Building Dark Ages Warriors

[Michele]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

It's going to hard (if not impossible) to make dedicated professional warriors with those conditions, IME.

What's more, it is unlikely that guys who fight for a living have also invested that much in non-combat skills. Sure, plenty of non-combat skills are necessary or at least useful to a mercenary: Soldier, Hiking, Survival, Armoury, First Aid, Stealth and whatnot. But that much?

[Michele]

Originally Posted by Yorunkun

I have some experience with GURPS, but would be grateful for suggestions for arms/weapons skills and armour as well as insights on how to best utilize unarmed combat maneuvers, slams and shoving etc.

The single shortest most useful advice is also quite simple: buy GURPS Martial Arts. I don't own it, but from what you ask and from what I know of its contents, that's what you need.

If you really want to make do with the Basic rules, get yourself a high ST. DX is tempting but ST is more useful all round.

Then get a high skill in Shield. That's easier because it's cheaper than most melee weapon Skills. It's not just a defensive skill that will keep you alive; you can use it offensively, and remember that the nearly sole combat formation of the era is the... shield wall. With a good-sized shield a high level in the Shield skill, and high ST you'll have good chances of success in the opening move of nearly any melee in this era, a shield rush. Consider spending one point in Feint (Shield), to maximize the usefulness of shield bashes in the following turns.

Then choose the melee weapon. I assume you won't need much advice here. If armor seems common and thick, an unbalanced weapon, otherwise a short spear is the best choice. A stabbing sword is possible.

Invest in Brawling, and then in Kicking. That is particularly useful if you chose an unbalanced weapon.

Buy a long knife, learn Knife, and use that as the best bangs-for-bucks backup weapon.

[The Colonel]

For flavour, if you haven't read Bernard Cornwall's Arthur and Saxon cycles (starting twith The Winter King and The Last Kingdom respectively) you may wish to do so. Not sure about authenticity, but they seem pretty congruent.

[Michele]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

For flavour, if you haven't read Bernard Cornwall's Arthur and Saxon cycles (starting twith The Winter King and The Last Kingdom respectively) you may wish to do so. Not sure about authenticity, but they seem pretty congruent.

IIRC, with the Saxons you get a feeling of what meant fighting in a shield wall battle.