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An armored combat or rapier combat exercise in which there are multiple participants, usually organized in two sides, but sometimes with different arrangements. Melees have special rules to ensure safety. While one marshal is the minimum necessary to watch a single combat exercise, larger melees often require many marshals. Marshals present use their judgment to determine how many are needed before allowing the melee to begin. Sometimes they recruit experienced fighters to doff their helmets or masks and instead help marshal their fellows if there are not enough marshals present. For melees, marshals may prefer to use whistles rather than rely on voices to get the attention of combatants.

A standard melee divides the participants into two sides, who confer among themselves as to tactics and then line up to await permission of the marshals to begin. The sides do not have to be even, and often are not. Sides may be chosen for the occasion, or may include standardized melee groups who often fight together. They may also be haphazard groupings of fighters who are left to choose which side they prefer. The melee ends when one side has been eliminated, or when some victory condition has been obtained.

A melee might instead be a free-for-all, in which all combatants fight all others, until one participant is left. Sometimes fighters form temporary alliances during such a melee in order to defeat particular opponents or groupings.

Many sophisticated variations are possible:

A bridge battle compels the sides to fight over a narrow passage, as if over a river or stream. Hay bales are commonly used to denote the bridge.

A woods battle takes place in a wooded area, and often features a flag capture scenario. Safety during woods battles is a major concern.

Resurrection battles permit defeated fighters to return to a resurrection point where they may, sometimes after a waiting period, return to combat. Often such battles are timed or fought for other victory conditions rather than to the last fighter.Castle, town and mountain pass battles are also popular, especially at large events such as the Pennsic War.

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