Wuffingas Reenactment Society, Inc.

"Wuffingas", means, -Sons or Folk of the Wolf. Originally the meaning and usage was the Kingly line in East Anglia approximately 500-700 AD., who were called by this name, as in the King interred at the Sutton Hoo burial mounds. They are mentioned in the Beowulf Saga. In time they were in flux and in power with all the Saxon Kingdoms, which became in time, ... (Angle-land), ...England.
We are not a "Anglo-Saxon" or "dark age only" group, but liked the sound of it and in 2004 adopted it as our Society name. We actually have a wide and varied time gap from which to choose a people, culture, or society to study. We wish for all Good Gentles to be allowed to attain higher rank based on merit in a points implemented time in grade system, under many disciplines, -not just fighting. We wish for everyone to be involved with the choosing of our Knight's and Landed Royalty, not the already seated "royalty" and past "royalty". We take our "rank" with a grain of salt, and realize what is real world, what good priorities in life are, and what is not, and make no distinction of any kind between the "mundane" public and ourselves. Our royalty, will be not only well placed in Tourney, but also voted on by the whole event populace on the day in question. Though fighting is a huge chunk of our desire to bring to life the days of yore, but it is NOT the hub of the Wuffingas wheel.
We study many persons, from 1000 BCE to 1745 AD, and are not be pinned down to the middle ages, and Europe. -We give people enough time and study materials to create a persona from literally hundred of historically accurate-cultures. No one is looked down on for being a Mongol or Aztec.
We are a Private Club, via an invitation from one of our seated, dues paid, members in good standing. It's a hobby. We treat it like one. Real. Life. Comes. First.
   We take Applications, and do not recruit from standing organization, and inquire of the status of anyone coming in via interview.  We want to see a enforced standard of historically accurate and materials authentic kit, and demand behavior to show forth our honor.
a. If for any reason, legitimate security or otherwise, you require anonymity, or
b. ...only wish to be known upon the net, ...we cannot use you. If you are an internet flame artist, we request you don't waste either your time, or ours.
Otherwise, welcome, well met, and give us a "holler" if you'd like to join, but know this; -you don't have to be a Saint, as we all make mistakes in life, but you do have to be a law abiding citizen currently, to be in Wuffingas Offices at the Highest levels.
1. No violent presently active criminals. Or those with with past weapons crimes will be considered into the Knights List.
2. No adult pedophiles tried and convicted in an Adult Court.
3. No white collar money crime convictions for anyone handling cash or -with charges pending.
4. No one who is currently a Drug Addict on any level may hold any Office, Rank, or Peerage.
5. No one that thinks partying is more important than respect for woman and children need waste time with us.
6. Anyone seeking position in our Offices will have a background check.
7. We honor veterans, and active duty Military.
8. We have a midnight curfew at our events so ladies, elderly, and woman & young children can get proper sleep. No "bongo" drums until "O' dark-thirty". Real life comes first.
9. We are exclusive in that those working with us, must be dedicated students of history. Not necessarily scholars in the highest academic sense, but good and solid in their chosen realm of study. For those of you who have no knowledge of any kind in ancient studies, we have a beginners program to help you along.
10. We don't allow mixed persona. You cannot be a Generic'Celt, or a Generic'English Crusader, or a katana wealding Roman.
a. Weapons and persona must match.
b. Our Peerage is based on many levels and disciplines.
c. If anyone of any sex, race, national origin, etc wish to earn rank here, it is allowed and encouraged. Real life comes first.
d. We hope for a place to reenact our chosen persona without being told what -time period and persona we are allowed to portray, and to be pigeon holed into a middle ages european only knighthood.
e. Or be involved with a group that "allows" such persona, as early period Celt, but punishes it's members with arbitrary unwritten negative rules disrespecting "mercenaries" or Mongols, or Early Persona's.
f. We are appalled about a "12th Century Mafia", receiving greater support and accolades.
11. We are not interested in boffers, (foam weapons) and fantasy. Plenty of places out there to play Lord of the Rings, and Conan the Barbarian.
12. We do not solicit membership from those highly involved with other Groups.
a. We discourage fraternization, and disavow Peerage from other groups.
b. Due to the conflict of interest, we allow no one to either hold a Peerage, or Office of any level, -of any other group, and our Society at the same time.
13. We do not discriminate in any Federal or State knowing of the word.
a. If you live in a city with say 12% black-asian-hispanic population, -then that will be reflected in the lists, and in Offices, and Peerage.
All Folks are welcome to play here and cross-genre play so long as they know that here: we do things our way, and have no time, patience, or energy do deal with trouble makers.

