Rapier:Change log
Change log
Completely new version - Approved by the Board of Directors for commentary - 18 November 2025
In 2023, the Society Marshal's office embarked on an ambitious modernization project. The goal was to update all the Marshal handbooks, along with the marshal related sections in Corpora, to better reflect the current structure, culture, and safety best practices we use today in our SCA martial activities. We wanted to create online-focused, user-friendly handbooks to make it easier for newcomers and current members to find relevant information. The architecture of the online system was also developed to support consistency, easier and timely updates, while preserving Kingdom specific rules and culture.
- User friendly
- The handbooks start with the information that new members need to know and provides context of SCA martial activities. The information you need to be able to participate is first, followed by the information for marshals and those who administer martial activities. We have used Plain English as per https://www.plainlanguage.gov/ and other similar standards where we can, though there is room for improvement.
- Same template and categories of information
- Each discipline's handbook will be structured the same way, so that you can easily find key differences between martial forms. You should find the same kind of information in the same chapters whether you are looking at armored combat, fencing, target archery, etc.
- Consistency
- Some information should be the same for all martial forms. However, previous handbooks referenced other handbooks and version control created issues and unnecessary differences. Through the use of the wiki-engine, in places where handbooks should have the same content (eg how you report an injury), they now pull the same content from our global pages - rules that are global across all of our disciplines. If those global rules are changed, they will change consistently for all disciplines.
- Kingdom handbooks
- Online kingdom handbooks will include the Society level information and their Kingdom specific rules and standards. The Kingdom specific information will be denoted in a different color, so differences are easier to identify and find.
- Redline copy isn't available for this first online version
- Because we have rebuilt the rules from the ground up, a direct redline version of the rules from the old rules is not possible. However, all of the old rules have been accounted for and tracked in a separate document - many are just reworded for clarity and Plain English, many are now in a different (hopefully better) location. We will also point out the rules that functionally change the way that we play in the summaries below, and in the cross check document.
Major changes
- Rapier and Cut & Thrust are now separate handbooks.
- Light rapier was removed as a standard weapon for adult rapier combat. It is still a valid weapon for Youth Rapier combat. Variances for adults are also available with some restrictions (see Accessibility section).
- Footnotes and glossary items were moved, and are now included in their relevant section.
- Removed the Society level requirement of marking minors (yellow diamond).
- Removed electrical tape as an approved tape for securing the tip cover. This is part of an ongoing effort to reduce risks from lost tips during large melees, and to support expansion of reduced armor.
- Handbooks are self-contained. Prior references to rules and processes in the Marshals Handbook are now included here. Many of these are global sections.
Chapter summaries
- Introduction to SCA martial activities (global)
This chapter is one of our global ones that appears in every one of the new Society Marshal's Handbooks for each discipline.
It contains an overview of all the martial forms, layout of the handbooks, general rules, in or out of kingdom guidelines, and a section for newcomers so they know what to expect when showing up for the first time.
- Rules of the Lists (global)
The Rules of the Lists apply to all of our martial disciplines, so they are global and the same content appears in every handbook.
Changes to the Rules of the Lists in Corpora were consulted on and approved by the Board of Directors in November 2024.
The applications of the Rules of the Lists have all been incorporated into their relevant section of the rules.
Change:
- The Rules of the Lists were reordered, and the prohibition of missile in tournament lists has been removed. Whether missiles are allowed is now set at the tournament level, and events such as combat archery tournaments can now be held without bending the rules.
- Overview of rapier combat
This chapter is a brief description of the discipline, includes some definitions of key terms, a list of the types of activities, and authorization categories. Most of this content captures existing concepts.
Change:
- Combat archery as a separate authorization category is new.
- When you are allowed to participate
This chapter is all about when you are allowed to go and fight. It provides age requirements, sign-in requirements, authorization and inspection requirements, reminds you that you can't use real weapons, includes injury and impairment rules, and reminds you that you can always refuse to participate.
Many of these rules were scattered through Sections I-III of the Marshals Handbook, and have been reworded without functional change.
Changes:
- Marshals must be at least 16 years old.
- Minors may not be authorizing marshals.
- REMOVED yellow diamond marking for minors. Society will not require any marking of minors.
- Added sign-in requirements for events or practices. These have been requirements from Corpora for a long time, now included in the handbooks for clarity.
