Join Hilt and Helm for our quarterly in-house tournament: “Pillowfecht 13: FUSION-DANCE HO!” In this un-ranked in-house tournament, fighters will participate in team relays in a bracket style format. Fights will continue until all members of one team are defeated and the other team will advance.
Rules Overview
Team make-up
Teams will consist of 4 members. Each match, teams must assign one member to one of 4 roles consisting of:
Marshal (Heavy): Weapons necessitating use of heavy gloves: Longsword, Messer, Arming sword, etc.
Officer (Medium): Weapons with complex hand protection allowing for usage of medium/light(er) gloves: Saber (Polish or dueling), Side-sword, Broadsword.
Nobel (Light): Weapons needing only light hand protection: Rapier, Smallsword,
Tactician: Weapons with an off-hand addition: Rapier + Dagger, Sword + Buckler, etc... Get creative (Just don’t be unsafe).
Match make-up
All fighters will start a match with 5 hit points. A match will consist of 4 duels fought between each member of a team’s respective class. Matches will begin with a duel between the two Frontmen, and proceed in order through Officer, Nobel, and, Tactician. Scoring rules will follow the normal Hilt and Helm Scoring rules. Please refer to Da Rules for further clarification.
In short:
High priority Targets: Cuts and thrusts to the head and body = 2pts.
Low priority Targets: All other valid scoring attacks. = 1pt.
All scored points will be deducted from the opponent’s hit points. E.g. Blue Fencer thrusts to Orange fencer’s head = -2pts from Orange’s starting 5hp.
All doubles scored in time (1 step and one action after initial touch) are weighted the same. E.g. Blue lands initial cut to the hand, Orange takes one step and responds to the Blue’s head = -1pt to Orange and -2pts to blue at the same time.
Team Specific Rules
Once one of the 4 duels has been completed, if there is a winner, that fighter becomes a lifeline.
In all subsequent duels, if a fighter is defeated, they may call in a lifeline (previously victorious fencer) to continue in their place using their weapon. HP remaining from the lifeline’s previous matches carry over.
Example: Chris (Orange Team) and Josh (Blue Team) are the first match (Marshal Duel). Chris defeats Josh with 3HP remaining. In the Next Duel (Officer Duel) between Eric (Orange) and Matt (Blue), Matt defeats Eric with 1HP remaining. Eric can call Chris to take up a saber and enter the Officer duel with 3HP remaining.
All duels proceed until all fencers of one team have been defeated.
In the event of a Double Loss at the very end (Last remaining fighters hit 0HP at the same time) Sudden death rules apply.
Ok, this sounds like fun. How do I sign up?
Admission is the usual registration fee of $20. Go to the calendar to sign up for the event.
Pillowfecht 13 will be limited to the weapons stated above. As always, weapon allowance is left to the director’s discretion.
See “Da Rules” section of this page for details on the rules of the tournament.
Spectators can attend for free, competitors must pay a $20 registration fee.
Light refreshments will be served.
Please Register!
If you intend to compete, please reserve your spot on the PushPress calendar under “Pillowfecht 13: FUSION-DANCE HO”. This will allow us to figure out how many people to expect ahead of time. If you’d like to simply spectate, please reserve your slot as a spectator.
Your registration options. Reserve your spot in the calendar.
Again, if you intend to fight in the tournament, please reserve your spot on PushPress.
Pricing
Registration Fee (BYO Gear or Club Rental): $20
Spectator: $0
How to Register!
EXAMPLE: Click on “Calendar” on our Website.
Equipment
This section explains the equipment required for each weapon set. All fighters will be examined prior to start of the pools to ensure they are in compliance. We have spare equipment people may borrow for an additional $10.00. Borrowing weapons is no additional charge.
Heavy Weapons
Fencing Helmet with back of the head protection
Gorget
Padded Fencing Jacket
Heavy Fencing Gloves
Forearm/Elbow Protection
Groin Protection (we won’t look but for your sake it better be there)
Knee/Shin Protection
Light Weapons
Fencing Helmet with back of the head protection
Gorget
Padded Fencing Jacket
Light Fencing Gloves
Forearm/Elbow Protection
Groin Protection (we won’t look but for your sake it better be there)
Knee/Shin Protection
Structure of a Match
At the start of each match, one fighter must stay behind the blue line in area of the alley until the director calls “Fight!”
