Ask me about Medieval History & Combat.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Ask me about Medieval History & Combat.

10 Beers: May 21, 2005; Shit! I didn't bring a knife.

Finally caught up on this thread. Favorite one on SA for sure. Thanks for starting it, Railtus!

I've been out of the sword game for a while. Where does everyone look for reasonably priced items now?

# ¿ Jun 10, 2015 13:59

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 13:55

10 Beers: May 21, 2005; Shit! I didn't bring a knife.

DandyLion posted:

I would recommend considering used equipment if cost is a major factor in your decisions.

I've had some amazing finds on reddit from clueless sellers not appraising the value of what they're selling adequately, and there's always the http://www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewforum.php?f=14 marketplace were people are selling their used stuff. I can usually spot several great deals on there at any given time.

Another question, where can one go to try to find lessons? I've tried Google without much success, so I was wondering if there were any better resources.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2015 21:32

10 Beers: May 21, 2005; Shit! I didn't bring a knife.

Siivola posted:

I'm assuming you're looking for historical fencing lessons. This site should be a fairly comprehensive list of active HEMA (historical European martial arts) clubs by area, which should help you get started.

Also, if you like swords (and who doesn't!) do stop by the fencing thread too.

Thanks! That website was helpful! Unfortunately, the only place that offers instruction near me seems...off. Seems like it's more reenacting than legit combat training.

Also, I just started the fencing thread! So much info!

# ¿ Jun 11, 2015 19:30

10 Beers: May 21, 2005; Shit! I didn't bring a knife.

Here's something I've been wondering about for a few years. In the movie Excalibur, Patrick Stewart's character has this...thing on the left side of his breastplate.

If I remember right, it's only attached at the top, and it swings around a bit when he moves. So, what's it called and what's it's purpose? I'm assuming it's not for emergency battleground orange juice making.

# ¿ Jun 12, 2015 15:18

10 Beers: May 21, 2005; Shit! I didn't bring a knife.

Anyone have experience with the Cold Steel polypropylene wasters? I was thinking about getting one or two, but thought I'd check around first.

# ¿ Jul 15, 2015 16:45

10 Beers: May 21, 2005; Shit! I didn't bring a knife.

Anyone have experience with the Hanwei swords and trainers? I know the katanas used to get pretty good reviews, but I've not researched any of them lately.

# ¿ Aug 10, 2015 02:08

10 Beers: May 21, 2005; Shit! I didn't bring a knife.

HEY GAL posted:

cheap but bad

Rabhadh posted:

The practical side sword is bad if you want to actually use it

Well, hell. Thanks guys. I'd like something I could use for press drills and light sparring, time to save up, I suppose!

# ¿ Aug 10, 2015 11:28

10 Beers: May 21, 2005; Shit! I didn't bring a knife.

Rabhadh posted:

I've seen the guard of the practical side sword get loose very quickly and deform after a few hits. You're always better off spending the extra money on a sword that'll hold up to full contact stuff.

Yeah, you're right, really. Are the ideal vendors still Albion and Arms and Armor?

# ¿ Aug 10, 2015 11:36

10 Beers: May 21, 2005; Shit! I didn't bring a knife.

Alhazred posted:

When it started to rain the Genoese crossbowmen couldn't stop their strings from becoming wet and they had left their shields. That resulted in crossbows that couldn't do that much damage and that they couldn't protect themselves from the British archers.

Crossbows don't work in the rain?

# ¿ Oct 26, 2015 22:20

10 Beers: May 21, 2005; Shit! I didn't bring a knife.

DandyLion posted:

Don't let him bind with you. Also plenty of blade grabbing with your free hand if/when he does, and displace/close really fast if he does constrain and smash his face in with your pommel/guard.

I'm totally going to try this the next time I fence against you.

I mean, you're still gonna kill me, but I'm gonna try...

# ¿ Feb 18, 2016 00:46

10 Beers: May 21, 2005; Shit! I didn't bring a knife.

HEY GAL posted:

i felt like i had to post it, since there's so much bullshit in the PYF thread right now. Not from you.

Edit: I posted this in the milhist thread years ago, but have a picture of swords in action:

This is from an anonymous Saxon mercenary's sketchbook, 1631. (Sometimes it seems like literally all the guys i study are amateur artists)

I talked about it over beers with a colleague of mine and he thinks it's a rapier on the left (that stance is pretty Italian) and a haudegen on the right.

I love that drawing, there's something so chill about it. A little sparring, a little walking on the earthworks arm in arm with your boyfriend/girlfriend. Look at that dog! (And you imagine whoever owned that sketchbook sitting nearby, maybe on a little hill, watching everything. Did they bring a table out, to set their drawing supplies on? For that matter, was it hard to get drawing supplies in camp or on the march?) The whole thing says "sunny weekend afternoon" to me.

There's a PYF thread about swords?

# ¿ Feb 29, 2016 18:01

10 Beers: May 21, 2005; Shit! I didn't bring a knife.

Grand Prize Winner posted:

Was rock and roll as popular in the middle ages as depicted in popular media?

Freddy Mercury is timeless.

# ¿ Apr 24, 2016 14:33

10 Beers: May 21, 2005; Shit! I didn't bring a knife.

HEY GAL posted:

so, people who don't actually know how to swordfight at reenactments. All these bullshit little twirls and stage fighting. I want to hurt those guys in specific, tell me how.

Educate them in proper techniques?

# ¿ Jul 18, 2016 15:49

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 13:55

10 Beers: May 21, 2005; Shit! I didn't bring a knife.

Robindaybird posted:

Because they can but also Monks ended up getting a poo poo ton of food as tithes from nobles and local villages.

Beer as well.

# ¿ Jun 18, 2017 21:28

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Ask me about Medieval History & Combat.