Weak blocks

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There is a passage on page 94 of the rule book that references weak blocks not preventing valid hits. I have heard from various people in positions to know that this is no longer a rule as it violates the principle of lightest touch but there does not appear to be an official announcement. Can we have a clarification, please?
 
The statement exists in the rulebook as a general guideline to use good sportsmanship when considering whether you blocked (or didn't block) any particular blow. Each strike is different, and there can be no reasonable statement of "so many pascals of force equals hitting too hard". In Alliance, a character shouldn't consider it a valid block if the edge of their blade barely grazed an incoming strike such that its force was negligably affected. Similarly, a character shouldn't consider it a valid strike if they swing, connect with their opponent's weapon, and then lean in and power through the block so that their weapon strikes the enemy anyways. The verbage about "weak blocks" is to try and express this wide range of possibilities in a somewhat reasonable way.

Basically, we expect players to be reasonable about whether an attack was validly blocked or not. It is never okay for a player to swing harder simply to try and push through an opponent's intervening weapon. Similarly, it is never okay for a player to call out "I blocked that, not taking the hit!" for every tiny deviation of an incoming swing due to incidental contact before it lands. There can be no hard and fast 100% clear wording for every case, thus the wording in the rulebook which is intended to give a guideline for players inexperienced in Alliance combat.

If players are swinging too hard, they should be called on it. Likewise, if a strike is validly blocked, the attacker should accept that their strike did not land. Alliance asks that its players be good sports and act appropriately in these circumstances.

-Bryan Gregory
ARC
 
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