We have created this forum as a home for those who want focused discussion on the arts we love. No question is too dumb to ask, and nobody asking it will be taken as a lightweight: in many ways, we are all beginners.

However.

There is a minimum standard for intellectual honesty, logic and reasoning that we and our guests demand--from both ourselves and others, the novice and the experienced. No, we don't expect anyone to build categorical syllogisms, but there are a few things that, if done over and over, will get someone gleefully booted. So please take some time to read these rules.

1 - Premises come before conclusions. Example. You come here absolutely convinced that A can't be true; someone presents you with tons of credible evidence of A; you ignore the evidence and say it's all BS, because A couldn't *possibly* be true according to your heightened common sense. That is insulting to the intelligence of your interlocutors, and insults are not welcome here--in any form.

2 - Ad hominem arguments won't fly here. Example. You come here and presents point A; another poster disagrees, presenting point B; you then tell him that he only thinks B because he's a sport-fencer/he's in the SCA/she's a woman/he's a sissy and therefore B must be false. That is not only insulting to everyone's intelligence (including yours), but it's also patently offensive.

3 - Appeals to authority also should be used with caution. You come here presenting point A; when challenged, you say "listen, I'm married to a history professor, so of course I know better than you on these matters." Uh-uh. Conversely, deferring to the authority of period masters--especially when mutually corroborating--is perfectly valid and effective.

4 - Appeals to the popularity of a certain idea doesn't make the idea true. You come here saying A must be true because everyone thinks so; well, no. Especially when A goes against direct, quotable, consistent and unambiguous historical evidence. And remember: the new myths (or memes) surrounding historical fencing are often more pernicious and deeply-cherished than the old ones. So, please refer to point 1.

5 - Direct questions should be answered with direct answers. No dissembling, please. We can spot dissembling like our mother-in-laws can spot dust on the mantlepiece.

6 - Don't be afraid to say "I don't know." Or "I must really look this up, because I don't remember." Or "I've never tried this, so I don't know whether it would work or not."

7 - Please: don't get contentious in arguing historical treatises that you have never cracked open. Or fencing styles that you have never really practiced. Because when someone calls you on it, you're on your own.

8 - Show respect for the correct terminology, even when you are unsure about it. If you don't know what something is called, fine: we are all unsure about terms, and these are complex disciplines. But don't make up your own words/terms and then get offended when someone corrects you.

9 - Don't use prejudicial language. Example: you state A must be true; someone disagrees; you say "but everyone with commonsense/everyone who trains for real/everyone with a brain would believe A." The hidden insult is "since you disagree with me you of course must not have any commonsense/train for real/have any brains." This kind of language goes on in many fora, and we have a particular dislike for it.

10 - One last easy one. As moderator, I will occasionally edit posts for a) misspellings, which happen even to the best of us, and b) references to other posters or individuals that may not be clear to others outside the WMA community if given only by first name or nickname.

In the end, remember this golden standard before you hit that "submit" button. Order of the Seven Hearts forum posts often come up as the result of a Google search for fencing concepts, styles or techniques. Would you like for your words (whether they be questions or answers) to stand out as being relevant, reliable and well-reasoned or half-baked and shot from the hip? We like to stick to the former. If you want to do the latter, please go elsewhere.