It’s also the second’s job to defuse the situation, sweet-talking both sides into apologizing. A second acts as a witness and part-time referee, making sure all the rules are followed. 4) Order SecondsĪfter a challenge, ask your most obsessive-compulsive friend to be your second. In fact, that’s exactly why the code was written: to decrease injuries and increase the chances for apologies. Follow them, and you and your challenger may become so bogged down discussing logistics that cooler heads may prevail. The most popular dueling rulebook, Code Duello, was written in 1777, and its 25 rules were meant to be complex. The key now is to get out of this pickle without getting injured or hurting your rival. That’s why so many officeholders in the 18th and 19th centuries dueled-reputations were on the line. For politicians, bad press like that was career suicide.

A refusal will stain your reputation, especially since according to dueling etiquette the challenger is entitled to walk the nearest newspaper and print an article accusing you of cowardice. must be ascribed, in some degree to this absurd custom.” Of course, another way to act nicer is to not shoot people over arguments. The 1937 manual The Art of Dueling argues that the risk of a duel made everyone act nicer: “The great gentleness and complacency of modern manners. One of the reasons dueling remained popular late into the 19th century was because people believed it made society more civilized. The last thing you want to do is actually fight a duel, so use your brain to get out of the situation with your honor intact. For centuries, duels were the ideal way to defend your honor after an insult, but in the present day, shooting a rival is considered terrible form, which is why instead of being the deadliest man in your duel, you should work on being the cleverest. Anybody who’s anybody has dueled once or twice, from presidents like Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln to artists like Edouard Manet and Miguel Cervantes.

So you’ve been challenged to a duel? Don’t worry-you’re in good company.

Ck2 how to duel