.  What intrigues me most about these variances is how and why these realms developed in their own unique manner.  What were the contributing factors and how can this information be used to grow the game in a healthy manner?

I come from the birthplace of Dagorhir, the Aratari, a realm with fifty years of history.  The area has lots of local practices, regular well-run events, yearly feasts and decent numbers.  However the weight of experience and effects of time have resulted in a stagnation.  For many of the more experienced fighters, warriors who've been coming out for twenty to thirty years, the schedule of battles and one day a week of practice have become mechanical habit.  They still come out, and still love fighting, but the hunger is gone.  Newer fighters who are indoctrinated into these established units and groups aren't instilled with the same drive to improve their skills.  This isn't apparent from the inside, and I doubt newer fighters in this situation would understand....unless they traveled.

I developed a bit different from any of my area's contemporaries.  My very first camp-out was the first Ides of March, hosted outside of Atlanta, Georgia by the High Spires realm.  Thirteen long hours from my home realm, at a windy horse farm I fell head over heels in love with the game.  At this event, I became acquainted with my future unit, the Senegal's Finest of Eryndor, and Albion, a realm from South Carolina.  For most of these young fighters, their "careers" had started within the last three years and everything about Dagorhir was shiny and new.  They sparred late into the evening, straining to learn new tricks and techniques, and spent their hours off the field discussing the merits of various approaches to the game.  I saw the vast difference in the way newer realms looked at the game.  I tasted the possibilities and potentials, and I became hungry as well.

For the last eight years, I've continued to try and travel as much as possible, often making three or more 10hr+ trips a year.  This is both because the fighting addict in me craves opponents outside my home realm, and because I love the fresh atmosphere of newer areas of Dagorhir.  In my travels I've learned that there are a number of things that contribute to the success or lack thereof of a Dagorhir group.  The most important factor is leadership.  Leadership comes in many forms, and multi-faceted leadership fosters growth both in the realm itself as well as the fighters who reside there.  There's fighting leadership to inspire and teach the newer generations, administrative leadership to keep fighting regular and exciting, crafting leadership to show how better gear can be made, and spirit leadership to encourage continued character and style development.  An imported, skilled veteran can potentially bring competent leadership and plenty of experience, assuming he/she's willing to put some work in.

I've found that the main cause in regional differences can be traced back to the way people view the game itself.  Some groups want the game to be a hard-core reproduction of authentic medieval combat, some want to be orcs and to snarl and growl, and some approach it as a pure sport.  There's no wrong way to view the game, but much of the political strife comes from people wanting the game to change to fit their vision better.  I choose to view the game as something "new", drawing inspiration from history, fantasy and real weapon techniques, shaping a beautiful game with a bright future and unlimited martial potential.  I come out to see the people I love, immerse myself in the culture, and swing foam til my body refuses to cooperate.  I hope to see the game continue to grow, so inspire the fighters around you with clean fighting and open attitudes!

I'll return to some more technical aspects with my next article.  Thanks for reading!

-The Golden Lion

Does Size Matter?: An Analysis of Red Weapon Lengths

      Amongst the litany of questions I receive on the subject of  weapons, a very common one is: "What size red should I use?"  The simple answer:  Whatever the hell you want.  You just have to learn how make it work for you. 

I highly encourage everyone, and require my apprentices, to train and learn with a minimum length red weapon (48 inches total length).  I personally prefer the use of a max length handle, which allows for wide stable defensive grips.  Fighting min-red puts you at an inherent position of weakness, as your greatest advantage, range, is almost a non-factor.   When swinging red, top hand and forward foot dictate maximum range.  With stabs, range is dictated by bottom hand and same-side foot.  Assuming your sword and board opponent has a 34" weapon that they've got in a low grip, you may only have inch or two of additional kill range, if any edge at all.  

Thus, if you want to stay alive past the opening of a fight, min-red forces you to have sharp timing, immaculate range control and solid defensive structure.  Making a mistake with a min-red often simply results in death.  Being able to maintain the far edge of your maximum kill range for any period of time gives you safe kill potential, while reducing your enemy's.  In my experience, almost every skill and every nuance of min-red translates almost directly into longer reds.  If you can be truly deadly and feared in both 1v1 situations, skirmishes, and large-scale field engagements with only a 4ft stick, chances are that you'll be an absolute terror with anything longer.