- Authorization and inspection requirements reworded from old handbook, to be consistent with the same modernized section in AC-rattan.
- Added concussions to the prior list of when you cannot participate with impaired judgment.
- Expected behavior and responsibilities (partial global)
These are global rules of behavior that apply to all martial disciplines - follow the rules, behave in a chivalrous manner, etc. These rules were variously scattered through the old handbooks, and have been gathered together and reworded.
Changes:
- Included several rules originally from the Marshals Handbook that applied to all combat -striking with excessive force is forbidden, you must not deliberately strike a helpless opponent, no grappling etc, incidental contact allowed.
- Intentionally striking a combat archer's bow/crossbow is prohibited.
- Intentionally blocking a strike or projectile with a bow/crossbow is prohibited.
- Activity guidelines
This chapter provides newcomers with descriptions of our activities and competitions. This topic was missing in most martial handbooks, making it hard for people to know what we actually did. It includes a brief historical reference for each activity.
- Conventions - Holds (partial global)
This chapter includes what everyone needs to do when a hold is called, so some of this content is global, regardless of the discipline. Some of this content was gathered from other sections of the handbooks.
Changes:
- Specifics on securing weapons during holds was added.
- Conventions - Rules of engagement
This chapter includes rules and default standards that apply to when you are allowed to attempt to strike someone. Some were scattered throughout the old handbooks, and rules of engagement for major wars were often codified.
Changes:
- Definitions for engagement and disengagement added. These are consistent with the AC-Rattan definitions.
- Melee engagement for ranged weapons added: If you have a ranged weapon, you are engaged with all other combatants on the field of combat, and are allowed to fire at any combatant immediately on the call of lay on. Missile blows can strike from any angle and regardless of your awareness. If a missile strikes you in the back, it is still valid.
- Death from behind method expanded to include the common conventions of no running multiple kills or spinning.
- Conventions - Use of weapons and defensive equipment
This chapter gathers together all of the rules about what you can hit someone with, and how you can attempt to stop them from hitting you.
Changes:
- Clarified that placing a blade on your opponent and then drawing or pushing, is not considered a percussive cut.
- Projectile weapons are now called ranged weapons, consistent with Corpora.
- Removed rule not allowing baseball or cricket type throws as it was not clear of the intent, and there is already a rule for not throwing to cause injury.
- Conventions - Target areas
This chapter covers where you are allowed to hit someone. These rules have not functionally changed.
Changes:
- Updated body parts to be consistent with other martial activities.
- Clarified that buttocks are part of the upper leg.
- Clarified that there are no illegal target areas in rapier. All combat handbooks will identify both legal and illegal targets.
- Conventions - Acknowledgement of blows
This chapter covers what to do when you have been hit - what counts as a good blow, and what your response is to being struck.
Changes:
- Modified the rule on accessories to better reflect the intent. The responsibility to call blows even when wearing armor or accessories is the same.
- Added common conventions of communication about determining if blows were valid or not.
- Equipment standards - Armor
All of the standards for armor are in this chapter. This now includes the definitions that were footnotes or in the glossary.
Changes:
- Armor inspections standardized to be done daily.
- General section that includes fighter responsibilities to be inspected, wear armor that meet or exceeds minimum standards, disguise modern sports gear, and protect body worm medical equipment.
- Removed specific references to hemangiomas and raised red growth.
- Added a "Summary of areas to be armored", consistent with other fighting forms and to help with cross-martial comparisons.
- Headings for armor requirements now consistent with other fighting martial forms, which will help people in finding rules and differences.
- Added modern rigid athletic cup to rigid materials
- Modified fencing mask requirements to clarify 1/4 inch separation. Removed verbiage about aging padding as that is part of inspection and not a standard.
- Your mask must be secured by a combination of the tongue/spring and the elastic back strap in good repair, or by the tongue/spring and other means such as a tie strap.
- If you have a movable visor, it must be attached and secured in such a way that there is minimal chance that it will become detached or come open in normal combat use.
- For necks, clarified that gaps at the sides beyond the front 180 degrees are allowed.
- REMOVED - In addition, any part of your body vulnerable to significant serious injury or disproportionate bleeding, such as hemangioma, must be covered by rigid protection.
- Clarified that marshals must wear eye protection when rubber band guns are used.
- Equipment standards - Metal bladed weapons
This chapter includes daggers, single-handed swords, and two-handed swords, definitions of the weapon types, and construction specifics.
