Over the last several months I have been working on updates to the Thrown Weapons Rules, and they have now been completed. Here are some of the major changes, but a good read through is highly suggested.
Closed toed shoes are no longer required.
Spears have only been added to the Royal Round part of the rules and are only for those who wish to do it…. So, NOT a requirement.
Sling ammunition/targets has been further defined.
Plumbata has been added to the rules.
ATL ATL has been removed from the thrown weapons rules, as it has been moved to archery at the Society level.
A Thrower’s highest rank achieved will be permanent regardless of the age of the thrower or current average.
Greetings onto the Throwers of Æthelmearc do I, Baroness Anastasie, send greetings and put forth this competition.
This isn’t a big competition but one to help challenge you and to help get you back in the swing of everything. I know we have trained ourselves to aim for the center of the target, this however will be a little more of accuracy than aiming for what we have trained ourselves to do.
This is to be done on a normal Royal Round target, scoring is as follows:
3-inch circle equal to 4 points.
8-inch circle equal to 7 points.
14-inch circle equal to 10 points.
Outside of the 14-inch circle equal to 1 point.
So as you can tell, you want to aim for the 14” ring. The number of weapons will be the same, 4 axes and 4 knives from the 10’ line and 2 each from the 20’ line. This can be done at any thrown weapons practice, a normal Royal Round score sheet can be used and you can email me the scores. Please only score per practice, only exceptions would be if you wanted to do something like trying it off hand (mark with OF) or a separate spear Royal Round (mark with SP, special categories).
This will start June 1st and will continue June 30th. I know it’s not a whole lot of time but there will be more to come after that.
There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and first for offhand and spear if anyone does them.
Please remember to maintain social distancing, wear your masks, do your best and I look forward to seeing the scores.
Overall, they are not drastic, but do include the formal addition of Plumbata and Sling to Thrown Weapons, and the transition of Atlatl over to Archery.
Please note that those of you with Atlatl warrants issued through thrown weapons will need to contact the Kingdom Archer General to discuss carrying them over. This is not an automatic transition.
Kingdom rules reflecting these changes are in the works.
Letters of Interest for Kingdom TW Marshall
While the plague may have robbed us of some of our time together, my term still comes to a close at the end of this year. As such, all those who would have a desire to serve this Kingdom as Thrown Weapons Marshal are asked to submit a letter of interest at this time.
The position oversees and promotes all thrown weapons activities within the Kingdom as well as our compliance with Society Thrown Weapons policies. The position also supports Thrown Weapons on the Pennsic range and will run (or appoint someone to run) those activities at Pennsic 50.
The normal time commitment for this position is an hour or so per week and does require some travel within the Kingdom. During Pennsic, expect to spend 4 to 8 hours per day on the range.
You should include your experience in thrown weapons and the SCA, what things you would like to change or simply improve upon in thrown weapons, and any other relevant information you feel would allow us to make an informed decision.
Letters should be sent to Their Majesties (ae.king@aethelmearc.org) (ae.queen@aethelmearc.org), the Earl Marshal (ae.marshal@aethelmearc.org) and myself (ae.twmarshal@aethelmearc.org).
The office typically transitions at Kingdom 12th Night.
It has been my pleasure to serve in this capacity, and I look forward to the continued growth with in our little community.
In service to Æthelmearc and Thrown Weapons,
Maestro Antonio de Luna
Greetings Æthelmearc from the Kingdom Thrown Weapons Marshal.
Because we are currently unable to gather for practices and events, I will be freezing the rankings. This also means that I will not be accepting score submissions until we are able to get together again.
Be safe, throw when you can, and I’ll see everyone on the other side of this mess.
Hello fellow thrown weapons marshals, MITs, and people who might be thinking about thrown weapons.
I wish to take a few moments to explain a quick and easy way to measure a thrown weapons range. Now, most marshals have little issue with the safety aspect of the range (one entrance, clear 45s, etc) but I keep seeing my fellow marshals mark off the distances in the most convoluted ways possible. This is my method:
You will need some equipment.
1) Ground marking paint. This is spray paint that is designed to be applied while the can is upside down. I buy mine at Ollie’s and it costs about $4 a can. Two cans are good for weekly practices all season long.
2) A paint marking wand. I got mine on Amazon for under $20. If you have a bad back, it is worth it. Even if you don’t have a bad back, it is worth it. It allows you to spray one, continuous line as fast as you can walk.
3) A tent peg or a big nail.
4) A 50 or 100ft tape measure. I buy mine from Harbor Freight. They are cheap and I don’t care if I get paint on the tape. I keep a tent peg attached to the tape so that I never have to hunt one down. The tent peg lets you mark out the range all by yourself.
