Saturday May 1st is the date and we are starting at 2pm. The fee to attend the quest will be $5.00 which will cover the cost of the feast we will serve. In addition to the feast Firegar (Josh) will also be celebrating his birthday during the quest so I will provide cake and other goodies for everyone attending!!! We are working up a tremendous plot so we know you won't be disappointed! Wait until you see the surprises we have for you this time! Be sure to get your money to Mark by no later than Wednesday April 28th so that we can buy the food for the feast!!!
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
3/10/04 Updated the club rank page so go and check out your ranking! many of our memebers have achieved ranks of Noble or higher and I say congratulations to you all, your hard work and dedication have paid off in the form of your much deserved promotions!!! Nobles and higher have great power and great responsibility to the club, please act accordingly.
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
3/9/04 Well last week was a big week at the club. We held a practice and a huge number of members showed up! Looks like everyones excited about the upcoming season. It was great to see some old friends we haven't seen in a while. Huge battles ensued and the new rules got a good testing. All in all they appear to be working. The weekend brought a Mystic Realms trip. The club was not disappointed. We fought so much over the entire weekend that we were exhausted by the time Sunday rolled around. About 150 people turned out and a full compliment of NPC's made for one heck of a tough weekend!
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
2/21/04 Hello boys and ghouls!
Guess what I made for our lovable monsters to use!
They're white, they're sharp, they're scary!
Give up?
Can you say CLAWS!!!
Oh yeah! I made not one, not two, but THREE SETS of beautiful, wonderful, glorious claws!!! It's what all the best dressed monsters are wearing these days!
I also am offering weapons for sale for a limited time!
There are rumors that we may hold an impromptu practice at Castle Doom this weekend if we get enough people and the weather cooperates.
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
2/20/04 Once again update the rulebooks.
Website updated accordingly!
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
2/19/04 Met with the Rules Commitee and they clarified some of the new rules. They also added some new rules regarding repairing armor and the effects of heavy weapons. Be sure to thank the rules committe members the next time you see them because they are doing a great job keeping the club running smoothly and generally making it more fun for everyone!!!
The website has been updated accordingly.
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
2/18/04 Big time updates!!!
Updated Basic Rulebook online.
Updated Advanced Rulebook online.
Updated Magic Users Rulebook online.
Added Monster Manual Two online.
Added Monster Manual Three online.
What does all this mean?
It means we've been busy over the winter!
Some big rule changes:
1-You can rest back Rank Voids.
2-You can rest back Mana.
3-Valhalla will be playing a huge part in every event!!!
Read up on all our nasty monsters, find out their strengths and weaknesses!!!
To find out more read-read-read!!!
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
2/17/04 Updated Monster Manual One online.
Updated Basic and Advanced Rule Books.
Updated Magic Users Rule Book.
Updated Heralds Rule Book.
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
2/11/04 Well we took a record amount of members to Mystic Realms this past weekend and we all had a great time as usual. Over 20 new players were there and it made for quite a full town. Plans are in the works to get the club ready for the 2004 season when the weather gets warmer. Sorry for the infrequent updates but as many of you well know things are a bit crazy at Castle Doom.
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
1/9/04 Sorry I'm late but,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
The club would like to welcome it's newest member,
WELCOME DOUG M. a.k.a. GALIN ISLEY.
Several members attended the Mystic Realms weekend back in late December. It was the annual Yule Mystic Realms and we were not dissappointed. We even had a big battle before the main battle then another huge battle Sunday morning! The Inn had it's door smashed and was overrun. Most of the tradesmen of Evermore were either dominated or killed outright in the early morning sneak attack. The mighty Doom himself was almost killed and left shaking in his boots as just about everyone around him was killed! It was all the big Doom could do was to limp back to a healing circle then try to drag his comerades away from the terrible forces attacking the town. Man I still shiver when I think of it!!! Well the club is pretty much holed up for the cold winter months, but we're still running Mystic Realms trips, plus the Magic the Gathering league is in full swing in Josh and Mark's nice warm house. Hero Quest is making sporatic appearances as well as occasional trips to the Poconos. All in all we're still trying to keep busy until the warm weather comes and we can fight once more! By the way now is a good time to build new weapons and repair your old ones, remember your club Prez will be happy to assist you in this aspect, all you have to do is ask. Oh yeah and donations are always welcome, remember feast time is just around the corner!!! Also if you've been away from the club for awhile now would be a good time to get in touch with old friends. You're always welcome to come back!
Remember just because you've been away doesn't mean you're not missed!!!
Well that's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
12/01/03 Several members of the club attended the Mystic Realms weekend and had a great time! I believe this was the largest amount of people we ever brought to a Mystic Realms event. As winter sets in we would like to remind our members that now is a good time to check your weapons and see if they need repair, rebuilding, or replacing!!!!
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!
10/28/03 The club would like to welcome it's newest member,
WELCOME JAROD T. a.k.a. DEENGLO!!!
Deenglo comes from Mystic Realms so he is no stranger to boffer combat and his skills really helped out at the Murkwood Quest this past weekend!
This past Saturday the fighters of Murkwood ventured forth to the land of Fardale and payed a visit to the Mansion de' Macabbre'. Things really got scary as the participants were put to the test facing all sorts of new creatures straight out of the pages of the new Monster Manual 3!!! New monsters weren't the only evils the club had to face as Sage showed up and joined forces with his father an undead necromancer named Carmine de Macabbre' who had some tricks of his own up his sleeve. Carmines brother Vincenzo de Macabbre' a wizard from the Guild of Dark Mages helped the fighters as best he could as the battles raged on for about seven hours. The club barely had time to break for a magnificent feast prepared for them by Vincenzo. Sage and Carmine took the club to the limit in a pitched final battle that saw Vincenzo and Sage trading spell for spell in the mansions courtyard. It was almost impossible to tell who was on whose side as the fighters of Murkwood were controlled and raised as all sorts of weird beings by both good and evil forces! In the end good triumphed as Carmine was beaten down by the skilled warriors and magic users and finally blessed to oblivion by his brother Vincenzo! The crafty Sage managed to slip away once again during the chaos he helped to create, as usual the evil elven high mage left a bloody mess in his wake! We hope everyone who came to the Quest had a great time. I would like to thank the NPC's for helping me put on a great show. Thanks to Dave, Josh, Brandon, Devon, and Rich, your efforts and incredible stamina helped put this event over the top. I would also like to thank the PC's for some incredible roleplaying, it's great to see a story take hold of it's particpants and watching you all slowly lose yourselves in the plot made it all worthwhile. Kudos to all who turned out for this event. You should all be proud and I hope you had a great time.
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
10/17/03 Been a while huh? Well the club held a small practice yesterday and we welcomed two new members:
WELCOME SARAH G. a.k.a. SYKEZ OF DRAGONGARD
WELCOME JESSICA G. a.k.a. NIP OF BLOODDALE
Both fighters showed great promise in the short time we had on the battlefields.
On Saturday October 25th we are attempting to organize a QUEST ADVENTURE at Castle Doom (Mark's House) if we get enough people we will have a great time. Be prepared to be scared as it is getting close to Halloween and you never can tell what will happen when you venture on a QUEST in Murkwood!
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!
9/10/03 Sorry for the long hiatus. Club activities have been postponed for awhile due to vacations, school starting up, and personal business.
Hopefully things will normalize enough with all members
so that we can hold some events in the near future!!!
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!
7/31/03 ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS!!!
THERE HAS BEEN A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE PARTICIPATION POINTS SYSTEM. ALL THE AFFECTED RULEBOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED TO REFLECT THIS CHANGE!!!
Updated Basic Rulebook page.
Updated Advanced Rulebook page.
Updated Magic User Rulebook page.
The rules committee feels that these new rules will be more fair and will make the game more enjoyable by simplifying the points system thus speeding up the game. Feel free to offer you opinions or discuss these rule changes with any member of the rules committee of Mark S. your club president.
7/30/03 Updated Member Match/Wins Page.
Updated History of Murkwood Page.
Updated Champions Page.
First off the club would like to welcome two new members:
WELCOME PAT C. a.k.a. CLOUD OF FARSPUR
WELCOME DAN B. a.k.a. DOC OF RIVERINOR
The club held a Grand Feast and Tournament this past weekend,
so without further ado, here we go!!!
The Thrown Weapons Tournament was a hottly contested competition. Of the ten members who entered the contest no less than four tied for a "one throw" competition! Cloud and Falconric bested the others and ended up in a one throw of their own, with Cloud squeaking out a 10 point victory over Falconric. Cloud faced off against the Thrown Weapons Champion Fireric for his title later in the day. The first match up saw both competitors tied with a score of 10 points each, so it was the "one throw" for the champ and the challenger! They both failed to score and another "one throw" was set up. Well, neither scored in this one either so a third "one throw" was started! Finally Cloud was able to score 10 points to Firerics 5 points giving Cloud his first club title!
Onto the Murkwood Tournament. Domascus and Cloud started things off with Cloud getting the win and advancing. Doc and Ulrich von Lichtenstein followed with Ulrich pulling an upset victory over Doc! Chaos fought Falconric and bested Falconric in a close and hard fought match. Hawkric took on Shadowgar in a fierce fight. Hawkric got the win and advanced. Round two saw Cloud score a win over the tuff to beat Ulrich. Then Hawkric defeated Chaos to draw this round to a close. For the tournament win Cloud and Hawkric locked up in strong competition. Cloud's skill was too much for the mighty Hawkric as Cloud scored the win and overall tournament victory! The current Murkwood Champion will face Cloud at a later date for the title!
The Shinai Tournament kicked off with the title being vacant, leaving all fighters chomping at the bit to get ahold of this most coveted of titles! Doc and Sano came out swinging with Doc scoring the win. Chaos then defeated Firegar to move on. Cloud bested Falconric and advanced. Ulrich von Lichtenstein defeated Shadowgar to finish off the round. Competition was insane as Chaos narrowly defeated Doc to move on to the finals. Cloud bested a hard charging Ulrich to move into the final bracket. For the title it was Cloud and Chaos. These two warriors didn't ask for nor give any quarter as the sticks swung and banged in a flurry of incredible moves. The fighters traded point for point in a display of skill and determination. Finally Chaos scored the win and took home the Shinai Club Championship!
Finally the fighter lined up for a shot at Doom's coveted Archery title. Doom has held the title for over a year now and all the fighters wanted to be the one to stop this juggernaut! The fighters lined up and the arrows flew! When the smoke cleared it was Fireric with a score of 40 who won the right to challenge Doom! Fireric went after Doom and scored 10 points in the first round of the Archery Championship. Doom answered Fireric by scoring with each arrows and every arrow he fired! At the end of round one it was
Fireric 10
Doom 25
Fireric scored another 10 points in round two, but Doom put the young archer away with a round two score of 20 points! This combined with Doom's first round score made a third round unnecessary!
Doom held on to his Archery title in impressive form!
The feast was excellent as usual and the club enjoyed many Murkwood adventures and combat games in addition to the feast. If you want to know what happened in the Murkwood plot check out the history of Murkwood!
I would have to say this was a great day as we didn't leave the park until about 9pm, we were all exhausted from a tremendous day of fun!
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!
7/22/03 Weather permitting we will hold a practice this Thursday at Marks house starting around 3:00pm!!! This will probably be your last chance to get in some practice before the tournament and feast this Sunday!!!
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!
7/20/03 Updated member Match/Win page.
Updated the Club Champions page.
Remember feast money is due by this Wednesday.
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!
7/18/03 THE DATE FOR THE TOURNAMENT HAS CHANGED!!!
THE NEW DATE IS SUNDAY JULY 27TH!!!
SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE!!!
The club held a practice this past Wednesday and had a huge turnout!
Looks like the heat didn't slow our members down one bit, special thanks go out to the NPC's for wearing those masks on such a hot day!
The club would like to welcome it's newest member!
WELCOME JEROME P.
