TOURNAMENTS IN THE KINGDOM OF BRETONNIA

Way back in White Dwarf 215, we printed some fun rules for holding jousting tournaments in the Great Dukedoms of Bretonnia. Full Tilt is a great little game that you can play when you want to take a breather from painting all those new Knights! All the game takes is a few painted Knights, some friends, and an endless repertoire of quotes from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (a big thanks to the Canadian Web Team for their work on this project).

THE JOUST AND THE TABLEAUX DE BATAILLE

The tournament in Bretonnia has been refined over the centuries into an art form with many conventions and traditions that can be baffling to foreigners who do not understand the subtle references involved. Tradition dictates that on the first day, there can be no combat at all. Instead, the Knights gather for a parade and then attempt to solicit favours from the Bretonnian ladies so they might represent a lady in the contests ahead. There are two contests in a proper tournament. First, there is the joust, which takes up a whole day. Second, there this is the tableaux de bataille, where the Knights face-off against the Black Knight. Smaller events often feature only the joust or attempt to cram things together to reduce costs, but a full tournament would not be complete without the pomp of the parade or the final dramatic conflict of the tableaux de bataille.

Tournaments are usually fought a la plaisance, which means fighting with blunted weapons. Rarely, they are fought a l'outrance, which means fighting with sharp weapons. Blunted weapons are used in most tournaments so that the best of Bretonnian chivalry is not slaughtered, thus leaving the realm woefully undefended! Serious wounds are rare and the tourney is an excuse for outrageous fun. However, if sharp weapons are used, contenders may be mortally wounded and such contests are therefore reserved for matters of honour or trials by combat serious enough to warrant fighting to the death. The rules described here are intended for tournaments fought a la plaisance, so Knights will rarely die or suffer serious injuries.

HERALDS' RULES AND TOURNEY ROLLS

Tournaments are not open to just any old Knight. Only those considered eligible on grounds of renown, prowess, honour, or in some other fashion are permitted to compete. This is a matter decided by the Heralds, who are versed in all matters of chivalry, heraldry, and honour. The Heralds organize the contending Knights into teams, usually two. One consists of all the Knights from the host's dukedom, and the other is made up of Knights from the rest of Bretonnia. The Heralds are great sticklers for the rules; not only do they ignore those who are inexperienced or unknown, but they also remove those who are too great to keep the competition fair.

To keep matters in hand, the Heralds maintain carefully worked out lists of eligible Knights, called the Tourney Rolls. Only if a Knight is named on the Tourney Rolls can he enter the tournament as a contender. The Herald selects the teams who will take part from the list of entrants for each tournament. This ensures that the teams are well matched which makes for an exciting contest. Bretonnians are not amused by one paladin unhorsing a succession of hopeless contenders, a feat that does nothing for honour or entertainment!