   Wuffingas Reenactment Society, Inc., already has folks playing in 15 States and is growing every day.  In full operation since January 2007, we are willing to grow, but only slowly, staying away from the manner, scope, conventions of "combat", of any and all American LARP "reenactment" before our founding. The only thing "anachronistic" here is the concessions that must be made for modern litigation and OSHA, and bonifide Sports Organization safety regulations.
14. Here, honor is honor, -not a pretend system of faking prowess.
15. Because our Peerage is not based on fighting only, -or even mostly.
   Therefore our time of study is; 1000 BCE - 1745 A.D.. All cultures, continents, and persona are allowed with ample documentation. The study is above the stick.
16. We don't have, "light" fighters, or a "Kingdom" where their presence would be disrespected. The macho "heavy fighters are the gods" attitude is verboten here. Our fencers and those studying Elizabethan/Tudor era fighting are on the same level and respect as the so called, "heavy" fighters, and therefore they are one and all to be included in the Peerage, -once earned, with all the pomp, pageantry, and recognition it should bring.
17. We began in response for the need of a place to participate in an truly Educational, Ancient Reenacting Organization, based on the premise that any genre of live-action-roll-playing, where you'd be a paid member, ought to be fair for everyone, not an entrenched seated false "royalty". And assuredly no "royalty" that is chosen in a relativistic fighting system, and not the ability to Lead by behavioral-example, and character.
18. Ought not to offend the good common since and academic expectations of actual and true Earned Learned Scholars in the highest bastions of Higher Academia.
19. Nor insult the general American public with duct tape, pickle barrel "armor", glaringly modern plastic items, mixed weapons, and unhistorical persona.
20. Nor do we allow the naming of individuals, Kingdoms, local Barony's, Shires, and Keeps, to follow either Tolkien or any other fantasy genre.
21. We believe reenacting, ought to be as authentic in scope as ones money, time, and study will allow. We don't force you to be 100% authentic from day one, but we stress right from day one, THAT is the goal.
22. Thus we do not have a first time garb rule. Real life comes first. The general public may attend a Wuffingas event four times in civilian clothes. Once someone is accepted via application, they are required to "be in persona in soft kit" at the fifth event or two years which ever comes first.
23.  It is our desire that each member be as important and treated with respect from the top to the bottom. The attitude that the "royalty" is actually Royal, and high above the "newbie" is not carried here. Our Peerage are Servants, and to serve mean to serve everyone.
24. We prefer actual and real sword (fighting) skills as have been used in a historical sense. We do use/allow, begrudgingly rattan for practice, and for our beginners, to train them to use a real rebated weapon. We also are set to use rattan, weapons -in melee & war; thus allowing a very limited cross-over with multiple genre players.
a. We expect our Men at Arms with over three years experience, and all Squires and above, to strive for wooden wasters, and ultimately live steel fighting in the Tourney Lists.
25. We know no stick, made of any material behaves in physics, in orientation to the body, in the same manner and absorption to armor as a real sword.
a. We don't want to be tied down to unrealistic rattan (stick fighting) sword play only, and an arbitrary rule conventions that allows for:
b. Lying about blow reception.
c. Lying about calibration.
d. Friend covering for friend.
e. Marshals who fear Peerage more than the knowledge that a misdeed has been preformed.
f. Disagreements from "kingdom to kingdom".
g. Rules lawyering.
h. Favoritism on the lists from the so called "chivalry".
i. And despicable nepotism in the lists.
j. And the most heinous of all, the assured to win, ..."ramping it up until they take it", mentality of some "knighthoods". -Producing downright dishonesty on the Tourney Lists, i.e., -Fighting Fields'.