Jerome will choose his Murkwood name at a later date and he has already started work on forming a new order within the club! Jerome has been granted permission to build and use a new type of weapon in the club. This weapon should make things a bit more interesting in Murkwood. Hopefully we can get in at least one more practice before the tournament.
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!
7/16/03 Hopefully tommorrow we can hold a practice at the Club Prez's house.
A Tournament and Feast has been scheduled for Saturday July 26th, see "Trips and Events above.
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!
7/14/03 Several members attend the Mystic Realms event this past weekend and we were not dissappointed! The battles lasted until the wee hours of the morning!
Posted Shinai Practice pics from May on Club Pictures page.
Posted Shadowravens picture on the Match/Win Page.
We haven't been holding too many practices lately due to the heat but if we get a break in the heat later this week we should be able to get some in.
The results for the clubs first polls have been posted, and a new poll has been created, check them out on the polls page.
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!
Once again the club held a huge practice yesterday with over a dozen members turning out for the fun. The club welcomed new members yet again! This time two brothers joined up and we welcome our newest members!
WELCOME MATT C. a.k.a. DOMASCUS OF FARSPUR
WELCOME SEAN C. a.k.a. KORATH OF ELFSLAND
The club continues to grow at a fantastic rate,
just check out the promotions list above!
That's all for now see you on the battlefields!
6/13/03 Updated Online Shinai Club and Murkwod Basic Rulebook.
Updated Online Murkwood Rules for Magic Users.
Turn out for the clubs just about daily practices remain large. Some members have made donations to the club so we should be able to purchase some supplies to repair some of our weapons. We still need many donations so that we can hold a tournament and feast in the near future. If every club member could donate just two dollars we should be able to have a great tourney very soon!
Come on guys it's just two lousy dollars!!!
This past Wednesday the Murkwood title was up for grabs as a Newbie Falconric won the melee and went on to challenge Baron Firegar for his Murkwood title. Falconric made Firegar use all his skills to hold on to his title as the two warriors fought to near exhaustion! Just goes to show you even newbies can make a differance in Shinai Club!
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!
6/11/03 The club held practice yesterday and had a huge turn out with over a dozen members in attendance. We continue to grow by leaps and bounds as no less than three people joined our ranks in one day! We would like to welcome our newest members!
WELCOME ANDREW S. .a.k.a DARKSTORM OF DARKGARD
WELCOME CHRIS C. a.k.a. NITEHAWK OF DARKINOR
SAM P. a.k.a FALCONRIC OF LARKINOR
Hopefully the club will hold a tournament very soon, it all depends on member donations so drop some change in the jar today!!!
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!
5/30/03 The club continues to hold practices in the courtyard of Castle Doom. Yesterday we held a rather large practice and welcomed a new member!
WELCOME STEVEN R. a.k.a. MALAKI OF BLOODDALE
Malaki has adapted the florentine style of fighting and fights with a fearless and aggressive attitude! He claims to have some training under Batosi the Manslayer. The club keeps growing with each passing day. I hope to see many of you at the West Windsor Lions ren faire tommorrow at Mercer County Park. The faire starts at 10:00am and only costs $5.00 to get in. I think many peeps from Mystic Realms will be there so it should be a great time!
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields.
5/27/03 Some members of the club worked at the Mystic Realms ren faire over the weekend and we all had a great time! All the club members got some great deals on some fancy boffer weapons at the faire. I think we got a few people to try the Mystic Realms LARP and some said they would join up with MR. Looks like the von Doom family will be growing! Congrats to Nightraven on getting his vestments of knighthood, not to mention a killer great axe! You gotta see this thing it's bigger than Nightraven himself! Ulrich's brother attended the faire with his family, we were all impressed with his fine vestments and over the top acting, many MR peeps were asking me who this guy was and they hoped he was going to join up with MR. Speaking of family Nightraven was accompanied by his father who seemed to take a great interest in the faire and in MR as a whole, I've seen this guy swing a sword and believe me we have to get him on the trails!
Thanks to all who worked and attended the faire, you all did a great job should be proud of your accomplishments!!!
Well that's all for now, see you all on the battlefields!
5/22/03 The club held what turned out to be a huge practice this past Tuesday. Some members that had not been seen in quite a long time turned up and shook off some battle rust. Many huge battles were fought and we all had another great time! Once again Hawkric has lost leadership of the Order of the Bloody Fist via a combat challenge! This time to Batosi the Manslayer. The Mystic Realms fantasy faire is this weekend and I hope to see some of you there.
The new Basic rulebook is available from the club Prez!!!
Updated the club Match/Win page!!!
Created a new High Magic Path called WIZARD!!!
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
5/20/03 The club held practice yesterday and we actually got out the shinai for some single matches. It was good to hear the sticks bang together. Hawkric took back leadership of his house, the Order of the Bloody Fist, by beating Ulrich in a best of three match up. The Knights who say Kne' recruited Shadowraven into there ranks. That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
5/19/03 Baron Firegar and Lord Fireric held their grand birthday feast this past Saturday. It was a marathon event starting at 11:00am and lasting till about 9 pm. Many battles were fought at Fisher Keep in the land of Darkinor. Hawkric managed to escape with the help of some foul beasties. A great feast was held and games of skill and tournament lasted throughout the day. The huge turnout really contributed to all the fun we had!
The new rules are being finalized and should be ready this week.
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
5/6/03 Well the club continues to hold practices just about three times a week. Unfortunately I can't practice because of a torn achillies tendon, so I just sit in a chair and herald, damn! The next big event will be Baron Firegar and Lord Fireric's Birthday Bash. We have many surprises planned so brush up on your skills while you can! That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
4/24/03 Posted pictures of the party with the Black Lotus.
4/22/03 Updated Member Match/Wins Page
Updated The History of Murkwood Page
The Black Lotus came to Murkwood yesterday in what turned out to be a blow out party! Together with the Lotus the club faced many monsters and battled together from afternoon to night. We all had a great time and we would like to extend a special thanks to Pat, Dawn, Dan, Keith, Danny, Sam, and Jim from the Lotus for making the long trip from their home turf to ours. In a surprise move Ulrich von Lictenstein challenged Noble Hawkric to single combat with the winner assuming the leadership of the Order of the Bloody Fist. To everyones surprise Ulrich was barely able to beat out Hawkric sending him into a rage! Pictures will be posted soon! Read all about this and more on the Murkwood History Page.
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
4/19/03 It official we are having a cookout with the Black Lotus on
Monday April 21st at Washington Crossing State Park!!!
Sorry for the short notice!
This should be a blast all we ask is bring some kind of cookout type food and drinks: Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Potato Chips, Soda, whatever...
See you all on the battlefields!!!
4/16/03 The club welcomed yet another member into its ranks yesterday!
WELCOME
CHRIS R. a.k.a. BATOSI THE MANSLAYER OF BLOODDALE!!!
Yesterday the club held practice in the courtyard of Castle Doom with members turning out in huge numbers! Several great battles were fought and our newest member Batosi showed great skill with his sword! The highlight of the day was the return to semi-action of one of the clubs most feared fighters! Greyesta the Lady Dragon took on the newbie and tied him at one match a piece. Remember folks Greyesta has not picked up a sword in about a year! Well Greyesta being Greyesta just couldn't keep her mouth shut and called out resident club juggernaut Doom! After much bickering the match was on! Greyesta thought intimidation and brute force would carry her to victory over the methodical killing machine that is Doom, she thought wrong! The first point scored in this clash of the titans was a double point and so the match was tied a one point each. It was all down hill for Greyesta from there. Doom used subtle finess in the style of the rapier to completely throw the Lady Dragon off balance! Doom easily scored two points in rapid succession and took the victory! Speaking of returning fighters Darkwind of Fardale made his return to the club after a lengthly absence. Darkwind shook off some rust as he began to get back into the flow of things! Hawkric showed up with his expanding army and once again began a long siege against Castle Doom. It was only an uneasy alliance with the Trolls named OOOOOO and AHHHHH that saved Castle Doom from ruin!
Well thats all for now, see you all on the battlefields!!!
4/14/03 Well it's getting to be that time of the year again!
What time you say?
Well it's time for
BARON FIREGAR'S
GRAND BIRTHDAY
TOURNAMENT AND FEAST
EXTRAVAGANZA!!!
This year we've lined up some great new games, top notch entertainment, and even more surprises then last year!!! As always it is free to attend the tournament and feast, courtesy of Baron Firegar!!! Check the club events listed above for date and time. I hope to see you all there!
Well that's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
4/7/03 Updated the Member Match/Win page.
The club would like to welcome its newest members,
WELCOME
CODY G. a.k.a. FALSTAR
and
COREY G. a.k.a. BAYLAN
Both of these new members show great promise on the battlefields and should become forces to be reckoned with! Falstar has been recruited into the Order of Bloody Fist. Speaking of that foul and wretched Order, many paractices were held since the tournament held two Saturdays ago and the club has been turning out in huge numbers, thanks to the nice weather (as I write this snow is falling outside my window)! The treachery of Hawkric continues as he has joined with some of the denizens from the Orcish Badlands and, some say, the Great Unknown! Foul Hawkric keeps launching wave after wave of evil creatures against House Doom. For now the evil army of Hawkric has been contained in Fardale!
Thanks to the generous donations of our members, most notibly Scardrake and Hawkric, we are on course to hosting another free tournament and feast!!!
Keep those donations coming, every little bit of change adds up!!!
That's it for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
4/3/02 Updated Murkwood history. Read all about the treachery of Hawkric!!!
4/1/03 Updated member matches/wins page including new photos for some members. Posted pictures from this past Saturdays Tournament!
3/31/03 The club held its first official tournament and feast of the new year this past Saturday and the feast was provided FREE OF CHARGE thanks to generous members placing donations in the donation jar that is located in the
Shinai Clubhouse!!!
I know this is a shameless plug for the donation jar but it is true and I would like to see this trend continue so that all feasts can be provided free of charge!!!
I have to say without a doubt that this was the best tournament we have ever had!!! Members turned out in huge numbers. We started out with a breakfast of sticky buns, pop tarts, oatmeal bars, and cola. The first title on the line was the all new Murkwood Thrown Weapons Championship. The newbie Talonesta (more on her later) actually managed to tie for second place with Scardrake! Ulrich von Lichtenstein finished a respectable third. Fireric finished first and so has been named the first ever
MURKWOOD THROWN WEAPONS CHAMPION!!!
On to the Archery Tournament, the winner would go on to face current archery champion Doom for his title! Well competition was fierce with several club members racking up some impressive points. The Angry Knight Firegar looked like he had the tournament wrapped up with 95 points! Out of nowhere the newbie, Talonesta, did what no member of the club has ever done before. From the maximum distance of 30 feet Talonesta actually hit the 100 point target slot on the target board! Needless to say the crowd was stunned!!!
HUZZAH TALONESTA!!!
Well with that shot Talonesta won the tournament and the right to face Doom for the Archery Championship! Watch out Doom!!!
The final tournament held was for the Murkwood Championship!
The winner got to face Firegar for the Championship. Hawkric and Fireric skillfully hacked and stabbed their way thru some of the toughest competition I have ever seen! Hawkric used the deadly pike to secure a win over Fireric and go on to face Firegar! The action didn't let up as Hawkric faced current champion Firegar in a best of three competition. It was decided to ban both competitors from using the pike, in the interest of fairness! The two titans clashed both using the florentine style. Neither competitor would give and inch and the first match ended with Firegar barely taking the win by one point! The second match was no different as swords flashed and clashed! Hawkric and Firegar looked equal and traded point for point. Finally with both fighters near the point of exhaustion it was Firegar who pulled out the win with a double point victory over the skillful Hawkric! Hey Hawkric here's a tip for you, next time don't rush into the championship series right after you win the tournament! Take a break and relax for a while! And so Firegar holds on to his precious Murkwood Championship!!!
