Thrown Weapons Royal Rounds

Introduction

The Stellar Kingdom of Ansteorra Thrown Weapons Royal Rounds (TWRR) will be founded as a means for thrown weapons participants in the Stellar Kingdom of Ansteorra to have a set of standardized rules, using standardized targets, with a standardized course of throw (round), at standardized ranged distances, so the throwers can directly compare their abilities to the abilities of throwers in other regions of the kingdom, without the necessity of traveling to the same place at the same time. All SCA rules and regulations, both Society level and at the Kingdom level shall be observed.

The TWRR is open to all competitors, of all ages, inside the Stellar Kingdom of Ansteorra the SCA.

Target Design and Construction

Only scores from rounds thrown at official events may be submitted for the TWRR. Official Events "are those activities that are defined as Society Events" in the governing documents of the SCA. This definition, for purposes of TWRR, also includes announced practices held under the auspices of a local SCA branch. "Announced" includes any form of general notification to the group, including electronic means like e-mail lists, Google Calendar, Facebook groups or events, or similar online forums.

Knife, Axe and Spear target

The Standard TWRR target face shall be a multi-color concentric circle target. This target face can be made of paper, cardboard, or other similar material, or can simply be painted on the target backing. The smallest circle shall be a golden circle 3" in diameter and shall count as five (5) points. The next largest ring shall be a red ring 8" in diameter and shall count as three (3) points. The outer most circle shall be blue ring 14" in diameter and shall count as one (1) point. The backing for the target face is left up to the local person running the competition, baronial marshal, or MIC (see Thrown Weapons Marshal’s Handbook for clarifications). It is recommended that for knife and axe throwing, an end grain "round" of wood be used, preferably of a soft wood such as pine or fir. Use of "hard" wood, plywood, or side grain type target backing is discouraged, as it is more difficult to get a knife or axe to stick into this type backing, thereby putting the competitors throwing at it under some disadvantage. In the event that a suitable "end grain" round or equivalent cannot be found with a diameter of 14" or greater, the outer circle may be smaller than the specified 14". But be aware, it will still be counted and scored the same as if it was full size, which will put those competitors throwing at it under some disadvantage also.

For spear throwing, two or preferably three hay bales, one on top of the other, is recommended. The use of wooden target backings of any type for spears is highly discouraged, as it tends to damage most spears, and it is more difficult to get a spear to stick into this type target, which will put those competitors throwing at it under some disadvantage also. Other backing materials (such as multiple layers of carpet, or foam or insulation boards) may also be used for knife, axe, or spear targets, if that is all that is available.

Plumbata and Sling Target

The center of the target face for knife, axe and spear targets should be between three and a half and five feet off the ground. Any weapon "cutting" a dividing line between two colored circles shall be scored as having hit the higher of the two areas. Weapons hitting outside the outer circle or missing the backing altogether shall count as zero (0). All weapons must stick into the target and must remain in the target until pulled for score, except that spears which pass totally through the target may be "judged" by the range-master to have scored in the ring where he believes it struck. Spears do not have to remain free-standing in the target to count, as long as the point is still obviously "in" the target. The person throwing may request his weapons be scored and pulled after each throw, if he so desires.

Plumbata targets will follow the same 3 concentric rings design and point system as the rest of the RR thrown weapons with the following exceptions. The center golden ring will be 8 inches and will be worth 5 points. The middle red ring will be 20 inches and equal to 3 points. The outer most ring, the blue ring, will be 36 inches and worth 1 point. The target will be vertical soft target with distances measured from the center of the target to the foul line. Targets will be at the same height as axe and knife targets. Slings will follow the same targets specifications as plumbatae: The center golden ring will be 8 inches and will be worth 5 points. The middle red ring will be 20 inches and equal to 3 points. The outermost ring, the blue ring, will be 36 inches and worth 1 point.

Weapons

A. Axes may only have a single cutting edge (bit) for scoring. The scoring bit must be no more than 4" in length. Double bit axes or axes with top or butt spikes must be identified ahead of the throw to be used for scoring. Any throwing axe used must not be prohibited for thrown weapons use in the Kingdom where it is being used.

B. Knives to be thrown may be single or double-edged, or be simply pointed with no "edge" (spikes), but may only have one pointed end. These rules do not set any maximum or minimum sizes on throwing knives, but any throwing knife used must not be prohibited for thrown weapons use in the Kingdom where it is being used.

C. Spears to be thrown generally should not be barbed, as barbed spears tend to damage targets, but with the permission of the person running the range and/or providing the target or backing, they may be barbed. Spears are limited to a single sticking point for purposes of scoring. These rules do not set any maximum or minimum sizes on throwing spears, but any throwing spear used must not be prohibited for thrown weapons use in the Kingdom where it is being used.

D. Plumbatae to be thrown generally should not be overly long (usually under 24”). The tips and weights should be firmly affixed to the shaft of the plumbata. The shaft should be smooth enough not to give splinters to an unprotected hand upon release. Plumbatae are limited to a single sticking point for purposes of scoring.

