From: "Michael Squires" <mikes@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Re: Determinate Marshalling
Organization: Computer Science, Indiana University
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 92 23:41:40 -0500


In article <199204081609.AA11065@comm.Tandem.COM> MCKAY_MICHAEL@tandem.COM writes:
>subject of "Determinate Marshalling".  It probably falls under the subject of

Terminology; in the MidRealm it's called "active marshalling".

>inter-kingdom anthropology.  In your kingdom, what is the role of the marshall?

A good MidRealm marshall (in my personal opinion) is one who carefully
monitors a bout, melee, or battle and who intervenes under the following
conditions:

First, a marshall should intevene instantly when the safety of the
fighters or audience are in serious danger.  It is may be necessary for 
the marshall to take some risks, however, in order to allow a bout,
melee, or battle to continue.  Novice marshalls have a tendency to
see danger where there is none, and to intervene much too frequently;
this is why wars should be marshalled by the most experienced marshalls
available.

Second, if the rules of the list are being violated then the marshall 
must act.

Third, if the marshall is certain (and that's a difficult judgement call)
that an apparently full-speed blow was not blocked, AND the pattern is
repeated more than once, then the marshall should try to discuss the
possible problem with the fighters.  The marshall should try not to
jump in but should wait until a natural break in the fight.

Fourth, if a marshall sees such a pattern, and sees that the fighter who
is throwing the blows seems to believe that they were good (most fighters
clearly telegraph that with their body language), then the marshall needs
to get the fighters discussing the problem, if any, before tempers flare.

If the calibration problems persist, and the fighters can't agree on what
constitutes a good/bad blow, then the marshalls present should discuss the
issue and consider warning the fighter(s).  If this does not improve the
situation then the marshall-in-charge should consider ending the bout.

In a bout, however, the marshall should try to intervene as little as
possible consistent with safety and with keeping tempers from flaring.
The marshall should also be very careful to act in such a way that the
spectators do not instantly jump to the conclusion that Fighter A is
a rhino because of the marshall's intervention.

In melees and wars the marshall can see very little.  In the excitement a
marshall may throw someone out (and I have more than once, and regretted
some and was sorry I did not act earlier in others) but there should always
be a discussion and warning, unless the infraction is serious (such as
fighting with steel-hafted weapons or failing to wear adequate armor).

>   To contrast this style of marshalling, let me tell you some tales that I
>heard (first hand) from Pensic.  My baron was fighting in a Pennsic war (two
>years ago, I believe), and a marshall suddenally came running up to him and
>said "You are dead!".  The year before that, a similar occurance happened, and

If this happened in any battle other than the Woods Battle, the marshall
in question was violating the War Rules which require the concurrence of
two marshalls to declare anyone dead.  In the Woods Battle there are
usually no more than one marshall in sight, so the rule has to be relaxed.
This rule was requested by the East, and has been part of the rules for
years.

The problem with marshalling a War is that the people who are the best
marshalls are frequently the best commanders and sometimes the best fighters.
This frequently results in the battles being marshalled by relatively
inexperienced marshalls.

Another innovation at the last Pennsic was that problems like this were brought
before a Marshall's Court the same day that the incident ocurred. The
court included the Society Marshall and the Earls Marshall of the various
Kingdoms involved.  At least one of the cases involved an over-eager
marshall.

On a completely different topic:  was there really no weapons/armor
inspection at Estrella this year?  That's the rumor that has been spreading
around this part of the MidRealm since that War.
-- 

Mike Squires (mikes@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu)     812 855 3974 (w) 812 333 6564 (h)
mikes@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu          546 N Park Ridge Rd., Bloomington, IN 47408
From: Ruth.Woodring@f4229.n124.z1.fidonet.org (Ruth Woodring)
Sender: FredGate@ocitor.fidonet