The Fellowship has very strict rules on the types of strikes that may be done in individual and group combat, in order to preserve the safety and enjoyment of the fight for all participants. However, in group and individual combat training there are a number of unwritten conventions that we adhere to that aren't contained in our official combat rules. These conventions I call the Order of Battle.

Kill or be killed

The object of fighting is of course to "kill" your opponent. If you are killed in a group combat, you should acknowledge the kill and step out of the fight. In some situations (especially display combat) it is appropriate to fall to the ground when killed.

The following guidelines apply to determine when a strike is to be considered a killing blow:

A good hit on the head or body with sword or axe is considered to be a kill. Taking such a hit instantly puts you out of the combat.

A hit on a limb with sword or axe is not considered to be a kill. However, a hit on an arm disables that arm - the combatant can go on fighting one-armed.

A hit on a leg immobilises the combatant, who can continue to fight, but not walk or run. Sometimes it is appropriate for a legged combatant to "hobble", but not far or fast. It is not appropriate to go down to one's knees and continue fighting from there. The reason for this is that according to the combat rules, head blows must be vertical. Body and leg blows are more or less horizontal, which raises a safety risk if someone's head is at that level. If you are "legged", always remain standing.

If a combatant has already taken one hit on leg or arm, a second hit to any leg or arm is considered to be a kill. Two limbs kills.

A hit on the body with a spear is always considered to be a kill.

Should I Take That Blow?

To be considered a "good" blow, according to the Combat Rules, an attack must strike a legal target area, and be sufficiently pulled so as not to cause pain or injury. However, some blows may be considered to be "insufficient" - not strong enough to be considered a killing or a disabling blow.

Attacks executed from the wrist are not normally considered good. If a sword fighter is at full extension, a tap executed with the wrist or hand is not a killing blow. If an attacker's hand is blocked by the defender's shield, it is no good simply to flex the wrist and hit over the top.

Similarly, a sword or spear thrust at full extension cannot be considered to penetrate.

Usually it is clear what is a "good blow" and what is a "bad blow", and the combatants or the spectators can agree on the quality of a blow. However, as a rule of thumb, I usually feel that the defender should say that a blow was good, but the attacker should say that a blow was bad. The defender should not usually call a bad blow unless it is very clearly bad. I think every reenactment fighter has heard a story about someone who continually called "light" blows, so all the other fighters just started hitting him harder.

That said, most blows are a consensus. It is almost always better to acknowledge a blow than to dispute it.

Armour

We wear armour, such as mail, for protection and authenticity. However, we do not usually consider armour when judging the efficacy of blows. If I hit you in the body, it does not matter if you're wearing mail or just a t-shirt. It is still a good hit. There are exceptions, particularly in tournament-style fighting.

However, a draw cut againt mail is not a killing blow. If I place my sword then draw it back, it will not penetrate mail. However, it is a good blow against (for example) the back of the legs.

I got my shield to that!

If an attack simultaneously hits the defender's shield and helmet, it is not considered a kill. Consider: in "real" fighting to the death, to be a killing blow the weapon must penetrate the defender's body. Touching is not sufficient. So if a shield rim prevents a would-be killing blow from penetrating, it is no longer a killing blow.

Road Rules

Sometimes a fight is declared to use Road Rules. This derives from our Latham training ground, where we fight on a dirt road. Anyone who steps off the road is considered "killed". Road Rules limit the opportunities for flanking. One foot completely off the road is considered sufficient to eliminate the combatant.

The Battle Square

This is a training aid, derived from the Viking Holmgang and medieval judicial combat, where the area for the fight is restricted. We normally draw a rough square in the dirt. This varies in size, but is not usually less than four meters square. A combatant who steps outside the square is considered to have been killed. One foot completely outside the square is sufficient.

Usually the battle square is fought to two good hits (although there are several possible variants). The first combatant to receive two hits has to leave the square, and is replaced by the next in line.

In the battle square, limb hits are counted as equivalent to kills. This is in contrast to group fighting where limb hits are only "half a kill".

Simultaneous or mutual kills are usually counted as a kill for both parties, except that a combatant can not be sent out of the square on a mutual. If I hit you once, then we both hit each other in the next fight, you are not sent out of the square, even though I now have two "kills". The reason is that I am "dead" too, so I cannot be considered to have "won" the bout.

Any combatant can, of course, voluntarily leave the square after any fight.