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quest1on

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Everything posted by quest1on

  1. more of Marek Szyszko and Eastern styles Lithuanian Tatar cavalryman, 16th century Muscovite Reiter, 17th century.
  2. Lithuanian boyar from 14th century, by Marek Szyszko, Polish ilustrator whose few works have already been posted in some of those threads.
  3. Definitely. That said, well done fantasy designs should be something to cherish - it's a rather rare occurence. I like Keller's take on the warg riders the most, there's not much more brutal than wearing pieces of carcass of your previous steed.
  4. Yeah, about those codpieces... I recommend reading entry number one in this article http://www.cracked.com/article_21133_7-insane-r-rated-trends-you-never-noticed-in-famous-art_p2.html
  5. We can always make female characters wear a tonlet this one even has this "Marilyn Monroe on a subway vent" vibe.
  6. Coloured plate you say? How about painted German sallets or velvet covered Italian celatas?
  7. Matt Easton truly is a wonderful man. And as for the longsword with shield, there are pictures from fechtbuch of Paulus Hector Mair like this Triple wielding! Now I want to dual wield a sword and a spear and still get to have a shield! No! If it's possible to dual hold in one hand, then it should be possible for both hands! Two swords and two shields FTW! http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/64003-armour-weapon-designs-a-plea-part-iv/?p=1417656 Yeah, I already thought about occasional shield + supposedly two-hand weapon or shield + two weapons (like in Talhoffer's fechtbuch, where there is a man shown with sword, buckler and dagger in the buckler hand).
  8. It's probably just a longsword, those things were designed for two-handed use, after all. The blade does seem to be too long for one, though, but hey, I'm no specialist. At any rate, it's weird for something with that long of a hilt to be used with a shield, I don't think that was ever a thing (do correct me if I'm wrong). And it's probably not a proper two-handed sword though, I think those things are way larger. Again, I'm in no way an expert about this stuff. Actually, this video: might provide some insight. It's mostly set in the larger context of HEMA fighting, but the first few minutes especially talk about lengths of swords (specifically hilts) and such. In fact, this guy seems to know his stuff when it comes to weapons, historical fencing and stuff. You might give his videos a spin, pretty entertaining. Matt Easton truly is a wonderful man. And as for the longsword with shield, there are pictures from fechtbuch of Paulus Hector Mair like this
  9. I like that the guy with dragons on shield is "fingering the quillon", although in his case it's probably not a representation of innovative fenncing technique.
  10. Munition grade half armour, similar to the one on the altarpiece I posted. It's interesting to note that this cheap, mass produced armour has sliding gauntlet like flaps to make a fits-all size.
  11. Altarpiece of Wit Stwosz in Kraków's St. Mary's Basilica. I always liked the two crossbowmen in front, as they show how varied the lighter troops armour could be - from looking almost as full and heavy as man-at-arms' to half-armour with arm defences covering only outside and not surrounding the entire arm. As for the guys in the back, they always were a bigger problem for me. Is the one on the right wearing scale armour or some unnaturally shiny aketon? And why in the late 15th century is he wearing a 14th/early 15th century bascinet? My general conclusion is that the guys in front are Polish, while the back ones are Lithuanian, as they were always the worse equipped half of Commonwealth (although the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth hadn't fully formed until 1569).
  12. If I remember corectly, first batch of trained Muscovite hussars tried to present themselves to the people on a parade and upon the departure through the city gate broke all the lances.
