• Must be a purpose-built HEMA rapier
  • We'll know one when we see one
  • Meyer rapiers are dubious but we'll allow it
• Blade width must be at or below one inch
• Blade must not be triangular
• Must have an explicitly one-handed grip.
• Must have some form of guard.
• The blade must be straight.
• Must flex at or below 13 kg (28.7 lbs) by the Sword STEM Method
• Must be at most 45 inches in the blade.
• Must weigh between 1.5 and 3.25 pounds.

• Sword Hand
  • Any rapier glove.
    • Olympic fencing gloves are allowed, but strongly discouraged.
• Non-Sword Hand
  • Any rapier glove.
    • (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) Any longsword glove.

Clean hits:

• 4 points: Clean thrust to deep target + Dominance in grapple
  • Any hit in a grapple with control.
  • Any indicated hit in a grapple with control.
  • Thrust to head.
  • Thrust to torso.
  • Thrust to sword arm.
• 3 points: Clean cut to deep target.
  • Cut or slice to head or top of the shoulder.
  • Cut or slice to sword arm (Assume this is the case if it is unclear whether a cut hit the sword arm or the torso)
• 2 points: Clean hit to shallow target.
  • Thrust or cut to legs.
  • Cut, thrust, or slice to the sword hand.
  • Thrust to non-sword arm or hand. (Stapling applies if obvious) (Assume this is the case if it is unclear whether a thrust hit the non-sword arm or torso)
• 1 point: Cut to poor target.
  • Cut to torso
  • Cut or slice to non-sword arm or hand.

If a target is not listed as having a scoring slice, slices to that target do not score and do not stop the exchange.

Doubles:

If there is a double, consult the following priority list. A double with priority is 2 points. A true double is 0 points.

For each of the following, if it is unclear whether or not the priority item is true, assume it does not and move down the list. If all six items are untrue, then the double is a true double.

1. If only one attack is clearly a cut to the torso or the non-sword arm or hand, it loses.
2. If only one attack is a thrust with unclear quality, it loses.
3. If only one attack is a cut with unclear quality, it loses.
4. If only one attack is to the legs, it loses.
5. If only one attack is a slice of any kind, it loses.
6. If only one attack is a cut, it loses.

Afterblows:

If there is an afterblow, with fencer A hitting first and fencer B hitting second, points will be awarded depending on the value of their blows as per the following table, with syntax (Points A, Points B):

Note that the point differential for A is Points A - Points B + 1, and that there are no (0,0), (1,0), or (0,1) afterblows.

• Cuts must have "sufficient" travel. Generally, this will be around 90 degrees of travel, but well-formed cuts with slightly less travel can be considered quality by judges' discretion.
• Cuts cannot pass through or impact the guard or the strong before landing.
• Cuts cannot strike with just the tip.
• Cuts must land reasonably perpendicularly to the target (i.e. not glancing).

Cuts with questionable quality under these requirements will be given the benefit of the doubt if they land cleanly or as afterblows, but will lose doubles at item 3.

• Grabbing the Blade
  • This requires making a closed fist around the blade and holding it tightly in such a way that it clearly restricts blade movement.
  • Is a technical foul if done after a scoring action from the fencer grabbing the blade.
  • Is a white card if done before or during a scoring action from the fencer grabbing the blade.
  • As such, grabbing the blade only invalidates scoring actions made during or after the blade grab.
• Hand Parrying a Cut
  • Placing the non-sword hand in front of an incoming cut.
  • If this causes the other fencer to abort the cut, it will be assumed that they could have hit a deep target without the hand parry and thus will be given a 3 point scoring action.
  • Is a technical foul if done after a scoring action and a white card if done before or during a scoring action.
  • Note that the level of intensity required for excessive force is substantially lower for cuts to the non-sword hand. If a fencer goes for a hand parry and the other fencer hits it forcefully, both will be penalized.
• Attempting a Disarm
  • While normally disarms are allowed, the nature of rapier guards and hilts means that disarms will count as unsafe actions and therefore attempting one will result in a white, yellow, or red card depending on the severity and context.