How to Spar on The...

How to Spar on the Great Ship SeaWolf

Match Rules

"It is the Combatants' job, thru description of action within these Rules, to produce a post that is easily envisioned by the Judges..."

1. All Spars fought on the decks of the Great Ship SeaWolf will be of the 1-2/2-1 turn-based system with a Pre-Post from each Combatant at the beginning of the Spar & will consist of a total of 4 rounds or until 1 or both of the Combatants are unable to continue.

1a. In the case of a Death Match, in which no clear victor is determined after 4 Rounds the Combatants will be given the option of granting Quarter for Each Other. If the option is refused by Either Combatant the Spar will continue to sudden death on a per Round Basis.

2. Pre-Posts - At the beginning of the Spar, the Neutral Judge will give a 5 minute Mark with time-stamp to prepare a Pre-Post. A Pre-Post will consist of a single post & must at a minimum have the following information; The Combatant's Height & Weight, Any & All Weapons & Defensive Items & Their EXACT locations & positioning, and the Distance the Combatant perceives Himself to be from His Foe. When the 5 minutes is up, the Neutral Judge will call for "PRE-POSTS", at which time, both Combatants will simultaneously post to the room & follow that Post with another, stating "DONE".

3. 1st & 2nd Posts in Round 1 - In any Open Spar or Death Match held the Great Ship SeaWolf , posting 1st or 2nd in Round 1 may be determined in the following manner;

A. By mutual agreement of the Combatants, or;

B. By Coin Toss, by the Neutral Judge.

4. The Spar Turn & Round - A Spar Turn shall be completed within 5 minutes of a Judge's Time Mark for that Turn. A Turn shall consist of a single Post and may have up to 2 specific offensive movements naming weapons, up to 2 specific defensive movements naming weapons and/or defensive items & as many movements towards, maintaining, or breaking contact & distance as can be placed in the post. Once the Post is made, the Combatant placing it shall post "DONE". A Round will consist of 1 Spar Turn Post by each Combatant in order & as Time Marked by the Judge.

4a. Acceptable Abbreviations for a Spar Turn Post -The following are the ONLY Accepted Abbreviations for the Spar Turn Post;

lft = left rt = right lb = pounds

ft = feet inch = inches cw = clockwise

ccw = counterclockwise lft-rt = left to right rt-lft = right to left

4b. Acceptable Non-Forced Post Terms - The following terms are Acceptable to indicate action in a Spar Turn Post;

at i.e. ..."thrusts at His thigh"

towards i.e. ..."slashes towards His rt shoulder"

trying or trys i.e. "moves blade down trying to parry..."

attempts or attempting i.e. "...attempts to close distance..."

The term "to" may not be used to indicate action against a Foe i.e. "Places My gladius to His throat..." but may be used with regard to a Combatant's OWN actions, i.e. "turns to My rt..."

5. PC Problems & Real Time Emergencies - If a Combatant "moofies", He has 10 minutes to reconnect and continue the Spar. If, however, He is knocked off line and is unable to return within 10 minutes then the Spar will be put on hold until it can be rescheduled. In any case the Spar will not be delayed or held more than 48 hours from its original start time. In the case of an r/t emergency, the Combatant involved must indicate within 10 minutes whether He will be able to continue & when. If He cannot do so, then the Spar will be held for rescheduling within the immediate following 48 hours.

5a. The following are the Acceptable Methods for re-starting a delayed or held Spar;

The Combatants make acceptable unanimous agreement to totally re-start the Spar or to simply resume the Spar where it left off, OR;

The Judges will decide with a 2/3 Majority as to the disposition of the Spar's continuance.

5b. If a Combatant has a "moofie" in a Spar, is unable to return & then experiences another "moofie" in the re-scheduled Spar, that Combatant will be deemed to have forfeited the Spar & will be subject to the Sanctioning for the conditions relating to that Spar, i.e. in an Honor Spar, the offending Combatant would be held to the terms of that Spar in forfeit, in a Death Match the Combatant would be deemed to be DEAD in accordance with the Rules of Role-Play on the Great Ship SeaWolf!

Weapons & Defensive Items

1. Design - All Weapons & Defensive Items used for Sparring on the Great Ship SeaWolf will be of Standard Gorean Design & Manufacture. If there is question by the JUDGES to the validity of a weapon or item being used the Combatant wishing to use it will produce a reference for it's use from the Books of Gor.

2. Type of Weapons Allowed - All Gorean Weapons that are bladed & meant to be wielded by hand as their primary means of use are acceptable on the Great Ship SeaWolf.

3. Defensive Items Allowed - The following are considered Defensive Items on the Great Ship SeaWolf; Shields, Bucklers WITHOUT blades or spikes in excess of 2 inches, weighted capture or fishing nets WITHOUT blades or spikes in excess of 2 inches, & Helmets. Body Armor of any type, including but not limited to, any metal, including chain-mail, leather & hardened leather, or wood will not be accepted for use in Spars in

The Great Ship SeaWolf.

4. Number of Weapons & Items Allowed - Combatants participating in Open Spars, Death Matches & Honor Spars on the Great Ship SeaWolf may have up to 4 Offensive Weapons & 2 Defensive Items in their possession at the start of a Spar. Combatants in a Sword's Rights Spar shall be limited to number of weapons & items that the Claimant in the Spar names. All these items must be posted in the Spar Pre-Post in accordance with the requirements of the Sparring Rules, Rule 2, Pre-Posts shown herein.