The GRAND FEAST followed the amazing tournaments with club members dining on a variety of gourmet foods! Unfortunately the feast was interrupted by a band of Orcs and a Giant (hey we were in the Orcish Badlands)! The Orcs demanded we pay a tribute to them for using their land. The told the fighters to give them the club championship medals or they would call their friend "Fred". Well their friend turned out to be a huge giant with a bad temper! Several members fell in combat before the Orcish hoarde was finally beaten back! Various common folk began emerging out of the woods with pleas for help and our band of fighters and magic users were only too happy to render assistance. The members had their hands full as they faced various creatures including the undead throughout the day. Finally at the end of the day a single Orc was able to steal the championship medals and get the club to pursue him, right into a trap! A huge Orc army was waiting on a hill top and attacked the members with much ferocity! Firegar was able to use his magic and slay the leader of the Orcs but it cost him his life in the process! The battle raged on for a long time as Orcs popped up from everywhere! The club inflicted heavy losses on the foul creatures but finally had to withdraw from the battlefield due to the Orc army's overwhelming numbers!!! Well that about did it for the day as the Orcs couldn't pursue our fighters due to a violent thunderstorm that whipped up just in the nick of time and the fact that the Bowmens Tower garrison sent out a force of Elven Archers to harass the Orcs from behind their lines and cause confusion!
Pictures of this spectacular event will be posted soon!!!
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
3/28/03 The club would like to welcome its newest member
WELCOME RAQUEL T. a.k.a. TALONESTA!!!
Talonesta has joined the ranks of Magic Users and has chosen Fire as her first path of magic. She is reading up on her spells and looks forward to practicing them on some unfortunate members of the club at the tournament tommorrow!!!
Speaking of the tournament I hear it's going to be heavy with
magic and monsters, hint, hint...
Well I'll see you on the battlefields and at the feast tommorrow!!!
MURKWOOD THROWN WEAPONS CHAMPION!!!
On to the Archery Tournament, the winner would go on to face current archery champion Doom for his title! Well competition was fierce with several club members racking up some impressive points. The Angry Knight Firegar looked like he had the tournament wrapped up with 95 points! Out of nowhere the newbie, Talonesta, did what no member of the club has ever done before. From the maximum distance of 30 feet Talonesta actually hit the 100 point target slot on the target board! Needless to say the crowd was stunned!!!
HUZZAH TALONESTA!!!
Well with that shot Talonesta won the tournament and the right to face Doom for the Archery Championship! Watch out Doom!!!
The final tournament held was for the Murkwood Championship!
The winner got to face Firegar for the Championship. Hawkric and Fireric skillfully hacked and stabbed their way thru some of the toughest competition I have ever seen! Hawkric used the deadly pike to secure a win over Fireric and go on to face Firegar! The action didn't let up as Hawkric faced current champion Firegar in a best of three competition. It was decided to ban both competitors from using the pike, in the interest of fairness! The two titans clashed both using the florentine style. Neither competitor would give and inch and the first match ended with Firegar barely taking the win by one point! The second match was no different as swords flashed and clashed! Hawkric and Firegar looked equal and traded point for point. Finally with both fighters near the point of exhaustion it was Firegar who pulled out the win with a double point victory over the skillful Hawkric! Hey Hawkric here's a tip for you, next time don't rush into the championship series right after you win the tournament! Take a break and relax for a while! And so Firegar holds on to his precious Murkwood Championship!!!
The GRAND FEAST followed the amazing tournaments with club members dining on a variety of gourmet foods! Unfortunately the feast was interrupted by a band of Orcs and a Giant (hey we were in the Orcish Badlands)! The Orcs demanded we pay a tribute to them for using their land. The told the fighters to give them the club championship medals or they would call their friend "Fred". Well their friend turned out to be a huge giant with a bad temper! Several members fell in combat before the Orcish hoarde was finally beaten back! Various common folk began emerging out of the woods with pleas for help and our band of fighters and magic users were only too happy to render assistance. The members had their hands full as they faced various creatures including the undead throughout the day. Finally at the end of the day a single Orc was able to steal the championship medals and get the club to pursue him, right into a trap! A huge Orc army was waiting on a hill top and attacked the members with much ferocity! Firegar was able to use his magic and slay the leader of the Orcs but it cost him his life in the process! The battle raged on for a long time as Orcs popped up from everywhere! The club inflicted heavy losses on the foul creatures but finally had to withdraw from the battlefield due to the Orc army's overwhelming numbers!!! Well that about did it for the day as the Orcs couldn't pursue our fighters due to a violent thunderstorm that whipped up just in the nick of time and the fact that the Bowmens Tower garrison sent out a force of Elven Archers to harass the Orcs from behind their lines and cause confusion!
Pictures of this spectacular event will be posted soon!!!
That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
3/28/03 The club would like to welcome its newest member
WELCOME RAQUEL T. a.k.a. TALONESTA!!!
Talonesta has joined the ranks of Magic Users and has chosen Fire as her first path of magic. She is reading up on her spells and looks forward to practicing them on some unfortunate members of the club at the tournament tommorrow!!!
Speaking of the tournament I hear it's going to be heavy with
magic and monsters, hint, hint...
Well I'll see you on the battlefields and at the feast tommorrow!!!
3/21/03 We are currently looking for people to write articles for the Summer edition of the Shinai Times. You can write about anything pertaining to the club. Also we would like to interview at least one member of the club and have the interview be a part of the Shinai Times. If anyone is interested contact Mark S the Club Prez ASAP!!!
3/19/03 TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
THERE WILL BE A TOURNAMENT HELD ON MARCH 29, 2003
AT WASHINGTON CROSSING PARK!
THE COST IF FREE!!!
THIS IS DUE TO MEMBER DONATIONS AND PURCHASES!!!
AND SPEAKING OF MEMBER DONATIONS. THERE IS NOW AN OFFICIAL DONATION JAR IN THE SHINAI CLUB HOUSE!!!
FEEL FREE TO DROP ANY SPARE CHANGE INTO THE JAR BECAUSE EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!!!
SEE YOU ON THE BATTLE FIELDS!!!
3/18/03 Last Wednesday the club held a SHINAI practice along with some Murkwood fun. It was good to hear those old sticks bang together after a long winter! Several members attended Mystic Realms this past weekend and we all had a blast! We got into a huge war with the Plainsmen of the Realm of the Five. The battle lasted for over an hour and we all returned to town exhausted. We then joined the Black Lotus in front of their cabin for a midnight camp fire and feast featuring a great assortment of fine foods! Well thats all for now,
See you on the battlefields!!!
3/11/03 Posted pictures from the huge practice we had this past Saturday!
3/8/03 The club held practice today at the Moody battlefields. Many members showed up and were itching to get back into action after our long winter hiatus!!! The club would like to welcome its newest member,
WELCOME FRANK M. a.k.a. BLOODRAVEN
BLOODRAVEN surprised many club members as he challenged just about everybody to single combat matches and he also shocked many members by defeating many of those he challenged!!!
BLOODRAVEN brings a sword thrust technique that many members are finding difficult to counter! With the huge turn out we all had a great time and got to go home sore from the days battles!!! Spring is almost here so
I'll see you all on the battlefields!!!!
3/7/03 The new issue of the clubs newsletter "SHINAI TIMES" is now available. Ask Club Prez Mark S for a copy.
3/6/03 It's official.
MURKWOOD PRACTICE THIS SATURDAY!!!
WHERE? MOODY PARK
TIME: AROUND 11:00am
See Mark S or Josh S for details.
3/4/03 We still need one (possibly two) more volunteers to work at the Mystic Realms Fantasy Faire. If you're going to volunteer make absolutely sure you can make it, we need a solid commitment ASAP!!! Depending on the weather we may hold some Murkwood Battles practice this Saturday, Probably at the Moody Battlefields! Get in touch with Mark S or Josh S to be sure!
See you on the batlefields!!!
3/1/03 Looks like our first Feast and Tournament for the year 2003 will be a freebie!!! That's right folks, due to members buying costumes and club equipment , most notibly Hawkrics purchase of a Black Lotus crest and a shield, we managed to scrounge just about enough cash to provide a feast at out first tournament of the year FREE OF CHARGE. The date of the Feast and Tournament will be decided soon so keep checking the website for info!!!
Remember if you have any spare change, why not drop it in the club donation fund jar located in the club house!!!
2/22/03 Added new poll to our poll page. Check it out and join in the fun today!
Be sure to use our NEW Message Board. Just keep it clean and friendly. Don't let Hawkric hog all the fun, leave your message today!!!!
2/21/03 Updated the History of Murkwood. Check to see if your name has been immortalized in our glorious history!!!
2/17/03 How's everyone enjoying the snow!!!
Well several members made it out to Mystic Realms this past weekend and the fighting was fierce. What would you expect with trolls and orgres running around? We got to fight in the snow which was really cool. Photo CD's of Shinai Club/Murkwood are now available for a small fee of $1.00. All profits will of course go back into the club. The photo CD contains over 200 pictures of various club activities taken through the years. If you were ever caught on film or video tape chances are your picture will be on the photo CD. That's all for now see you all on the battlefields!!!
2/10/03 WE HAVE NEW AND IMPROVED MESSAGE BOARD!!!
NO MORE AGONIZINGLY SLOW BOARD!!!
POST A MESSAGE TODAY AND TELL ME HOW YOU LIKE IT!!!
Several members made it out to the Mystic Realms video shoot. We all had a great time and I think we played a big part in making the shoot a success! MR is going to shoot another video in the spring so if you missed this one you can spruce up your costumes and make plans to attend the next one!
Speaking of Mystic Realms, let Mark S if you are going to this weekends event ASAP!!!
2/7/03 MAGIC USERS WANTED!!!
The club is actively seeking to recruit Magic Users from within our ranks. If you think you've got what it takes to wield the awesome power of magic, approach the Club Prez and let him know!!!
2/6/03 THE NEW RULES ARE HERE!!!
The rules committee met last month and went over the rules with a fine tooth comb. Club Prez Mark S has been revising the rules since last November and after two plus long months of tedious work, he was able to present new and hopefully improved, rule books for review and approval by our rules committee. The rules have been cleaned up, cleared up, and shortened so the fun factor of the club should be increased. Special thanks should be given to the rules committee for their work. Believe me a project of this magnitude took alot of hard work, so be sure to give Josh S, Ray W and Mark S a pat on the back and a hearty thank you when you see them!!! The new rule books are now available from the Club Prez. and they can also be viewed online. The Mystic Realms video shoot is this Sunday and next weekend is the Mystic Realms trip. Thats all for now, see you on the battlefields!!!
2/3/03 Thanks to the "heat-wave" the club was able to hold some practice battles over the weekend. Several members took to the Moody battlefield and were able to test out the new rules. A great time was had by all and the fighters got in some much needed practice!
1/30/03 Mystic Realms will be shooting a video for their website on February 9th. Any members of Mystic Realms can be in the video providing you have a full proper costume! This means just a tabard just won't cut it!!!
Club Prez Mark S will take members who have a full costume and are ready to act, and I mean really act for the MR camera.
Let Mark know if you are interested ASAP!!!
1/24/03 A meeting of the rules committee will be held tommorrow at the Club Presidents house. The committee is meeting to finalize and approve the rules for 2003. The meeting will start around 1:00pm all members are welcome to attend.
1/22/03 Several of our members visited Mystic Realms to NPC this past weekend. Due to the frigid temperatures and tundra like conditions we cut the trip short and bailed out before we froze to death!
Note to self: No more Mystic Realm trips in the winter unless they are held at Camp Pine Tree!!!
The rules committe is finishing up on our new rules revisions. The new revisions will clear up some confusing rules as well as eliminating some redundant rules. Overall the latest will make our club less complicated and much more fun!
Our members are pass the cold winter months by enjoying some good gaming including Magic the Gathering and Heros Quest. I for one can't wait until spring arrives. Some of our members are using the winter break to spruce up their costumes and weapons. I would like to remind our members that I, your club president, am always glad to help out with your costuming and weapons. So why not take advantage of the time off, give me a call if you want to make a new costume or weapon! That's all for now, see you on the battlefields!
