This document was last modified on Sunday, November 18, 2018

Table of contents:

• Introduction
• Order of precedence of rules
• General scope of the Office of Earl Marshal
• Special rights and privileges
• Kingdom specific duties of the Earl Marshal
• Order of precedence within the Kingdom Marshallate
• Types of Marshals in the Kingdom
• Requirements for groups
• Becoming a Marshal
• Warranting of Marshals
• The Rules of the List
• The Conventions of Combat
• Reporting duties
• Abbreviations used in the Marshallate of Drachenwald

I. Introduction:

These are the policies of the Earl Marshal of the Kingdom of Drachenwald.

These policies determine how the office of the Earl Marshal shall be organized and conducted.

These policies do not supercede Kingdom or Society law.

II. Order of Precedence of Rules

In general this Order of Precedence of the rules is observed:

• Rules of the List of the SCA
• Conventions of Combat of the SCA
• Rules of the List of the Kingdom of Drachenwald
• Conventions of Combat of the Kingdom of Drachenwald

In case of doubt or if a Kingdom specific rule is less stringent than the equivalent rule in the SCA Rules of the List or the SCA Conventions of Combat, then the SCA Rules of the List or the SCA Conventions of Combat, as needed, are binding.

III. General Scope of the Office of Earl Marshal

From Corpora

VII. D. The Earl Marshal is responsible for overseeing the conduct of all martial arts activities, including but not limited to tournament lists, wars, combat archery, and fencing, as well as such related activities as scouting and target archery. The Earl Marshal bears primary responsibility for promoting both the safety and the authenticity of the martial arts in the kingdom, but works with other officers in their areas of mutual interest.

Addendum:

The Earl Marshal of the Kingdom of Drachenwald extends in writing his responsibility to include

• Siege engines
• Thrown weapons, defined as real weapons thrown at an inanimate target
• Equestrian activities
• Boffer combat of minors.

IV. Special Rights and Privileges

The Earl Marshal reserves the right to waive or modify these policies on a case-by-case basis, as the situation demands and provided the change does not conflict with Kingdom or Society law.

V. Kingdom specific duties of the Earl Marshal

The Earl Marshal

1. Shall select and train a designated successor to the office, termed Deputy Earl Marshal
2. Shall oversee Tournament Lists, the martial sciences, and safety on the field
3. Shall set and enforce the Rules of the Lists and Conventions of Combat of the Kingdom
4. Shall set and enforce weapon and armor standards
5. Shall supervise the authorization of fighters and shall be responsible for maintaining a record of combat waivers and authorization information
6. Shall maintain in total at least the following documents in updated condition
   • a current copy of the Drachenwald Rules of the List
   • a current copy of the Drachenwald Conventions of Combat
   • a complete list of all Marshals authorized in Drachenwald
   • a complete set of all waivers signed
7. Shall supervise the training of fighters
8. Shall appoint any assistants as deemed necessary
9. Shall maintain the list of authorized fighters, which shall be available at Crown Tournaments.
10. Shall receive and investigate, where appropriate, all complaints concerning combat
11. Shall submit quarterly reports on the status of the martial arts in the Kingdom of Drachenwald to the Marshal of the Society, with a copy furnished to the Crown of Drachenwald
12. Shall serve a maximum term of 2 years and may not serve 2 terms in succession
13. Shall not hold any other office for the duration of his term
14. Shall maintain files for this office, accessible by the Crown, and relinquish them no later than 30 days after leaving office to his successor

VI. Order of precedence within the Kingdom Marshallate

1. Kingdom Greater Officers
   1. Kingdom Earl Marshal
   2. Deputy Earl Marshal
2. Kingdom Lesser Officers
   1. Kingdom Marshal of Fence
   2. Kingdom Captain-General of Archer
3. Deputy Marshals
   1. Deputy Marshal of Fence
   2. Deputy Marshal for Combat Archery
   3. Deputy Marshal for Equestrian Affairs
   4. Deputy Marshal for Siege Engines
4. Regional Marshals
   1. Regional Kingdom Marshals for Armored Combat
   2. Regional Kingdom Marshals for Period Fencing

