Gunfreak | 03 Apr 2019 8:15 a.m. PST |
Reading my new HEMA book, it goes into some detail on the judical duel. And it seems quite effective. Say Person A's wife was raped. And/or Person A/wife says person B did it. The person A and B duel, if A wins, the rape has been avenged and if person B survives the actual duel he is dragged of to get hung. If person B wins, he was innocent and person A and his wife gets killed for giving false witness. Or Person A is a big chemical company executive, person B claim the company has dumped toxic waste and given lots of children cancer. So a judical duel is fought. If person A wins he gets all of person Bs valuables and person B is fined or punished in some way. If person B wins, then Person A gets killed so does everyone else in the company. And all the valuables of the company is given to person B. And we hope he shares it with all the sick children. |
Stryderg | 03 Apr 2019 8:23 a.m. PST |
There would be a whole lot less complaining about stuff. "Hey! You took my …" <thought cloud> wait, 50% chance I die if I pursue this </thought cloud> "umm, nevermind" |
mad monkey 1 | 03 Apr 2019 9:06 a.m. PST |
Nice dream. Judicial Champions, weregeld, etc. would pop up. Lawyers would get involved. The horror.."shudder" |
HMS Exeter | 03 Apr 2019 9:12 a.m. PST |
A guy I knew in law school who went into practice in Annapolis was a bit of a card. One of his first cases was a breach of contract case. During a motion hearing he submits paperwork requesting trial by combat. Everybody in the courthouse was nonplussed until he pointed out that when Maryland was established, it adopted the English Common Law in full. He cited English case law precedent that Trial by Combat was still part of the English Common Law when Maryland adopted it. Since it had never been specifically annulled by statute, it was still on the books. He submitted a motion requesting opposing counsel make a choice of weapons. The Maryland General Assembly was convened in emergency session. |
20thmaine | 03 Apr 2019 9:20 a.m. PST |
So the young, the old, the weak and the disabled can never have justice? Great system. Not. |
HMS Exeter | 03 Apr 2019 9:21 a.m. PST |
You could avail yourself of a champion. My bud planned to stand in for his client. He was 6'2" and built like a tank. |
Mutant Q | 03 Apr 2019 9:26 a.m. PST |
Duels don't decide who's right or wrong, just who's a better (or luckier) fighter. |
robert piepenbrink | 03 Apr 2019 9:32 a.m. PST |
Mutant, does the present system decide who's right or wrong, or just who hired the better (or better-connected) lawyer? I bet champions cost less money on average. Or we could use D20's. And if someone keeps making accusations, we give the other side a +1 or a saving throw. |
Dynaman8789 | 03 Apr 2019 9:54 a.m. PST |
The current system does a heckuva lot better then duels. Might as well go back to trial by ordeal as trial by combat. Or perhaps allowing torture since the truly righteous could never be made to lie just to have the torture stop… |
Roderick Robertson | 03 Apr 2019 9:56 a.m. PST |
The idea of the judicial duel was, originally, that God would favor the cause of right, and therefor it wasn't the better fighter, but God who decided the matter. |
Gunfreak | 03 Apr 2019 11:12 a.m. PST |
1. As pointed out it's God that decides, but God can't do miracles, so the duel must be as even as possible as God can only put his thumb on the scale, nothing more. Men fighting women would have to stand in hole. So it was even enough for God to fix the fight on the correct direction. 2. Lawyers have always been evolved in judical duels. As it has to be judical. If not it's a private duel about honour which is a very different thing. 3. As pointed out you can select a champion to fight for you. This would be great finally a use for all those silly UFC dopes. And would help supplement the income of bouncers and military veterans. Other advantages, sword production would skyrocket again giving much needed work. Same with armor makers. I'm quite sure by instituting judical duals we could revitalize the entire economy.
Also the turn around when it came to politicians would be much higher as they all would be challenged several times a day. |
Oberlindes Sol LIC | 03 Apr 2019 12:34 p.m. PST |
I look forward to a day when staffing agencies manage professional dueling champions. "Hello, thank you for calling Champs-r-Us!" |
Dynaman8789 | 03 Apr 2019 1:03 p.m. PST |
> but God can't do miracles I got a chuckle out of that… |
Colonel Bogey | 03 Apr 2019 1:59 p.m. PST |
From the title, I thought that this thread was offering to resolve the Brexit debate… |
Stryderg | 03 Apr 2019 2:04 p.m. PST |
I think I would select hand grenades, at 1 pace. Or wet noodles at 40 paces. |
Extrabio1947 | 03 Apr 2019 2:53 p.m. PST |
Rather like binding an accused witch and tossing her in a pond. If she floats, she's a witch and gets plucked out to be dealt with. If she sinks and unfortunately drowns, she's innocent. Either way…. (Insert Monty Python meme here) |
Legion 4 | 03 Apr 2019 2:54 p.m. PST |
Trial by ordeal. E.g. if you drown you are not a witch. If you don't you are and will be BBQ'd at the stake. |
Dynaman8789 | 03 Apr 2019 5:36 p.m. PST |
Speaking of witches – might as well bring back Spectral evidence too. |
Aethelflaeda was framed | 03 Apr 2019 7:35 p.m. PST |
Smacks too much of the absurd statement: An armed society is polite society. Clearly not. |
Porthos | 04 Apr 2019 4:01 a.m. PST |
This thread reminds me of the Fencer Trilogy by K.J. Parker (see link Bardas Loredan, fencer-at-law, is for hire to fight (in court) for clients. The winning lawyer wins his case, the losing lawyer loses his life. |
brass1 | 05 Apr 2019 8:48 a.m. PST |
I prefer the Israel Putnam method of dueling: place two barrels of gunpowder a safe distance apart; insert a fuse into each; the duelists sit down, one to a barrel, and the fuses are lit simultaneously; the first one to chicken out and run for his life loses the duel. LT |
Oberlindes Sol LIC | 12 Apr 2019 10:01 a.m. PST |
Have I mentioned The Dueling Machine, the 1969 novel by Ben Bova? The dueling machine connected to the brains of the duelists, and used their thoughts to create a virtual reality for their duels. The machine added the laws of physics to the virtual realities thus created. Each duel consisted of two rounds, each round based on the thoughts of one duelist. The machine played the events in the virtual realities back into the brains of the duelists. As far as their brains were concerned, they actually were getting shot or stabbed or whatever, but of course their actual bodies were fine, so no one ever suffered actual harm from the duels, and honor was satisfied. Then someone found a way to use the dueling machine to kill his opponents in the real world. It's a pretty good story, as I recall. I read it when I was in junior high school. |