Ranger Moot - Spring

The Ranger Moot -Spring is the weekend of May 22nd to 24th
Located at scenic Mountain Run Winery in Culpeper VA.
Address: 10753 Mountain Run Lake Rd, Culpeper, VA 22701

There are also camping and meal plan tickets available so you can stay on site for the full weekend and have good food with your meals!

We'll have plenty of opportunity for Ranger combat and fieldcraft training, including in the woods and at night for those that wish to train the full breadth of Ranger skills.

Ranger Camp Site

Rangers and guests will be camping and based in the semi wooded Grove Area, see bottom right area marked on the map below. Campfires and some light training will be had there as well as liesurely opportunities in the evenings.
Training & Patroling Locations

Rangers will be able to engage in training, patrolling, and combat in the wooded areas marked on the map from and through Pinchy's Clearing, Fallen Tree Field, Tombstone Copse, and Pallet Town. If additional areas become open for training we will update accordingly.

Meal Plan
The meal plan provides catered meals served with good food and also reduces your logistical load of what to bring to camp. Beverages included are water, and tea.
Lunch on Saturday is provided as part of the event ticket and is provided separately to all.
Beverages are covered as part of the event ticket and provided to all. Water, Iced Tea, Water, Coffee, and Hot Tea are usually available all day. Orange Juice is available in the mornings to have with breakfast.
Friday Dinner: Roast Beef, Baked Chicken, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes, Bread, Salad, & dessert.

Saturday Breakfast: Eggs, Sausage, Bacon, Biscuits, Gravy, Fried Potatoes, & Fried Apples

Saturday Dinner: Lasagna, Pork Loin with Chive cream, Rice, Steamed Vegetables, Salad, Bread & dessert.

Sunday Breakfast: Eggs, Sausage, Bacon, Biscuits, Gravy, Fried Potatoes, & Fried Apples

The Tavern
The tavern on site will be run by the Mountain Run Winery and open for mead and wine that weekend, so we also get to enjoy the site with others. Reminder: You must be 21 and over to drink alcoholic beverages -no exceptions.

The Grounds

Situated on 36 acres in the rolling hills of Culpeper County, Mountain Run Winery consists of five acres of grapes, berries, and pear trees surrounded by wide open fields and woodlands. The natural setting is perfect for get togethers with Rangers and comrades in arms wandering the grounds. You never know what you’ll seea as there is a variety of wildlife we live in harmony with.

Combat Rules
All of our rules for armor and combat have been carefully considered and debated. While we reserve the right to make adjustments for gameplay and safety reasons, this is our general guidebook. Our goal is to create a simple and fluid combat system that does not require major split-second math, does not incur major debate on the field, and is safe for all players. We desire to give the most realistic combat experience with the understanding that we are using foam weapons and nobody is really dying.

We can best describe the medieval-style combat used at the Ranger Moot as "full speed, medium impact". By this, we mean we put no restrictions on how fast you can move or fight. However, the purpose is not to bludgeon your opponent to death. Combat is about communication. You are doing your best to communicate that you have hit your opponent. So just because you have a clear shot at someone's unarmored back, it does not mean you swing as hard as you can. Just hit them hard enough to let them know they have been hit. When it comes to taking hits, any hit counts, no matter how light or hard. If you are wearing armor and do not feel it, but see yourself get hit, it still counts.
There are three weapon categories:

1. One-handed sword (total sword length less than 36”), dagger, one-handed axe, staff* all do 1 damage.
2. Two-handed swords (total sword length greater than 36” and wielded with two hands), poleaxe, polearms (spears, halberd, etc) all do 2 damage.**  
3. Arrows from bows and crossbows do 3 damage

* Staffs do no armor damage, only count as hits to unarmored locations. Hits with the non-blade portion of a polearm count as staff hits.

**All Two-handed weapons must be wielded with two hands to deliver 2 damage.

***Throwing any weapons is not allowed.

Allowed Weapons:

• All weapons and shields must be made by a professional manufacturer. No homemade, boffer, or modified (except cosmetically) weapons are allowed. Weapons must be of the foam-latex or foam injection-molded type.
• Bows: The max allowable Draw-weight is 35# @28". All bows should be medieval-type or period-appropriate bows. No modern or compound bows are allowed.
• All arrows must be the IDV "low speed" or sponge-tipped type. Not sure if your arrows will work? You can purchase approved ones at Epic Armoury Here.
• All weapons must be visually approved for safety if it has not already been approved and all weapons will be safety inspected before and throughout the event.

