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Johan du Buisson





Joined: 18 Oct 2008

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PostPosted: Wed 19 Nov, 2008 4:18 am    Post subject: The Superior Weapon Setup         Reply with quote

Which of the following weapon setups would you prefer, or wich of the follwing setups do you consider to be the best of the three, and why?

The setups are...

1.) Sword and Buckler
2.) Two handed sword
3.) Longsword and dagger ( or any other suitable secondary or off-hand weapon)
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Jordan A.





Joined: 09 Oct 2008

Posts: 15

PostPosted: Wed 19 Nov, 2008 7:34 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

If I didn't know what the scenario was or who I was fighting and had to choose a weapon based purely on unkown expectations, then I would choose two handed swords, more because I like them more than anything else. I admit, unfortunately, I am no swordsman, merely a collector! But I would love to be skilled with two handed swords.
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Dan P




Location: Massachusetts, USA
Joined: 28 Jun 2007

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PostPosted: Wed 19 Nov, 2008 7:52 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I'd take shortsword and buckler as being the most flexible for dealing with different things, but I bet other people are going to disagree with me, which is OK. I don't like 2-handed weapons (or even long 1-hand swords) very much, but that's an artifact of what I've had the most training with and what I can carry around every day.
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Christopher Gregg




Location: Louisville, KY
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PostPosted: Wed 19 Nov, 2008 8:11 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Without knowing my adversary, what type of weaponry I'd be facing, the numbers of opponents and how tightly grouped their defences are, what type of armor defense I was allowed and my enemy possesed, I could not choose between the three limited choices. If I must choose, I'd take a staff weapon with a hand-axe or large dirk as a back up.
Christopher Gregg

'S Rioghal Mo Dhream!
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Luka Tic





Joined: 25 Mar 2007

Posts: 15

PostPosted: Wed 19 Nov, 2008 8:35 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

A sword,buckler and a mace as a sidearm in case of heavy armour
Luka
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Jeff Kaisla




Location: Qualicum Beach, B.C., Canada
Joined: 09 Jan 2008
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PostPosted: Wed 19 Nov, 2008 3:56 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I really enjoy two handed longswords, but unless you are very skilled, I find using one Longsword against Sword and Shield can be a challenge. If I didn't know what I was up against, I too would choose sword and shield.
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Lucas LaVoy




Location: New Orleans, LA
Joined: 08 Mar 2008

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PostPosted: Wed 19 Nov, 2008 4:30 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

A buckler really isn't the same as a "shield" though; its not nearly as passive a defense as a kite or viking round (or a scutum), and I think takes a bit of training to get much use out of. So it'd really depend on your experience level.
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Jordan A.





Joined: 09 Oct 2008

Posts: 15

PostPosted: Wed 19 Nov, 2008 4:44 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

If the option for sword and SHIELD was given I would have chosen that, a Gladius and a large Roman shield, but the option was sword and buckler. To say sword and shield (to me) is not what is asked. Does anyone feel the same way? I may be wrong!
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Gavin Kisebach




Location: Lacey, Wa US
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PostPosted: Wed 19 Nov, 2008 4:59 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I can only comment from my experiences in the SCA, but you might find them relevant.

Almost every new fighter ends up behind a sword and shield (round, heater, and scutum being most common) simply because that's the only way they can live long enough to learn anything. The shield provides some passive defense, and the single sword provides decent offensive capability.

Accomplished fighters almost invariably move to spear, owing to its offensive superiority. A few will move to greatsword; again for the offensive capability. So long as you have the training and the natural speed to play the range game and create openings, you can accomplish great things with a focused offense.

Bucklers are to me like pistols; appropriate for civilian carry, and often present on the battlefield, but in every other way a compromise. No doubt with a lot of training and focus you can be battle viable, but I think the buckler is at a decided disadvantage nex to a true battlefield weapon such as the longsword or greatsword.

There are only two kinds of scholars; those who love ideas and those who hate them. ~ Emile Chartier
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Jordan A.





