Changes

<ol start="4. "><li> All shield board fronts must be covered in cloth, leather or rawhide. This prevents splinters from impacts to the front of shields causing a hazard to other combatants. Shield backs may be similarly covered.</li>5. <li> All uncovered plywood surfaces must be scored in the direction of the grain so as to give the impression of planking.</li>6. <li> All shield boards must be in good general condition, and free of holes and splinters.</li>7. <li> Washers used in the construction of a shield should be distressed, or otherwise disguised, so as to hide any evidence of modern manufacture. Washerless clench nails can be used only after the approval of the MAA or one of his deputies. Clenching seems to be the most common way of securing a boss to a shield, but can be tricky and cause safety concerns.</li>8. <li> All bosses must be made from steel or forged iron and must be free of rust and burrs. If they are of spun construction, they must be disguised to hide any evidence of spinning marks. Theymust be attached to the shield board with a minimum of four rivets, with the use of five being encouraged.</li>9. <li> Shield bosses must have a diameter between 76mm (3”) and 178mm (7”), excluding the flange. They should be of hemispherical, conical or mammoform section, and may be “shouldered”.</li>10. <li> Any shield may have metal strapping or re-enforcement added to the back of its board. Such bracing should show no evidence of modern manufacture and should be perpendicular to the planking of the shield. Additional metal strapping or metal plate decoration on the front face of the board must be avoided.</li>11. <li> As a general note, shield types other than those detailed above (such as oval, Slavic, Pictish, Byzantine, etc.), may be given consideration for certain datelines and contexts. However, since the vast majority of our events are set within the British Isles and within a given period, there would be very few, if any occasions when such items may be needed. If you have an interest in equipment from another period or geographical area, the MaA will be happy to discuss with you the possible uses of your equipment in a Regia context.</li></ol>