Combat Dos and Don’ts

• Do only strike hard enough to communicate that you have hit your opponent.
• Do allow your opponent time to recover if struck in the head.
• Do give your opponent the benefit of the doubt.
• Do call “Safety!” If you see a safety hazard or issue.
• Do move out of the way when you are killed so you are not stepped on.
• Don’t strike at the head or groin.
• Don’t grab your opponent’s weapons
• Don’t physically hit or strike your opponent with your hands, feet, or body.
• Don’t use your shield to strike or “bash“ an opponent.
• Don’t take our real anger in-game.
• Don’t throw weapons or take other players’ weapons (except arrows when they have been shot)
• Don’t engage in combat in a building or in or near tents.
• DON’T STRIKE NON-COMBATANTS!

Archery is a lot of fun at the Ranger Moot, and the ability to strike down your foes at range can be a substantial asset to your team! Here are some guidelines to make sure it is done safely!

Archery Dos and Don’ts

• Know what you are shooting at (no blind firing)
• Choose a specific target
• Do maintain a safe range (at least 5 yards)
• Do use good judgment and only draw back your bow as far as needed
• Do return all arrows to the central arrow drop to exchange them for your own after battles.
• Do check each arrow for safety when picking it up.
• Don’t shoot if only “non-target areas” are exposed (head, feet, hands).
• Don’t shoot point-blank at shields or barricades when players are around, as arrows can bounce back and knock first at players.
• Don’t take arrows from other people’s quivers. However, you may pick them up off the ground.

Archers are allowed to shoot into shield walls, arc arrows, and shoot at area targets.

Removable/modular/screw-on arrowheads are no longer allowed. All arrowheads must be permanently affixed to the shaft.

Armor and hitpoints:

IMPORTANT: fiberglass and resin armor are not allowed at our event for safety reasons.

Hits and armor hitpoints are localized, that means if you are hit in the arm, you lose the use of that limb, etc... a hit to an unarmored torso is a K*ll. The loss of two limbs equates to a K*ll.

These are your valid hit locations:

• Arms (Two sections: forearm, upper arm/shoulder)
• Legs (Two sections: lower leg, upper leg/buttocks)
• Torso (Two sections, front and back)

The following locations are not valid hit locations:

• Head/neck
• Feet
• Hands

A hit to any unarmored section of a valid hit location means the elimination of a limb or death if that location is a torso. The “sections” are only for armor. For example, if you are wearing a chainmail shirt, you have 3 hit points on each section. Just because an arrow destroys the chainmail on your chest does not mean it is destroyed on your back. However, a second strike to the chest would mean death.

A note on shields: Shields can be strapped to your arm/shoulder in combat and may be transported on your back, however, they cannot be used as armor on the front or back of the body. Shields carried on a strap must be for immediate access (within 1-2 seconds). So something that requires straps, buckles, ties, knots, etc, to be loosened for use as a shield would not be allowed. If the heralds see you abusing this rule, you will be called out of the fight and required to discard your shield.

So, how does armor work?

Armor provides localized protection. That means it only provides protection where you are wearing it, we call the level of protection that each armor provides its “hitpoints.” Armor has to be covering at least 80% of an exposed section to count as complete coverage for that section (i.e. a leather bracelet doesn’t count as a bracer, and a gorget doesn’t count as a breastplate).

Armor also stacks, which means that if you are wearing a leather pauldron over chainmail, you get 4 total hit points (3 for the chainmail + 1 for the leather pauldron)***. You can stack armor to a maximum of 4 hitpoints (5 hitpoints if you are wearing a helmet). Once your armor has sustained enough damage from incoming attacks, that armor is destroyed. Please note: headshots are off limits for safety reasons. Hits to the hands and feet also do not count.

While hits to the head do not count, helmets are great for both safety and aesthetic purposes. Helmets also allow you to increase your maximum armor hit points to 5. If you are not wearing a helmet, the max stacked hitpoints is 4.

Maximum Hit Points

The maximum armor points total is being changed from 5 to 4 UNLESS you wear a helmet in which case it goes back up to 5. (You can still have 5 points of armor on without a helmet, but you only get that last point if you wear a helmet). Think of it like in a video game where when you equip a backpack, it enables you to carry more items. When you wear a helmet, it allows you to count more armor. We are doing this specifically to motivate people in the shield wall to wear helmets, as they are now more exposed to headshots because of the current archery rules! Helmets are considered any aesthetically approved steel helmet or leather helmet that is appropriate for your faction. (Coils do not count; Note: fiberglass and resin armor are not allowed at our event for safety reasons.)