26. All Wuffingas bouts are overseen by Referee's, and judged by Unbiased Judges, just like every reputable sport on earth. Not left up to adrenaline-hopped testosterone-fueled ego. We allow for no fantasy in either who can "fight good" and who cannot. We will never allow a man or woman to enter a list and shrug off a blow for any reason real, or supposed. We know who can fight good because they are Judged so. We are set to castrate the constant never ending cheating system -as used by some, and have men walking away from a bout thinking about how to better his skills, -not how to get a man/woman to "take his shots".
Wuffingas Fighting is a legitimate sport, as known in any reputable society, with Judges, Referees, ONE rules system for the whole of the land. What kind of a mess would we be in if the National Baseball League in Boston, held to a different rules and traditions than in Chicago? What a mess that would be!
28. Our Safety Officers thus called "Marshals" -as in History, but unlike some groups, our Marshals have the power and responsibility in Tourney and Melee, of life and death. This allows us to uplift and extoll the actual winner in any match, and do away with the previously known system where a man could gain renown through falsehood.
29. This will eventually, in years to come, gain us the respect of the actual and real sports fans in this country. We can bring reenacting and sword fighting studies to the eyes of the general public, beyond the quirkiness of the existing conventions and Renaissance Faire schtick.
30. Some groups are of the Living History variety. We laud them and grow from them but unfortunately they do not hit near full bore, nor full speed, due to the lack of protective gear in doing a persona 100% "period". This is the unfortunate give and take of live fighting with any real weapon.
31. We too do our "Golden Circle" portrayals 100% period, for public education, -our own joy as well, but find that we cannot fight full tilt, in that garb. So in some degree concessions must be realized.
32. We engage in pyrotechnics, (canon, hand gonne, match lock, wheel lock, and early flint lock) as period correct black powder contests.
33. Jousting, tilting, and Equestrian games, such as racing.
34. We'll have period correct power contests -Celtic Highland games, -Olympics, Strong Man contests, allowing real athletes to show case and be awarded for real physical prowess and to attract high end athletes to the Lists.
35. We will not discourage archers from the mock combat, and make provision for their perpetual presence on the Field of Battle with one rules system for the whole Wuffingas world.  We allow the same respect to Archers and other missile weapons fighters as in all levels of play. We don't have people talking about "what's period" when it only serves to keep their little group in high place. So if the English Gentry in 1500 didn't look well upon archers, so what? The Huns, Scythians, Egyptians, Samurai, etc, held them in very high regard. It's a hobby, we treat it like one.
a. We foster target archery.
b.. Melee combat -archery.
c. Siege engine contests.
d. Spear, atlatl, axe, knife, and other thrown weapons, as well.
36. We use the "Sports Sword" (TM) conventions for your youth, 5-17 years, and do as much as possible to have our kid's playing with us, not essentially being dumped off at an event to run wild. Real life comes first.
37. We study and "re-fight" historical battles, looking to tactics, and logistics. Of course the outcome of Hastings, might turn out a little different at one of our wars?
38. We engage in Bardic (story-telling, singing, poetry) Studies.
39. Historical gaming, campaign gaming, chess and other hands on learning projects for youth to adult.
40. Arts and Science projects are judged by Experts with knowledge and academic proficiency in the field in question. So let's say, a textiles submission from a person with 20 years experience in period textiles, doesn't have to worry about a novice judging his/her work.
41.  Each Barony is a Franchise of the Company, and will in time hold real Property to have a place to hold events, fighter practice, and community service. In other words, when we have a War, it will be on our property that we may improve upon historically as we see fit, thus promoting a since with folks to belong locally. Something good to be said for the Renaissance Faires in that regards!

Once allowed upon the Forum, you will be able to see the whole of our documents, where more information is available.

Wuffingas Reenactment Society, Inc.
Attention: Mr. R. P. Shyan-Norwalt CEO/President
11571 West US Highway 40
Cambridge City Indiana 47327

765-478-9343