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Armour & weapon designs - a plea (part IV).


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ok guys I've seen enough plate and chain, now on to something else.

Remember: Argue the point, not the person. Remain polite and constructive. Friendly forums have friendly debate. There's no shame in being wrong. If you don't have something to add, don't post for the sake of it. And don't be afraid to post thoughts you are uncertain about, that's what discussion is for.
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Pet threads, everyone has them. I love imagining Gods, Monsters, Factions and Weapons.

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In a few of the sagas shirts of mail "which no weapon may pierce" are mentioned, I always wondered whether these were inspired by Varangians bringing back advanced (comparatively) armour from Miklgard.

Edited by Nonek

Quite an experience to live in misery isn't it? That's what it is to be married with children.

I've seen things you people can't even imagine. Pearly Kings glittering on the Elephant and Castle, Morris Men dancing 'til the last light of midsummer. I watched Druid fires burning in the ruins of Stonehenge, and Yorkshiremen gurning for prizes. All these things will be lost in time, like alopecia on a skinhead. Time for tiffin.

 

Tea for the teapot!

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Well, any short, tapered and rigid blade will be suitable for fighting armour of most types. If you have  a very tapered point and a rigid blade, you can often pierce through the links of mail and slip into gaps in plate. Tapering is good for actually getting into the links first, rigidity allows for a firm thrust with all force focused in a single direction.

 

One halfswords longer blades for the exact same reasons. 

 

Anything you might read or hear about actually piercing plate is totally off and supernatural. A fun related thing I never realized (until I heard about it on the Sword Geek podcast) is how often people are depicted using their daggers for eating and other daily tasks. Daggers are for fighting, one used all kinds of very different knives for other things.

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Well, any short, tapered and rigid blade will be suitable for fighting armour of most types. If you have  a very tapered point and a rigid blade, you can often pierce through the links of mail and slip into gaps in plate. Tapering is good for actually getting into the links first, rigidity allows for a firm thrust with all force focused in a single direction.

 

One halfswords longer blades for the exact same reasons. 

 

Anything you might read or hear about actually piercing plate is totally off and supernatural. A fun related thing I never realized (until I heard about it on the Sword Geek podcast) is how often people are depicted using their daggers for eating and other daily tasks. Daggers are for fighting, one used all kinds of very different knives for other things.

You're correct about daggers not being able to directly pierce proper plate armor, even when we're talking about punch daggers like the katar. The most you could hope for is to find gaps between parts of the armor.

 

On the other hand, ore impurities and shoddy workmanship could lead to a breaking armor plate if hit by a sufficiently strong opponent using a punch dagger, allowing for a dagger to get through, although this could hardly be considered piercing the armor.

Exile in Torment

 

QblGc0a.png

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Anything you might read or hear about actually piercing plate is totally off and supernatural. 

 

 

Not saying you're wrong, but I've been thinking about this lately a bit and I'm not so sure.

 

If all plate armor was of such quality it was practically impossible to pierce, doesn't that mean all plate was simply too thick?

Wouldn't it make sense to make thinner and lighter sets, that'd give protection to all but the most dedicated thrusts?

 

Later middle ages with plenty of arbalests and other heavy crossbows, sure. Good plate gives protection from those and thereby from just about everything.

But what about bad plate then? You see all kinds of town guards depicted with plate or half-plate type gear, was it all of knightly quality?

 

And if a breastplate type of platey thing is worn over a mail coat? Wouldn't it make sense to not make it a bit lighter, given there's still the chain underneath?

 

Dunno. Just thinking and might be totally off for some reason or another.

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Plate had evolved, of course. Optimized rather - taking away mass of metal from places of less importance, strenghtening those that needed it most. Most of this was against crushing blows and arrows.

Swords are simply too light to pierce even bad quality plate and do any significant damage to the body. Making the plate armour even lighter? It wasn't really necessary, it was already very wearable for most men and most preferred the protection it offered. (better to overdo it and be safe than wear something that might potentially kill you)

Still, there probably was a range of choice of protection, we know some knights sometimes preferred to fight with their visors open for example. Even though this exposed their faces to arrows and sword points, they traded that for easier hearing and visibility.

I suppose that also not many armourers would make armour that might eventually come back to them, with a hole and a bunch of angry relatives of its former owner.

 

Another important thing to consider is - the attitude and approach of fighters. If you're fighting someone in plate armour, you won't try to pierce his armour. Even if you thought it possible, the mainstream approach of the day was to get him on the ground and stab through gaps, visor etc. It's just safer and easier, everyone knew to fight like that.

