Hitting Targets of Opportunity in Combat

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

That tends to be an artifact of boffer combat.

Maybe. One does note that the shins were always armored in ancient times, though, even when more vulnerable areas were protected (though usually behind a big-ash shield.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by DouglasCole

Maybe. One does note that the shins were always armored in ancient times, though, even when more vulnerable areas were protected (though usually behind a big-ash shield.

There are plenty of periods where torso and head armor were vastly more common than leg armor.

I was talking about this a couple of years ago with a guy that I was sparring with and he pointed out that for one-handed swords it's actually really hard to make an effective attack on the legs, you need to be well within striking distance, you are likely exposing yourself to counterattack, the shin itself is a poor target for swords because there aren't any tendons, blood vessels, fat, or muscle, just skin and bone (cutting bone is actually not easy), and worse the lower leg is a mobile target that the opponent can just move while sidestepping into a counterattack. All of which he was able to demonstrate.

The coup de Jarnac was famous because it was a rare event that is difficult to pull off, and it was to the hamstrings, not the front of the shin. If winning duels by cutting legs was ordinarily viable, Guy wouldn't be famous!

This is probably mostly below GURPS resolution though.

Boffer LARPS favor leg attacks by counting light touches which could probably be ignored in a real fight and having weapons that require no recovery, making counterattacks less effective.

[mhd]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Boffer LARPS favor leg attacks by counting light touches which could probably be ignored in a real fight and having weapons that require no recovery, making counterattacks less effective.

Never mind that the faster counterattack in a swing to the shin is often a thrust, and you're simply not allowed to do that in most LARPs.

As regarding to armor, any thread about leg attacks always cites the numerous leg injuries in Visby and the later armor that covered everything but the leg in plate. I leave that to my betters.
(I would guess shields play a role.)

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by mhd

Never mind that the faster counterattack in a swing to the shin is often a thrust, and you're simply not allowed to do that in most LARPs.

In the one I occasionally do hits to hands or wrists also don't count, so that's another solid counter neutralized.

As regarding to armor, any thread about leg attacks always cites the numerous leg injuries in Visby

Most of the wounds at visby were probably from battlefield weapons like spears and polearms. Sidearms probably did include arming swords, but many of the wounds seem to be from the impact heads of maces and hammers. Getting hit in the leg with a pollaxe or halberd is a whole other situation.