MISC.

The attendees of Man Weekend 2026 could rob you and there’s nothing you could do about it.

Be grateful they’re all righteous men of principle. 

Despite a name which may conjure up images of “masculinity retreats” where broken men go to explore their feelings and “become a real man through healing their divine masculine” Man Weekend (hosted by Modern Agonistics, or agnostics depending on your reading level) is a real deal training event for any man who wants to become more dangerous. 

Despite many blows to the head I remember most of the three days, which brought together a wide array of skilled fighters and instructors. Also in attendance was a strong contingent of writers, making it (in the words of Dr. Breck) as much of a writer’s conference as a fighting seminar. I agreed to fight a five round boxing match on Saturday for the Man Weekend title. I was fighting Sean, who cut significant weight and fought orthodox (not his preferred southpaw) to allow me a slim chance. 

The weather was cold, wet and grey, which was blamed on the pagans in attendance. It created a dramatic atmosphere in the thick spring woods surrounding the house where the activities were centered. Thursday night I arrived after dark, coming into the house like a guest in the longhouse of a Viking king, finding it full of guys who were ready (and able ) to fight. The welcome was warm. I slept out on the grass in a tent listening to the incessant rain and the occasional cries of the neighboring rooster. 

Man Weekend has only one requirement for attendance, you must fight. This has a strong weeding-out effect; keeping away posers, cowards, and tourists. The men there were a motley bunch, but all part of the select few in modern society who will willingly engage in violence. A shrinking percentage of men willing to enter the arena, and I was proud to know every one of them. 

Friday we trained. Everything was covered. Firearms, boxing, wrestling, stick-fighting, HEMA, machetes, jiu jitsu, knives. All aspects of violence were drilled, sparred, and discussed. The instruction was excellent for beginners and advanced fighters alike, everyone helped each other to get the most out of the training and encouraged maximum participation. I did several rounds of boxing to prepare me for my fight, and a whole array of improvised weapons with James LaFond (special thanks to Richard Barrett for bringing the rebar). 

Saturday was fight day. Boxing came first, with a few warm-up rounds for Sean and myself interspersed with a bunch of one-off rounds for everyone and a multi-round spat for Alex the jiujitsu coach, who stayed in and took a new opponent every minute. The title fight was excellent, Sean beat me by decision but it wasn’t an easy victory. I am honored to have shared the ring with him. You can find the video on the Sevier Knox Agonistics YouTube page. 

After boxing came stick, in which most participated, then steel and miscellaneous weapons. I did a few fun spear and shield fights with Adam the Line Sergeant. Then there was the battle. Pagans versus Christians, on a narrow spit of land between two ponds. 4v4 with spear, sticks, and shields. The Christians took it 2 out of 3 but I hear the pagans are regrouping and preparing already to redouble their attacks…

Finally we did a small jiu-jitsu tournament, with some stiff competition. I wound up taking on Sean again to secure 3rd place, a small consolation for my earlier beatdown. We then ate pizza and talked late into the night, as warriors should, on an array of intellectual (and not so intellectual) topics. Jeth Randolph of the One in One journal informed me of the importance of looking “Hench”, something which I encourage anyone reading this to do. 

Sore, bruised, and elated I recall this weekend. Anyone who has the opportunity and the will to attend should. It was a rare experience and an honor to have been invited. Training for next year begins now. 

I was also greatly encouraged that many in attendance had read and enjoyed my work, particularly Reavers of the Coast. The tale of Captain Vane will continue soon!

James LaFond visited me recently and we took the opportunity to discuss some of our mutual interests inbetween injring eachother with machetes. The first such conversation is on Robert E. Howard's character of Conan and his influence on our lives. 

3 September 25

Somewhere, Utah

Coyotes are howling in the desert, and the moon is a bright waxing gibus. I finished reading King of Dogs by Andrew Edwards today, gifted to me by a friend who goes by the name of SurfbortCowboy on twitter. He graciously took the time to show me around while I’ve been in Utah, and he is the real article. So when he suggested I read this book and brought me a signed copy on our second meeting, there was no doubt it would be the real article too. 

