Bad Parents!

[Sir Edward]

To be faire (pun intended), MD isn't crawling with drunken idiots, bad security, or terrible kids. But after going more weekends than not, and wearing armor for many of them, eventually you accumulate stories of bad incidents.

So far I haven't been attacked by kids with wooden swords, though I've been whacked accidentally once or twice. I've had more problems with drunken adults, though thankfully that's been infrequent as well. The worst case (I know I've mentioned it before) was the drunken woman with a baby on her hip who did an open-palm punch to my face. Thankfully she didn't know what she was doing, because all it did was rotate the helm on my head without smashing my nose in. Other than that, it's been the occasional "is that real?" followed by a fist-strike on my pauldron, or a drive-by hit with a rolled up program, or something along those lines.

Forgive me if I've repeated myself.

[Sir Blackwolf]

Milords,

I must say I have found this discussion somewhat amazing, for the simple reason that we have not had problems with this issue. Dame Dagrny and I were discussing it the other night and we came to the following conclusion; since we also act as Security at our Events we tend to maintain an area of awareness about our persons. Anyone coming toward us or within 10 feet our "guard" naturally goes up, we can only suppose our vigilance and demeanor has prevented these occurrences.

That being said I did have two amusing (for me, not them) instances some years ago. First a young lad, about 12 years old charged toward me with a toy sword brandished, I made no move to avoid him until he was close enough to disarm. Having done so he stood in shocked amazement, smiled broadly and said; “do it again”! The second was an adult who came up behind me unseen and grasped my sword hilt, I acted without thought and he found himself unhurt but face down upon the ground with his right arm pinned in an arm lock. He did apologize at that point, repeatedly.

I am at your service,
Sir Blackwolf

[Sir Robert]

Of course Madmanpsu, we know each other, I wish you every blessing this holiday season, may you always find the sun on your face, friends at your back, and victory on the wind.

[Sir Matthew]

Stormdelver,
   I whole heartedly return the blessings to you!  If you are wondering what to get me, a nice Burgeonet would be good, but I'll settle for a Morion.   

[Sir Jonathan KOFL]

I'm ok with folks pounding and beating on armor, to a degree, but you never -ever- try to grab someone's weapon, especially if it isn't peace-tied like in our open demonstrations and events. The attention may be endearing, but I've had to explain to one too many folks, both kids and adults, that to attempt to take a knight's weapon was considered by many to be a mortal offense. The threat of a gauntleted backhand tends to shoo off the kids, a glare for sober adults, but I've had to throw a shoulder check or two on some drunk adults. I've got a squire who can take care of fingerprints, and I know how to clean my own weapons, but hands off the arms.

Yeah I can Put a real shine on steel too.

[Sir Brian]

To be faire (pun intended), MD isn't crawling with drunken idiots, bad security, or terrible kids. But after going more weekends than not, and wearing armor for many of them, eventually you accumulate stories of bad incidents.

So far I haven't been attacked by kids with wooden swords, though I've been whacked accidentally once or twice. I've had more problems with drunken adults, though thankfully that's been infrequent as well. The worst case (I know I've mentioned it before) was the drunken woman with a baby on her hip who did an open-palm punch to my face. Thankfully she didn't know what she was doing, because all it did was rotate the helm on my head without smashing my nose in. Other than that, it's been the occasional "is that real?" followed by a fist-strike on my pauldron, or a drive-by hit with a rolled up program, or something along those lines.

Forgive me if I've repeated myself.

Heh no need to apologize, I love that story...Reminds me of what happens to those more shabby and baser women rejects from the Jerry Springer show! 

[Sir William]

I've never been hit, but I walk around with a forbidding look most of the time...I don't mean to, its just how my face is laid out.  Unless I see someone I know, or something I like.  It serves its purpose because people generally leave me well enough alone; although I do enjoy the kids running up eagerly, wanting to touch the armor, ask me questions, that sort of thing.  I don't recall ever encountering belligerent children (or adults for that matter) but that may be just my luck.  I'm an advocate of taking a weapon from someone else's hands as a means of ending whatever madness is going on...take it and hit the offending parent with it, see how they like it.

Bad parents suck.

[Sir Brian]

Well yesterday I had three younglings brandish their wooden swords at me and one exclaimed that they wanted to challenge me. I politely smiled and told them:
“You’ll only end up breaking your swords on my armor lads”
and then I turned back to the conversation I was having with some friends as way of dismissal. This tactic worked wonders as it gave them food for thought that they would be without their cool toy souvenir swords.

