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New (Unofficial) Event Idea: Cardboard Tube Duel
Exaggeration17A
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey, everyone. I was chatting with UberBeth on the live stream of Gabe's drawing yesterday, and she encouraged me to post an idea I have for an unofficial PAX event here on the forums: The Aspirant Cardboard Tube Samurais' Tournament of Champions!
I'd like to start by saying that I'm kind of broke and I live in Maine, so I have yet to be able to afford a trip to PAX. Therefore, I apologize if someone has already been doing this, and I also apologize for not being able to organize this event myself if it is a new idea. Maybe next year...
Anyway, the initial process would be fairly simple. We go out, buy several rolls of wrapping paper only for the purpose of scavenging their precious, precious cardboard tubes. We'd need to make sure all the tubes are of equal length and durability, and that we have plenty of spares. Then, tubes would be issued to all interested participants and a tournament tree would be set up. This could be single elimination, double elimination or round robin, depending on how much time we have and how many fights people want.
The fight rules I'd propose would be based on sport fencing, epee specifically. Fighters would face off until one of them gets 5 points. Hitting your opponent with any part of the tube gives you a point. Three judges would be assigned to watch each match and two out of three would have to agree that a valid hit happened for a point to be awarded. Combat is paused when a point is awarded, fighters are reset and a new round begins. If two blows land at the same time, combat is also reset but no points are awarded.
Body to body contact would not be allowed, nor would grabbing an opponent's tube with your hand. The first time someone does this, it is called out as a fault and combat is reset. The second and subsequent faults would result in a point being awarded to the offender's opponent.
I could go on, but I think you all get the basic premise. So... what I want to know now is whether or not people out there think this is a good idea, or if I should shut up and save my fake combat antics for SCA events! In any case, thanks for reading.
I'd like to start by saying that I'm kind of broke and I live in Maine, so I have yet to be able to afford a trip to PAX. Therefore, I apologize if someone has already been doing this, and I also apologize for not being able to organize this event myself if it is a new idea. Maybe next year...
Anyway, the initial process would be fairly simple. We go out, buy several rolls of wrapping paper only for the purpose of scavenging their precious, precious cardboard tubes. We'd need to make sure all the tubes are of equal length and durability, and that we have plenty of spares. Then, tubes would be issued to all interested participants and a tournament tree would be set up. This could be single elimination, double elimination or round robin, depending on how much time we have and how many fights people want.
The fight rules I'd propose would be based on sport fencing, epee specifically. Fighters would face off until one of them gets 5 points. Hitting your opponent with any part of the tube gives you a point. Three judges would be assigned to watch each match and two out of three would have to agree that a valid hit happened for a point to be awarded. Combat is paused when a point is awarded, fighters are reset and a new round begins. If two blows land at the same time, combat is also reset but no points are awarded.
Body to body contact would not be allowed, nor would grabbing an opponent's tube with your hand. The first time someone does this, it is called out as a fault and combat is reset. The second and subsequent faults would result in a point being awarded to the offender's opponent.
I could go on, but I think you all get the basic premise. So... what I want to know now is whether or not people out there think this is a good idea, or if I should shut up and save my fake combat antics for SCA events! In any case, thanks for reading.
"Every dark cloud has a silver lining, but lightning kills hundreds of people each year who try to find it."
- despair.com
- despair.com
Exaggeration17A on
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THE TUBE IS CIVILIZATION!
However there is freeway park...
May I suggest perhaps that we vary it up a bit? Along with the main epee fencing, maybe we could allow side battles that include off-hand weapons like toilet-paper tubes or small cardboard shields, or those industrial tubes that usually are longer-than-you-are-tall for staff-weapon battles?
I know, probably too much, but could be fun!
PSN: Quintonious
You mean Jaiden? :P
... which isn't me. Sadly. One of these days... time and money... sigh...
LOL If this thread degrades into a "my martial art is better than [insert martial art]" then I apologize for even mentioning anything.
