Exposition on a battle on a flight of stairs, using the GURPS rules

[tanksoldier]

In a castles the tower stairs are usually counter clockwise.

This gives a defender, fighting backwards up the stair, more room to swing their weapon and allows them to use the central column for cover... while an attacker is hampered in their swing and has less ability to hide behind the column.

There a,so often is an odd step, higher or lower than the rest. A defender familiar with the stair knows about it, an attacker may not.

One - The SCA isn't 'real' combat. It's Sport versions of the melee skills, which means you aren't doing full power strikes.

...and of course it’s impossible to even attempt full power attacks for demonstration purposes.

Any SCA fighter who picks up a random stick is automatically limited to swinging it half speed, regardless of circumstances. This also makes them poor baseball players.

[tbone]

Originally Posted by tanksoldier

In a castles the tower stairs are usually counter clockwise.

I recently saw a video by a medieval fighting expert – I think it was Matt Easton – claiming that the clockwise/counterclockwise design of tower stairs as a tactical consideration is a myth; in actuality, both orientations are common.

BUT... whether that's true or not, I'd make it true in a game world! A scenario involving tower stairs, with some simple rules for how a spiral staircase affects melee, sounds fun.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by tbone

BUT... whether that's true or not, I'd make it true in a game world! A scenario involving tower stairs, with some simple rules for how a spiral staircase affects melee, sounds fun.

The legend is that the Kerr family of Scotland, noted for their unusually high percentage of left-handed fighters, built the staircases in one of their castles in a counterclockwise direction.

If both fighters are right-handed, it makes no difference if you're attacking or defending on a clockwise or counterclockwise (as seen from the bottom) spiral staircase using a sword and shield. In either case, you'll have a wall to protect your non-shielded side (inside for the attack, outside for the defender) while you can deliver overhand, underhand, or reverse-handed blows. The only real limitation is your ability to deliver blows swung in an arc more or less horizontal to the unshielded side of your body. Additionally, low ceiling height will mess with your ability to deliver overhand blows.

If you're a right-handed fighter using a short polearm or spear and right-hand leading stance, the attacker might have a slight disadvantage since more of his back is exposed, which limits his ability to defend. This is easily corrected by reversing stance so that the left hand leads.

In all cases, the big deal when fighting on a clockwise spiral staircase is that a right-handed attacker's stance tends to force him to the inside of the staircase, where the treads are narrower and the risk of tripping is greater. Same thing for a lefty on a counterclockwise staircase.

There's also the issue of familiarity, since there were no building codes for castles. (Other than who could build them and where, and how big they could be. Kings objected, usually violently, if their vassals started erecting unpermitted fortifications . . . especially if they could house an entire army.) If you train to defend staircases in a particular castle, you'll be more familiar with them.

If you want to get all fiddly with rules, assign a -2 penalty for fighting on a spiral staircase, which can be negated with the Surefooted (Spiral Staircase or Uneven) perk. The GM can also require periodic DX rolls, possibly at a penalty, if you're fighting on slippery (i.e., bloody, damp, oily, or slimy) stairs or if you need to clamber over a fallen body.

Finally, many fighters (both right- AND left-handed) aren't used to fighting lefties. Apply a +1 bonus to attacks if you're a lefty fighting an opponent who isn't familiar with fighting lefties, until your foe can make an IQ-based weapon skill roll to adapt. Treat experience fighting all manner of left-handed foes as a Style Familiarity perk.