1/13/03 We are running a trip to Mystic Realms. This will be a NPC trip only so the price to attend is only $10.00 plus the cost of food. This is a last minute thing so let Mark S know if you are going ASAP!!!
1/4/03 MASSIVE UPDATE of the Sword Techniques page!
I am also a co-developer of the Black Lotus website so check it out on the links page and let me know if you have anything to add!!!
The next Mystic Realms trip is at heavenly Camp Pine Tree, I hope to see you all there! Scardrake and Hawkric why not take advantage of the winter lull to take your next rank tests, you're both due!
That's all for now, see you all on the battlefields!!!
12/23/02 The club went to Mystic Realms this past weekend and we had a blast. Our group joined a Heraldic Order named the Black Lotus and they seem like a cool bunch of people. Pictures are posted of the event. Shinai Club wishes everyone
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
See you all on the battlefields!!!
12/02/02 Well the weather has turned cold so activities for the club are pretty much suspended until spring. The club will still run the Mystic Realms trips and we will accept new members over the winter. During the odd warm days we may still hold spur of the moment practices, trips to the movies, ect... Club Prez Mark S now owns a digital camera so we should be able to get some more pics onto the website. Speaking of that. We may try to organize a trip to Helm's Deep soon, so that we can score some good snow battle pics!!! All in all 2002 turned out to be a great year for Shinai Club and it's all thanks to our members! Keep in touch and we'll see you next year on the battlefields!!!
11/11/02 Saturday the club was well represented at the Mystic Realms clean up day. Mystic Realms thanks all our members that showed up for their support and effort! Sunday our club held a practice at the Crossings battle field. We battled at a new spot on the fields and we had a great time storming hills and seiging castles! Remember this Saturday is the Tournament and Feast so be sure to get signed up and get your feast fee money to Mark S by this WEDNESDAY!!!
That's it for now, see you on the battle fields!
11/8/02 The club held a fair sized practice at the Two Towers battlefield.
Several "newbies" showed up and fought well.
The Club President has one important announcement to make:
If you wish to participate in an Murkwood Battles event where thrown weapons or archers are used and you are a junior member (under 18 years of age)
YOU MUST WEAR A HELMET!!!
NO EXCEPTIONS, NO EXCUSES!!!
This is due to the number of close calls we have had because members refuse to wear helmets! SAFETY FIRST!!!
Tommorrow is the Mystic Realms cleaning trip. We are leaving Doom's house at 8:30am so if you are going do not be late!
There is now a Tournament "sign up" sheet in the Club House. Sign up early and give your $2.00 feast fee to Mark S. as soon as possible (this Wednesday at the latest) so we can figure out what we are going to serve and how much food to buy!!! That's it for now, see you all on the battle fields!!!
11/7/02 The club held a small practice and several members got to take on a Balrog! The Balrog was fierce and eventually was able to split up and kill all who opposed it! Several other foul denizens from the Great Unknown also made an appearance. There is a practice scheduled today at the Two Towers battle field! Remember to let the Club Prez know if you are planning to attend the Tournament next Saturday. That's all for now, see you on the battle fields!
11/5/02 Well it looks like we are going to have to revise the rule books AGAIN!!!
Yeah I know, I can hear you all, "Oh no not again"!
Well to all who are complaining I say, "Quit yer whining".
Seriously though, we didn't change any rules,
we only clarified some issues and added some good stuff to them!!!
What good stuff?
READ ON!!!
Murkwood Battles has a new Championship called the
Murkwood Thrown Weapons Championship!
The first winner of this new championship will be decided at the Tournament that will be held this month!!!
Members who obtain Knights rank or higher have a new privledge called
"RANK VOID"
It helps you avoid all kinds of nasty stuff during battle!
The rule books for Murkwood and Shinai have been combined for simplicity. So now instead of four rule books we have only two!!!
The legal rulebooks are dated 11/01/02
check out the new rules online or
get the new Rule Books from the Club Prez today!!!
Now on with the news!
The club held practice yesterday at House Doom. The newbies Nightraven and Nightdrake gave a good accounting of themselves as they gave some older club members a run for their money! Great job newbies! Remember the wins you acquire for this month will go to your ranking for December, so try to participate as much as you can.
A big practice is scheduled for this Thursday
on the Two Towers battle field (Alfred Reed School playground) starting at 3:15pm. It is a good opportunity to get in some sparing in preparation for the upcoming Tournament and get alot of points for your monthly ranking!
See you on the battle fields!!!
11/04/02 First off the club would like to welcome its' newest member:
WELCOME GEORGE M. a.k.a. Nightraven of Blooddale!!!
Well it looks like it is going to be a November to remember!
We have three new members, two trips and a Tournament and Feast scheduled!
The Halloween Spooktacular was a tremendous success. We actually had people so scared that several attempted to climb the fence to escape the yard! It was hilarious!!! We had a party with mega munchies afterwards. Kudos to all the ghouls who participated!!! I don't know how we can top this next year!
This past weekend Ironric, Firegar, Fireric, Scarstorm, and Nightald attended the Mystic Realms event. Our group had a great time fighting all types of foul creatures. Saturday alone we fought from morning until well after midnight!!! Well I am still recovering from the Mystic Realms weekend so I have to cut it short, see you all on the battlefields!!!
Doom feels this is an unfair advantage that no other club member is afforded.
Truly Noble Doom is a just and fair President HUZZAH!!!
That being said,
The club rankings for the month of November are posted on the
Club Champions and Monthly Rankings page.
The club would like to welcome another new member:
WELCOME VINCE H. a.k.a. Nightdrake of Darkinor!!!
Everyone who is participating in the Haunted Yard is reminded to be at Mark's house tomorrow (Wednesday) as early as possible to help plan and build the Halloween Spooktacular!
10/28/02 The club would like to welcome its' newest member:
WELCOME DREW B. a.k.a. Nightstalker of Darkinor!!!
This past Saturday night the club held another Quest game at House DOOM. The members faced off against the wretched undead. A Nosferatu gave the members quite a scare as did several Zombies, a Werewolf, a Banshee, Skaven and even a Wind Elemental!!! Well the Halloween Spooktacular is this week so all members who wish to participate are reminded to be at Mark's house this Wednesday to help set up the yard! See you on the Battle Fields!!!
10/20/02 Posted more pics from the September Tournament
Members of the club attended the Pennsylvania Ren Faire yesterday, and it turned out to be all we expected and much more! At the Faire we went to a Pirate Auction and the booty we got was not to be believed! Lord Firegar picked up Frodo's sword "Sting" for the unheard of price of $20.00! Nightald got a fine dagger for just $3.00 and I Noble Ironric got a free sword just for catching a skull thrown fron the pirate ship!!! The food and shows were top notch and themed for Halloween! We say Vlad the Impaler (Count Dracula) joust and the Headless Horseman even made an appearance!
10/17/02 Posted Archery pics from the September Tournament!
10/15/02 Where to begin?
OK first off this past Saturday night the club held a Murkwood LARP mini module called "the Curse of the Mummy's Tomb" participating were Scardrake, Scarstorm, Nightald, Lord Ironric as the producer/guide and Lord Firegar as the various monsters. The module lasted over two hours and, needless to say, the members were scared witless at several points during the module! Just remember guys,
BE CAREFUL!!!
(inside joke)
Lord Firegar did an excellent job portraying several various denizens of the undead and sweated off at least 20 pounds in the process!!! All participating members earned some well deserved participation points and
we all had a great time!!!
Now, moving right along. The Club held our
First Year Anniversary Tournament and Feast
this past Sunday at Fisher Keep Battlefield.
The Murkwood Championship Tournament started things off as Sir Hawkric and Nightald looked unstoppable, finally facing each other in the final match. Sir Hawkric dispatched Nightald in the final match to go on to face Lord Firegar for his Murkwood title. To give Sir Hawkric a well deserved rest the club held the Murkwood archery Championship tournament. The winner would go on to face Lord Ironric for his title. Lord Firegar barely beat out a hard charging Scardrake to win the tournament. Scarstorm showed much improvement with his use of the bow as he remained in the tournament until the end. Lord Firegar faced Lord Ironric for the Archery Championship. Doom was able to beat the Angry Knight by 10 points and he didn't even need to shoot in the third round to do it! Can anyone pry this Championship away from Doom?
Back to the Murkwood Championship!
Lord Firgar could do nothing to stop the onslaught of
Sir Hawkric in the first match of the best of three competition. The second match saw Lord Firegar turn the tables on Sir Hawkric for the win. With the matches tied at one a piece it was do or die for both competitors. Sir Hawkric came on strong but Lord Firgar would not back down as the two behemoths battled back and forth in fierce competition! Finally Lord Firegar was able to win by only one point and hold on to his cherished Murkwood title! Well done to both fighters!
The Grand Anniversary Feast was held and there was much speech making and toasting about the clubs first full year. The food was expertly prepared by Lord Ironric and a grand time was had by all!!!
Finaly the time had come for the Heavyweight Championship to be decided!
Former Shinai Club Champion Ulrich von Lichtenstein had to forfeit his title due to his not being able to defend it within the required challenge period, see rule 42 and 45 of the Shinai Club Rule Book Advanced Rules (Sorry Ulrich, but rules are rules. Better luck next time!). In accordance with the rules the Shinai Club Championship was declared vacant by the Club President and Tournament was held to decide the new Champion!
Nightald faced off against Lord Firegar and defeated the Angry Knight. Scardrake faced off against Fireric and both fiercely fought in an exciting match. Scardrake bested Fireric to advance. Scarstorm showed some impressive if somewhat unorthodox moves as he defeated Sir Hawkric in short fashion. The losers bracket saw Lord Firegar face Sir Hawkric. Lord Firegar was back in the tournament when Sir Hawkric unexpectedly withdrew! Nightald bested Scardrake to move on to the finals. Lord Firegar was able to score the win over Scarstorm and also advance to the finals! So the tournament would end as it had begun, with Nightald facing Lord Firegar for the Shinai Club Championship! It was a most exciting match as each fighter tried to probe the other for a weakness. The two traded jabs and the score stayed close through the entire fight. Finally after an exhausting battle Nightald pulled out the win over Lord Firegar. Herald Lord Ironric declared Nightald the new Shinai Club Champion
as Lord Firegar stormed off into the distance in true Angry Knight fashion!
Word to the wise
"Lighten up Lord Firegar"!!!
After all this excitement the club engaged in several Murkwood battles as the busy day drew to a successful close.
Well done to all involved, you should be extremely proud of yourselves!
I hope we are all together for the clubs second anniversary!
See you on the battlefields!!!
10/11/02 THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY TOURNAMENT AND
FEAST HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED DUE TO INCLIMATE WEATHER!!!
THE NEW DATE IS SUNDAY OCTOBER 13, 2002
SAME TIME
SAME PLACE
IF YOU ARE ATTENDING GIVE YOUR $4.00 TO MARK S.
BY NO LATER THAN SATURDAY OCTOBER 12TH!!!
10/10/02 The club practiced once again at the Two Towers battlefield. Only one more practice is scheduled before Saturdays Tournament and Feast, the practice is this Friday at 4:30pm at the Two Towers battlefield (weather permitting). It looks like we will have the clubs first official Noble within 30 days! Lord Firegar has declared himself "Noble Apparent" under Lord Ironric as of yesterday! Speaking of Lord Firgar, the Angry Knight has answered the Club Prez's call for another Herald! Lord Firegar is training to be Herald and looked good yesterday! Good luck Angry Knight, with our gang you'll need it!!! Sir Hawkric has become the only member except for the Club Prez to actually forge his own sword and it's a work of art! Congrats Sir Hawkric! Now the club has two weaponsmiths! Who else will join the ranks? Let the club Prez know if you wish to learn the art of "weaponsmithing", He will be more than happy to teach you!!!
See you on the battlefields!