Seriously, I love the idea of a tube tourney, and agree with BigRed that it should probably take place in Freeway Park. ... Just don't kill anyone's hookahs.
Also, Jaiden's POWERTUBE wasn't actually a mailing tube, it came from one of the big banners that was flying high at PAX last year.
Oh hey guys, whats up?
1:36, that'll be me versus all of you at once!
First, @ElectricTurtle: I considered mailing tubes initially, but I came up with a few reasons not to use them. Lighter-weight tubes, such as those from wrapping paper, aren't very durable but also don't hurt as much if someone is swinging them with all their might. Mailing tubes might actually leave bruises, and while everyone in the tourney would know what they're getting themselves into, they may not actually have fun if it starts to really hurt. I also think that a floppy tube will pose a greater challenge for people who are already trained in fencing, Kendo, Kenjustsu, or Taijijian. Martial arts skills might transfer too favorably to a heavier-weight, rigid tube, which means that only people with such training will have a chance of winning. Floppy tubes have a much sharper learning curve and ensure that everyone is on a level playing field.
@Kwisatz: If there was enough interest and time, I'd love to see a side tournament with shields and/or secondary weapons allowed! Industrial, staff-length tubes might be harder to come by, and might have the aforementioned problem of really hurting, though. If you have training with a staff, you can work up a lot of momentum and I wouldn't want to get hit with one of those even if it was just cardboard.
Also, @Kwisatz AND Liger: I'm using sport epee rules as a template, but I don't intend it to be "epee fencing with cardboard tubes". The biggest difference is that I'd give people a circle to fight in, not a strip, so sidestepping and the like would be allowed. I'm also wondering if disallowing thrusts would be appropriate and making it so only hits with the side of the tube are legal. If we go with floppy tubes like I advocate above, I have a feeling that everyone would resort to thrusting because the attack would be so much faster.
I'm glad to see that people think this would be fun, though. Hopefully someone can make it a reality for this year! If not... well, I'll just have to make sure I can save up for a trip to Seattle next year.
- despair.com
On the one hand, you'd want to look at people and say they're stupid for not expecting to get bruised. On the other hand, it might be hard for some to accept the notion that getting hit with cardboard can really hurt, and I can completely understand that. So if it were up to me, I'd air on the side of caution and try to organize things in a way that would ensure no one came away from the event feeling any animosity toward their fellow PAX attendees.
Like I said before though, I won't be able to organize it myself this year. If most people agree that heavier cardboard tubes would be easier to deal with, I would totally support that decision.
- despair.com
and yes, i go to get my ass kicked. because then i know i'm succeeding at what i want and can do
No one wins until there is blood on the cardboard tube.
Samurais totally fought with cardboard tubes despite what history teachers want you to know.
Yeah.... it hink thats what they dont want here...
<j0z1e> ummmm, all three? at once?
I think you meant to have an edit:
Yeah.... it hink thats what they want here...
When I first mentioned bringing the above quoted tubes, it was for this very same idea. I am excited that someone else also brought it up! I know that the tube would bend before any serious damage would occur, unlike a lead pipe. :P
Veevee: You say I over exaggerate! o_O:P
If you wouldn't want to take a shot like that from one of those tubes, chances are that not many other people will want to either. We could create as many rules as we wanted to, telling participants that they should try to hit as lightly as possible, or even declaring that head shots are illegal... but unfortunately, people can get caught up in the heat of battle (even fake battle) and forget such things. The worst case scenario is something you always have to be prepared for.
*the safety marshal fades into the background as mysteriously as he emerged*
- despair.com
I just saw this again today at Gasworks park in Seattle.
lol nice. So that is a good example, except we need stronger tubes then those. :P
It seems that the lack of durability is something they actually incorporate into the fight, too. Kind of like in Soul Blade on PlayStation, where your weapon has a life bar of its own and will shatter if you abuse the block button. So yeah... I still see no need for stronger tubes.
- despair.com