Changes:
- Clarified grip definition - (measured from the bottom of the pommel to the base of the blade)
- The tip cover must be secured to prevent it from being dislodged in typical combat.
- If tape is used to secure the tip cover, it must be a fiber-reinforced cloth tape. Fiber-reinforced duct tape and fabric hockey tape are examples of good tapes for this application. Electrical tape and paper based tapes are not.
- Equipment standards - Spears
This chapter includes specifics for spears.
Changes:
- The head must be friction fitted to the haft and taped to the haft with reinforced tape such as strapping tape, fiber tape, or duct tape to prevent it from being dislodged during normal combat use.
- Removed - "must be purchased from a commercial vendor."
- The head must be at least 6 inches (150 mm) long and have maximum length of 20 inches (510 mm). NOTE - Prior rules required 4 inches past the shaft, and the shaft must be fitted 2 inches into the spear, equaling 6 inches not 4 inches. This is not a functional change but correcting a math error.
- Equipment standards - Defensive equipment
This chapter includes specifics for defensive equipment. No functional changes. Added some examples.
Changes:
- Examples include bucklers made of wood with leather edging, bucklers made of metal, walking canes, batons, rigid sword sheaths.
- Examples include cloaks, half-cloaks, flexible leather scabbards, hats.
- Equipment standards - Ranged weapons
This chapter includes specifics for ranged weapons, including handbows and crossbows used for combat archery, throwing weapons, and mock gunnery gear (such as rubber band guns). "Projectiles" are renamed "Ranged Weapons" to be consistent with Corpora. Rules and measurements related to handbows and crossbows were added, and are consistent with armored combat rattan - combat archery.
Changes:
- A handbow's draw strength is measured at 28 inches (71 cm) of draw.
- If a handbow is not designed to be drawn to at least 28 inches (71 cm), then it cannot be used in rapier combat.
- Compound bows or non-period aids (e.g. non-period sights, spring/flipper rests, plunger buttons, clickers, modern string release aids) are not allowed.
- A crossbow's draw weight is calculated by taking the poundage of the bow measured at the lock, multiplied by the distance (in inches) from the front of the string at rest, to the front of the string when it is in the cocked position. In the SCA we refer to this measurement as "inch-pounds", which is not to be confused with units of torque. A metric measurement of kilogram-centimeters (kg-cm) is allowed.
- Modern pistol grips are not allowed.
- Equipment standards - Missiles (Ammunition/Munitions)
This chapter includes specifics for ranged weapons ammunition and munitions.
Changes:
- Added general requirements for rapier combat archery, consistent with armored combat rattan - combat archery.
- Identified which arrows from the AC-rattan handbook were legal by name and type. Prior handbook referenced "SCA Marshal’s Handbook section VII.G", which was incorrect due to version changes.
- Equipment standards - Drop Tester
This chapter includes specifics for building and using a drop tester. No functional changes. Metric units were added.
- Designated areas
Each handbook will have a section on the requirements and considerations for the areas set aside for the activity. Eg. in the Target Archery Handbook, this would be the range set-up information. This information was previously referenced (Marshals Handbook).
Changes:
- Included rules from AC-Rattan and adapted for rapier.
- Authorization (global)
Many of our martial disciplines require you to officially demonstrate competence and the required level of safety before allowing you to participate in competitions or other activities outside of formal training. We have gathered the rules about authorizing that relate to all disciplines that require authorizations, so this content is global. There is a separate chapter for the detailed process to authorized someone.
Changes:
- Kingdoms were required to establish an authorization procedure, but now they have the option of using the provided example process or creating their own.
- Rules updated to account for online systems.
- If you move to another kingdom, your previous authorizations are only valid for 6 months. After that you must renew your authorizations under your new kingdom's processes. This makes sure that you are in their databases for administration, and that you have learned the differences in rules for your new kingdom.
- We have added a process that allows you to authorize in things that your kingdom does not do, through another kingdom, as long as both the Kingdom Earls Marshal and their relevant deputies agree.
- The Kingdom Earl Marshal, Principality Earl Marshal, and the Deputy Earl Marshal for rapier combat can conduct minor authorizations for rapier combat if they are an authorizing marshal.
- We have added a 2-person integrity rule for new or significantly lapsed authorizations. Two people need to sign off on your authorization. We have added a video option for if you don't have an authorizing marshal close to you.
