I think with battles I wouldn't trust anyone I didn't know to use anything but the 'safe' anodyne methods accpted on the field, too risky. Bad enough with medieval reenactors agreeing with anything.

Northerner? no, (wife is) I am from the South but live in East Anglia, in a small group, mid to late 15thc, we mainly do our own small events, a lot more interpretation and interaction with a few fighting events as the calendar permits, but joining others fom our umbrella groups.

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As a historical fencer, though, I quite frequently face opponents that are complete strangers to me, sometimes when they are using a weapon that they are highly unfamiliar with (such as the classical fencer from Ireland learning to use the quarterstaff). Sometimes it's a little hairy, occasionally you feel that just one more blow to the head and you really will have your head sunken into your body, but I'm yet to see anyone get hurt more than a tiny bit. I feel, personally, that much of the safety that allows us to do such things comes from the mask. No, I wouldn't be willing to face a complete novice with a Danish axe wearing nothing but my fencing mask, but anyone with a good grounding in the principle of safe control, wielding anything that isn't too tip-heavy, is alright by me. Without a mask, on the other hand, I don't trust anywhere near so many.

Still, as the universal consensus seems to be that having the kit as close to authentic as possible is the priority, that's a kind of irrelevant point! I do wish there was something to be done, though

Hope the weather is nicer with you down in equatorial East Anglia!

i see you allow croix shots, but what to do with the hammer? if the croix consists of an axe and a hook attacking with the croix is fine, but when there's a hammer things might become dangerous

is topling with the queue allowed?for instances when one does a back lever throw he uses the queue to trow the opponent over his knee, but this cannot be done when you can only attack the lower shoulders etc. i bring this up becuase you use the shaft part of the queue and not the tip used for thrusting

furthermore i think one target should be avoided too, unless agreed by the combatants

ofcourse i'm talking about the groin!
some people wear a cup, some don't. i think therefore it should be agreed before wether the groin's a legal target or not