Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Jackson
I joined the SCA to research MELEE (and had a lot of fun, and stayed in for years). One of the first things that I learned is that most swordfighting does not involve parries; fencing is a spectacular exception. If you are using your weapon to parry, you are not using it to strike.
Now, rattan (which is what SCA weapons are made of) is NOT the same thing as metal. It is known :) I am told by those who have swung real swords at real shields that metal has less "bounce" even when it does not bite into its target. But I came away feeling that if you have a blocking device (cloak, shield, second sword, chair) you should use that to block with, and use your weapon to hit with.
I enjoyed SCA fencing a great deal, and eventually became competent, and it really is a different art.
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Having studied several different forms, including 4 armed forms...
Low-armor forms, like SCA Rapier/Fencing, tend to be parry heavy. If there is one thing TFT lacks, it's the ability to cover the civil HEMA forms. It's VERY VERY close to SCA Heavy.
But one thing about Armored combat - shields are damned effective against blades. But blades can bypass the shield.
I'd suggest +1D difficulty to bypass the shield's damage resistance.
A parrying talent allowing a roll to block would be a good addition, provided it's not too