10/8/02 The Club go together for some more practice at the Two Towers Battlefield. We witnessed the return of Nightald of Riverinor back to active competition. Nightald finally broke out the Newbie rank! Silveron of Highdale showed up and looked quite impressive. This Newbie is coming along quite nicely, watch out senior members! All money for Saturday's Feast and Tournament is due by tommorrow, so get it to Mark S ASAP!!! The Feast and Tournement we have planned promises to be the best one yet, but it all depends on you the Club members!!! Tommorrow I, your Club Prez will be holding a class on sword building after practice (weather permitting) in the Club House! We should have time to get in a couple of practices before Saturday.
See you on the Battlefields!!!
10/7/02 The Club got in some good practice over the weekend at the Two Towers battlefield. Many members, particularly Scarstorm and Sir Hawkric, are showing great improvement. Remember the BIG Anniversary Feast and Tournament is this Saturday so get your money to the Prez by this Wednesday if you will be attending! The club also visited the Terehune Apple Fest and Howell Corn maze over the weekend and we all had a great time. One important note, don't go into a corn maze with Elves, when they get lost they tend to fight ALOT!!!
See you on the battlefields!!!
10/3/02 It's official the Shinai Clubs First Anniversary Tournament will be held on Saturday October 12, 2002 at Rambling Creek Park.
The fun starts at 11:00am and the fee is only $4.00.
Be sure to give your fee to Mark S by no later than October 9th!!!
10/02/02 OK it's been three days since our return from Mystic Realms and I think I have recovered enough to get back into the swing of things. We all had an unbelievable time at Mystic Realms! We couldn't even imagine the stuff that happened to us. We can not wait to go back in November! Don't ask us to explain what goes on at Mystic Realms because nothing we can relate to you will do justice to the total sensory experience that is Mystic Realms!
Major updates and rule changes to all rule books!!!
All online rulebooks updated!!!
The Shinai Club Basic Rules, Shinai Club Advanced Rules, Murkwood Basic Rules, Murkwood Advanced Rules, Rules for Magic Users, and Magic Users Spell Books are all new and available from the Prez. All the new valid rule books are dated 10/1/02, so throw out your old rule books and get a new one from Mark S!
October is here and if it turns out to be half as busy and exciting as September was we'll be blown away!!! Volunteers are needed for our annual Haunted Yard that will be held on Halloween night! Last years Haunted Yard was a blast so let's try and top it this year!!!
This month we celebrate the One Year Anniversary of Shinai Club. We'll let you know soon of what the celebration will entail.
We will have a Tournament and Feast this month so get ready!!!
See Mark S. if you are interested in attending the next Mystic Realms event. Remember you need to make or buy a Mystic Realms legal weapon before you can attend, so let Mark know early if you want him to make a weapon for you. And as always it will be cash in advance!!!
See you on the battlefields!!!
9/26/02 Match/Win page updated
Club rankings for October are locked in and posted.
The club would like to welcome
Max Z a.k.a. Silveron of Highdale
and
Tommy H a.k.a. Deathgar of Darkgard
The club met for practice battles at the Two Towers battlefield yesterday. All members gave a good accounting of themselves. Deathgar showed no fear as he went after some long time members of the club! Max Z used his quickness and stealth to get in some good shots on several members! Both of these new members show alot of promise and should turn out to be forces to reckon with as time passes!
Look for new rule books soon!
See you on the battlefields!!!
9/23/02 Murkwood Monster Manual revised ,
available from the Prez as well as online.
Shinai Club Basic Rules revised,
available from the Prez as well as online.
Murkwood Battles Basic Rules revised,
available from the Prez as well as online.
Member Match/Win page is updated.
The club was well represented at the Lakewood Ren Faire this past Saturday. We witnessed a real joust in heavy armor! One of the jousters was actually unhorsed and suffered a dislocated hip! The food at the faire was incredible and a great time was had by all. After the fair the club returned home and had practice battles at the Two Towers battlefield. The turn out was huge and we staged some massive battles! Action was fast and furious throughout the day!
On Sunday we again held practice battles at the Two Towers battlefield with a good turn out. We were able to fit in some monster battles as well as the normal battles. Nazar and Whitearrow gave the club a run for its money as these two played a Troll and an Orc respectivley. The two seemed to be everywhere popping up in the most unexpected places and wounding no less than three of the four members they were facing! The big Mystic Realms trip is this coming weekend and this is the last full week in September for members to increase their standing in the clubs ranking for October! A Tournament will be held in October and all three club championships will be on the line so get your practice in while you can. Photos from the last tournament are being digitized and will be posted soon! That's all for now , see you all on the battlefields!!!
9/19/02 Updated the Match/Win page photos.
Updated the Groups (houses) Page.
9/17/02 Well the club had another great day of practice battles yesterday.
A few were held in the homeland of Scardrake.
Whitearrow of Blooddale returned to action nursing an injured wrist.
The clubs One Year Anniversary is fast approaching!
The official Birthday of the club is October 22.
We are planning a big Anniversary celebration possible the Saturday after the 22nd, plans include a cook out and Tournament!
Keep your schedules clear, details will be posted shortly!!!
9/15/02 So far September has been an unbelievable month for the club!
So much has occurred I don't know if I can cover it all here, but here goes!
Updated Member Match/Win page.
Updated Championship Page.
Updated Murkwood Map (check out the new map, it's awesome)!!!
Jon W. has mended his ways and has returned to the club.
Nazar T. has joined the club and is known as Nazar of Highdale.
WELCOME NAZAR!!!
Yesterday was the Grand Tournament and Feast, if you missed it you missed a great day!
First off the Murkwood Archery Championship was on the line as most of the members showed great form! Lord Doom was not to be denied as he barely won by just 10 points over Sir Fireric. With Lord Dooms win House Doom held two of the clubs three Championships! This did not sit well with Sir Hawkric, leader of the recently established "Order of the Bloody Fist"!
Next up was the Murkwood Championship.
Scarstorm and Sir Hawkric opened it up with Sir Hawkric scoring a victory over Scarstorm. Next up Lord Firegar, using his deadly flail, quickly dispatched Ulrich von Lichtenstein. Sir Fireric, using his impressive "florentine" style, bested Scardrake also using "florentine". The losers bracket was filled as Scarstorm, Ulrich von Lichtenstein, and Scardrake fought in a deadly threeway battle.
Ulrich von Lichtenstein fell victim to a back stab by Scarstorm setting up the losers bracket with Scarstorm and Scardrake. The club was stunned as Scarstorm bested Scardrake to advance to the semi-finals! In semi-final action Lord Firegar demolished Sir Hawkric by weilding his flail with great precision. In another shocker Scarstorm used his awkward style to over power Sir Fireric, leaving the final match for the Murkwood Championship to be between Lord Firegar and Scarstorm!!! The club then sat down for a great feast expertly prepared by Lord Ironric von Doom! With their bellies full the club was ready to witness the final Murkwood Championship match!The final match's outcome was never in doubt as Lord Firegar utterly destroyed Scarstorm to capture the Murkwood Championship. With his victory Lord Firegar brought home the third and final Club Championship to House Doom, but it would not be for long!
After many Murkwood Battles and games the club assembled for the greatest championship of them all, The Shinai Club Championship!!!
Lord Firegars (the Angry Knight) title was on the line as he squared off against the new comer
Ulrich von Lichtenstein!
Ulrich stunned the crowd as he won a hard fought victory over the Angry Knight in match one of the Championship! Lord Firegar was enraged as he argued with the judge and score keeper refusing to believe he could lose to a Peasant! Ulrich proved to all that he was not just a "flash in the pan" as he won the second match by a score of 5 to 2 over Lord Firegar! With his second victory Ulrich von Lichtenstein became the new SHINAI CLUB CHAMPION!!!
The Angry Knight sulked off into the woods after the match, refusing to shake the hand of the new champion! Ah well, the don't call him the Angry Knight for nothing!!! With his impressive win Ulrich von Lichtenstein brings the "Order of the Bloody Fist" its first championship! The club had much fun after all the Championships were decided by engaging in many Murkwood battles!!!
Well done and Huzzah to all!!!
9/12/02 Another great day of battle occured yesterday at the Two Towers Battlefield! The undead even made an appearance as several Zombies and even a Necromancer proved unstoppable! Foul and dreaded Assasins also showed up with their poison blades and sneaky ways! Many of the clubs members looked terrific on the battlefield with acting that was worthy of a Hollywood movie!
Well done members!!!
The tournament this Saturday will be a fantastic event judging by the enthusiasm showed by everyone envolved. The new Championship Medallions are ready and will be presented to the three Champions at the Tournament!
The Shinai Championship Medallion is inscribed with Futhark,
these are the oldest known runes.
The Murkwood Championship is inscribed with Dwarven Runes.
The Murkwood Archery Championship is inscribed with Elven writing.
Lord Doom is going to cook up a feast worthy of royalty!
The banners, arrows and swords will be flying high, so we'll see you at the Tournament!
The new Third Generation Sword Building Manual is available from the club prez. Get your copy today! The manual is also available online as well!!!
9/10/02 Well the club had a big day yesterday as we took to the newly discovered battlefield with a large turn out! The newly discovered battle field is here by named Two Towers Battlefield!!!
Ulrich Von Lichtenstein continued to hone his skills in preparation for this Saturdays Tournament! Sir Hawkric was impressive as he single handedly defeated the entire opposing force in a bridge battle winning the battle for his side! Lord Doom fought two impressive fights against Sir Hawkric and Baron Firegar with neither opponent giving Lord Doom any quarter! Sir Fireric was ever present at Baron Firegars side (strange how those Elves always seem to end up on the same team). Ankle Biter was his usually sneaky self as he used his pike to claim many victims, you can't trust those goblins! Scardrake took it all in stride as he proved a difficult opponent even when wounded.
Check out the new Mystic Realms Sword building guide.
Now we can build legal swords for Mystic Realms, incidently this new sword design is also legal in Murkwood and this is how Doom will construct all swords he builds!!!
9/9/02 The first issue of our club newsletter the "Shinai Times" is now available from the Club Prez!!!
Tournament Day ( Saturday Sept. 14th) is fast approaching so if you are attending give your $3.00 feast fee to the Prez by this Wednesday so we can plan the menu and buy the food!
Remember if you have any suggestions or ideas to improve the club or any of its many aspects just let the Prez know!!!
9/6/02 Just a reminder to let the Club President know
if you will be attending the feast and entering the tournaments that will be held on Saturday September 14, 2002.!
Tournement /Feast money is due by this Wednesday!
The "Mystic Realms" waiver and info packets are now available, be sure to get yours from the Prez if you are planning to attend.
The "Mystic Realms" waiver must be filled in, signed and returned to the Prez
by no later than September 18, 2002!!!
Updated the Murkwood Map!!!
Check out the history of your land today!!!
9/3/02 September is here and with it comes
the biggest month the club has ever had!
First up is the Tournament and Feast on Saturday September 14.
The Tournament will feature:
A bracket tournament will be held for the vacant "Murkwood" Championship!
An archery tournament for the newly created "Archery" Championship!
Finally we will have the Shinai Club Championship on the line as
Lord Firegar squares off against Ulrich von Lichdenstein!!!
The $3.00 fee will cover the cost of the Feast.
September 21st is our Ren Fair trip.
September 27th thru the 29th will be our first trip to the LARP group
"MYSTIC REALMS"
The weather may be cooling down but the Shinai Club is just starting to heat up!
See you all on the battle fields!!!
8/29/02 Updated the Match/Win page with member photos!!!
8/28/02 Updated the Match/Win Page
Updated the Monthly Rankings Page
Updated and added new feature to the Murkwood Map Page
Updated the Murkwood History Page
The club would like to welcome its newest member Andrea
a.k.a. Falconess of Griffinsdale!
WELCOME FALCONESS!!!
The club had huge Murkwood Battles yesterday at the newest battlefield
"Fisher Keep"!!!
We engaged in many different types of battles including
capture the flag, castle seige, woods battle and bridge battle!
All members gave a great accounting of themselves causing the Herald to award most members extra participation points for their acting and over acting!