It is. I finished the book in about two weeks (which at my normal pace of reading is lightning fast) staying up multiple nights until 1 or 2 AM unable to put it down. The pace is perfect, keeping you on your toes, gripping you into the action, and challenging your philosophical stances simultaneously. All to the moody backdrop of the American Southwest, centered on the hippie outdoor city of Moab, Utah.It is equal parts adventure story and philosophy treatise, thanks to the main character Grayson. 

Grayson is what you would get if you combined Jason Bourne, Ed Calderon, and an Orthodox monk in a lab. He is methodical, precise, adaptable, and unwavering in his moral conviction. Father to a stillborn child and a widow by suicide, he begins the book making a deathbed promise to his best friend to protect a family and their child and get them out of Moab before it is overrun. The America Grayson inhabits is falling apart, in an unsettlingly believable way. Law and order is weak, institutional trust evaporated. Private interests and foreign governments vie for control, and the destruction of small towns in the desert is not out of the question. So when the “virginia boys” show up, it is only a matter of time. 

The story is punctuated with long dream sequences reminiscent of the otherworldly visions of Agent Dale  Cooper in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks. The scenes come and go without warning, but never abruptly, adding a mystical and supernatural element to the story. Grayson is a man of the spirit and the body. Often indulging in long theological contemplations during lulls in the action. This only gives greater gravitas to his actions later in the book. He is not there to debate. 

I heartily recommend this book to any reader of action fiction, or anyone looking for a fresh exciting story. It can be found here:

https://www.goldengoatguild.net/

Spring. The air is cool, the morning light is pink and pale. Small white flowers form a carpet around trees still bare from winter only recently departed. 

I see her there. Flushed and fair. Glowing in that tender light, which morning only produces. She wears no smile on her lips,  nor any expression on her brow. There is no need, peace prevails .

Birds sing gently through the boughs and branches. Each playing their part in the rich symphony. The flowers sway in a light breeze. 

There are her eyes, searching in their depth. Like a purling stream in green and blue and gray. Now glancing from petal to branch, trunk to sky. Looking for nothing. 

Hair pours down her back, long and full. Only a few strands disturbed by the breeze. Golden-brown and shining like a wood finely polished. 

Softly her breast rises and falls with slowly drawn breaths. As she steps with care and grace among the blooms. I watch her pass behind a tree, she is gone. The birds are singing. 

Grappling is often over-simplified in roleplay gaming and does not offer the possibilities it does in reality. This is an attempt to fix that.

A skilled grappler can manipulate their opponent in myriad ways not limited to pinning and restraining. Depending on style they can break limbs, inflict damage by smashing their opponent on the ground, strangle them, or put them in a weaker position to be finished off with a weapon. 

Grappling is a crucial part of armed combat and neglecting it makes for a less dynamic and believable game. 

More versatile grappling rules enhance gameplay and player agency, opening up many new possibilities in combat and non-lethal encounters. 

5E: 

Everyone is a Grappler

Grappling/wrestling/open-handed-fighting is not the purview of one class or style of fighting, it may be necessary for any archetype of adventurer to engage in grappling at some point. This is a key aspect of close quarters fighting. 

A strong character might grapple to push opponents around or hold them close to strike an opponent who would otherwise run, a more dexterous character might use it to off balance or trip opponents and give themselves and their teammates advantage, while a weaker character might only grapple to disengage from others’ attempts to wrestle them. 

The feat would read:

You’ve developed the skills necessary to hold your own in close-quarters grappling. You gain the following benefits:

-increase your strength by 1 to a total of 20

-You have advantage on attack rolls against a creature you are grappling.

-You have advantage on grapple attempts and escaping from a grapple

-You can attempt joint locks, pins/restraints, power-throws, or strangles 

The damage done by different types of grappling have different effects and durations. Joint lock damage (1d8+strength or dexterity) decreases movement or denies use of a limb and is only recovered through magical healing or several months of recovery. Power throws deal bludgeoning damage modified by the thrower’s strength or dexterity (1d10) critical hits have a chance to knock the one being thrown unconscious (if damage exceeds half their HP). Strangles act as a silence, if you take damage while strangling make a constitution save to maintain.