  13. This piece of anima armour inspired me to make a little informative post about Polish hussars you seem to like so much, but I had to finish my finals session to get to it. So, after 2 weeks, I finally can go with it: First of all, Polish historians divided hussary's history and developement in 4 phases, depending on their equipment and the place they took in army. 1st phase Those are pieces of much bigger painting "Battle of Orsha" that took place in 1514. It's the first known Polish depiction of hussars in the so called racki (Serbian) style, useing light, hollow lances and wooden, wing-shaped shields, dressing in the lavish Balkan-Hungarian style influenced also by they mortal enemy, the Turks. They came to Polish service through Mathias Corvin's Black Army in late 15th century (first written source about them in Polish army is from the year 1500). They were used either as a more maneuverable support for the traditional men-at-arms or in the eastern-most steppe part of the country as men-at-arms' cheaper and better suited for fighting the Tatars alternative. There's some discussion at which point they adopted some armour - in 15th century, while fighting under Hungarian command, they still fought in the traditional Balkan way, in padded clothing only, but in the first half of 16th century, in Polish recruitment documents they are shortly described as serving with "p.p.t.d." which stands for "przyłbica" now meaning close helmet in modern Polish, then it probably was applied to the skull cap or secrete helmet; "pancerz", which is haubergeon;"tarcza", the shield; and "drzewo", literally wood, but it meant lance. A saber was considered for them, and soon for most Polish army, a side arm so obvious that it didn't recquire mentioning, although some of them also used pallasches (straigh, wide single- or double- edged swords with curved saber hilt), warhammers and flanged maces. There's some evidence on the Orsha painting that by this time they already, or at least some of them, wore the helmets underneath their fur caps and top hats and mail under the kaftan. 2nd phase By the late 16th century, hussars replaced altogether men-at-arms as heaviest type of Polish cavalry. During the reign of Stefan Batory, going by current Hungarian standards and some Muscovian influences, they started to wear mainly zischagges (some bourgonets, too) and added on top of mailshirts either anima cuirasses or bechters, which are like the thing in the last picture, armours of small metal plates kept together by mail. Also, use of the second sword, either pallasch or estoc-like "koncerz" became widespread and pistols started appearing amongst them. This phase lasted up to the very early 17th century. What's more, this is the phase during which appeared first evidence for their famous wings, specifically in the Stockholm Roll, where each hussar has a single, black feathered wing mounted to his saddle. 3rd phase This phase lasted throughout most of 17th century, when hussars where most needed by the Commonwealth. In comparition with previous phase, the armour got heavier by adding pauldrons and "karwasze", oriental style vambraces that reached the elbow with a kind of shalow bowl and the cuirass transformed into half-anima, as the only part of your thorax that moves is your abdomen anyway. The pistols became universal. That's where the most iconic look of a hussar comes from. 4th phase This is the decline of husaria. In the times when Wettin dynasty was on Polish-Lithuanian throne in 18th century, hussars became unreliable due to changing warfare and social decay of nobility which recruited the ranks of husaria for most of it's existance. It lacked skilled officers, who prefered to express their status by eschewing usual armour in favour of better looking but heavy, unwieldy and less protective scale armour ("karacena"). Another popular trend were scale, turban helmets or zischagges with metal wings on top. Also, from this phase comes most of exisitng specimens of armour with wings mounted on the backplate/straps keeping breastplate in place instead of backplate, which was pretty common in the previous phase. And, that's all folks!!!
  14. Little piece of information I found recently reading about Thirteen Year War between Pomeranian states, Polish Kingdom and Teutonic Order in the middle/second half of 15th century, that has something to do with explosives: one of the key ingredients used in making incendiary missiles was amber, so the fact that this war took place by the coast of Baltic Sea was really helpful for both sides of the conflict.
  15. About rondel daggers, and daggers in general - I don't think anyone intended to use the pommel as bludgeon because how small of a weapon they are. With sword, you sometimes happen to have your opponent out of reach of the blade, because he closed the distance, but daggers are generally close quarters weapon, so if you can use pommel, you can just stab as well. Moreover, reverse grip (with tip facing dwnward) is much more common in fechtbuchs, so it would be hard to smash someone in this configuration of hand-dagger.
  16. This kinds of pictures make me wonder if halberds and bills are really the best weapons to carry while climbing walls and ramparts. I mean, you kind of need hands to climb ladders, and while maybe later on, when earthworks became more popular the polearm could be used as a walking staff to support you, it still isn't as comfortable as side-arm. Not to mention movie version of Helm Deep's siege with Uruks using pikes.
  17. I figure for practicality's sake, someone with long hair would probably tie/braid it (just something to keep it from getting snagged in nooks and crannies), or at least wear some cloth cap/wrap thing under the helmet (if they're wearing a helmet). I'm curious how this was handled, though, in actual history/record. Probably shorn. Heat in a helmet is allready quite stifling with the arming cap or coif and that's without extra hair, add to that the lice and filth in a battle camp, the fact that bathing wasn't a fashionable thing and no sane opponent would look at long hair as anything but a useful handhold. I think most sensible knights would favour something like the Roundhead or Norman bowl haircut for these reasons. Generally, shorter hairstyles were prefered amongst soldiers, but there were groups that wore longer hair for various reasons. Vikings braided their hair in elaborate way to express their status and Sikhs wore theirs wraped around the head like a turban underneath the turban, and British soldiers remarked in 18/19th centuries that it was dificult to cut through it with a military sabre.
