• Must be a purpose-built HEMA sword
• Blade width must be at or below one inch, excluding potentially within two inches of the guard
• Blade must not be triangular
• Must have an explicitly one-handed grip
• Must flex at or below 14 kg (30.9 lbs) by the Sword STEM Method
• Must be at most 37 inches in the blade
• Must weigh between 1 and 2.25 pounds

• Must be at most 16 inches in any measurable direction.
• Must be constructed of some hard and shatter-resistant material.
• Cannot have spikes, holes, blades, lanterns, or blade-catchers.

• Sword Hand
  • The heaviest possible glove that will comfortably fit in the guard.
    • No Olympic fencing gloves, even if the sword is an unusually short rapier.
    • The glove must contain some sort of wrist protection if the wrist is exposed. (at some point, I will probably beg Athena to let me borrow their fantastic wristband thingies)
• Non-Sword Hand
  • Any glove at the Red Dragon level and above.
    • (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) Any longsword glove.
    • Rapier gloves are not allowed.

Clean hits:

• 4 points: Clean hit to deep target + Dominance in grapple
  • Any hit in a grapple with control.
  • Any indicated hit in a grapple with control.
  • Cut, thrust, or slice to head or top of the shoulder.
  • Cut, thrust, or slice to either arm. (Assume this is the case if it is unclear whether a cut hit the sword arm or hand)
  • Thrust to torso.
  • Indicating a strike to the head with the buckler. Do not make contact or else.
• 3 points: Clean hit to shallow target.
  • Cut, thrust, or slice to the sword hand. The buckler hand is off-target.
  • Cut to torso.
• 2 points: Clean hit to legs.
  • Cut or thrust to the legs.

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 blow to the non-sword arm or hand, it loses.
2. If only one attack is clearly a cut to the torso, it loses.
3. If only one attack is an indicated buckler strike, it loses.
4. If only one attack is clearly malparried or otherwise obstructed, it loses.
   • This includes:
     • Cuts which break through a parry.
     • Cuts or thrusts which hit and then slide off a buckler, but still hit with quality.
     • Cuts which hit the blade or buckler and also a scoring target at the same time.
     • Cuts which displace the opponent's blade in the line of the attack.
     • Thrusts around the outside of a parry which make contact with the blade.
     • Actions where the sword arm displaces the opponent's blade or buckler as part of the attack.
5. If only one attack has unclear quality, it loses.
6. If only one attack is clearly below both arms, it loses.
   • The front and sides of the hands are not under the arms.
   • A thrust which begins under the arms, passes between the arms, and then plants over the arms is under the arms.
   • A thrust which begins over the arms, passes between the arms, and then plants under the arms is over the arms.

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 at least 45 degrees of travel. Note that if a cut strikes a buckler and then slides off, it must travel another 45 degrees after that in order to count.
• Cuts cannot pass through or impact the guard or the buckler 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 5.

• Buckler Strike
  • Contact from the buckler to the head will be considered as equivalent to a pommel or guard strike.
  • Minor contact, (i.e. a place or a light push) to other parts of the body is legal.
  • An intentional buckler strike or forceful push to other parts of the body will be considered as excessive force or equivalent to a pommel or guard strike, at the judges' discretion.
• Running into the Buckler
  • Closing in an uncontrolled fashion without some type of containment of the buckler will be considered a significantly reckless action.
    • Actually running headlong into the buckler will be carded.
    • This also includes all forms of hitting one's own head against the opponent's buckler.
• Running with the Buckler
  • Closing in an uncontrolled fashion with the buckler held out will be considered a significantly reckless action.
    • Actually hitting someone with the buckler while closing in an uncontrolled fashion will be considered an intentional buckler strike.