Hurt them, don't break them

With any full-contact game, there's some element of machismo that pervades the culture. In Belegarth, it tends to rear its head in the form of acts that are technically legal but painful or dangerous. Examples might include purposefully shield edging someone in the head or kidneys, taking full red swings on an archer, or attempting to seriously hurt someone to teach them a lesson about headboxing or sloughing.

These actions are often applauded because it's seen as getting some sort of "justice" or proving that you're tougher than your opponent. It's an example of using fear of injury to get an advantage in lieu of skill. Instead of proving you are better than the guy across from you, you just prove that you can make them stop enjoying the fight. This story typically ends with the other guy refusing to fight the person who was out to purposefully cause them pain, and the "tough guy" celebrates it as a victory. Sometimes, the one getting beaten up may stop fighting entirely, especially if they're new.

Now, don't think that I'm anti-contact or I'm afraid of a little pain. Belegarth should hurt, it is in the nature of the game. It's part of what makes fighting not right for everyone. It's also what many of us enjoy about it.

The occasional good-natured beat down is a natural part of Belegarth. Photo © Ellie Apland.

But there's a difference between hurting someone because you're hitting each other with padded weapons, and hurting them because you care more about being seen as tough than good fighting. There's also a difference between hurting someone with control, and hurting someone because you are reckless. It's important to always aim for the former, even though adrenaline, testosterone, and culture can make that difficult.

What's the big deal? Well, it creates a recruitment and retention problem when you cause people to fear for their health through reckless combat. Many fighting groups have a saying that goes something like this:

"If you break your toys, you'll have none to play with."

Basically, when anyone in your realm starts getting reckless or vindictive, it disincentivizes others to play with you. Even if in the short term it may seem funny, harmless, or even good if it "fixes" a cheater, it's the sort of thing that scares away members and potentials you may not have realized were interested in Belegarth. It only takes a couple incidents that make a person fear for their safety to turn them away from fighting forever.

At the end of the day, Belegarth is a game that can only be played with other people. There's no need for a culture of bullying and mock toughness; the game has plenty of potential to be hardcore without the sideshow. So the next time you find yourself celebrating because a guy calls themselves dead rather than fighting you, take some time to reflect on whether that's really a good thing. What are you enjoying if they refuse to even play with you?