Joined: 09 Oct 2008

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PostPosted: Wed 19 Nov, 2008 5:07 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Dang Lucas, I took a phone call while I was typing my post and you beat me to it! Big Grin
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Jeff Kaisla




Location: Qualicum Beach, B.C., Canada
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PostPosted: Wed 19 Nov, 2008 5:58 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Ok, sword and buckler it is then. I understand the difference between a buckler and a shield. I have been training in both German Longsword and Sword and Buckler. I have also been reading Chivalry Bookshelf's "Medieval Sword and "SHIELD" which is completely based on buckler work. I didn't know using the term shield would generate any feedback. I consider a buckler a small shield...the diff being able to use as an offensive weapon and the ability to use in grapples. Sorry for the confusion Wink
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Sam Gordon Campbell




Location: Australia.
Joined: 16 Nov 2008

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PostPosted: Thu 20 Nov, 2008 12:38 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I concur, sword and buckler for moi.
Member of Australia's Stoccata School of Defence since 2008.
Host of Crash Course HEMA.
Founder of The Van Dieman's Land Stage Gladiators.
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Vincent Le Chevalier




Location: Paris, France
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PostPosted: Thu 20 Nov, 2008 2:50 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

The kind of armour you will wear should influence the choice. I wouldn't risk unarmoured longsword outside a duel against a similar setup...

Not to mention the armour worn by the opponent.

In short: context, context, context Happy

--
Vincent
Ensis Sub Caelo
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Sam N.




Location: Beijing, China
Joined: 03 Mar 2007

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PostPosted: Thu 20 Nov, 2008 3:45 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

To carry around as a sidearm, a light longsword (well, more of a bastard-sword) and a buckler. That way, I have a sword & buckler and a longsword should I need either.

Or, if I could find an easy way to carry it, a two handed sword. After all, Di Grassi states it is useful against multiple opponents and acts as a good intimidation tool to prevent someone from attempting to attack you.

But seriously, we need more info, armoured or unarmoured? Street or battlefield? The question is not which setup is best, but which setup is best for what situation.
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Anders Backlund




Location: Sweden
Joined: 24 Oct 2007

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PostPosted: Thu 20 Nov, 2008 7:46 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Possibly sword and buckler. It would depend on the type of sword, though.
The sword is an ode to the strife of mankind.

"This doesn't look easy... but I bet it is!"
-Homer Simpson.
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Bill Grandy
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PostPosted: Thu 20 Nov, 2008 8:16 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I just want to emphasize what Vincent said:

Context!

If there were a superior style, people wouldn't have bothered to use anything else. If sword and buckler were the most effective style, then why would a Doppelsöldner bother with using a two handed sword for disrupting pike formations? If the two handed sword was superior, then why would the rodeleros of Cortez's army have taken their sword and bucklers into the New World? There are many reasons for using a particular weapon style and combintation, and it goes far beyond personal preference.

If I were an archer on the field of Agincourt, I might have carried a sword and buckler as my back up, as a two handed sword's grip might have interfered with my ability to shoot. If I were a mounted knight, I might have chosen a longsword because it could be used from horseback as well as being used on foot. And so on.

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James R.Fox




Location: Youngstowm,Ohio
Joined: 29 Feb 2008

Posts: 253

PostPosted: Fri 21 Nov, 2008 2:45 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Mr LaVoy-If you think the scutum is a passive defence, check any good book on Roman weapons. The legonary was taught to punch with the boss,use the metal-bound lower edge to smash the enemies lower legs and feet, rabbit-punch him with same in the back of his neck if smashing his feet dropped him to his knees, and smash him under the jaw with the upper edge to break his jaws and neck. Adrian Goldsworthy's The Complete Roman Army is a good place to start., as is Roman Military Equipment, by M.C. Bishop andJ.C.N. Coulston. Both of these are available from Amazon books, which is where I got them. Any good shield is a weapon, and bucklers were often metal edge bound and had a boss, and were 24 to 36 inches in diameter. If I didn't know what I was facing I'd take a 2 ft buckler and a Oakshott type XV or XVIII sword.
Ja68ms
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