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Post by Stormwall on Jan 16, 2017 1:01:42 GMT
Velaeri asked me to toss up something about sword types. This is all optional -- goodness knows people tend to run around with fantasy swords or non-Eurocentric weapons -- but it's useful stuff to know. Primarily because it can help you find great images for swords if you search by Oakeshott typology. These are the main types of European swords from the 11th to 15th century. Here's the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA) guide to the Oakeshott types, which has plainer language and more detail than the Wikipedia page. For more detailed images and a point form style breakdown, here's Albion's list of the Oakeshott types. ARMA also has a nice little bit on the parts of a sword. If you have favourite sword resources, feel free to toss them up here, chat sword stuff, etc. Thanks to Aldacer for initially pointing me to some of this stuff.
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Post by Elrid Acfream on Jan 16, 2017 3:54:02 GMT
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Post by Rhun Llewelyn on Jan 16, 2017 6:15:23 GMT
Nice info. It's always good to have this type of thing, especially as it becomes such an important part of Fantasy Role-play.
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Post by Alexandra Feanor on Jan 16, 2017 6:19:59 GMT
If only people made custom bows... (if anyone knows a good place for such a thing picture wise or art wise, that would be cool.)
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Post by Aldacer on Jan 16, 2017 7:07:12 GMT
If only people made custom bows... (if anyone knows a good place for such a thing picture wise or art wise, that would be cool.) I know a few bowyers, but not many do it because a truly functional bow, by stark necessity of design, tends to be very similar to the others of it's own ilk, and so not many except the rare enthusiast will buy them. Much less of a market than swords or various armor. Few things, though, are much more terrifying than a true longbow in the hands of a skilled archer. I wish it weren't so, but there is just not much evidence for 'custom' bows. Also, personal gripe, I don't feel common foot-soldiers would have bucklers pre-1500's. That's a more town guard, or poor man's retinue, etc.. That set-up of shield would be far more common on archers in an army, from about 1320-1380 in Earth terms. You might find the rare scout or light skirmish force (under a few dozen men, half a hundred to a hundred tops) armed so. Most commonly they would have spears and bows, most likely, and then a buckler like ARMA shows and a short sword. Armor would be a quilted gambeson or similar textile armor, and a kettle-hat for a helmet if they were equipped so. Also typically a ranged weapon. Bucklers in the term that the ARMA depicts I just don't see the archaeological evidence for in Earth history. And I consulted a historian and medieval scholar on the matter and he concurred. Now if you do want to know what a late Medieval Tech force would be wearing for footsoldiers in that same time period? Towards the earlier period you will find longbowmen accompanied by footsoldiers in kite shields and mail hauberks, sword and/or spear (usually and). Later they would be accompanied by heavier armored compatriots with a heater shield and mail, maybe a Coat of Plates, spear and sword.. Occasionally the spear or sword would be substituted for a halberd or hand-and-a-half or great sword of war. That said, this is Fantasy, and it is certainly entirely plausible for our setting to have it, but Earth followed that pattern. Just remember, swords are NOT easy to produce by any stretch of the imagination en masse until 1400's or 1500's... And they never become terribly easy to be skilled at. Spears and bows are more common for 'core troops' for a reason.
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Post by Arn on Jan 17, 2017 1:09:48 GMT
what about other swords like Kilij's? or polearms such as a Guan dao?
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Post by Liath on Jan 17, 2017 6:29:53 GMT
what about other swords like Kilij's? or polearms such as a Guan dao? Those don't have a readily made typology to classify them. And to my knowledge their physical make-up is uniform enough that they don't differentiate enough to need one, or if they had a typology it would be minor and small. I'm sure no one would turn their noses up if you had historically backed research and info on them though. Just too much to cover everything. EDIT: This is Aldacer. Posted from wrong face.
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