Like A Velvet Glove

The players are 18th century gentlemen and ladies who have decided to settle their grudges through a series of duels.

Setting up

Each player starts with three sashes denoting their level of personal honour, and £500 in play money.

Players should have wigs or tricorn hats, and a selection of matched Nerf/foam duelling weapons should be available.

Sequence of play

The moderator picks the names of offended parties out of a hat, and announces the grievance.

It is up to the offended party to choose who to challenge.

After each duel, the two combatants must lie low for a round, so they cannot take part in further duels. They may, however, act as seconds. If someone's name is picked and they are lying low, discard the name and pick again.

A duel

The challenged party picks a second from among the players, then the challenger does likewise.

The duellists have a minute to brief their seconds.

The seconds then have three minutes to negotiate the terms of the duel:

• Which weapons are to be used (not necessarily the same on each side) - Nerf/foam weapons only
• The number of paces which will separate the parties, or the area of swordplay.
• Whether combat will be simultaneous or involve turns.
• Any compensation that will be paid to avoid a challenge.
• Any other conditions decided by the seconds, e.g. blindfolding of one or both parties

The first hit (sword or pistol) on an opponent is considered a wound.

If the duel proceeds to a second hit, the loser is killed and is out of the game.

The seconds have authority to negotiate the terms of the duel , subject to the moderator's final rulings.

Scoring

After a non-fatal duel, the winner takes one honour from the loser, and the winner's second gets £100 for their trouble from the loser.

After a fatal duel, the winner takes all the loser's honour, and the deceased party's second inherits all their money.

Betting

Betting on the outcome of a duel is encouraged - it is down to the players to agree odds and enforce payment.

Goal

At the end of the allotted time, money buys honour at the rate of £200 to one sash. The winner is the player who has the most honour.

Props list

• Hats/wigs
• Foam swords
• Name stickers and the same names on slips of paper
• Sashes

• Nerf guns & ammo
• Top hat suitable for drawing names out of
• Duel agreement forms

Grievances

The offended party demands satisfaction over the matter of:

• rumours that s/he has been indulging in vingt quatre
• posing with a theodolite
• contractum trinius
• gross and repeated villandry
• leaving his/her sister in an interesting condition in Ostend
• waltzing counterclockwise
• Lady Coryat's muff
• who first introduced the use of the fork to Wales