The rules for season 10 have arrived, admittedly behind schedule. The delay was necessary as we poured over every inch of the document to make sure everything was up to date. All references to the old 1-2-3 scoring method have been replaced with the now-standard 1-3-5, which involved a generous number of rendered images. The other big change was moving the penalties from Appendix A into Section 9 where they belong.
Here is the summary of rule changes that fencers must familiarize themselves with. Some of the rules have been in effect and are now codified. Others are new changes, so pay special attention.
General
Feet are no longer legal targets. Feet are now treated like groin attacks. You will be carded if you attack the feet. Shin guards are the recommended low target now.
Attacks with unlit weapons are inert. Inert weapons can still block but not score counterattacks.
Ren Weapon Class
Ren must defend to counterattack. Ren fencers can no longer get counterattacks when the opponent incidentally hits quillons. The refs must be able to see an intentional parry or block. For example, if both fencers hit at the same time, but the opponent hits through quillon, then it is a Clean (since the quillons make the opponent’s attack inert) and not a Counterattack.
Hilt length. We clarified how hilts are measured for Ren sabers since people still get this wrong. It was always clear in our diagrams, but there was language missing in the text. We measure grippable hilt from from just beneath the crossguard to bottom of the pommel.
Metal quillons. Added permission for metal quillions on Ren sabers as long as they are smooth and round. We’ve been doing this to allow for more affordable access to Ren, but this is now official.
Priority
Actions that lead to priority. We’ve added new terms to ensure that priority is only applied due the fencers being sloppy or crashy, not when the refs disagree on an otherwise clear exchange. The new terms are:
Inconclusive — actions that are too messy to call
Incongruent — actions that were probably fine but the refs can’t reconcile their calls.
Assigning Priority. This rule hasn’t changed since last season, but we had lots of detours from the official rules last year. This season we are returning to tradition. Priority is assigned the first time to the fencer with the most honor. If both fencers have the same honor, it is randomly assigned. After that, priority alternates fencers.
Priority no longer escalates and is always 3 points instead. We’ve struggled with this one for some time. At 1 or 2 points, priority doesn’t seem to motivate the fencers to modify their attack strategy. Escalation however was frustrating due to one fencer getting more points for the same penalty than before, especially when combined with random assignment.
15 seconds of non-aggression. Most people know that three inconclusive exchanges leads to priority. Few people know that we’ve always had a rule that fencers refusing to engage can also trigger priority. We’ve better defined non-aggression as 15 seconds of neither fencer making an attack. Beats don’t count.
Special Scoring Situations
Out of Bounds now 3 points. This was implied with 1-3-5 scoring, but now it’s official.
Disarms now 3 points. This was implied with 1-3-5 scoring, but now it’s official. The special disarm score is only applied when the opponent is unable to recover the saber safely, e.g., it goes out of bounds or behind the opponent.
Penalties
Section 9 of the rules manual has been overhauled. You’ll see all penalties organized by their severity: minor, major, and expulsive.
Minor infractions are 3 points each except for the first infraction of the match, which nullifies the offender’s action.
Major infractions are now four cards instead of three:
White — Offender’s actions are nullified.
Yellow — Opponent is awarded 3 points.
Red — Opponent is awarded 5 points.
Black — Offender forfeits the match and is disqualified.
All illegal attacks are major violations. Some illegal attacks were major and some minor. Refs often got them confused. For the sake of consistency, all illegal attacks whether or not they connect are major violations.
Recklessness. We clarified recklessness as injury prone actions, such as attacking blindly, swinging wildly, or moving uncontrollably. Haphazard fencing is not allowed.
Exploitation. This is a new major violation. If the refs determine that you are exploiting the rules to avoid fencing, you will be carded. For example, raising your feet to draw an illegal attack to the foot is not Lightspeed Fencing.
Disarm Foul. This is a new minor violation wherein the fencer grabs, kicks, or otherwise touches the opponent’s disarmed saber. Leave it alone. It is not yours to retrieve. Simply tag your opponent for an easy Clean and be on your way.
These are the most notable modifications. All changes to the rules document are summarized on page 4 of the rules in the Updates section.