Way to go members this is what its all about, get out there and let them know the Shinai Club is here!!! The battles were so memorable that I included them in
"The History of Murkwood"
check out that page to read all about it.
Smile you're on Murkwood Camera!!!
I also video taped much of the action so more pictures will be posted to the website and new club videos will be made soon!
Any member that thinks new members don't make a differance in the club should check out the "Monthly Rankings" for September! Two Newbies are ranked in the top five! One of those newbies is ranked #1 so he will be able to challenge our Shinai Club Champion at the Tournament in September!!!
Remember if you have a friend that is interest in joining inform the Club President so we can set up a day for that person to check out the club!
Club information packets are always available from the Club President and the packets explain exactly what we do and what our club is involved with.
Lots of stuff will be going on in the month of September including a
Grand Tournament
and feast at which we will hold a tournament for the now vacant Murkwood title as well as a tournament to decide who will be the first
Murkwood Archery Champion!!!
Keep checking the website for all the latest news!!!
Got a problem, question, or comment about the club or its members?
Why not post what's on your mind on our Message Board?
See you all on the battlefields!!!
8/27/02 The club would like to welcome new member Brandon G
a.k.a. Dark Demon.
WELCOME BRANDON!!!
Dark Demon stunned the club as he bested the Angry Knight in his initiation match!!! The club was surprised by Dark Demons aggresive attack style as he showed no fear while face several members. Dark Demon has joined with the ranks of Sir Hawkric in his newly forming house. Ankle Biter stepped up and easily defeated Dark Demon with his impressive style. Scardrake proceeded to take the newbie apart with his unorthodox style giving Dark Demon something to think about. Speaking of the Angry Knight, he and Sir Hawkric met to decide who would be the Shinai Club champion. Sir Hawkric came on strong winning the first match. The Angry Knight then battled back hard in the second match as both fighters used speed, technique, and power while trying to get the edge over the other! The Angry Knight took the second match setting up the final showdown of match three. The stage was set as these two titans battled back an forth in a see saw fight that had the club on the edge of their seats. It came down to "sudden death" as Angry Knight was finally able to force Sir Hawkric to step out of bounds! Angry Knight scores his second Shinai Club title as he brought it all home for himself and House Doom!
8/24/02 Revised the Shinai Club Advanced Rule Book.
Exciting rules concerning a new Archery Championship!
The latest Advanced Shinai Club rules are dated 8/24/02.
All the Rule Books available on our websites are up to date.
If you can't copy the new rule books from the websites you can see the club president for a copy. A limited number of each rule book is available so it's first come first served. All new members are guaranteed to recieve
all the current rule books.
Members of House Doom showed up for several Archery competitions.
The new House Doom members all looked very impressive.
I am currently looking into a LARP called "Mystic Realms" for the club to participate in.
They are based in NJ and look like alot of fun. Any members interested can talk to the Shinai Club President or check out the Mystic Realms website.
Added new link to Mystic Realms on our link page.
8/23/02 Revised the Murkwood Rule Books.
Exciting new rules concerning armor and weapons!
The latest Murkwood Rule Books are dated 8/22/02.
If you don't have the latest Rule Books see the Club President for your copy!
Why not leave some comments, questions, or other feedback on the Message board today? It fun to see what the members have to say!!!
8/22/02 You aren't gonna believe this one , folks!
House Demon has joined with House Doom!!!
I'll give you a minute to let that sink in.....................
Did you recover from that shock? Well it's true! It seems that Lord Firegar and Lord Ironric have come to an agreement and have combined their forces under House Dooms banner! Some say this new House will become an unstoppable power mad juggernaut that will destroy everything in its path! The official word from the New House Doom is that the members have chosen Sir Hawkric and the Shinai club championship to be their first victim!
8/19/02 The club returned from the HUGE New York Ren Fair trip this past weekend. All members had a great time despite the oppressive heat. The fair covered 65 acres and was the largest one the club has visited to date! It was imposible to see all the attractions in one day but we did manage to hit the major ones. The actors at the fair interacted with our members and made us feel part of the event. We felt like we were truly transported back to the middle ages. The shops were all permanent structures and the twisting wood lined lanes were an attraction unto themselves. Roving musicians and "shire folk" added to the atmosphere as did the unique food that was served, turkey legs, steak on a steak, and orange ice served in a frozen orange half! Lord Fiegar and Sir Fireric caused quite a commotion among the "shire folk" as they both sported elf ears, evidently elves are quite rare these days! Battle and jousting knights were all part of an exciting day! Remember the next fair is September 21st, so let Lord Ironric know as early as possible if you want to reserve a seat in his truck. If you can't get a seat then you can always get a ride and meet us there!
8/4/02 Updated Monthly ranking.
Updated Murkwood rules, check out the new and exciting rules for two handed weapons and different types of armor!!!
7/26/02 Shinai matches held today with all club members in attendance giving a good accounting of themselves. Sir Hawkric (Black Thunder) challenged Lord Firegar (Angry Knight) for the Shinai Club Championship! These two seasoned and crafty fighters took each other to the limit as they battled fiercely. Both worthy opponents won one match setting the stage for a final winner takes all match! The fighters fought with great skill as they tied the score at four points each! With only one point separating them from the clubs most prestigeous title, neither fighter would give an inch as the match went back and forth. Finally Sir Hawkric scored the winning blow and barely bested the Angry Knight for the win and the title!!! In other news both Sir Hawkric and Sir Fireric have qualified to use the flail in Murkwood combat. WELL DONE to all fighters!!!
7/22/02 The Club tried out some new "Monster Rules" yesterday with Sir Ironric, Sir Firegar, Sir Fireric, Sir Hawkric, and Shadowgar in attendance. We battled Zombies, Vampires, Giants and Trolls in fierce fighting! Special weapons qualifications will be held today at
Castle DOOM starting around 4:00pm.
Sir Ironric has decided to let Sir Firegar test for Lordship, so we could have the club's first Lord within the next few days.
7/20/02 Well summer is here and the club appears to have taken some well deserved time off from matches. With temperatures soaring in the high 90's I don't blame them! Some sad news to report is the Greyesta "the Lady Dragon" must be stripped of her Murkwood Championship do to her inability to defend it. Let me make this perfectly clear, it saddens me as Club President to have to do this! Greyesta is semi-retiring from full time competition due to chronic and nagging injuries. She will continue to compete and participate sporatically as her health permits and she will be sorely missed on the battle field by all club members! On the other hand I'm sure most members, while they won't admit it, are breathing a sigh of relief because they won't have to face this fierce warrior!
In Murkwood news it appears that one club member has finally taken the initiative and has begun "forging" his own sword!!! Scardrake of Dragondale wants everyone to know that the sword he is making is going to be the baddest weapon on the field! The tickets for the New York "Ren Faire" have been ordered and we are all looking forward to what promises to be the biggest and best faire trip yet! I added "Florentine Style" to the "Sword Technique Manual" page, so if you want to learn more about 2 sword fighting style check it out.
7/10/02 Updated Monthly rankings!
Remember money is due by 7/15/02 for the next Ren Fair trip!!!
7/1/02 MAJOR RULES UPDATES FOR SHINAI CLUB
AND MURKWOOD BATTLES!!!
In order to make the rules easier to learn and follow, I took the Shinai Club and Murkwood rules books and split them into four smaller books. The four smaller books are Shinai Club Basic Rules, Shinai Club Advanced Rules, Murkwood Basic Rules, and Murkwood Advanced Rules. In addition I sorted the rules contained within the new books into a more logical order! I think these new smaller rule books will make it eaiser for new comers to learn the rules as they won't feel overwhelmed by having two huge manuals. I also put the new Murkwood Monster Manual on the Murkwood website!
IMPORTANT!!!
Don't forget if you are going to go with us on the next Ren Faire trip, give your money to Mark S by July 15th, so that tickets can be ordered!!!
6/20/02 Many huge battles occured as the Club once again took the Moody Battlefields in force yesterday! The Elven Wars raged on with both sides taking heavy casualties. Sir Ironric proposed and "Honor Battle" between the Elves and Humans best fighters. The Elves won a hard fought victory after Sir Fireric stuck down the Humans team captain Sir Ironric with his trusty bow!
Good fighting and well done to all!!!
6/19/02 Well the Summer Shinai Club season is in full swing with battles happening almost daily! Needless to say I ,the Club President, am being kept very busy!!! This website alone is starting to be updated daily!!! That said, on to the news!
The club turned out in GREAT numbers for some tremendous battles on the Moody Battlefields. We welcomed back members Scarstorm and Darkwind! The club engaged in several Murkwood Battles including, mass melee, triple capture the flag, and even a trilogy of race riots. The race riots could be called the Elven Wars, because the then Sir Ironric now Lord Ironric or as he prefers to be called Lord DOOM, spat upon the name of the elves. Causing Sir Firegar to fly into a fury and rally his elvish brethren to fight against the assembled forces of Human and Goblin! The foul and despised Sir Hawkric, recently expelled from the noble House DOOM, turned traitor and actually fought on the side of the Dark Elves!
Is their no end to your treachery Hawkric?
Treachery did the Elvish army no good as they were bested in no less than three
hard fought battles, that left both sides exhausted! Darkwind exhaulted himself by slaying three members singlehandedly! Not bad for a "newbie". Sir Firgar proved most deadly with his newly acquired flail and shield. Fireric consistently bested several members with his "florentine" sword style. Scarstorm, ahhh poor Scarstorm, the impetious youth did not follow the sound advice of Lord DOOM but charged forth from the ranks and was immediately slain by his enemies! Shadowgar or "Anklebiter" continued his deadly ways with his trusty pike and blinding speed! Scardrake proved his aim was true and devastating as he desimated the enemy ranks with a bow he was using for the first time!!!
A Great time was had by all and only a thundershower forced a halt to the days activities! Good fighting and well played to all members!!!
6/18/02 Updated Shinai Club Rule Book on this website.
6/17/02 Several members of the club attended the
Renaissance Faire in Belvidere NJ. yesterday.
A great time was had by all. Sir Firegar and Fireric actually bested Sir Lancelot
in boffer combat!!! The members were able to try their hand at archery with Fireric impressing us all with his mastery of the bow! We all went on a quest through an enchanted forest and the club got to pose with knights in full armor! Several treasures were purchased by the members at unbelieveably low prices. The Faire was most impresive as it featured over 100 actors!
6/13/02 Updated Member matches/wins page.
Added new Member page for Dark Blade.
6/9/02 Many battles were fought in Murkwood at the
Crossings Battlefields in the Land of Neverhome.
Hawkson a.k.a. Anklebiter distinguished himself as an expert pikeman and
a force not to be taken lightly on the battle field. Anklebiter singlehandedly defeated just about every club member in a everyone for themselve melee! Anklebiter is the second youngest member of the club and one of the clubs smallest members yet he easily beat some of the largest and more experienced club members, proving that size doesn't matter!!! Speaking of size not mattering, it seems experience didn't matter either as the team of Anklebiter, Darkblade, and Black Dragon took on the team of DOOM, Angry Knight and Black Thunder in a wild capture the scepter match! The teams were captained by Ankle Biter and Angry Knight respectively. Team Angry Knight was actually laughing at Team Anklebiter before the match even started! Well they weren't laughing after the match as Team Anklebiter literally destroyed Team Angry Knight
without losing a man!!!
Here's a bit of advice:
"Don't take any opponent lightly, it will be your undoing".
The Murkwood title changed hands no less than two times on Friday! DOOM took on the Angry Knight and barely won a hard fought victory! DOOM was immediately challenged by Greyesta who was seeking to beat the winded new champion. DOOM fought valiantly but was worn down by Greyesta, finally giving Greyesta the win and the championship! Angry Knight seized the opportunity and challenged Greyesta for her title. The two opponents fought long and hard but the tenacious Greyesta won the day and narrowly Held on to her Murkwood title! Most members are quite dismayed over Greyesta's winning of the Murkwood championship, most notably Dark Blade! Speaking of championships, the Shinai Championship is up for grabs as no one has challenged current champion Angry Knight! See the Club Monthly Ranking Page to see if your eligible to challenge the Angy Knight! Rumor is DOOM has declined the right to challenge for the Shinai Club championship this month leaving the right to challenge to the member in second place in the rankings!!!