- Authorizations expire, and have a maximum of 4 years. There was previously no limit at Society level if you continued to have a valid waiver on file.
- You must demonstrate your competence in the practical components and be re-tested for your theory knowledge at least every 4 years to maintain your authorization. The rules change every few years, and we need to know that you are aware of the changes.
- Although we require two people to sign off on new or significantly lapsed authorizations, renewing an existing or recently expired authorization only requires one warranted marshal in order to complete the process.
- Authorization process example
This chapter is an example of an authorization process that kingdoms can use for rapier combat. Unless a kingdom includes their own process that meets the required standards, this is the process that needs to be included in their rules.
Changes:
- The example reflects the "2 person integrity" rule. All authorizations require 2 people in that activity to sign off.
- At least 1 person is a subject matter expert in both content and process (i.e. a warranted marshal in that activity)
- The 2nd person must be currently qualified in that activity (ie. warranted marshal or authorized participant).
- An award or title does not verify that a person is currently warranted or authorized.
- As authorizations are now required to expire, we have included a process for fighters to renew their authorizations. It must include a theory test on the current rules, particularly any that have changed in the past 4 years. Your practical competency can be demonstrated through the course of normal combat that your authorizing marshal has personally seen recently, or by repeating the practical test. If there have been any issues since your last authorization, the marshal will review these and confirm that those issues have been addressed.
- The authorization process no longer implies a particular weapon or weapon combination must be the first category to authorize. People can and should authorize in the weapons forms they are safe in.
- Accessibility (partial global)
This is a new chapter for our handbooks on ways to support inclusion and equity in our martial activities. If you have good examples for ways we can support accessibility in rapier combat or any of our other martial disciplines, please get in touch.
- Safety Resources (global)
This entirely new global chapter will appear in all of our handbooks.
It includes information about managing concussions, including a strong recommendation to follow international sporting body guidance that participants who have experienced a concussion be symptom free for 14 days before return to any contact training, and wait at least 21 days (and have been symptom free for 14 days) before return to competitive contact activities.
We recommend that kingdoms develop heat policies to help prevent heat injury, and air quality policies.
- Injury Procedures (global)
How we manage injuries should be consistent across all of our disciplines, so this global chapter will appear in all of the handbooks.
Changes:
- The safety of responders has been prioritized. No one else should get hurt in the process of responding.
- We remind you than anyone can call hold, it doesn't have to be the marshal.
- We have removed the requirement to get the event marshal-in-charge's permission to remove an injured person from the field. Medical personnel dealing with an injured person must be able to respond as they need to. Requiring extra time to locate specific SCA personnel, especially at a large event, is problematic.
- If your injury involves free flowing blood, you must leave the field immediately and you are not allowed to return until the flow of blood has been stopped.
- If your injury includes any level of suspected concussion (even without loss of consciousness), we strongly recommend you follow international sporting guidance on managing your return to the activity - ie. be symptom free for 14 days before return to any contact training, and wait at least 21 days (and have been symptom free for 14 days) before return to competitive contact activities.
- If your injury includes a period of unconsciousness, you will not be allowed back onto the field for remainder of the event (including multi-day events) and you are encouraged to seek immediate medical attention as loss of consciousness due to injury is a medical emergency.
- Injury reporting requirements are covered in the chapter on Reporting requirements.
- Managing misconduct (global)
How we deal with issues in our activities should be consistent across all of our disciplines, so we have a global chapter in all of our handbooks about how to manage when there is unacceptable behavior or people break the rules.
Changes:
- Many sports include a mechanism for removing and excluding a player (being sent-off) for misconduct for a period of time, or a game or two, such as football/soccer's red cards, or ejection from a gridiron football game or baseball, benching a player, etc.
- If there is unacceptable behavior, whether as a participant or a marshal, a marshal can decide that you are no longer acceptable to be on the field, and exclude you from taking part for a period of time.
- We have provided marshals with escalating levels of options for managing misconduct, articulated the processes and reporting required, and included the process for appealing if you think someone got it wrong.
- Options for managing misconduct include examples ranging from someone losing their temper because they just need some water and a snack, through to "you can't fight at this event," and up to revocation of authorization.
- Revocation of authorization was a significant step that many marshals were unwilling to take. Smaller steps, with recommendations up the chain, have been included.
