Test of Arms
Overview
The Test of Arms is an Imperial test administered by members of the Academy. A child who passes the test is considered to be fit and strong enough to fight on the battlefield in defence of the Empire. It consists of a short but brutal fight, usually held in at the Academy, to asses a child's fighting abilities and mental resilience. Like the Test of Citizenship the Test is administered by the civil servants in the Academy.
OOC
In order to fight in any battle, skirmish, or quest not specifically run for younger role-players by the Academy, any player under the age of 16 must first pass the Test of Arms. The test provides a basic check whether a young player has the mental maturity to cope with the excitement of the battlefield and the physical maturity to withstand the risks involved. We also check that the parent or guardian has a good understanding of what is involved and is happy for their child to participate fully.
Requirements
The Test requires the applicant to complete a pitched fight against a number of opponents at the same time. It is usually conducted in the quadrangle of the academy with the assistance of Imperial Orc volunteers. Sometimes it is run in the Imperial pit or the Dawnish camp. The test is intended to be gruelling and physically intimidating, the better to allow an assessment of a young citizens ability to fight in a pitched battle.
- The parent or guardian must be present throughout the Test of Arms.
- The parent or guardian must register with the Academy staff their young players intent to take the test. Ideally this takes place Friday evening from 1800-1900.
- Candidates are asked to participate in a fight training session at the Academy before they complete their test. This increases the chance of passing the test and allows academy staff to see if a candidate is ready.
- The absolute minimum age at which any child can take the Warrior Test is 14, but some players may not be ready until they have had some experience with LRP fighting. This age limit is chosen to ensure that young players have the physical maturity to cope with impacts from adults on the battlefield and to ensure that they are seen by other participants as teenagers rather than children.
- The Academy staff will advise potential candidates as to whether they think they are ready to take the test.
It is recommended that the Test of Citizenship is taken before the Test of Arms, since the battle experience is likely to be both short and less fun without access to skills!
Assessment
The staff will be looking for the following requirements:
- Is the young player 14 or over?
- Does the parent/guardian and candidate understand the risks the candidate is taking by going on the battlefield? Both OOC and IC risks.
- Does the candidate understand the combat rules for Empire? Including the combat calls.
- Do they understand how to fight safely and pull their blows?
- Can they engage with others in a safe and respectful manner within a combat environment?
- Do they have an awareness of their surroundings and potential dangers of combat or safety calls?
- Do they panic in a close quarters fight? Or a massed combat?
Timings
The Test of Arms generally takes place on 1900 on Friday and 1300-1430 on Saturday. The test takes 60-90 minutes and involves some training to ensure everyone is comfortable with combat before the test itself takes place. It is possible to organise tests outside of these times if you can't make that provided you talk to us before the event to discuss your needs. Potential candidates will need to have plenty of existing combat experience of LRP; otherwise they are asked to spend more time at Academy's combat sessions over the weekend before they are ready to take the test.
Benefits
Once a candidate has passed the Test, they will receive the following benefits:
- They may take part in any battles, skirmishes, or quests that their character is able to go on.
- Any young player that passes their Test of Arms must comply with the Empire rules on monstering battles..
Further Reading
Core Information
- Children
- The Academy
- Information for under 7s
- Information for 7-10 year olds
- Information for 11-15 year olds
- Information for 16-18 year olds
Additional Information