The match will continue except if
The director pauses the clock to discuss a score.
A safety halt is called.
When a judge sees a quality hit land, they will call “Point!”
When the director sees a quality hit land, they will call “Halt!”
Judges will lower their heads.
Fighters will stop fighting and return to their sides.
The director will say “Judges!” and the judges will show their scores.
If a judge sees a strike to the arm/leg, they will raise the hand of the team who scored the point to the side.
If a judge sees a strike to the head/torso, they will raise the hand of the team who scored the point above their head.
The director will adjudicate points as they and the judges can agree.
If all judges and the director agree, points are allotted as the collective sees it.
If the director and at least 1 judge agree, points are allotted as they see it.
If neither the director nor any of the judges can agree, the match is re-initiated.
Scoring
Matches end when 3 minutes have elapsed or one/both fighters’ hit points are reduced to 0. Hits are scored as follows:
Head/Torso = 2 Points
Arms/Legs = 1 Point
Clean hits = +1 Point
Whoever has the most hit points remaining at the end of 3 minutes wins. In the event of a tie during pools, both fighters lose. Once we get to eliminations if both fighters tie, sudden death will occur. The winner will be the first to perform the next highest scoring action.
During the Fighting
Only a “Quality Hit” (defined further in “Da Rules”) will be considered viable means of pausing a match. While paused the time will continue but we’ll try to keep the adjudication as brief as possible.
During the match, fighters may not pass the outside of the blue line closest to the edge of the ring or past the blue lines on either side of the alley.
Doing so once will be counted as a “ring out “and will reset the match.
Doing so twice will be counted as a yellow card and a warning.
Doing so three times will result in the offending fighter losing the match.
Excessive use of force will result in a yellow card. Points can not be scored in the same action that yields a yellow card.
Hitting the back of the head will result in a red card and lose the match for whomever made the blow.
2 yellow cards for the same offense will result in a red card which will cause the fighter to lose that match.
2 red cards for the same offense will cause the offending fighter to be barred from the rest of the tournament.
Quality Hits
A quality hit is performed with the weak of the blade to a valid target by either
a thrust with sufficient force that it would penetrate an unprotected body part if the blade were sharp
or a cut that rotates at least 30 degrees with intention to inflict bodily harm
or a slice that travels at least 1/3rd of the blade’s length
Pommel Strikes are also considered quality hits ifand only if they meet the following criteria
The fighter presents the clear capability to perform a pommel strike by raising their pommel in the air above the opponent’s mask.
Does not actually make hard contact with the opponent’s mask. If the director feels the strike was done too hard, the point will be thrown out and the offender given a red card for excessive force. Is this subjective? Yes. So err on the side of caution if you don’t want to be yelled at.
Shouts one of following words to demonstrate their intention:
Bonk!
Pow!
Bam!
Boop!
Other equally humorous words will be considered on a case by case basis.
In-Tempo Hits and Doubles
Instead of using tempo to determine who hit first, once hit a competitor has one step and one swing of their sword to land their blow for it to count as a double. This means that if you go in for an attack, you better guard as you retreat or else your point will turn into a double. If the hit lands, this counts as a double and both scores will be deducted from the appropriate health bar. So if blue fighter thrusts the chest and gets hit on the hands, blue fighter loses one health point but orange loses two.
Valid Targets
Any quality thrust or cut to a target above the knee will be considered valid. Shins will not count as valid targets only because if people target the shin and accidentally hit the ankle, it could result in serious damage. Targeting the knee but accidentally hitting the shin is unfortunate, but at least everyone will walk away unscathed. No strikes to the back of the head will be considered valid and any such strikes will result in a yellow card.
Grappling
Grappling will be allowed; however, both fighters have approximately 5 seconds to resolve the grapple in a quality hit.
Take Downs
Take downs (neither their set up nor their execution) are not permitted. We have hard floors and they are not conducive to having people get thrown on them.
Pocket Sand
Expressly forbidden.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding “Da Rules” please feel free to message us at hiltandhelmfencing@gmail.com.