Dogsoldier: A BeginnerÕs Guide to Melee Combat
Dedication
ÒSo
fare thee well, my brothers in arms, Ôcause weÕre down in the rhino land.Ó
-Rhino Land by Bacca and Bjor
For
House Blackspear and the Barony of Storvik, who saw the fire in my heart and
fanned the flames with advice, encouragement, and a few sharp blows to the
head.
ÒIf
you have the fire, we have the technology.Ó
-Lord Sean de la Mare
ÒThat
was good. Now do it again.Ó
-Lord Oswulf the Grey
Introduction
This
is intended to be a very basic guide to melee. It assumes you already know how
to fight and are authorized, or are about to authorize. Dogsoldier is a
collection of admonitions, suggestions, and common sense to get you through
your first battle and beyond. I know I was excited my first Pennsic and I
probably would have died had it not been for the guidance of my brothers in
arms. I have also included a number of rules, which are specifically Atlantian.
If you are from another kingdom, you may wish to double check with your nearest
Marshal.
What
is melee like? Chaos. I usually describe the field battle at Pennsic as being
like the Super Bowl, except all of the NFL teams and a couple of rugby teams
are playing at once, and you donÕt always know which team is on which side Ôtil
you get there.
A
quick note on gender issues: I hate these, but I feel itÕs necessary. Since the
English language lacks a gender-neutral pronoun that is different from our
neuter pronoun, I have used the masculine form to refer to both Lords and
Ladies upon the field. This should in no way be construed as commentary about
the ability of either sex to engage in armored combat.
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