Post #186,868
12/13/04 10:44:32 AM
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But watching lefties fight is amusing
I assume that you're talking medieval broadsword.
In which case the lefties go at it, knowing full well how to get a hit in. And there's this bloody shield in the way of all of their blows. They're not used to seeing that!
Cheers,
Ben
I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)
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Post #186,869
12/13/04 11:00:02 AM
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*grin* Not good to be on the receiving end, though.
With two righties, your opponent's sword is on the same side as your shield (assuming you're a righty) making it easy to block the shot. You might think it would be easier to hit the 'sword side' of a lefty, but since they are more practiced at defending against righties, they are FAR more likely to hit the less defended sword side than the poor right handed fighter.
A (left-handed) buddy of mine abandoned the shield altogether; his favorite style is two-sword (yeah, I know, not very 'period'). Defensively he didn't lose as much, and offensively, well, he leaves MANY bruises on his opponents...
Okay, okay, so this is a longwinded 'yeah, you're right!'.
Imric's Tips for Living
- Paranoia Is a Survival Trait
- Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised...
- Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.
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Nothing is as simple as it seems in the beginning,
As hopeless as it seems in the middle,
Or as finished as it seems in the end.
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Post #186,908
12/13/04 5:00:25 PM
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Florentine is not period?
I thought that it arose in Florence as a fencing form in period?
I'd guess that historically you'd want a shield for dealing with arrows, which usually aren't used in the SCA.
Cheers,
Ben
I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)
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Post #186,912
12/13/04 5:18:00 PM
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Very late.
and wasn't anywhere near as common as it is in the SCA. Arrows ARE becoming more common, but they still can't play the same role they did at say, Agincourt - they aren't accurate and they don't hit hard enough to 'register' with many fighters.
The SCA does have fencing; we have an Olympic-class fencer in our group (he finds SCA fencing to be fun) - but most of the heavy-weapons folk tend to look down on it, sad to say. Fencers don't wear heavy armor (of course) so combat archery wouldn't be a problem. I have seen people playing wiht weighted cloaks, though. Don't really know how 'legal' that is, but then, fencing is out of what little fighting expertise I can lay claim to...
Imric's Tips for Living
- Paranoia Is a Survival Trait
- Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised...
- Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.
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Nothing is as simple as it seems in the beginning,
As hopeless as it seems in the middle,
Or as finished as it seems in the end.
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Post #186,921
12/13/04 6:01:43 PM
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"can't play the same role"...?
You mean they don't totally dominate the field?
FYI, I've heard that what made Agincourt happen was not accuracy of aim. It was range and rate of fire. Consider: estimates are that the English had about 5000 archers. At 8 shots per minute (trained archers were supposed to be able to do 12, and top ones over 30), that is 40,000 arrows per minute. About 10,000 enemy soldiers were killed, and I've seen sources say that the battle was decided in the first half-hour. That would be 120 arrows per person killed, and not all of them died by the bow.
With those numbers, what matters is not having every arrow hit where you were aiming, it is having so many arrows landing that the general target area is "an unsafe place to be".
Cheers,
Ben
I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)
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Post #186,924
12/13/04 6:21:56 PM
12/13/04 6:26:24 PM
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Exactly!
No WAY we could shoot so many; no way the arrows used in combat archery are accurate enough to compensate, either. (not that I was thinking of the sheer volume of arrows, just that they were decisive in the battle)
In short we have them, but they suck (IMO).
Imric's Tips for Living
- Paranoia Is a Survival Trait
- Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised...
- Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.
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Nothing is as simple as it seems in the beginning,
As hopeless as it seems in the middle,
Or as finished as it seems in the end.
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Edited by imric
Dec. 13, 2004, 06:26:24 PM EST
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Post #186,925
12/13/04 6:24:07 PM
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short sabre and a sheperds crook
no armor needed. Just hook the heavy bastard behind the ankle and carve him up while he struggles to standup under the weight of the armour. Unless we are talking poor mans armour, a chest protector, lid and knuckle duster.
regards,
daemon
that way too many Iraqis conceived of free society as little more than a mosh pit with grenades. ANDISHEH NOURAEE
clearwater highschool marching band [link|http://www.chstornadoband.org/|http://www.chstornadoband.org/]
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Post #186,928
12/13/04 6:28:23 PM
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Tee hee.
I could do a forward roll and come to my feet in my old larika.
You'd be surprised just how little armor encumbers one. It's not like the old hollywood movies.
Imric's Tips for Living
- Paranoia Is a Survival Trait
- Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised...
- Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.
|
Nothing is as simple as it seems in the beginning,
As hopeless as it seems in the middle,
Or as finished as it seems in the end.
|
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Post #186,934
12/13/04 7:03:24 PM
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It does tire though
The other part of why Agincourt worked so well - the English set themselves up with a forest to the back and a freshly-ploughed field in front. The French could not charge up the field - they had to walk. In plate armour. Through dirt they were sinking into up to their knees.
The ones not injured/killed by arrows were pretty darned wiped out by the time that they actually arrived at the English position...
Cheers,
Ben
I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)
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Post #186,936
12/13/04 7:43:55 PM
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Heck yeah.
...
I'm running out of ways to agree with you, Ben!
Imric's Tips for Living
- Paranoia Is a Survival Trait
- Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised...
- Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.
|
Nothing is as simple as it seems in the beginning,
As hopeless as it seems in the middle,
Or as finished as it seems in the end.
|
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Post #186,913
12/13/04 5:18:35 PM
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That, and there was this guy in 17th century Japan...
...named Miyamoto Musashi who was a complete and total badass. Pretty much defined the Japanese version of two-sword fighting, even though he never used it in a duel - mainly because he said it was "too good" and that there was no honor in it.
"Here at Ortillery Command we have at our disposal hundred megawatt laser beams, mach 20 titanium rods and guided thermonuclear bombs. Some people say we think that we're God. We're not God. We just borrowed his 'SMITE' button for our fire control system."
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