 

About wearing plate over mail - this wasn't typically done after the transitional period, for a simple reason - good plate by itself is lighter and more comfortable to wear than mail+light plate. Mail had been used to protect inner joints and other hard-to-plate gaps, you'd have mail patches (gussets) sewn onto the padded jack underneath.

 

BIG picture: http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y110/Nephtys/Miscellaneous/EMS%208/EMS_8_83.jpg

 

gussets.jpg

Edited by Merlkir
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If the devs want a treat they should check out the Pitt-Rivers exhibit at the Natural History Museum in Oxford. More weird clothing and armour than you can shake a severed head at.

 

And some severed heads.

Edited by Walsingham

"It wasn't lies. It was just... bull****"."

             -Elwood Blues

 

tarna's dead; processing... complete. Disappointed by Universe. RIP Hades/Sand/etc. Here's hoping your next alt has a harp.

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Looking at two-handed swords, hopefully we'll get some simple and elegant designs for them. I'm always afraid of jRPG influenced swords making an appearance somewhere. In fact, the less crap the better, parade swords aren't meant for combat. And you probably can't see that many details in-game anyway.

RenaissanceWarSword_10_LRG.jpg

EnglishTwoHandSword_04_LRG.jpg

Novara_03_LRG.jpg

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Exile in Torment

 

QblGc0a.png

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I just want a wide variety of weapons and armor.  I love having choice.  The choice between wielding a single handed axe, or a flail.  Or the choice between a mace and a club.  I like being able to see the difference appear on the character, and I really just like having my characters look and feel like they're really in the story. Like they're ready to go fight an army, or slay a dragon. 

As long as there is plenty of variety, and lots of choices when it comes to what i equip my character with, I'll be happy.

 

On a sidenote, since they are implementing crafting options, I would really like to see the opportunity to customize to your own armor/weapons, and really make them unique. If you're more of a barbaric character, maybe you take the teeth of some of the rare creatures you slay and create a necklace. Maybe adding a notch to your axe for each major enemy you slay, or something along those lines.

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DespertaFerro+n4+cover100+CR.jpg

 

 

 I really like both of the armours here. The left one is an Turkish Sipahi (mounted archer). He is wearing an armour we call Ayna Zirh (mirror armor). The blade he is carrying is a Kilij and the axe is called Ay balta (moon axe). This kind of weaponary can be very good for the ranger/skirmisher kind of characters. I hope to see stuff like that in the game. 

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Just do bear in mind that those guns are matchlocks, whereas P:E will have wheel lock guns. Though I seem to see a wheel lock on the pistol of the commander looking fella in the first picture. 

 

Good point. We might come across less developed civilizations, but I'd expect the Vailians to be exceptionally well equipped.

 

And to be quite fashionable!

 

user_50_hern_n_cort_s.jpg

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the infamous Hodendolch (testicles dagger)

When you see a man wielding that dagger, you can say with certainty, "... That man has balls."

 

8)

Should we not start with some Ipelagos, or at least some Greater Ipelagos, before tackling a named Arch Ipelago? 6_u

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Hi sorry if I'm only half on topic.

But in one of the countless Realism or Armor threats.

Someone posted a very good Video (YouTube?) of an presentation about mobility in Medieval Plate armor.
The entrie Knights cant movie and need cranes Mythos.

I really try to find this video again.

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I really like the Game of Thrones approach to armour. Everything is somewhat stylised and not super historical, but it all looks good and conveys a fantasy feel.

 

It might not be perfectly historical accurate but it's by far my favourite armour style in a fantasy setting.

 

I tried to attach a bunch of photos but because it's my first post IT WON'T LET ME.

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Hi sorry if I'm only half on topic.

 

But in one of the countless Realism or Armor threats.

 

Someone posted a very good Video (YouTube?) of an presentation about mobility in Medieval Plate armor.

The entrie Knights cant movie and need cranes Mythos.

 

I really try to find this video again.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqC_squo6X4

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http://janpospisil.daportfolio.com/ - my portfolio
http://janpospisil.blogspot.cz/ - my blog

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Good practical demonstration from the 28 minute mark:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqoh0okQ6Ho

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Quite an experience to live in misery isn't it? That's what it is to be married with children.

I've seen things you people can't even imagine. Pearly Kings glittering on the Elephant and Castle, Morris Men dancing 'til the last light of midsummer. I watched Druid fires burning in the ruins of Stonehenge, and Yorkshiremen gurning for prizes. All these things will be lost in time, like alopecia on a skinhead. Time for tiffin.

 

Tea for the teapot!

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