VII. Types of Marshals in the Kingdom

The following is a list, in order of precedence, of Marshals at the local level

1. Marshal-in-Charge - an authorized Marshal who has the responsibility for combat activities at a particular event. Must issue a report to his Regional Marshal
2. Knight Marshal - a warranted marshal who is the administrative officer of a group responsible for all combat related activities within the group.
   Must issue a monthly report to his Regional Marshal
3. Authorizing Marshal - the ONLY type of Marshal who has received special training and permission by the Earl Marshal or one of his Deputies to perform authorizations of fighters. Currently exist only for Armored Combat.
4. Marshal-at-large - an authorized Marshal who is currently not occupying a Marshal related office

Definitions:

1. Authorized Marshal - a Marshal who is listed in the database as a Marshal for a combat related activity.
2. Warranted Marshal - a Marshal who has been invested with an office and given a "warrant" to fulfill his office. Example: A Knight Marshal must be a warranted Marshal. However, a authorized Marshal does not need to be warranted
3. Marshal-in-training - somebody who is being trained by an authorized Marshal to become a Marshal

VIII. Requirements for Groups

1. Any group which actively engages in combat related activities must have a warranted Knight Marshal
2. Any type of official combat related activity within the group must always be accompanied by a Marshal authorized for that activity
3. If a group is conducting combat related activities at an event, a Marshal in Charge must be listed in the event announcement and present during the entire event

IX. Becoming a Marshal

1. Armored Combat Marshals
   In order to become a Marshal in the Kingdom of Drachenwald the following conditions must be met:
   1. the candidate must be a paid member of the SCA
   2. the candidate must have access to E-mail. If this should pose a considerable hardship, please contact the Earl Marshal
   3. The Marshal wishing to take on a Marshal-in-Training must contact the Regional Kingdom Marshal or the Earl Marshal prior to enrolling
   4. the candidate must have received training by an authorized marshal for at least 6 events or a period of 6 month, whichever is longer. The training must involve:
      1. the study and application of the regulations for combat in the Drachenwald Marshal Handbook
      2. training in the administrative aspects of Marshalling
      3. practical experience in all aspects of Marshalling under the tutelage of the experienced Marshal at tournaments, battles and events in general
      4. supervised participation in equipment inspections and authorizations
      5. the candidate must pass a test, administered by the Earl Marshal or designated deputies
      6. the test must follow the outline given in the Marshal Handbook of Drachenwald

X. Warranting of Marshals

1. Armored Combat Marshals
2. All Marshals are warranted for a period of 2 years.
3. All Marshals must be listed on a roster that includes the legal and Society names, address, phone number, their Marshal authorizations (ACM, PFM, CAM, AM) and the expiration date of their warrant.
4. In the Kingdom of Drachenwald this roster is the Marshal Database, which is administered by the Earl Marshal and the Kingdom Minister of the Lists.
5. In order to be a recognized official of the SCA and of the Kingdom of Drachenwald, each Marshal must have his authorizations as Marshals indicated. Without this indication the Marshal is not considered warranted or rostered.
6. The database must be updated regularly, accessible to the crown and be approved at the end of the second quarter and fourth quarter via signature by the Crown. For this purpose a listing of all warranted marshals shall be printed and each page signed by the crown.
7. The database must display a statement that it is the current roster of the office of Earl Marshal for the Kingdom of Drachenwald of the Society as of (last date of modification).