- A marshal for a bout can stop the bout and send someone off.
- The marshal-in-charge of the activity (eg a tournament) can remove someone from that activity.
- The marshal-in-charge of armored combat at the event can remove someone any further participation in armored combat at the event.
- The marshal-in-charge of the event can remove someone any further participation in any martial activity at the event (even a multi-day event).
- Any disciplinary action that would last longer than an event will escalate to your Kingdom Earl Marshal, Principality Marshal, or Kingdom Deputy for Rapier Combat. They can suspend or revoke your authorization. If another kingdom marshalate thinks this need to happen, they will make that recommendation to your kingdom's marshalate.
- We added Marshal reviews as a best practice recommendation.
- Marshalate - Overview
This global and rapier specific chapter gathers the existing information about what marshals can do, depending on whether they have a warrant or not. It's consistent across all the handbooks. It also sets out the requirements for authorizing and warranting of marshals for rapier combat.
Changes:
- A reminder that roster warrants need to be signed every reign.
- Marshals must meet Society and kingdom requirements before they can be authorized and warranted. You cannot automatically be made a marshal due to awards or title (such as being a member of the Order of Chivalry, Defense, or Mark, or the Crown).
- You must maintain current knowledge of the Rules of the Lists, the conventions of armored combat, and any additional kingdom rules or conventions, as they change or are updated.
- Marshal authorizations may not exceed 4 years.
- You must demonstrate your competence in the practical components, and be re-tested for your theory knowledge at least every 4 years to maintain your authorization. This matches the requirements for other authorizations.
- You must be an authorized marshal in the discipline you are being warranted for.
- Marshalate - Responsibilities and chain of command (global)
This global chapter is common to all disciplines, and lays out the chain of command from a warranted marshal at the bottom to the Society Marshal and the Board of Directors at the top.
Changes:
- The escalation paths require subject matter experts to be used to make decisions about a particular discipline. For example, if you are not a warranted and authorized marshal for rapier combat, you do not get to make decisions about rapier combat.
- This is why the crown is not automatically in the basic chain of command of the marshalate, as they may not be qualified in other disciplines beyond the one that got them the throne.
- For roles that include multi-discipline responsibility and accountability (e.g. marshal-in-charge of the event, Principality Earl Marshal, Kingdom Earl Marshal, Society Marshal etc):
- You should consult a subject-matter expert (SME). You can support the SME recommendation, or, if you disagree with the SME, document the reason.
- You should verify and document whether the correct procedures have been followed to manage any issues, that the appropriate subject matter experts were involved and actions are justified, and direct any further appeal (if applicable) to the next person in the chain of command.
- We've use RACI definitions (responsible, accountable, consulted, informed) to help define what our marshals do. At each level we have included:
- What the role is responsible for
- Who appoints them
- What they are held accountable for
- Who they report to
- Who keeps them informed
- Who they consult with, if needed
- Kingdom Marshalate
In the Kingdom versions, this chapter includes information about how that kingdom manages training and authorization of marshals.
- Inspecting equipment
This chapter provides sample processes for inspecting armor, weapons, and other equipment. This includes general guidelines from the referenced Marshals Handbook (now AC-Rattan Handbook), and the processes from the former Rapier Handbook with very minor changes.
Changes:
- DELETED inspection of metal-bladed spears
- Added an additional method to measure the poundage of a bow, using the True Draw Length as used by manufacturers.
- Added General Information, included from AC-rattan and adapted for rapier.
- Armor inspection combined existing rules with rules adapted from AC-rattan.
- Added sample inspection for combat archery equipment, included from AC-rattan and adapted for rapier.
- Marshaling on the field
This chapter gathers all of the information about marshaling combat, including tournament single combat, melees and battles. Many of the rules in this chapter are not rigid requirements, but an attempt to help clarify and to provide examples of acceptable methods and procedures. Check which rules use "must", and which use "should". This includes general guidelines from the referenced Marshals Handbook, and the processes from the former Rapier Handbook with very minor changes.
Changes:
- This section is mostly new, previously referenced to the Marshals Handbook. Included from AC-rattan and adapted for rapier. Details on marshaling single combat salutes carried over from the former fencing handbook.
- Interkingdom Events (global)
This global chapter applies to wars, where multiple kingdoms need to negotiate how they will play together in all disciplines, where there would otherwise be conflicting rules between kingdoms. This includes general guidelines from the referenced Marshals Handbook.
