New Attendee Info

 

What to Bring:

A great attitude.   Not enough can be said to come ready to play your part, be a soldier or leader, cooperate to the fullest extent possible, and BE a part of Clash of Iron.  CLASH is not about individuals or personalities, it is about good friends creating an experience that will never be forgotten!

 

Your best arms and armor.  Remember if you plan to needelfelt thaty things can get rough... dents happen...  But needlefelt is never required.  Other activities will be available.

 

If you plan to bring a tent, contact the Camp Planner: Justuslonginus@aol.com The camp will be planned military style this year, and will be more strictly controlled for setup.  We must get you on the camp plan so we can be prepared.  To reserve a room in the barracks, contact the sponsoring legion Centurio.  NOTE: Tents that expect to be located in the fort MUST be tan, brown, or leather.  No white tents are allowed in the Fort.  White tents are allowed in the Vicus area.  It is possible to be a soldier and sleep  in your white tent in the Vicus.  EXTRA Brown tent space is available!!

 

The last couple of Clash of Iron's have been wet and mild, but some of us remember frozen plumbing and ice, so here are some things you may need for a cold Clash of Iron as well as some tips and items to make your stay better:

 

Extra wool blankets.  Clash of Iron recommends three.  Some guys have used sheepskins to make an incredibly warm bed (takes 2-3) or Greek flokati rugs to wrap up in (the flokati is a 3000 year old rug technology, so it is very period). 

 

Hot hands warmers.  Toss one in the foot of your bedroll and it will keep your feet quite toasty.

 

Big mouth Gatorade jar.  Unless you want to make a 4 am trudge to the bathroom, a wide mouth gatorade bottle and good aim can be your friend.  Never drink yellow gatorade at an event.

 

Wool gloves or mittens.  Civwar styles are acceptable for cold weather.  We'll let you cheat a bit here.

 

Sox:  Wool socks are a must!  If wet and cold they protect you from both, even if you step in a puddle!  Fox River Socks sells "Norwegian Ragg Wool" socks that are excellent and can be modified a bit to be more Roman if you like by cutting out the toe and heel and stiching them up a bit. 

 

Braccae are a good idea, and you should order them ASAP from Lawrensnest.com or make soem of your own in wool or leather.  An inexpensive pair can be made with brown or black sweatpants for about $10 and a few leather strings.

 

Idiot cables... if you have a habit of losing things, or have $600 unreplaceable pugio, you may want to bring a few leather ties to connect things to you so you do not lose them...

 

Burlap bags.  Big "coffee" burlap bags are perfect for hiding modern stuff.  Linen, leather and oilcloth also work well, and oilcloth tends to be pretty water resistant too.

 

Oil lamps and oil (and wicks) or candles can help you see, as it gets pretty dark at night and flashlights are frowned on! 

 

Period Cup, Plate and Bowl.  No modern items are allowed visible en castris.

 

SOME FORM OF CANTEEN/Water bottle, leather bottel, bota, etc.  You will be ordered to drink and stay hydrated.

 

There are showers, so soap and towels are good.  Again keep the modern stuff hidden at all times.

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What to Expect:

• Army food and comradeship.

• Combat Patrols during the day, work details, and a soldier's life.

• Mud!  Drizzle, wild animals and creepy crawleys

• Lots of firewood, and details to carry it to the fires

• Cold.

Barracks space will be reserved for IRPA Legionnaires and contributors of the build on a space-available basis.  In addition participants in set up and CLASH WEEK will have preference where possible.  Centurions must detail a list of who is attending the event ASAP to reserve a spot. If you want to sleep under tegulae in a warm straw bed, respond as soon as possible.  EXTRA TENT SPACE IS AVAILABLE.

Please remember this a reenactment event. There are no paved roads and the possibility of rain, cold, mud, and barbarian invasions exist.

 

A Bit about Ancient Reenacting

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Join either the victorious Roman Army or the Noble Celtic Barbarians at Clash of Iron, located in LAFE, ARKANSAS on 94 acres of private land. There are several ponds, woods, fields, and many places for Celts and courageous Romans to interact in meaningful and constructive ways (and not always with swords...).

We look forward to seeing you around the campfire. There are a few rules for the safety of participants.

1. No drugs are allowed, period.

2. Alcohol will be permitted, but there will be no alcohol given to or consumed by minors (under age 21) at any time.

3. Campfires will be built only in authorized fire pits.

4. Campfires will have a fire watch? at all times. NO UNATTENDED FIRES WILL BE ALLOWED.

5. The Roman Group will have a leader, as well as the Celtic Group. These persons will be responsible for fire prevention and your safety. In an emergency, please listen to them and be vigilant about the fire risk.

6. Upon arrival, please sign in and let the staff know if there are any medical conditions or allergies which we need to know about (bee stings, food allergies, diabetes, etc.) Small children left unattended will be sold as galley slaves; small children who are supervised will be welcome to stay.

7. The owner of the land and the staff will not be held responsible for accidents, injury, or lost items. Please be careful and obey the rules.  Holes, ropes, fires, wild animals, debris, old metal bits, all can be encountered.  Safety is everyone's responsibility!

8. Any infraction of the above rules could mean expulsion from the site.

 

Additonal Information

This is private property and the landowner will be fighting for Rome and tossing pila along with us, but we should remind all people attending of the following:

• This is an Ancient Reenactment, participants should strive for authenticity. You can pitch your modern tent near the parking area, talk your way into someone's period tent, or just pull up a warm sheepskin next to one of the camp fires.  BE SURE TO REVIEW the authenticity guidelines (new for 2012) and remember to keep ALL non-period items hidden!!

• The temperature will typically be in the 40s to 50s during daylight. At night, it will be colder hence the wool and warm skins.

• Wood for fires will be provided (available at fort)

• Bathrooms will be available.

• There IS a shower (up front by parking) provided for the convenience of those travelersfrom far away (no more stares at the BP station on the way home)

• Hay will be provided for bedding (if needed)

• Water will be available (bring your own containers please)

• Celtic re-enactors should contact the local clan leader for the location of their campsite near the farmstead.

• Individual Cohorts and Legionnaires may make camp as terrain allows, however a turf wall and ditch has been constructed south west of the Local tribes. Fellow legions are invited to camp with IRPA legions in the fort.

• Roman military tunics should be a rust or brick or dark RED color.  Other color tunics must be approved by the event staff.

• Tents that expect to be located in the fort MUST be tan, brown, or leather.  No white tents are allowed in the Fort.  White tents are allowed in the Vicus area.