Drafted, written, debated on, and approved by the Belegarth War Council of Realms, the Book of War (BoW) is a document that dictates the combat rules in the sport of Belegarth. While the basic rules can be easily learned in a few minutes by the average person, knowing the actual rules may be difficult. The rules are strictly written and codified and are designed to define and convey their law universally across many boundaries.

    Oftentimes the creed of the rule’s writers is “Safety, Playability, and Realism”, implying the order of importance around which a rule is created. The first objective is 'safety'. One must ask themselves, “Am I or someone else going to be hurt by this equipment or action?” ‘Playability’ is a broader area. Most of the rules have been tested over the years and have stood the test of time for playability. But again we have to ask, “Does this give the wielder an unfair advantage?” and “How does this affect other parts of the combat in the sport of Belegarth?” And finally is ‘realism’. The equipment and weapons we use should broadly represent a medieval weapon used by a soldier from some portion of history or medieval-based fantasy.

The Book of War is the main document from which all realms base their combat play, but the Belegarth Medieval Combat Society currently does not require Belegarth realms to use the current rule set. This allows realms the chance to play-test modifications to the Book of War. Since the Belegarth War Council writes the Book of War, being a part of War Council ensures that each realm has a speaking voice in how combat is to be played.

More information about the 'Book of War' 
 

• The Book of War 
• Important Version history and download the current PDF of the Book of War