I arrived at Pennsic on Friday night at around 10:30 or 11:00. Quickly, I got my stuff out of the car, a got a general lay of the land, and ended up asleep before too much longer. Saturday I spent the day getting a lay of the land and at least trying to figure out where things where in general. There was so much to take in after I got home I am still not sure I caught it all. However, on Sunday evening I was treated to a great spectacle – The Battle of the Thirty.

It is based on a battle that took place between France and England during a lull during the hundred years typically called the Combat of the Thirty. It was fought between two side of thirty each and was to decide the succession of the Duchy of Brittany, though it failed in that endeavor. It was fought both by mounted and dismounted combatants. Historically, after most were wounded, Guillaume de Montauban mounted his horse and overthrew that last of the English champions.

The basic idea is to take a very narrow time period and require that every participate has extremely appropriate armor for that time period. It is also suggested that everyone be using a weapon format that would have been really appropriate for the time as well.

Then a slight twist on things from a normal SCA type of battle. Instead of taking a wound as is the typical SCA battle scenario, armor does its job. If it covered appropriately it protected. However, three blows are stun and allows someone to capture you for ransom, but they in turn must escort you off the field. If you take a blow in a vital area that is not protected, you are of course dead as to have been expected.

Seeing the combat was awesome from two perspectives. First and foremost was just the grand spectacle of everyone in their mid 14th century kit with all the extra little nice touches. Every weapon on the field had a very nice realistic look to it, along with armor that in most cases was perfect for the time period. Add in a several silk banners fluttering around the field and you get a really nice picture.

The second of course was just the great fighting that was present on the field. It lasted for a good while with a good ebb and flow to things as it played out. There were clearly several times when a ransom or not made an impact on things at the moment or even later in the battle. Beyond that though, was the highly competitive level of things that were taking place on the field.

For me personally of course, there was also the several friends that were on the field. They availed themselves well. I am personally counted down the days to the next one and of course its counterpart at Gulf Wars in the spring. Lastly, some video follows of this years combat – I am not sure but I think Garrett put this up. Oh, and it on Facebook, sorry if that bothers anyone.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1192557650066

Tags: armor, armour, Battle of the Thirty, heavy-fighting, melee, pennsic, sca, Society for Creative Anachronism, war