Belegarth

I'd love it if you guys could clear this up for me. The BoW says that grappling is allowed, but throws, unarmed strikes (assuming that means punches, kicks, elbows, knees, headbutts) and joint locks are not allowed. What constitutes a throw? Conceivably, could I trip a fighter, or yank a leg out from under him? I'm assuming leg sweeps are right out, because as far as I know, that constitutes a kick. Similarly, could I grab a piece of his clothing and pull or push him somewhere?



Thanks in advance, BTW.

Vaan wrote:What constitutes a throw?

Well, throwing someone for sure. Whatever the aikiddo-type move where you flip someone over your back is no good, too. Any situation where you're imparting momentum to the opponent with the intention of releasing control at the apex of that momentum.

Vaan wrote:Conceivably, could I trip a fighter, or yank a leg out from under him?

No on both counts. Generally when you want to take someone down, you need to be in control. Or just shield bash the **** out of them.

If you were holding onto them and wrapped one leg around behind theirs to pull it out from under them as you were simultaneously bringing them to the ground, that's probably ok as you're maintaining control.

Vaan wrote:I'm assuming leg sweeps are right out, because as far as I know, that constitutes a kick.

Correct. This game isn't about hand to hand combat.

Vaan wrote:Similarly, could I grab a piece of his clothing and pull or push him somewhere?

Yes, but be smart about it. Don't grab someone's tunic so you can wing them around and throw them to the ground.

It's the responsibility of everyone to ensure things are safe. Many of the things that you've described can be done safely, but not if one of the participants doesn't know how to react or has no idea what's coming. Similarly, don't be a butthole and rip or stretch out someone's garb. Bad form.

Right, so the catchwords here are control and safety. Cool.

Typically, you'll be grappling while using a red weapon or a long green, like a spear. You'll be grabbing a weapon arm to immobilize their weapon while you stab them with your backup weapon or to keep them from hitting you while you push/check him into an out-of-bounds area.

True, I'm sure. But I never dismiss something in a general way before trying it. I actually can think of at least one person right now who I might be able to beat a little easier knowing this. That, and the two-men-one-dagger Bear Pit is kinda popular down here. Good time to know these rules. Of course, now that you mention it, that usually comes down to someone getting sumo-ed out of the ring anyway.

High School Wrestling is generally what people go by for grappling.

Though as a high school wrestler, I'd say a level below high school wrestling would be safe considering I've seen a lot of bones broken and people given concussions with perfectly legal moves. There is also the fact that there are no mats on a battlefield.

Edit: Just noticed the dates =(

Actually... a lot of the things that are legal and even advisable in high school wrestling would be against both the letter and the spirit of the grappling rules in Belegarth. So much so that I do not that as a frame of reference at all when describing grappling to new fighters.

Brutus wrote:Actually... a lot of the things that are legal and even advisable in high school wrestling would be against both the letter and the spirit of the grappling rules in Belegarth. So much so that I do not that as a frame of reference at all when describing grappling to new fighters.

thank you. i despise the description of our grappling rules as "high school wrestling." if it was greco roman HS wrestling you're refering to: everything is illegal in bel that's all about throws. even if you meant the usual folk style wrestling, it's shakey at best. i threw opponents constantly, even some of the things that weren't considered throws would be in bel. long story short the only useful thing you can take from HS wrestling to bel. (and pretty much the only useful grapple in bel) is wrist control

rant... done