as well, emphasizing various cultural fairs and competitions as well as various forms of creative expression. Amtgarders often create their own garb and equipment. Two important structures in Amtgard culture are the Fighting Company and the Household, both voluntary memberships. A Fighting Company is essentially a military structure, much like a "clan" in any multi-player video game, whereas a Household is devoted to some cultural or personal goals, such as the arts, benevolence, common interests, etc. Both generally place a high value on contributing to the club as a whole, and often have a specific mission statement. A number of slang terms have evolved within the Amtgard community, a few of the most common are as follows: Battlegame - Any type of game involving more than two players. Full Class Battle A game where all players are playing a class, all magic and class abilities may be used. These game generally involve at least 2 teams, and sometimes involve monsters. Ditch Battle / Ditch - A melee only form of in-game combat where players line up in opposing sides and engage one another. No classes, no class abilities, no projectile weapons, no armor, and shields are indestructible. Only melee weapons and shields are permitted. When all players on one side are eliminated, the first player to be killed on the winning team switches teams and the next round may begin. Trench Battle / Trench - See Ditch Battle. Stick Jock - A player whose focus is almost entirely on the combat aspect of the game, many Stick Jocks prefer ditching to battlegames. The term is borrowed from the Society for Creative Anachronism and though originally pejorative, it has been "taken back" in recent years. Ditch Monkey (Trench Monkey) - A player that primarily "ditches" (see Ditch Battle and Stick Jock). Slougher (Sluffer) - A player who fails to accept a valid hit, intentionally or otherwise. As in to "slough" a hit, as a reptile would slough (shed) its skin. In short - a cheater. Ironhide / Rhinohide - A person who ignores hits in combat, cheating (wittingly or not) to avoid taking damage. Also used as a verb as in ironhiding or to rhinohide. A subset of sluffer. Flurb - A person who focuses more on the roleplay and fantasy aspect of Amtgard. Players described as Flurbs generally prefer full class battles and are believed to be poor fighters. Originally