XI. The Rules of the List

The Kingdom of Drachenwald adheres to the SCA Rules of the List as listed in the SCA Marshal's Handbook

XII. The Conventions of Combat

The Kingdom of Drachenwald adheres to the Society Conventions of Combat as listed in the SCA Marshal's Handbook, with the following changes:

Addition to A as item

1. Appearance of armor

1. To promote and enhance safety and authenticity on the field, it is recommended that all armor should be made to appear as realistic and as authentic as possible. Blatantly mundane articles should be covered up or disguised in some fashion.

Addition to B as item

1. Any loss or failure of a required piece of armor during combat immediately stops the fight. In a group combat situation the fighter must immediately leave the area. The defective armor must be repaired and re-inspected by a Marshal prior to use.
2. Circling an opponent who is on his knees during engagement is forbidden. The attacker may not set his leading foot beyond the opponent's hip socket or must at least maintain one foot between the opponent's knees.
3. At the conclusion of each combat, if a fighter disputes the outcome, he must settle his grievance before leaving the list/field. Departing the list/field will be considered acceptance of the results.

D. Melee/War Conventions

1. We do not wish to recreate a real medieval battle. The same standards of chivalry and courtesy, which are shown in the list shall be displayed in group combat. Anyone who refuses to obey the rules reproduced here, or the Rules of the Society, shall be removed from the field.
2. "Kill from behind" is done by placing your weapon in front of your opponent's visor and announcing in a loud voice "Kill from behind". Using a great weapon or spear, set the haft on the opponent's shoulder, announcing "Kill from behind". Multiple kills are not to be done in a hurried, slap dash manner. Each kill is a separate engagement, and takes a certain amount of time.
   "Kill from behind" is allowed by default, but the usage of "Kill from behind" must be announced to all participants prior to an engagement by the Marshal-in-charge.
3. "Kill on the ground" is done by placing your weapon on a opponent who is helpless lying on the ground announcing "Kill on the ground". Striking a fallen opponent is strictly forbidden.
   "Kill on the ground" is allowed by default, but the usage of "Kill on the ground" must be announced to all participants prior to an engagement by the Marshal-in-charge.
4. No more than four fighters shall attack one single opponent, except in the case where a unit is being engaged.
5. A unit is defined as consisting of at least three fighters together.
6. Engagement with a unit is defined as being in range of the longest weapon in the unit. Once a fighter is engaged with the unit, he is engaged with the entire unit.
7. Engagement with a single opponent is defined as being in range of the longest weapon of either the opponent or the fighter and the opponent giving a sign of recognition of the approaching fighter. Recognition can include, but is not limited to turning to face the opponent, verbal acknowledgement and looking directly at the fighter. Engagement also exists if the opponent and the fighter are aware of each other and the chance that the other may strike, as is the case, for example, in unit combat. 
8. If you are engaged with an opponent who then turns away from you while remaining in your weapon range, he/she may be struck. Once out off range he/she must be re-engaged.
9. A fighter who has lost his weapon is not considered defenseless, and no hold will be called.

XIII. Reporting Duties

Various offices in the Marshallate have reporting duties

1. Quarterly reports:
   1. Earl Marshal to the Society Marshal
   2. Kingdom Marshal of Fence to the Earl Marshal
   3. Kingdom Captain-General of Archersto the Earl Marshal
   4. Regional Kingdom Marshalsto the Earl Marshal
   5. Kingdom Deputy Marshal for Combat Archeryto the Earl Marshal
   6. Kingdom Deputy Marshal for Equestrian Affairsto the Earl Marshal
   7. Kingdom Deputy Marshal for Siege Enginesto the Earl Marshal

   Due dates of quarterly reports:

   10th of March
   10th of June
   10th of September
   10th of December
2. Event based reports
   1. Marshal-in-Charge to the Regional Kingdom Marshal
   2. Injury report to the Earl Marshal

      Due dates of event based reports:
      Injury reports are due within 24 hours after the event
      Marshal-in-charge reports are due no later than 1 week after the event

XIV. Appendix:

1. To avoid data duplication, this section has been moved to a definitions and abbreviations page