6/5/02 Many updates and rule revisions!!!
PICTURES of Murkwood Tournament added at Murkwood
website click here to check them out!!!
Updated Shinai Club Rule Book!
Updated Murkwood Rule Book!
Updated Magic Users Rule Book!
Printed up an Illustrated Guide to boffer sword building!
New Murkwood Doubles Championship created!!!
All material is available from the Club President
or print out your own copy from the websites!
6/2/02 The club attended the West Windsor Lions Renniasance Faire
yesterday and alot of members were dressed in all their finery. We witnessed
many medieval demonstrations, most impressive was the archery demonstration and the "Kings Tournament" put on by the SCA! We spent the whole day at the faire and even feasted on roast turkey legs and other fine foods! The merchants has wonderous treasures and several club members collected some of them for themselves. Aside from the members coming home looking like well cooked lobsters (sunburn), a great time was had by all!!!
The next Renniasance Faire trip is scheduled for June 16th,
the faire is located at the Four Sisters Winery in Belvedere NJ,
the price of admission is $13.00
This faire is even bigger than the Lions faire!!!
You can check out all the faire's by going to our "LINKS" section and clicking on the Renniasance Faire Locations link.
Space in Sir Ironric's royal carriage is limited so it's first come, first served!
It's June so see Sir Ironric for the official rankings to see if you qualify to challenge the Shinai Club champion.
5/20/02 The new Shinai Club Rulebook is available from Club President Mark S.
The new rulebook is dated 5/20/02 and is available on this website.
Club President Mark S. and Josh S. are going to the Poconos for Memorial Day weekend, so if you want them to pick up a shinai for you the price is $25.00.
Give your money to either one of them before this Thursday.
The Renniasance Faire trip is scheduled for Saturday June 1st, so let Mark know if you want to go. Mark can bring three people with him so it's, first come first served! If you want to go and there is no more room in Mark's truck you'll need to get a ride there and home.
5/16/02 Updated MURKWOOD map & history
Updated LINKS
Murkwood Battles held. Murkwood Champion Sir Firegar faced Scardrake for the title after Scardrake won the right to challenge by defeating Fireric in a close battle. Sir Firegar successfully defended his title as he handily defeated the challenger. It looks like the Murkwood champion is worthy indeed!!! Scardrake, Ironric, Hawkric, Sir Firegar, Fireric, Shadowgar and Hawkson engaged in several melees and all fought well. House DOOM and House Demon squared off in a best out of 3 melee. House DOOM narrowly won that encounter!
The West Windsor Lions is hosting a Renniasance Faire at Mercer County Park on June 7 and 8. Ironric and Sir Firegar are planning to attend so see them if you want to go. Admission to the Faire is $5.00.
5/14/02 Well Tournament day has come and gone and to say the least it was a HUGE blow out event!!!
In addition to the unbelievable action of both the Shinai Championship Tournament and the Murkwood Championship Tournament, the club participated in archery and spear throwing contests! The feasting was non-stop thanks to the expert culanary skills of DOOM! Tournamnet Participants for the day were:
Black Thunder
Angry Knight
Dark Blade
Ankle Biter
Nightald
Lady Dragon
Black Dragon
and the now banned
Night Slayer
The tournaments, single matches and contests were expertly judged by DOOM.
Black Thunder was "Master of Arms".
Action was fast paced and the tournament matches were fierce as all participants knew that this would be these would be the first championships ever awarded to the club, truly historic moments! Members fought at their peak skill levels but in the end, shockingly the Angry Knight stunned the members as he captured BOTH the Shinai Club Championship and the Murkwood Championship!!!
I don't know how the Angy one is going to get that helmet off his swollen head!
Some say the Angry Knight used a "ringer" in the Lady Dragon to help him win the championship. Well the Angry Knight promises to put those rumblings to rest as he promises to take on all challengers. In fact the Angry one stated, "I will become the most fightingest champion in the clubs history, so don't sing it, bring it!" Visiting guests gave good account of their attendance as they participated in some singles competition. Princess and Ryangold of the strange lands of Pennsylvania got in some great matches, with Princess actually besting one of our own members to earn a spot in the open boffer tournament!
Sir Err of Nay a.k.a. Ironbones was nearly defeated by the Princess!
Sir Firegar even went so far as to proclaim the Princess
"Queen of the Tournament"!!!
Spontanious Irish jigs broke out throughout the day as merry making was indeed the order of the day! All visitors spoke highly of the clubs overall disipline and noble like behavior so all members should be very proud!
Pictures of the Tournaments will be posted soon and a video of the days events will be given to all participating members as soon as it's finished!
Special thanks go out to Greyesta and Hawkric for their help in building and decorating the castle courtyard for this truly memorable event!!!
5/10/02 The club turned out in almost full force on Wednesday.
Many members got in some good practice before tomorrows tournament.
Murkwood Battles took the field and had to be moved to Moody Park due to the large number of participants. Huge battles ensued with archers and swordsman being taken to the limit! Many brave warriors fought and died for their cause. The battle to take the hill at the park was legendary. A good time was had by all and their was much rejoicing!!!
Well the club ranks continue to grow by leaps and bounds.
The club would like to welcome its' newest members
Theo P. "Darkwind of Fardale" a.k.a The"O"
and
Mike G. "Whitearrow of Blooddale" a.k.a. Jet Lee
Both new members gave good accounts of themselves in shinai competition as well as on the battlefield! Great job new members.
Don't Forget!
TOMORROW IS TOURNAMENT DAY!
ALL MEMBERS THAT HAVE BEEN ASKED TO ATTEND
ARE TO BRING A HELMET, LONG SLEEVES AND
LONG PANTS!
REMEMBER SAFETY FIRST!!!
6/6/02 The club welcomes it's newest member Dayne T. a.k.a. "Ozzy"!
Ozzy stunned the club as he bested knight apparent Black Thunder in his first match. Ozzy racked up several victories and even took the clubs only knight Sir Joshua to the limit scoring 3 points on Sir Josh before the Angry Knight was able to get the hard fought victory. Ozzy was quickly recruited by House Doom! House Demon watch out! Many club members were able to get in some matches in preparation for this Saturdays Tournament. Murkwood battles was in full swing as the club participated in meat grinder, melee, team battles, and two save the king battles. Once again the Angry Knight turned assassin and slaughtered his teams archer and king! Treachery abounds in Murkwood! Speaking of the Angry Knight, it seems he is the first member to decare interest in becoming a Magic User! All fighters did well! Great job and well done to all!!!
6/5/02 Updated Murkwood rules and Murkwood rules for magic users.
Major update to the History of Murwood and Map of Murkwood!!!
Added a link back to Murkwood main page from this page.
Finalized all the initial spells for magic users!!!
There are now 54 spells that will be available to magic users!
The clock is ticking on the approach of tournament day. R-U-Ready?!!!
Try to look and dress as Medieval as you can for the Tournament,
we will be video taping the event as well as photographing!
The Shinai Club Portrait will be done also on Tournament day!!!
Look Good and Fight Well!!!
5/4/02 Well Tournament day is fast appoaching and with less than a week left, there is little time left to practice your shinai skills! The Tournament castle courtyard is shaping up nicely. The place will be a site to behold come Tournament Day. The Angry Knight should be well pleased at all the time and expense put forth for his Birthday Celebration Tournament! Remember, all members must be at the club by 11:00am on tournament day to be able to participate in the tournament. All members wishing to participate in the tournament must
BRING A HELMET!!!
4/26/02 Updated rankings page.
Added new "how to build BOFFER sword" to Murkwood Battles page!!!
4/25/02 The club met today with no less than 9 members in attendance! We had several HUGE Murkwood Battles and archers were included! Treachery reigned as several members were victims of double crosses and backstabs! The Angry Knight was the top backstabber as he was hired by House Doom during a game of "Protect the King", during the game Angry Knight was an archer and upon DOOM issuing a command, Angry Knight actually shot and killed his teams own King! H
ouse Doom got the easy win, then Angry Knights enraged team members fell upon the helpless archer and hacked him to death!!! Such is the fate of assasians! Several Shinai matches were also held with all members in attendance showing off their developing skills. New members Black Dragon and Night Slayer impressed some of the older fighters with their improving styles. Black Dragon got enough matches uder his belt and is now promoted from "Newbie" to "Peasant". Congratulations Black Dragon!!! The big story of the day came when the seemingly unstoppable juggernaught had his winning streak stopped! It's true folks DOOM was beaten by Black Thunder! The shocking loss was quickly avenged as DOOM turned his game up a notch and quickly and soundly bested Black Thunder in a return match! DOOM has put the club on notice that "playtime is over boys, it's time to go to school!" Remember the membership drive is on, so let's increase membership by telling your friends about the club and inviting them to check it out with you. See the Club President for an information packet that you can hand out to interested people. The Packet will explain what the club is really about and has some nice pictures in it.
4/24/02 We returned from the Pocono's on Monday after a successful batlle at Helm's Deep. Major Rule Revisions are done, see Club President for a copy or download it from this website. Posted Murkwood Battles Pictures and made the first club video for Murkwood battles. Remember the Shinai Club Tournament will be held soon, the date of the tournament is 5/11/02!!! I hope everyone is prepared for some fierce competition and a great time! Got the message board up and running on the Murkwood website, post your comments, questions, or thoughts on the board for all club members to see!!! The clubs membership continues to grow so why not bring in a friend to the next club event!
4/19/02 Well the club turned out in full force today. We are currently working on some new rule revisions that should make the single competition more exciting and increase safety as well. The club welcomed a new member Jon W.
WELCOME JON W!!!
We had several huge rounds of boffer combat. Black Thunder is now Knight Apparent under the tutelage of the newly Knighted Sir Josh a.k.a. the Angry Knight. DOOM continued to dominate and has declared his canidacy for Knight Apparent sponsorship. Well, well soon the royal ranks will be firmly established. Some of the club will be heading up to "Helm's Deep" in the Poconos this weekend, to strengthen the fortress and test its strength with a huge battle!!!
4/18/02 Shinai matches resumed today with Doom, Angry Knight, and
Dark Blade in attendance. The club welcomed a new member called the Black Dragon. Welcome Black Dragon!!! Black Dragon had the members rockin' and reelin' as he scored several impressive wins over the veteran club members. We think "BD" will be a member to watch out for in the future. Angry Knight served out his time under the sponsorship of Doom and passed his Knight's test with flying colors. The club had it's say at the Angry one's Knighting meeting and Doom decided to grant the Angry Knight proper Knighthood. The title "Sir" was bestowed and Angry Knight was properly knighted using Dooms ninja-to legendary sword who's blade can cut the darkness!!! Congratulations Sir Joshua.
Lady Dragon even came out and took DOOM to the limit each of these fierce warriors took each other to the limit and once again no clear cut victor could be determined.
4/15/02 Murkwood Battles is officially under way!
Shinai Club's first offficial tournament announced!!!
First we have introduced a new and exciting branch that is intertwined with the shinai club called "Murkwood Battles". What is it?
Click the Murkwood Battles link back on the index page to find out!!!
Now on to the tournament! The club's first official tournament will be held on Saturday May 11, 2002 starting at 12:00pm. The tournament is being held as part of Josh the Angry Knights birthday celebration. We plan on having various games of medieval skill and a Murkwood Battles tournament too! Don't miss all the fun it's going to be a blow out!!!
3/2/02 Major rules revision and additions.
Print out a copy now or ask Mark if he has any extra's.
