01-13-2018, 03:51 PM | #61 | |
Join Date: Jun 2017
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Re: Countering archers and bows?
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Also my point still stands that if a pirate crew of swashbucklers found them selves in Japan in 1660 or so, they would most likely be facing off against bowmen. Thus the idea that putting bowmen against the swashbuckler is somehow ahistorical is untrue. It might not have been a common match up historically, but still quite possible. I am sure some Spanish conquistadors with rapiers came under arrow fire in the New Word at some point. |
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01-13-2018, 04:39 PM | #62 | |
Wielder of Smart Pants
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
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Re: Countering archers and bows?
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The image of the swashbuckler as fictional archetype tends to confuse civilian weapons and dress with military weapons and armor. Certainly bows, crossbows, plate armor, rapiers, pikes, halberds, and firearms all were in significant use during the same period. Plate armor, rapiers, and firearms are all roughly contemporary developments, so it certainly isn't true that firearms made plate armor obsolete right away, or that rapiers existed because there wasn't any armor. Rapiers have very little to do armor at all, except for the popularity of concealed or concealsble armor like brigadine and fine mail. The expected use of a rapier was self-defense against a unarmored assailant or in duels, also unarmored. |
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01-13-2018, 04:49 PM | #63 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
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Re: Countering archers and bows?
Also the vast majority of historical rapiers were not the super slender obscenely long epee looking weapons most games portray them as.
Those puppies weighed about the same as thick "broadswords", but just spread out in length a bit more. As cool as swords are, they simply weren't primary weapons in war except in a few historical cases.
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01-15-2018, 06:05 AM | #64 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Wellington, NZ
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Re: Countering archers and bows?
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Then there's what happens if wearing a fine light mail undershirt is something that's simply considered prudent for a gentleman, rather than cowardly. That would tend to make for either duels to 'first blood' with very light fast weapons, aiming for hits to the limbs, or to lethal duels to the death with fairly heavy weapons suitable for chopping limbs off and/or smashing bodies and heads.
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Rupert Boleyn "A pessimist is an optimist with a sense of history." |
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01-15-2018, 01:51 PM | #65 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
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Re: Countering archers and bows?
Fashion can push for some rather weird side weapons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinquedea
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Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check. |
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