Calibration
From MiddleWiki
The rather subjective scale by which armored combatants determine if a blow is good or not.
Correct calibration is sometimes explained erroneously as the force it would take to actually inflict a wound to a person through "real" armor using a "real" weapon. In reality, the usual amount of force necessary to land a "telling" blow (in the MidRealm, at least) is considerably less that what would be needed to dent steel plate, let alone pierce it.
The "Conventions of Combat of the SCA, Inc." only say this regarding calibration:
EFFECTIVE BLOWS: Blows must be delivered with effective technique for the particular type of weapon used, and must strike properly oriented and with sufficient force to be considered an effective blow.
In reality, calibration is a range that can go from the too light side to the excessively hard side. Note that while it is perfectly acceptable to warn an opponent that he or she is striking too stoutly, excessive force is not a reason in and of itself to refuse to accept a blow.
Calibration outside of Kingdom
Different Kingdoms have naturally developed differing calibration levels. Some Kingdoms in the southern United States have a reputation for accepting lighter blows, perhaps because their fighters generally wear less or lighter armor to deal with the heat. Notable expections exist, of course, such as the Kingdom of Atlantia which, despite being comprised mainly of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, has a reputation of being one (if not THE) hardest-hitting Kingdoms in the Knowne World; or the Kingdom of Northshield (Northern US and Canada) which has a reputation for hitting lighter.
Outside of her own borders, the MidRealm fighters are considered to hit on the slightly higher than average end of the calibration scale. This varies between regions, of course.
Targeting
In the MidRealm, all legal target areas -- except the face -- are subject to the same level of calibration. Face thrusts are generally delivered with much less force. See the section on face thrusting for more information.
In effect, many fighters accept blows to the arms with less force than to other bodily areas, often due to a lack of armor on the limbs.