How many hit points worth of protection does each item provide?

+1 Hp - Leather (at least 6oz. leather armor) and padded gambesons.

+2 Hp - Steel-reinforced leather (usually found in the form of steel rings or splints) and splinted armor.

+3 Hp - Chainmail and scale armor (including steel/iron lamellar and steel brgandines).

+4 Hp - Steel plate armor.

Once all armor has been “destroyed,” or if there is no armor, a strike disables a limb or mortally wounds/disables/kills the opponent if it is the second limb or on the torso.

Being Wounded

• If you lose a limb in combat, you must drag that leg or let the arm go limp. You cannot use a wounded limb to block incoming blows. You regain the use of the limb only when healed. You cannot use a wounded limb to block incoming blows
• If you lose two limbs or are wounded in the torso, you are considered mortally wounded and disabled (this state is also referred to as killed or dead). You must be returned to the hospital and attended to by a healer before you can again participate in combat.

Healing Rules

All healing will be executed through role play. Once a player has received a wound, before that wound can be healed, the player must be attended by a Healer or Medic (see The Rangers Handbook for more). All wounds are removed by applying and removing a bandage. Bandages are a limited resource, so obtaining a sufficient supply will be critical to gameplay. Bandages are applied either in the field or at the field hospital. Bandages can only be removed by healers in the field hospital or on the field.
Healers

Healers are noncombatant players who have the ability to fully restore wounded players at a hospital or in the field. Healers can only heal members of their factions - they cannot heal enemy or allied faction members, with the exception of The Order of Luminos or the Themisians. If healers are allied with these two specialized factions, they may heal members of those factions.

As a rule, if a faction has healers, it does not have medics. Factions that you may choose if you wish to be a healer are The Hearth-Guard, the Kingsmen, the Rangers, the Sea Lords, and the Wold Folk (as of 5.30.2023).

Healers are key role players at the event. They are the glue that holds us all together. As a healer, you are a noncombatant and get to move through the different factions with immunity, gather and share information as well and help shape the course of conflict!

• Healers may not be attacked, killed, or wounded. If a player hits a healer (or other noncombatant) with their weapon, they are required to lose all health and hit points until resuscitated by a healer.
• Healers may not assassinate other players.
• Healers may choose to remain at the field hospital or enter the fray to heal their faction members. Please note: If you do choose to enter the combat zone, there is a chance you may be accidentally struck! You are not a target, but battles can get chaotic!
• By removing a bandage at a hospital or in the field, healers restore a player to full health (and their armor points are also restored).
• Healers will be identified with either surgical aprons or white healer's hoods, which they are required to wear on the battlefield. The official “white” (natural) cloth used by healers can be found here. No players wearing these items may be attacked. They also receive a purple badge and gold pin from the Healers Guild upon arrival.
• If a bandage is poorly applied and begins to come undone, that wound "reopens" and a medic or healer must fix it before that limb can be used again.
• Bandages are an important resource; they may be obtained in the following manner: they can be found in field caches, be issued at regular intervals by the healers, be looted/traded from other/enemy medics, or they can be purchased with in-game resources.
• Medics may trade places with fellow players, however each medic is responsible for seeing their replacement properly trained before handing over their medic bag.

Where can combat take place?

Combat may occur in the "play area" against any players or NPCs that your faction member has told you you may attack. You may always defend yourself. With that said, the following areas/situations are off-limits for combat:

• Under any roof (i.e., inside buildings or under tent canvas)
• Pallet Village is the one exception to where combat can take place around a building.
• While someone is eating/carrying food (except for snacks during combat phases of the game).
• Against any non-combatant player.
• While entering/exiting the restroom
• Once "stop fight" has been called and combat is stopped for safety.
• When told to abstain by your faction leader
• in the out-of-play area (except for sparring)
• In and around camps/tents/tent guy wires/ropes

Safety

If you see a potential safety issue, shout “Safety,” and all players in the immediate vicinity should immediately cease combat or gameplay and look for and listen to whoever shouted. If there is a medical emergency, shout “EMT!”

Reasons to stop fighting include but are not limited to:

• Injury
• Illness
• Broken weapon or armor
• Hazardous terrain
• Fire

Besides providing basic first aid until paramedics arrive, players should not attempt to help unless asked by the medical staff. Let the professionals do their thing.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Mountain Run Winery, 10753 Mountain Run Lake Road, Culpeper, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

Get App