A question that gets asked a lot: What gauntlets can I use for Combat Archery?
According to SCA Martial Law (XVIV. GLOSSARY. A), demi-gauntlets fit the bill. This is the minimum requirement, but as always check your Kingdom Marshal Law regarding same.
But is that what you really need? Depending on how active you plan to be in combat, it may be the perfect fit. However you may find that killing people on the field is so much fun, you need to invest in more diverse ways of dealing out death blows (spear, sword, etc).
If the latter seems your case then you may want to consider investing in good, articulated ‘full’ gauntlets. I suggest articulated because it will afford the dexterity you will need to handle Combat Archery equipment effectively and safely, yet allow you to switch the ‘heavy’ weapons as well.
It is true that most fighters try not to club Combat Archers like baby seals, but it can happen. When it comes to protection, wear the best and most padded you can without trading (too much) performance for protection. You can augment purchased gauntlets with additional layers of closed cell foam if needed. Get some industrial rubber cement, trim the foam, and slap it on! You can still get hit in the hand. Remember Combat Archers, always assume you will get hit!
It is true that ‘full’ gauntlets will run more. ‘Demis’ can be made very easily with leather and rivets with varying levels of quality. These look like a good standard well made demi set. You can even find patterns and instructions. Here is an example of articulated gauntlets. These will certainly be more expensive, but may be the last pair you ever buy.
For the cost of entry though, demis are generally very affordable. Dont spend too much time on the issue if you can afford a pair. If you find later you need to change up, you can. But it is always worth considering options as soon as possible. We all aren’t made of money you know!
I was inspired today by the words of Excellency Evelynne Merrymet of Black Diamond.
How can we increase participation in the scoring aspect of the game we love?
This touches several areas and instead of responding in an e-mail chain I’d like to share some thoughts if it helps at all…
Availability:
When it comes to scoring shoots, not all practices are built the same. In some cases the practices are small, democratically run, or just not organized. This is not an indictment, rather a reality. Sometimes a practice is simply a group of friends getting together to hang out and fling arrows together. They chat beforehand or generally agree on how it will be run. As someone who runs a `thing`, we should always try to think past ourselves and our friends needs and think about the populace. I may be done shooting Royal Rounds, but it doesn’t mean newcomers are, or seasoned archers for that matter. There are many practices I set up the IKCAC target to have it sit lonely… “I miss being shot on a regular basis,” Syr Rendre du Singe confided to me on a long winter’s night as the wind howled in the lonely pines as vacant as his scoreless soul. You may not even need to set it up physically, but by having it set up, there is no barrier to entry, and it advertises the shoot.
Consistency:
People should know, and it should be advertised that `your` practice includes Royal Rounds, IKAC, SSAC, etc… Not everyone may participate, and lord knows I’ve set up IKCAC and Royal Rounds many times they were never scored. But if people know they want to score and they can depend on the availability, they may come. Set up the targets every time. You may not shoot a Royal Round every time, but it will be ready to go when anyone else is. Part of the beauty of using the 60cm FITA targets is that they are easy to put up, and ready for whatever game you may wish to play.
Training:
How can we better lay the groundworks for submitting scores? Perhaps having a sign in at practice. Get people used to the idea of ‘low barrier’ paperwork. Do they have to sign in? This may depend on the Kingdom, but in my case, not a requirement. But it would be nice to know who showed up, especially as it relates to newcomers and Seneschals. Remember that practices can be open and one need not be a SCA member to participate. This can be an opportunity to better get to know someone. Always have scoring sheets and a clipboard available. Plenty of pencils. A quick trip to an Office Depot will have you set up for years. Buy two sets, and entrust a few key people with the forms so no matter what, someone can always be there with score sheets. Practice speed rounds or at various ranges to get people used to the procedures of scoring. This can also be a way to get people to break out of their ‘but I can’t hit a target at 40 yards’ line of thinking.
Fun:
Challenge yourself and others to score with varying equipment. I have been shooting crossbow almost exclusively for a long time (training for combat archery went to laziness ;p), but what about a horse-bow? Longbow? Challenge others to use new equipment and broaden their horizons. Challenge yourself! Use the Royal Rounds score as a measure of comparison between the various equipment options. Advertise, set up, and shoot SSAC targets! These change over time and can offer a sense newness and or competition. Challenge others to shoot a Royal Round even if it isn’t submitted. These scores can be, and are to many, a useful tool in gauging their performance.
There is more Im sure and I am NOT the last word, or the smartest but I hope to start and add to the conversations!
We all want to have fun on the field. It is vitally important that we listen to ourselves, and gauge properly. This can dictate our level of involvement. Taking this as a given, there are things we can do to be as effective as we can be, regardless of perceived (or real) level of engagement.
A few topics of note…
Your Tactics After considering what your comfort level is, it is important to gauge the scenario and your place in it. By way of example, bridge battles and open fields are very different beasts, and how you engage can vary. In an open field you are a sitting duck. Pair up with another archer, or find someone with a shield.
