Totentanz - Dance with Death Honor Duel Tournament

💀⚔️ A Fight for Survival ⚔️💀

Totentanz (Dance with Death) —where every duel is a battle for your life. Fun and defense minded HEMA tournament. Inspired by historical honor duels, Totentanz introduces a unique wound / timer -based ruleset that makes every strike impactful. Winning isn't just about scoring hits—it’s about surviving.

Tournament Overview

• Format: Open-style 1v1 dueling with a progressive elimination system.

• Victory Conditions: The winner is the last living duelist with the most victories.

• Weapons: Duelists may agree on a matching weapon set (longsword, messer, arming sword, sidesword, buckler, dagger).

• Protective Gear: Standard longsword protective equipment is required.

• Honor & Strategy: Self-calling hits is encouraged, as this is an honor duel after all. Withdraw strategically or risk death on the field.

The Wound System

The Totentanz wound timer app (Android only) determines the severity of injuries. When struck:

• Judges call HIT publicly. They inform their fencer of the location, but not its severity (light, standard, serious).

• The app assigns a bleed timer (instant death to minor wounds).

• Duelists must decide: fight on or withdraw?

  • Withdrawing resets wounds but counts as a loss.

  • Fighting on means risking fatal bleed-out.

• If a duelist is incapacitated or bleeds out, they are eliminated.

  
  

The Vibe

Defensive. Strategic. Take a gamble? The Totentanz tournament is designed to test your fencing skill, decision-making, and patience. Expect a mix of calculated aggression, tactical retreats, and hard choices. 

Are you willing to risk it, or will you play the long game?

Ruleset: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yqLHcTHYNcr_7GLc2oX7V7vkN003BzHs3XTUeKc1688/edit?usp=sharing

Pricing: Choose your price $0-15