…Of course I’m glad I didn’t have to elaborate to them that I had fully intended to TAKE the swords from them and break them over an armored knee if they DID hit me. Some things are just better left unsaid! 

[Sir Edward]

Yeah, any time you're in armor, there's always the chance of someone (children, teens, or adults) getting stupid around you. But I find that it amplifies when you're in plate armor. When I'm in the mail, most of the interactions I get are the good kind, with kids being fascinated and the parents wanting pictures, etc. In plate armor, the drunks come out of the woodwork.

I wore my plate armor on Saturday this past weekend, and I had several groups of drunks approach me. One of the groups was irritating, doing things like grabbing the pauldron and flapping it up and down, saying "does this annoy you?" Another drunk guy dressed as a fairy (yes, you read that right) came running and jumped onto me. After my lady gave him a stern talking-to, he apologized.

I was talking to one of our faire friends later in the afternoon, and a guy came up and asked if it would be OK to hit the armor. If they ask, I don't mind it as much... but we both said to the guy "I don't think that's a good idea", and he proceeded to hit my breast plate anyway. He shook his hand off (clearly it stung), and get this... he then head-butted the breast-plate. He said "Ow! That hurt!" and walked away... We just shook our heads in amazement and said "what a dumb-ass".

I did have one "good" set of drunks approach me though. They were clearly wasted, but they were just amazed at the armor and genuinely wanted to know more about it, and asked good questions! Like, real and coherent questions... along the lines of what kind of rivets are in it, what gauge is the steel, total weight, questions about mobility, where do you get it, etc.

What a day.

Photo from Saturday:

[Sir Patrick]

I've been following this thread for a while now, and I have to say I'm shocked at the amount of drunks wandering around what I am assuming to be the MDRF!  I've been going to faires for years (Indiana, Ohio, and now St. Louis http://www.renstl.org/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=95)  and have never seen people staggering around, accosting other patrons, or getting crazy in the parking lot afterward.  I know those faires are not as big as the MDRF, but they aren't exactly small events either.  Is this an isolated problem, or have I just been fortunate?  The faires I've mentioned are all pretty kid-friendly as well.  Is it just that the MDRF is geared more for grownups?

[Sir Edward]

You know, it's kinda hard to say. I see more of this at MDRF than anywhere else, for sure. But it's also the one I go to the most, so I don't know how much that factors in.

MDRF is the only one I can recall that I've been to that bans weapons altogether (most just require peace-tie). We keep hearing stories about people drawing steel on a cast member, or swinging sharp swords around in the parking lot, etc. But the drunks are the one part that's easy to witness for yourself. MDRF is the only place I've seen them fall over unconscious.

But don't get me wrong, it's definitely meant to be a family show. I just think there's a higher proportion of people who get stupid with a beer in them, and more parents who don't watch their kids.

[Dragonlover]

I had a college aged young "lady" at Charlotte last year who was clearly with a group who were ALL intoxicated and dared her to "ride" my scabbard. She was kind of shocked when my wife and I spun on her and my wife told her it was gonna feel REALLY good when the edge on that ring-hilt sawed through the leather and into her nether regions...she sobered rather quickly....

[Sir William]

I agree with some of the others, I think the fact that we're NOT wearing weapons is a tacit invitation to on-lookers that they may approach.  Can't say I like that...altho my experiences have all been positive, most of you all have had bad ones too.  As for the drunkenness, I think that might occur more as the day winds down and folk have been there for some time.  I limit myself to two ales at most, with lots of water in between.

For my part, I do not like to be touched (unless I know you, am familiar with you, etc) so I don't always greet people who presume such intimacy as handling my armor haphazardly with sort of aplomb; I usually find such behavior mildly offensive. 

LOL @ ride his scabbard; glad your wife was there to set her straight.

[Sir James A]

I wonder if it's a saturday thing? I just went on sunday, and didn't see any of those problems. I was without armor this year, but next year I'm hoping to have a full harness to wear.

I really wish we were allowed weapons, though. I agree that not having a weapon makes us look like peaceful little tanks that should be thwacked with the wooden swords.

[Sir Edward]

The good news is that you won't see these things on most days, unless you're in full plate armor on a crowded day. If you're in armor, but not all plate, you'll see it from time to time. If you're just in regular garb, or just "danes" (short for "mundanes"), you can go blissfully unaware most of the time. I think a lot of it is how much you stick out and thus attract it.