Fighting alone can work, but you need to keep your eyes open and be open to change your tactics as the battle progresses. Generally your job is not a front line job, but second or third in line is perfectly acceptable.
Armies Tactics
As combat archers and siege engineers, were are limited by the number of events we can attend and practice at. Go to events where Siege and CA are not happening, and be a spectator or water bear. This affords a great chance to see how the armies communicate, eaves drop or participate in conversations about tactics. watch how squads break up and form.
Looks for groups who practice together and watch their tactics. How do they file up? Who’s in front or back? Which weapons are most effective for the chosen positions? What can you do to fill gaps in a squad that has formed? Why has a squad formed?
A Tuchux squad may have formed to spearhead a rush, that may not be the best use of a CA’s energy.
Commanders and Warlords
Know who your Commanders and Warlords are. Listen to their commands. In war scenarios they are constantly surveying the situation and plans can change. There should always be purpose in commands. In the example of timed scenarios, the timing of these commands are usually crucial. And if the commanders are doing their job, it should make your job easier and more fun.
Show up before the battles start, sit in on the pre-battle huddles so you know what the plans are, and if unclear, ask what your role is!
Effective CAs and Engineers almost always play a vital role in victory. If a commander calls for an archer, take note and be available. If they call for siege at a location, rain devastation on that location.
Go to events that are set up for commander and unit training. In Atlantia we have War Practices that are just for this. Talk to your heavy community and find out when and where.
Communication
Some of the aforementioned depends on communication. In the scenario of a bridge battle, width is a premium. Its legit to say, “archer advancing”, and move up to the second or third line. When approaching a teammate, let them know you are there with an, “Archer on your left shoulder <YOUR NAME HERE> (or person in the blue tunic). If they have shields they can help defend you from incoming pole-arms and arrows. But they can’t if they don’t know you’re there.
The act of being vocal about this can also strike fear in the defenders line. You will see the ‘pucker up’ effect when shields start to crowd and pole-arms step back or aside. Necessarily making them less effective.
Know your commanders and sub-commanders voices, keep an ear open for commands being passed along. Listen to the lines when they say, “Take out the person in red”. Generally this means that opponent is being particularly effective and their removal helps lead our team to success.
This topic of communication deserves a whole article of its own, but is a lesson learned with time, and awareness.
Flexibilty
Cross authorizing in weapons forms can be a very handy thing. For instance if you are authorized in Siege and CA, If you see an engine is down to one engineer, and your team can be effective with siege in the scenario, fall back and assist on the engine. Or vice versa!
Do you have plenty of archers and no cover? Grab a shield and a handful of thrown weapons. You can act as a moving wall for another archer, as well as deflect from the random heavy charging in to club a ‘baby seal’. Authorize in spear or pole-arm. Perhaps a scenario doesn’t allow for CA or siege, that doesn’t mean you need to sit it out, grab a spear and get to work!
In the end the more you put into the job, the more satisfying it will be. Knowing you are effective, needed, and respected goes a long way.
I adore you but I wish that I could forget you
And forget my whole soul along with you
And if it’s lost then, for your sake, its o.k. if you forget me
I think that I forgot you but I find myself only forgetting your harshness towards me
And I long for your torture I find my tears remembering you and then I comeback again to you
In Meeting you, the whole world comes to me along with you
And your own satisfaction becomes the world’s contentment in my eyes
And then my pains and deprivation pales when facing your love
Then I find you busy and making my mind busy thinking about you
my eyes meet your eyes
I see other people talking about you while you pretend as if it’s o.k.
I’m thoughtful towards you, at night I wake up calling you
And I send my spirit to you to wake you
Oh my love who occupies my mind wake up and try feeling the fiery passions that I’m suffering
I adore you but I wish that I could forget you
And forget my whole soul along with you
And if it’s lost then, for your sake, its o.k. if you forget me
I think that I forgot you but I find myself only forgetting your harshness towards me
And I long for your torture I find my tears remembering you and then I comeback again to you
أهواک أهواک و اتمنى لو انساک و انسى روحی ویاک وان ضاعت یبقى فداک لو تنسانی
و انساک و ترینی بانسى جفاک و اشتاق لعذابی معاک والقى دموعی فاکراک ارجع تانی فی لقاک الدنیا تجینی معاک و رضاها یبقى رضاک و ساعتها یهون فی هواک طول حرمانی
أهواک أهواک و اتمنى لو انساک و انسى روحی ویاک وان ضاعت یبقى فداک لو تنسانی
و انساک و ترینی بانسى جفاک و اشتاق لعذابی معاک والقى دموعی فاکراک ارجع تانی فی لقاک الدنیا تجینی معاک و رضاها یبقى رضاک و ساعتها یهون فی هواک طول حرمانی