E. Sling bodies shall be of any natural material. This includes leather, cloth or woven fibers. Slings must have a restraining device for the hand, such that the sling cannot fly out of the hand. Acceptable methods would be: Wrist loops, finger loops, disk / toggle for finger or hand grip, any acceptable restraining device approved by the marshal of the field. Slings must not have any rips, tears, or fraying of the material. Slings shall be constructed so that the maximum folded length shall not be longer than 36”. See guidebook for accepted target ammo.

Distances

These distances will be as follows. For Axes and knives, the throwers forward most foot must stay between the range identified. No foot may extend closer to the target than the minimum distance provided. All distances must be measured, not paced off, and are taken from the face of the target to the foul line. Anyone stepping on or over the foul line during or immediately after throwing will have that throw disqualified, and be given a zero point score for that throw only.

A. Axes Axes are to be thrown between these distances:

(5 x) minimum distance Ten (10) feet

(5 x) minimum distance Fifteen (15) feet

(5 x) minimum distance Twenty (20) feet

B. Knives Knives are to be thrown from beyond these minimum distances:

(5 x) minimum distance Ten (10) feet

(5 x) minimum distance Fifteen (15) feet

(5 x) minimum distance Twenty (20) feet

C. Spears Spears are to be thrown from beyond these minimum distances:

(5 x) Fifteen (15) feet

(5 x) Twenty (20) feet

(5 x) Twenty-five (25) feet

D. Plumbatae Plumatas are to be thrown from beyond these minimum distances:

(5 x) Thirty (30) feet

(5 x) Forty (40) feet

(5 x) Fifty (50) feet

E. Sling Slings are to be thrown from beyond these minimum distances:

(5 x) Fifteen (15) feet

(5 x) Twenty (20) feet

(5 x) Twenty-five (25) feet

Tournament Format

The standard course of throw (a round) shall consist of five throws at each of the three distances for each weapon type (knife, axe, spear or plumata) used, for a total of fifteen throws per round per weapon. The same weapon does not have to be thrown at the various distances, allowing the competitor to change his weapon from one weapon to another weapon of that type at any time the chooses during the course of a round. It is not required to throw each weapon type, if the competitor does not wish to do so. Each weapon type is a separate competitions, with separate scoring and rankings.

The thrower may throw each distance consecutively, or throw one or more practice rounds between distances, as per the marshal's choice. In either case, the thrower must declare they are throwing for score for the next round to be official.

Royal Round Divisions

The thrower may throw any number of TWRR per weapon type, but only one scoring round per weapon type may be submitted per event or per day, if an event has throws held on more than one day of that single event. At least two people must be present to witness the round, but only one need be an authorized marshal. The marshal running the TWIC throw may also throw a TWIC round.

A thrown weapon rank will be determined by the 3 highest Royal Rounds scored (as recorded on the SCA score database) within the past 365 days. The color of the head-binding knot of the tassel will indicate the thrown weapon used to obtain the rank earned.

     Weapon               Knot Color
      Knife               Brown Knot
       Axe                Black Knot
      Spear               Purple Knot
    Plumbata              Orange Knot
      Sling               Grey Knot

Division title and the color of the tassel will align with are as follows:

           Average                 Rank              Tassel	    
        0.0 – 19.99pt             Novice             White	    
       20.0 – 29.99pt            Woodsman            Black	    
       30.0 – 39.99pt            Huntsman            Blue 	    
       40.0 – 49.99pt           Lumberjack           Red	    
       50pt+                      Warrior            Gold    

The rank of Thrown Weapons Master shall be granted to an individual that has achieved Warrior ranking with at least 3 separate thrown weapons. The tassel shall be rainbow with a rainbow knot.

Frequently Asked Questions

A. Why are the spear targets the same size as axe and knife targets and no longer on the ground? Spear distances, target sizes, and target orientation have been changed to match the Society wide Thrown Weapons Interkingdom Competition.

B. How was the plumbata parameters determined? Since plumbatae are not part of the TWIC, it was determined that it would be acceptable to base our parameters on the only other kingdom that presently does plumbata: the Kingdom of Atlantia. We modified as needed to fit our needs.

C. What is a good alternative to an end grain "round" of wood? End grain target designs can be found on the facebook page: Thrown Weapons in Ansteorra. The designs can be found using plywood, some 4x4, and some 2X4 soft wood bought at your local hardware store. A video tutorial is also available on youtube (see links on FB page).

D. Why are there ranges for axes and knives but not spears and plumbatae? For axes and knives, clarification needed to be added so that an individual could not throw at the furthest distance for all three rounds. By limiting the range for each round, it allows the thrower to show a mastery of weapons different rotations.

E. What are the specifications for sling ammo? Sling ammunition shall consist of “soft” materials. “Soft” materials must be able to be compressed by hand. All ammunition shall be made from natural, non-metallic materials. Examples of “soft” materials would: Cloth balls, bags of dry beans, corn, or other particulate matter; any other material that is judged to be “soft” by the marshal of the field. Sling ammunition should not separate / destruct upon impact with a target. Individual sling ammunition shall not exceed 16 ounces in weight. Sling ammunition may not contain any “hard” materials including, but not limited to: rocks, baseballs, softballs, lead shot, or any other material that is determined to be “hard” by the marshal of the field.

Score Cards