======Weapon Attacks======
Players always need to keep good sportsmanship in mind while participating in REFUGE games. Whether or not your character would act honorably in a fight, it’s important for us as players to respect the rules and work with each other to make the game work properly. When you take a hit, count it against yourself (and let your opponent know that you took it). When you are reduced to 0 [[Body Points]], act appropriately. The game works because we trust our players to act responsibly.

Weapon swings must be safely executed as per the rules below. In combat, a light tap is just as effective as a heavy swing. You only need to apply enough pressure to make sure your opponent is aware of the attack. Hitting an armored person From Behind may need more vigor than a standard tap, and if it appears that your opponent is not taking all of your damage it may be because your hits are not being felt through their armor.

You should mention to your opponent when you think you got a hit in, and all players should acknowledge hits upon themselves whenever possible. Preferably this would mean role-playing the hit, but even something as simple as saying “taken!” can clearly communicate to your opponent that their swing landed.  Acknowledging which hits you are accepting and which ones you feel you blocked will help reduce disputes from your opponent. In large melees this is not always feasible but attempt to communicate this whenever possible.

There are several important guidelines to Weapon combat:

**Wield your Weapons appropriately.** If you are holding a Weapon in a way outside the rule's expectations (such as a Two-Handed Weapon held in only one hand), you cannot use it to strike or block – if an attack hits it, you’ll need to either immediately drop the Weapon or take the damage as though it were not blocked. If you are safely wielding your Weapon or Shield, an incoming attack that you block or deflect away from you will not count against you. Sometimes it’s a question of whether you deflected a blow enough – a good rule of thumb is that if you believe you blocked less than about half the force of the swing, you should count the attack against yourself as though it had hit. If there’s doubt, take the attack and be a good sport about it.

**Accuracy counts; power doesn’t.** You should never swing harder with the intent to “power through” an opponent’s block. You only need to make contact enough for your opponent to notice it. If you are swinging too hard, you will be called on it. If someone is striking you hard enough to be uncomfortable, take a moment and let them know OOG so they can pull back on their attacks.

**Damage calls** must be clearly stated. If the target cannot understand the damage being called, they do not have to take the damage. Melee combatants must be clear with their calls just like spellcasters must pronounce their spell incants. If you are swinging so fast that you cannot announce the damage fast enough to keep up with the swings, then you are “Machine Gunning.” 

**Weapon swings** should be an appropriate speed and range. A Weapon swing should progress between 45 to 90 degrees at the elbow. If you are merely moving your wrist back and forth to cause your damage, then you are not fighting properly. Your opponent should count all these swings together as one attack only. If you cannot get your Weapon damage call out before the completion of your next swing, you’re swinging too fast.

**Consecutive hits** upon the same spot on the body within one second only count as one hit. You must vary your hits on your target. For instance, a double hit upon the right shoulder requires that the target take damage only once. However, if more than two seconds elapses between two scored hits, or if a different location has been hit, then the damage is taken. For instance, if you hit your opponent on the right shoulder, then the Shield, and then the right shoulder, they are required to take the damage twice.

Remember that REFUGE LARP battles are representations of battles and are not meant to be recreations of real battle.

{{page>From Behind}}