  18. Okay, so to move y'all in this thread, here are memoirs of sir John Smith (yes, the one who shagged Pocahontas) from the times he served under Habsburgs as mercenary: "That to delight the Ladies, who did long to see some court-like pastime, the Lord Turbashaw did dene any Captaine, that had the command of a Company, who durst combate with him for his head: The matter being discussed, it was accepted, but so many questions grew for the undertaking, it was decided by lots, which fell upon Captaine Smith, before spoken of. 1st duel Turbashaw with a noise of Howboyes entred the field well mounted and armed; on his shoulders were fixed a paire of great wings, compacted of Eagles feathers within a ridge of silver, richly garnished with gold and precious stones, a Ianizary before him, bearing his Lance, on each side another leading his horse; where long hee stayed not, ere Smith with a noise of Trumpets, only a page bearing his Lance, passing by him with a courteous salute, tooke his ground with such goode successe, that at the sound of the charge, he passed the Turke thorow the sight of his Beaver, face, head and all, that he fell dead to the ground, where alighting and unbracing his Helmet, cut off his head, and the Turkes tooke his body; and so returned without any hurt at all. The head hee presented to the Lord Moses, the Generall, who kindly accepted it, and with joy to the whole armie he was generally welcomed. 2nd duel The death of this Captaine so swelled in the heart of one Grualgo, his vowed friend, as rather inraged with madnesse than choller, he directed a particular challenge to the Conquerour, to regaine his friends head, or lose his owne, with his horse and Armour for advantage, which according to his desire was the next day undertaken: as before upon the sound of the Trumpets, their Lances flew in peeces upon a cleare passage, but the Turke was neere unhorsed. Their Pistolls was the next, which marked Smith upon the placard; but the next shot the Turke was so wounded in the left arme, that being not able to rule his horse, and defend himselfe, he was throwne to the ground, and so bruised with the fall, that he lost his head, as his friend before him; with his horse and Armour; but his body and his rich apparcll was sent backe to the Towne. 3rd duel The challenge presently was accepted by Bonny Mulgro. The next day both the Champions entring the field as before, each discharging their Pistoll having no Lances, but such martiall weapons as the defendant appointed, no hurt was done; their Battle-axes *was the next, whose piercing bils made sometime the one, sometime the other to have scarce sense to keepe their saddles, specially the Christian received such a blow that he lost his Battleaxe, and failed not much to have fallen after it, whereat the supposing conquering Turk, had a great shout from the Rampiers. The Turk prosecuted his advantage to the uttermost of his power; yet the other, what by the readinesse of his horse, and his judgement and dexterity in such a businesse, beyond all mens expectation, by Gods assistance, not onely avoided the Turkes violence, but having drawne his Faulchion, pierced the Turke so under the Culets thorow backe and body, that although he alighted from his horse, he stood not long ere hee lost his head, as the rest had done."
  19. I'm sayin' if you can half-ass two things, better full-ass one thing (in context of arms & armour).
  20. It's not exactly the one I thought about, but the guy on the right ilustrates my point: state of the art protection of vulnerable parts of the body and just some ordinary purpoint/arming doublet instead of some imaginary leather pseudo-plate on the chest.
  21. I think the biggest problem with low level armours in game is the fact that they generally didn't exist in the real world. First of all, people don't usually realize how protective the everyday clothing of several (like, four at least) layers of thick wool was against cuts (but didn't realy work that well with stabs, that's why prefered civilian weapons were daggers and thrusting swords). Swords have their center of percussion close to the hilt so they rarely could chop straight trough, rather sliced the softer, more vulnerable parts of the body like hands and necks/faces. The second thing is that whith limited financial resources, you want every florin/guilder/whatever kind of used currency to be well spend, so you buy less of, but better armour. I can't find now the best picture ilustrating it with some 15th century halbardier in sallet, bevor and gauntlets as his only armour, insted of full leather armour or some ****. But I remember the picture is somewhere there in the interwebs.
  22. In most books with mages on the battlefields I've read, it ends up with them trying to kill each other while formation try to wreck each other until either one mage dies so the other can fireball the armies of his enemy or the army gets defeated first and the mage has to flee before some 150+ guys with halberds and swords gut him out. Your ideas sound better than that.
  23. Polish hussars of the first phase (first half of 16th century) wore something that looks like a top hat, so I think there's no problem with different hat shapes. Here's a pic
  24. Do you think these ones are automatic or hand-opened? If they opened with pulling of the trigger I would be really impressed.
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