When you figure out where your range will be, and where your entrance will be, mark out your zero line. This is where the butts will be. Put the peg in the ground and stretch the tape out; make sure that it is taut and long enough for all of your stands.
For the Hael’s practice range, I marked out lines for eight stands, even though we only set up four stands. This allows us to shift the stands over a few feet every other week so that the grass can be mowed and so that we don’t wear big holes in the yard.
Now, my paint wand sprays in-line with the wheel. Most do. So if you run the wheel on your measuring tape, you will just paint over your tape. So, run the wheel right next to the tape. Your line will be off by a couple of inches, just keep this in mind. Set up your stands such that the center of the butts line up with your zero line.
Move the tape perpendicular to your zero line and stick the peg into the center of the zero line at one end of the line. Like so:
Push the peg firmly into the ground and keep the ring of the measuring tape on the ground. Stretch the tape out and mark off the 10′ and 20′ marks.
Repeat on the other end of the zero line. If your zero line is really long, you can also mark 10 and 20 feet from the middle of the zero line. Then move the measuring tape to one of your 10′ marks and stretch the tape to the other mark. Remember, to keep from spraying over your tape, we have to run the wheel next to the tape. So, plant your peg a wheel’s distance away from the tape.
Remember to plant the peg about 2″ away from the mark you made and stretch the tape so that it is about 2″ away from your mark, as well. This is important, make sure that the line you draw lines up with the 10′ marks you made.
Repeat this process at the 20′ line. And your 30′ line, if you want one.
This might sound like a lot of work, but it took me less than 15 minutes to set up the range you see depicted, and that includes the time I spent taking about 50 pictures. If you have a helper to move the other end of the tape, you can mark out a range in five or six minutes.
But, Caleb, I hear you say, wouldn’t just be easier to plop the stands down, measure out 10 and 20 feet and put a short line in front of each target? Or stick a driveway marker at the 10′ and 20′ spot? You could do this. But, I prefer a long line that runs the length of the range. There are advantages to this. First, if you have to move the stand because of a hole, you won’t have to re-measure your distances. Two, it’s easier to see the line if the spot in front of one target gets scuffed out, or covered up with mud: the entire line won’t be scuffed out and it will be easier to fix on the fly. Three, you ensure that all targets are lined up evenly. Four, if you want to add an additional target, all of the work is already done. Five, sticks, driveway markers, tent pegs and other items can be stepped on, or kicked over. And then accidentally pushed into the wrong spot, inches away from the intended spot.
A little bit of work, in the morning, will save you a lot of extra work later in the day. And the less time you spend setting up the range and fixing issues, the more time you will have to throw.
Greetings to All Kingdom Seneschals in North America,
There has been much discussion lately concerning the use of waivers at demos held by local groups.
After reaching a consensus with the Corporate officers, effective immediately, waivers are required for demos that allow the public to participate in combat archery and/or thrown weapons.
At that point, with possibly other activities as well, viewers become participants and a waiver must be signed. Minors MUST have their parent or legal guardian sign such waivers.
The Seneschal’s Handbook will be updated very soon to reflect this policy. […]
Hello, dear citizens of Æthelmearc. Today, the KEM of the Midrealm made a sensible call which impressed me. In the interest of the fighters of Æthelmearc, I will do the same–
Marshals of all disciplines:
We have a serious heat problem across our land at this time. Extreme temperatures combined with high humidity are quite dangerous, and can lead to a variety of heat injuries. In the interest of the safety of all participants across our many fields, now hear this:
For the remainder of the 2019 outdoor activity season in Æthelmearc, all official martial and marshal-controlled activities will cease at the Heat Index of 103 degrees Fahrenheit.
This measurement can be obtained by using the OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool App (which is free and crazy easy to use), handheld wet bulb thermometer, or handheld temperature/humidity meter, (which are not free). The Heat Index measurement must be taken onsite at the time of the practice, event, formal training session, tournament, range, ring, or list field activity. And, this measurement should be rechecked during the activity.
No official Marshal or Martial activity is to be allowed to continue if the local heat index is 103 degrees Fahrenheit or greater.
Local Marshals and MIC’s may decide to stop activities sooner than this if the environment is seen to be inherently unsafe.
Please don’t harass your local marshals over this, feel free to direct all issues and concerns to me.
Pennsic has its own rule set for heat control, and similar decisions of this type will be made by Duke Sir Vissevald (Pennsic Marshal One) in accordance with these policies.
This is a temporary policy and will be strictly enforced.
In Service to All the Warriors of Æthelmearc, I remain:
Saturday’s Crown Tournament Event also held our Kingdom Archery and Thrown Weapons Championships!
Vivant to THL Cynwulf Rendell of the Rhydderich Hael, named Kingdom Archery Champion by the Queen; and also to the winner of the shoot, Lord Ronan O’Conall, of the Debatable Lands.
