Sunday, June 10th, 1218 - The First Travance Black & Gold Skirmish

In the past, the leadership of Travance has had the capacity to arrange a battlefield without consequences - if you are killed, you are ejected alive and well, and if you are injured, you leave the field unharmed. While usually this is used for tournaments or such, I will be arranging to use it for a much larger purpose.

On the Sunday of the upcoming feast, at 12:00 PM (Noon), Lord Aleister and I will be hosting the first (hopefully annual) Black & Gold Skirmish. This will be a Barony-Wide Wargame of "Capture the Lord," with the teams chosen randomly. The skirmish will allow people to test their martial skills against the rest of the town, along with testing the organization, leadership abilities, and ingenuity of potential up and coming leaders in the Barony.

Full details will be posted in a week or so, once they are finalized. The games will take place behind the Inn, between the two roads (across the field & the Glenn), with the Count watching the games from the porch of the Inn to observe. We ask that you plan to be at the Inn around 11:30 if you wish to participate, as we wish to begin the skirmish promptly at Noon.

In service to Travance,

These are the rules for the Travance Black & Gold games.

The games will commence at 12:00 PM (Noon) on Sunday of the June (Extended) 1218 Feast, in the field & grotto behind the Inn.

The battle shall have no lasting consequences - any harm done shall be reversed when someone leaves the field of battle. No effects from outside the battle can be brought in. You enter the field as if you are newly rested. There will be a 15 minute planning session, which will allow for spells to be cast while you plan. Items consumed during the fight shall remain consumed.

No one can die - if you nearly die, you will be ejected from the battle at full health, and cannot re-enter or interfere with the battle in any way.

Two Lords shall be participating as mere “diplomats” in this encounter. The diplomats will be seated in chairs at opposite ends of the field - one by the road at the end of the ramp, the other by the road near the barn. The goal will be to guide the opposing diplomat back to your side’s chair. A diplomat may be guided by touching them on the shoulder, and asking them to walk with you. A diplomat will move at a normal walking pace, no faster, as long as you have a hand on their shoulder and guide them. A diplomat may not be moved by any other means. They shall not have access to any of their abilities, and shall not aid either side in any way, directly or with guidance.

Diplomats cannot be harmed, targeted, or affected in any way. Area of Effects abilities cannot target or affect a Diplomat, although it can affect the person guiding them.

The field of battle shall extend from road to road, and 10’ into the tree line towards the Adventurer’s Guild, and up to the side of the Inn (but not onto, or into, it). You cannot leave the ring by other means, willingly or unwillingly. You cannot run out of bounds, nor can you be removed by someone else.

The point of this exercise is to learn to work as a team, and for potential leaders to test their skills. At some point, it is likely we will fight side by side, and having the experience will help.

Teams shall be chosen randomly. A bag of 10 black and 10 gold marbles will be used to pick teams - participants will pull blindly from the bag. The bag will be refilled when all 20 marbles are chosen.

Each team shall have one Captain, chosen by the Lords ahead of time. Thost Captains are encouraged to delegate to Lieutenants within their team, as they see fit, and to form units or squads.

Sportsmanship and teamwork are encouraged. Vindictive behavior, such as purposefully slitting your opponent’s throat after they have fallen, is discouraged as being tasteless.

The Count, and his advisors, will be watching from an advisory standpoint to see who shows potential as a leader on the field of battle, and what challenges Travance needs to overcome as a military force.

Clarification:

If you are incapacitated for five minutes, you are automatically ejected.

If you enter a Critical state of health, you are automatically ejected.

We still discourage slitting throats. You are not prevented from doing so, but choosing to be this aggressive is likely to get you targeted very quickly by the opposing team.