Characterization
Personas
Belegarth is not just a combat sport; it also includes elements of roleplaying. Participants are expected to participate in roleplaying at least at a minimum level. Everyone should come up with a basic persona, or character idea. First, you will need to select a name for yourself; you will also need to get yourself some garb and select a race or historical character to portray. Belegarth combines elements of history and fantasy so we allow everything from Ogres and Dwarves to Celts and Vikings. It is also perfectly acceptable to not chose a race or historical character. There are many participants who are nothing more than your average, somewhat medieval-looking human. But if you do decide to portray a character, you should strive to act as you think your character would on the field and off (when at events).
When people choose their persona many people decide to portray a knight. This is a very popular character choice, but there are some guidelines you should follow if you want to be a knight. Technically, there are no official rules regarding what titles people call themselves, so if you wish to call yourself a knight you are allowed to. However, people that are serious about portraying a knight usually train and squire for a long time before assuming the title of knight. It is strongly suggested that if you wish to play a knight that you seek one out and talk with them about what they did to gain the title of “Sir.”
On-Field Characterization
Once you have your persona selected and you know roughly how he or she is going to interact with other fighters there are some basics to acting on the field that everybody should know. The primary thing that fighters should know is how to die well. First and foremost when you die- drop your weapons and lie on the ground. After you have laid there for a minute you can sit up, but keep your hands off your weapons and keep your butt on the ground. These are the primary ways that living people know who is alive and who is dead. Also keep in mind that when you are dead, you are no longer part of the battle. This mostly means that you cannot interact with live people by getting in their way or by speaking to them. If you need to exit the field while you are dead, wait until the fighting has moved away from you, stand up, put your weapons above your head, and move away from the fighting.
When you get killed on the field, try to make your death realistic. Fall, flop, crash, slide, or otherwise try to spice up your death instead of just sitting down. Battles are a lot more fun to participate in and watch from the sidelines if people actually fall to the ground instead of just dropping their gear and slowly sitting down. When everyone follows these simple tips for characterization, playing out your character on and off the field will be a blast!