Select Your Weapon:
In Dagorhir, as in anything else, there are different tools for different jobs, but just because a tool isn't ideal for the application, doesn't mean it's useless for it either.  It might be ill-advised to cut a cooked steak at the table with a butcher's knife, but if you're a master with a butcher's knife, it'll probably be cut beautifully regardless.  It is much of the same for Dagorhir.  A short red sword is ideal for close and tight work, as well as a common dueling weapon.  It requires greater patience in open field, but a short greatsword  is highly effective in exploiting a line-gap.  You shred through armor like paper, and the maneuverability of the smaller weapon means that you can swing more rapidly while defending any counterattack.

Moving up to the 5ft length of greatswords means you're playing with considerably more range.  Every couple of inches you add alter what a weapons capabilities and limitations are.  The mid-length style of greatsword has many more options offensively, but less overall defensive strength and a reduction in close-range capabilities.  Stabbing becomes much more effective at this point, as you can safely single-handed stab most sword and board opponents from outside their maximum kill range.  Wide sweeping chops can be thrown from just outside that range as well, giving a new dynamic to your purpose in line battles.  You can either snipe if you're fast enough, or beat opponents straight up, utilizing the extra swing your weapon's range gives you.

At 6ft you're pretty solidly in the scope of field weapons.  In my opinion, this is also the longest red weapon that can be effectively wielded in a 1v1 situation.  When played by a smart, quick fighter to the weapon's maximum efficiency, it can be nearly impossible to beat as a SnB.  During field engagements you've got a very large threat radius, and with range shifts in footwork, can kill enemies 4-5 slots down the line.  If you've been spending 90% of your time training with a min-red, playing with the six foot and up range feels like having been touched by the hands of the gods.  Very difficult size to manage in extreme close-quarters.

Glaives and their ilk above six are incredibly strong field tools, and though they can be effectively dueled with by a few top level fighters, they're far less than ideal for the purpose.  However, in a line battle, they can dictate the pace of a fight with their massive threat range (second only to long spears) and intimidation factor, combined with the sheer knockback potential of a mass weapon.  They have a long attack windup (minus stabs), are vulnerable between attacks.  Plus, having a haft means your minimum kill range is quite far out.  Haft can be useful to get certain grips, but creates dead space in your kill range.

Begin your path at the shortest weapons, as they are the most demanding, and most rewarding and slowly work your way up.  Earn your power and control, train your hands and mind to strike true.  It is at that point, that you can properly become a well-rounded red fighter.

-The Golden Lion

The Anatomy of a Fight: A Timeline

Before I get into the nitty gritty, I'd like to touch on a point about first part of the article.  It's a strange way to think about it, but different configurations of aspect strength levels create "builds".  Some fighters excel at a few categories, or even just a single one.  Different category combinations lend themselves to certain fighting styles, and create much of the wonderful variety that we enjoy.  Utilizing your "build" or strengths to their fullest extent will help you unlock your potential by making you a more efficient fighter.  A fighter whose top skill is foot speed, could better used as a quick flanker, where a fighter who excels at range and hand-eye speed might do well slaying on a line.

Now, on to the timeline.

Most fights can be broken down into four potential segments.  When a fight plays out, until a complete cessation, the combat will adhere to one of these stages.  The sole reason for breaking it down this way is to make training easier.  Training the individual stages will better prepare you for unpredictable battlefield changes and being prepared means staying alive.

Engage:  This is from the moment you make eye contact until the moment any kind of combat contact happens.  Often superior engage technique can result in an instant kill, whereas sloppy engage technique can guarantee death.

Fight:  What we spend most of our time practicing; any time you're standing within kill range swinging/stabbing objects at one another.

Lock:  When one or both of the combatants is forced within their minimum striking range.  Grappling is often initiated when combatants enter this zone.  Use of sword-locks and leverage can yield both satisfying and successful results.

Disengage:  One or both of the fighters has exited their maximum kill range.  If the range differential is high, they will have to commit to either completely disengaging out of range or recommitting.  Tactics like purposefully entering disengage phase and immediately re-engaging with a premeditated kill shot are hard to anticipate.

It is important to understand how these stages interact and intertwine.  Conscious awareness of the transitions means that common mistakes, like drifting guard positions or lapses in attention, can be avoided.  A complete fighter is a confident fighter.

-The Golden Lion