Changes:
- This section is new to the rapier handbook, previously referenced to the Marshals Handbook.
- Reporting requirements (global)
This global chapter occurs in all of the handbooks and includes injury and incident reporting, event reporting requirements, and officer reporting requirements.
There were up to 5 different reporting processes and timelines for injuries, depending on the martial handbook, which caused confusion to multi-discipline marshals and participants.
Changes:
- There are a range of issues that can occur at events or practices that must be reported. This includes:
- Injuries (examples include, but are not limited to: loss of consciousness, major bleed, injury to head, major joint or bone injury)
- An incident or injury which required a combatant to retire from the field, even briefly
- Anything involving calling emergency services to the site
- Weapons, armor, or equipment failure
- A serious safety issue that could have caused injury (a near miss)
- Conduct/behavior issues
- Marshals involved in the response to one or more of these issues that occurred at an event or practice will need to assist with reporting.
- Serious injuries:
- Includes all injuries which require hospitalization or similar care, may require future or complex medical care, or include a period of unconsciousness.
- Must be reported immediately to the marshal-in-charge of the event.
- All other injuries, incidents and adverse events:
- Must be reported to the marshal-in-charge of the event and the marshal-in-charge of the activity.
- Must be reported to the kingdom marshalate within 2 weeks and to the Society Marshal within 3 months of the incident.
- If the incident or injury involves calling emergency services to the site, notify the Kingdom Seneschal immediately.
- We have included a list of the information that should be included in the incident report.
- We want to collect information about incidents of misconduct on the field as they help identify low-level but repeating problems. We remind marshals to report these, and how they dealt with them.
- For officers, we have included who your report needs to go to and what your report should cover. Your kingdom may have additional requirements.
- Reporting dates have been made consistent across all disciplines:
- If you are a Kingdom Deputy for a discipline, your quarterly reports are due March 1, June 1, Sept 1, Dec 1.
- If you are a Kingdom Earl Marshal, your quarterly reports are due March 15, June 15, Sept 15, Dec 15.
- If you are a Society Deputy for a discipline, your quarterly reports are also due March 15, June 15, Sept 15, Dec 15.
- These feed into the Society Marshal's reports which are due Apr 1, July 1, Oct 1, Jan 1
- There are a range of issues that can occur at events or practices that must be reported. This includes:
- Experimentation (global)
This global chapter is included in all of the handbooks so that the way experiments are conducted is consistent.
Changes:
- We have created a standard template to capture necessary information to approve, track, and monitor programs.
- There are now 3 levels of administration control, depending on risk and participation levels. Society and Society+Kingdom-level programs provide greater control and risk management, and provide a consistent approach. *This enables better management of activities that could have higher risk level through common controls and training. It also better supports activities that may have lower numbers of participation by reducing the burden on local kingdoms with shared marshals and a centralized authorization process/tracking. Kingdom-only is the traditional experimental program method.
- Handbook updates (global)
This global chapter is new for all the handbooks. It includes the process for changing the Society Marshal's Handbooks and how that flows into kingdom handbooks, including their electronic versions held in the wiki.
Changes:
- All kingdom additions and changes must be submitted to the Society Marshal or the appropriate Deputy Society Marshal for review and comment. This ensures that kingdoms do not drift into incompatibility or inadvertently allow things that are not allowed at Society-level.
- When Society rules are updated, kingdoms must update their handbooks within a specified timeframe, though kingdoms can ask for extensions if needed.
- We have included the process for managing rule changes with affiliate organizations, recognizing that they have different needs and processes.
- Glossary
Terms from the Glossary are now directly included in the chapters they are relevant for. There should not be rules that affect the way we play hidden away in the glossary.
- Change Log
This edition of the change log will be a different to how they look moving forward, due to the complete update. In future, they should be in the format of:
- Rule identification: Which rule is changing?
- Was: the text of the old rule
- Now: the text of the new rule
- Functional change: What does this actually change about the way we do things? Sometimes there's none, we've just come up with an easier way to word it.
- Reason: Why are we making this change?
- Significant changes will also be noted in the Notes tab linked at the top of the Chapter. This information doesn't appear in the PDF of the rules, but is a record of what changed when and why. It helps future marshals understand why a rule change was made, just in case we ever think about changing it again.