4a. Weapons in Death Match & Sword's Rights Spars - Weapons used in any Open Spar, Death Match or Honor Spar will be at the discretion of the Combatants in accordance with the Rules herein. The Claimant in a Sword's Rights Spar will have right to select weapons & defensive items to be used in the Spar at His discretion in accordance with the Rules herein.

Sparring Rules of The Great Ship SeaWolf

Judges Rules

"It is the Judges' job to assess the Combatants posts, determine if they were made in accordance with these Rules & determine then the consequences of actions as represented in the post."

1. Number of Judges - For any Death Match or Honor Spar in which the loser will be required to spend time away from Gor R/P Chat, there will be 3 Judges Presiding the Spar. For any other Open Spar being Sanctioned by The Great Ship SeaWolf, there need only be 1 Judge, agreed to by both Combatants, or failing that, appointed by the Sanctioning Authority of The Captain of the Great Ship SeaWolf

1a. In a Spar requiring 3 Judges, each Combatant shall be entitled to select a Judge. The 2 Combatant Judges shall then select a 3rd Judge, which Judge shall be named "Neutral Judge".

1b. The Neutral Judge, once having been appointed, shall be given charge of the general proceedings concerning the Spar. He will see to the following items either directly or by appointing an appropriate Person to the task;

Time-Keeping for Spar Turns & Judging;

Postings of Distance & Positions for the Combatants; and,

Postings of Round Judgments & Final Judgment for the Spar.

2. Judging Times & Voting Procedure - Judge(s) will have 5 + 5 minutes (total of 10 minutes) from the Neutral Judge's Time Mark to assess & produce a Judgment for Spar Pre-Posts & Rounds. During the first 5 minutes Judges may freely discuss, in the Judges Chambers, the preceding Round. The second 5 minutes will be devoted to Voting as outlined below.

2a. At the end of the first 5 minutes, the Neutral Judge will call for a vote from the 2 Combatant Judges. The 2 Combatant Judges will each post a vote with the following minimum information;

That each Combatant post is or is not considered valid;

What attacks & defenses of each Combatant were or were not successful; and,

What consequences & positions the Judge believes the Combatants have sustained & taken.

2b. Upon Receiving Posted Votes from the 2 Combatant Judges, the Neutral Judge shall post His vote, addressing the same minimums for information as the Combatant Judges. The Neutral Judge shall then determine if a 2/3 majority exists for the Judged outcome of the Round. If such a majority does NOT exist, the Neutral Judge will choose the vote which most closely matches His & proceed to announce the Judgment on that basis. If there is no vote which matches or nearly matches His & are in disagreement with each other, the Neutral Judge will call the Round null & void. The Combatants will repost the Round again, in the same order in which it was fought before. In no instance will a Neutral Judge have authority to overrule a 2/3 Majority of the 2 Combatant Judges.

3. Judging Invalid Pre-Posts & Spar Turn Posts - A Pre-Post or Spar Turn Post will be considered invalid if it is posted in such a manner as to be in violation of the Rules herein, to include unacceptable abbreviations or action deemed to be a "Forced Post" by a 2/3 Majority of Judges.

3a. In the event of an Invalid Pre-Post, the Combatant will be informed of why His Post is Invalid & given 3 minutes from a Time Mark to correct & re-post.

3b. In the event of a Invalid Spar Turn Post, the Judging of the post will be as follows;

For any unacceptable abbreviation, the movement, attack or defense directly associated with it will be discounted.

For any "Forced Post", the movement, attack or defense directly associated with it will be discounted. In the above instances, the counter-moves, attacks & defenses of the offending Combatant's Opponent, with regard to the invalidated portions of the offending Post, will be considered successful, if the Opponent's Spar Turn Post is found to be valid.

In instance where both Combatants' Spar Turn Posts are found to be invalid in a Round, the Round shall be Judged as null & void, Combatants positioned as at the beginning of the Round & the NEXT Round shall begin.

In the instance of a late post, the entire Spar Turn Post from that Combatant will be considered null & void. The offending Combatant will be considered to remain in position as called at the beginning of the Round & His Opponent's movement's, attacks & defenses will be considered successful as long as the Opponent's Post is found to be valid.

4. Final Judgments & Dispositions - The Final Judgment of the Outcome of any Death Match or Honor Spar will consist of a 2/3 Majority of the Presiding 3 Judges. The Neutral Judge will announce the Outcome & the Dispositions of the Combatants. The Sanctioning Authority of The Captain on the Great Ship SeaWolf shall acknowledge said Outcome & shall Post such with Scrolls, as appropriate, to Publicly Recognized Forums for GCN Gor Chat.

In any Open Spar, the Presiding Judge shall assume duties of a Neutral Judge & Post Accordingly. In any Open Spar in which Death or Serious Wound may have occurred, the Sanctioning Authority of The Captain on the Great Ship SeaWolf shall have final say on the Disposition of the Combatants & shall Post such, with Scrolls, as appropriate, to Publicly Recognized Forums for GCN Gor Chat.