Vivat to Lord Meinulf, also of the Debatable Lands, who won the Championship Throw, and was named Kingdom Thrown Weapons Champion!
Imagine, if you will: you show up at an event and the autocrat runs up to you and begs you to come up with a thrown weapons tourney. The marshal in charge couldn’t make it and you are the only responsible marshal available. Assuming that the site already has butts and stands, what can you do at the drop of a hat?
The answer is, “quite a bit”.
If you have a few stands and butts painted up in royal round circles (a 3-inch, a 8-inch circle, and a 14-inch circle, concentrically arranged) you have a number of options to run a nice tourney.
Now, while the butts shown in these pictures are not in the appropriate colors for a TW royal round, the circles are the correct diameter. When I prepared them for the season, I only had red and white paint available. I like how they turned out and I think that they can be more versatile.
If you have four butts available, you can use the first two for a royal round: the first for axes and the second for knives. This is, of course, assuming that you can have a 20foot line on your range. I like incorporating a royal round within my tourneys. First of all, it allows every participant to throw a royal round. Secondly, it’s a no brainer for the tourney. It sets the format for the rest of the targets: two flights of two weapons at 10 feet and one flight of two weapons at 20 feet. And, with four butts, if you run a complete royal round, that’s half of your range taken care of.
For the other two butts, here are some suggestions that require no added hardware:
1) Reverse scoring: The royal round scoring is 10 points for the center, 7 for the next ring, then 4, and finally 1 if the butt is large enough. For reverse scoring, the outer most ring is worth 10 points, the next ring inward is worth 7, and so on. Years of practicing hitting the center of target can make it difficult to hit the outer ring on purpose. You can make any weapon that crosses a line count for the higher of the two points if you’re feeling nice.
2) Alternative scoring: With the two color butts shown in the pictures, you could make white worth 10 points and red worth 5. Or visa-versa. You can make any weapon that crosses a line count for the higher of the two points if you’re feeling nice.
3) Only hit one color: Pick a color and that is the only scoring color. Red is worth 10 points, white is worth 0. If you want to make it more of a challenge, only hits that are completely inside the color counts.
4) Breaking the line: To score, you have to break a line and hit two colors at once.
5) Matching colors: Whatever color you hit with your first weapon, you have to hit the same color with the second weapon. Make it 5 points for a stick, with a bonus 5 points if you hit the same color with both weapons.
Need more than five suggestions? Do you have duct tape?
6) Left and right: Put a strip of duct tape vertically down the center of the target. The first weapon has to hit the left-hand side of the butt and the second weapon the right-hand side. 10 points for each stick in the correct side, 5 points for a stick on the wrong side.
7) Down and up: Put a strip of duct tape horizontally across the center of the target. The first weapon has to hit the bottom side of the butt and the second weapon the top side. 10 points for each stick in the correct side, 5 points for a stick on the wrong side. If the first weapon is aimed at the bottom half of the butt, the handle won’t be in the way of the second throw.
8) Quarters: You need two strips of duct tape, one horizontal and the other vertical; crossing in the center. With four weapons, you have to hit all four corners. Say 5 points for each stick and a bonus 10 points for hitting all four sectors. If you do this one at both 10 and 20 feet. the thrower will have six chances of hitting the four corners.
9) Split the tape. Put the tape on the butts as in the previous 3 examples. The goal is to hit the tape. 5 points for hitting the tape. 10 points for sticking completely in the tape and 1 point for a stick anywhere else.
Let me just take a moment to talk about points. Royal rounds are 10, 7, 4 and 1 point, but you can make any other style of target whatever point value you wish. I highly recommend that you pick number that are easy to add up. 10 points, 5 points, and 1 point values are easy to add up. This will make your job easier at the end of the tourney when you are trying to figure out the winner before court. I also believe that for a general tourney, every stick should be worth at least 1 point. And no negative scores. Negative points and zero point targets are fine for championship finals, but are very discouraging for novice throwers. We cannot encourage new throwers if we run tourneys where, even if they stick on every weapon, they walk away with 0 points or fewer. We can save that for the top tier throwers
Unto the people of Æthelmearc, greetings from the Kingdom Thrown Weapons
1) Ground marking paint. This is spray paint that is designed to be applied while the can is upside down. I buy mine at Ollie’s and it costs about $4 a can. Two cans are good for weekly practices all season long.
Greetings to All Kingdom Seneschals in North America,
For the remainder of the 2019 outdoor activity season in Æthelmearc, all official martial and marshal-controlled activities will cease at the Heat Index of 103 degrees Fahrenheit.
Vivant to THL Cynwulf Rendell of the Rhydderich Hael, named Kingdom Archery Champion by the Queen; and also to the winner of the shoot, Lord Ronan O’Conall, of the Debatable Lands.