2/26/02 Well the February HEATWAVE continues and so did the club winter matches. Most of the club was in attendance and DARK BLADE even made an appearance! ANGRY KNIGHT scored some solid victories rebounding from Sunday's humiliating defeats with great style. Looks like the Angry one has finally shaken that nagging winter cold. ANGRY KNIGHT took DOOM to the limit with a hard fought long and drawn out match, each opponent could score nothing but dual gauntlet strikes as they put on a virtual "Shinai Clinic" utilizing great form and technique! ANGRY KNIGHT and DOOM ended up battling with only one arm each due to double cleaves!!! DOOM finally put the ANGRY KNIGHT away with a legal hit that struck a mere fraction of a second before ANGRY KNIGHT was able to score his own winning point! BLACK THUNDER got in some more impressive wins by utilizing and perfecting his developing powerful style. B.T. is even starting to go blow for blow with DOOM! DARK BLADE looked good considering being rusty from his long absense from competition. Ankle Biter used his unorthodox to confound and confuse his opponents, making them work hard for victories against this junior member. Acting Noble and Club President DOOM has offically changed the nickname for the club's youngest member from "SPONGE" to "GOBLIN". Speaking of DOOM, the juggernaut continued his winning streak by besting every member in attendance in short order. Can you imagine the boost in ego that the member who breaks DOOM's winning streak will get? It looks like club members are beginning to split up into factions with the club. DOOM has established "HOUSE DOOM" as his offical faction and it looks like BLACK THUNDER will be the first inductee into the house. ANGRY KNIGHT has responded to this by establishing his own faction called "HOUSE DEMON" and has enrolled DARK BLADE as this houses first inductee!!! Two practice melee's were also held with HOUSE DOOM versus HOUSE DEMON. HOUSE DOOM's team consisted of: DOOM, BLACK THUNDER, and GOBLIN. HOUSE DEMON's team consisted of ANGRY KNIGHT, DARK BLADE, and ANKLE BITER. The first melee ended in a draw with DOOM and DARK BLADE scoring the final hits simultaniously!!! The second melee saw HOUSE DEMON soundly defeating HOUSE DOOM!!! Great technique and tactics were demonstrated by all participating members. Extra recognition goes out to ANGRY KNIGHT for his great technique while using a shield. Club President DOOM is attempting to plan the club's first TOURNAMENT and he hopes to have it take place by late spring or early summer! Finally we will have a club CHAMPION!
2/24/02 Once again unseasonably warm temperatures brought forth an impromptu meeting of the club for some winter matches. BLACK THUNDER came on strong, after some advice on technique from DOOM, scoring some impressive victories as he soundly defeated the ANGRY KNIGHT in match after match. B.T. looked unstoppable and even took DOOM to the limit, with DOOM pulling out a 5 to 4 victory over the much improved fighter! Angry Knight was way off his game due to fighting off a nagging winter cold. DOOM well, DOOM was DOOM as the club monster powered and finessed his way to some solid wins.
Can anyone stop this Shinai juggernaut?
1/28/02 Well an unseasonable warm front brought temperatures into the high 60's, so the club assembled for some winter matches!!!
First off we would like to welcome new member Dylan O!!!
Several promotions were granted:
DOOM from Squire to Verteran
Ankle Biter from Peasant to Squire
Angry Knight from Veteran to Soldier
Black Thunder from Veteran to Soldier
Well done and congratulations to all!!!
NOW ON TO THE ACTION!!!
Well the action was fast and furious with all members in attendance scoring some impressive wins. The upset of the day came when Ankle Biter scored an impressive win over Angry Knight! Angry Knight stirred up contraversey by stealing Black Thunder's spinning strike move! Black Thunder became enraged and challenged the Angry Knight to a match. Black Thunder then began scoring some impressive hits by, get this, stealing Angry Knights "Storm god" technique! Trash talking ensued and rematches were fought as action reached a boiling point! DOOM continued his steady impressive winning streak by letting his shinai do most of his trash talking. The club even got to practice some speciality matches like, 2 on 1, triple threat matches, and special weapons matches using a shield! I have to say this was one of the most action packed fun days the club has ever seen!!!
11/12/01 DOOM and Black Thunder succeeded in putting together the club's first video, MTV eat your heart out! They also did some still captures from the video tape and created the new "Club Pictures" section on the website!!! Check it out!!!
11/11/01 Matches held today once again the "Fearsome Foursome" in attendance!
DOOM picked up a couple of victories and is closing in on the rank of "Veteran". Black Thunder is beginning to use his power to overcome his opponents. Angry Knight scored some good victories as he to closes in on the " Veteran" rank. Dark Blade was off his game as he couldn't seem to get even one victory! Oh well I guess Dark Blade was tired coming off of the many straight victories he scored on camera yesterday! Speaking of camera's, DOOM and Black Thunder worked hard on the video tape in the clubs editing room. The two fledgling producers managed to digitally record the footage on DOOM's PC so club video's and website pics can't be too far off!!!
11/10/01 Matches held today with the "Fearsome foursome" DOOM, Black Thunder, Dark Blade, and the Angry Knight in attendance. Club members got a chance to ham it up for the video camera today as all matches were taped! The members didn't disappoint us as we did some pre and post match interviews that were, shall we say memorable! Watch out WWF!!! Dark Blade was on a roll scoring several impressive victories including back to back rematch victories against the Angry Knight and Black Thunder! Dark Blade improved his record greatly and was promoted to the rank of "Veteran". WELL DONE DARK BLADE! The Angry Knight looked good in competition as he showed club members his new brooding hooded shinai outfit. Black Thunder was in a slump and couldn't score one victory! Black Thunder did handle most of the camera work for the matches and interviews so he may have been preoccupied, I'm sure he'll make a comeback soon! DOOM scored some solid victories as he closes in on the "Veteran" rank. DOOM is like a rock and his style is nearly impossible to counter, this makes him one of the clubs most feared competitors! We're all waiting for the return of dangerous Danny B to competition as well as the Lady Dragon! Hopefully we can recruit some new members soon, we're all getting tired of beating up the same old members!!! Well we should have some pictures on the site soon, thanks to the video footage. Until next time keep your guard high and your swings low...
11/7/01 Third day of matches in a row! the members must like punishment. DOOM, Black Thunder, Angry Knight, Dark Blade and Ankle Biter in attendance. Good hard fought matches by all members. Wins are becoming harder to come by as members improve their skills. Matches are scored much closer with fewer lopsided victories, most wins are by one point, and their are more sudden deaths! DOOM was promoted to the rank of "Squire" WELL DONE DOOM! The foul and wretched Angry Knight was promoted to the rank of "Veteran" WELL DONE ANGRY KNIGHT! Tempers flared when Angry Knight bested DOOM, handing DOOM his second defeat. DOOM took the defeat graciously until Black Thunder said, "You suck DOOM"! This caused DOOM to momentarily loose his composure and say to Black Thunder, "I want him on the field now!". The match that followed left Black Thunder hanging his head in defeat! All Black Thunder could score was one pitiful point against the enraged DOOM. As DOOM left the field in victory he was heard to say, "Get Black Thunder a straw because he sucks!" I'm sure we haven't heard the last of Black Thunder! Ankle Biter continues to improve and impress the older members of the club. Dark Blade is quietly building himself a solid record as he scored some well earned and skillfully won victories. We plan on video taping matches to be held this Saturday so I'm sure our members will be hamming it up for the camera. Hopefully we can psot some pics on this site soon!!!
11/6/01 Matches held today with DOOM, Angry Knight, Black Thunder and Dark Blade in attendance. The club has a new member WELCOME CRISTINE S a.k.a. "LADY DRAGON"!!! After watching a few matches Lady Dragon decided whacking people with sticks was right up her alley after all as she is quoted as saying ," I am a bad a$#!". Well she proceeded to prove her point as she nearly bested DOOM, losing a sudden death decision to our residing "Honorary Noble". The usually silent and sullen DOOM seemed to have his intense concentration thrown off balance by the Lady Dragon as she had DOOM back pedaling on a couple of occasions! Lady Dragon then beat each club member in attendance in turn before finally being stopped once again by DOOM in another close sudden death decision, this one had numerous double hits, watch out DOOM!
Dark Blade was promoted to "Squire" after some tough battles using his developing "Drunken Shinai" technique. Dark Blades technique combines quickness, unpredictability and low attacks. The technique is very frustrating to the other members. WELL DONE DARK BLADE! Speaking of promotions, Black Thunder also rumbled to the rank of "Squire", punishing his opponents with his solid style and deadly technique. Black Thunder is becoming quite adept at learning and countering the other members techniques! WELL DONE BLACK THUNDER! And now finally a report on the brooding, foul, and wretched Angry Knight. The Angry one scored several impressive victories and has begun to develope a new technique where he drops to one knee and lunges forward to strike his opponent, the move is so smooth and quick that it is proving hard to counter! The Angry One is quickly closing in on the rank of "Veteran". Can you guys imagine the Angry Knight as a "Noble"? God help us all!!!
11/5/01 Hence forth let it be known that all names reported here will be the club members nick names. Matches were held today with DOOM, Black Thunder, Angry Knight, Dark Blade, and Ankle Biter in attendance. It was a big day for the Angry Knight as he was promoted to the rank of "Squire" by Club President DOOM. WELL DONE ANGRY KNIGHT!!! The ANGRY KNIGHT is now able to wear the white sash and is the first member of our club to be able to wear a rank sash. Speaking of firsts, the foul and wretched Angry Knight also handed the previously undefeated DOOM his first lose! Ankle Biter was impressive as he defeated the Angry Knight in a most convincing fashion. Angry Knight was none too happy about this , of course!!! Black Thunder rolled onto the battle field scoring some hard fought victories using his ever improving quick draw technique. Black Thunder's power is impressive as he can make his shinai an unmovable object at will! Dark blade continues to perfect his speed and low attack technique as he scored some well earned victories. A great time was had by all!
10/31/01 The club held a haunted yard for the neighborhood with Mark S, Josh S, Dan B, David F, and Ray W in attendance. Thanks to Cristine S for helping out also. The haunted yard was a great success with half the people that walked through refusing to go any further than half way before turning around and running out it terror!!! Thanks to all the members for making this event a huge success!!! Wait until next year!!!
10/26/01 Dave F, Ray W, Mark S, Josh S, Devon S in attendance. Josh S invited his friend Danny B to check out the club and Danny signed on after a try out with the club President Mark S. WELCOME DANNY B!!! Danny was on fire as he quickly dispatched every club member in turn earning a quick 4 straight victories!!! This left the entire club screaming for rematches which Danny was gracious enough to grant! Danny competed in 8 straight matches, winning 6, before the members would let him leave the field. Danny brings a football background with him and he says he uses these skills to make his defense so devastating on the "shinai" field! Ray W is improving as he picked up some hard earned victories. Ray W remains tough to compete against due to his developing low crouch fighting style! Ray, Dave, Mark and Devon all were promoted to the rank of "Peasant" ,by the club President Mark S, after all 4 competed in their 15th match. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL 4 FIERCE COMPETITORS ON A JOB WELL DONE!!!
10/24/01 Mark S, Josh S, Dave F in attendance. Dave brought his younger brother along and after a try out this youngster was quickly signed up. WELCOME DEVON O!!! Devon is the youngest member of the club so far but he has an incredibly unorthadox technique that the other members are finding hard to counter. Devon started out with three straight wins at this meeting and if he can hone his skill he will be a tough competitor indeed! Josh S competed in his 15th match and thus was promoted to the rank of "Peasant" by the club President and residing "Noble" Mark S. CONGRATULATIONS JOSH!!! Dave F is beginning to develope a quick draw technique combined with a spin to confuse his opponents, so far it's working!
10/22/01 Started the club with founding members Josh S, Ray W, and Mark S in attendance. David F showed up and joined on that same day. We all had a great time and everyone competed! Josh has begun to develope a technique he calls "storm god" and finding an effective counter could be tough!
Ray likes to go low to the ground and is difficult to score points on, he is also quick on his feet. Dave is careful and calculating only striking when a clear opportunity arises, his defense is also good. Dave just needs to build his confidence up and he will be a tough competitor!