Weapon damage

[Joseph Paul]

Sven noren wrote:

Two points here:
1) The spearman has to be very nimble to run backwards nearly as fast as the swordsman runs forward, while blocking with the spear haft AND drawing a backup weapon, and
2) if the spearman can reach the swordsman with a small mace or short sword, then the swordsman is NOT at his ideal range!

1) If he runs straight backwards yes. I am plagued both by spearman that can do that and shieldmen that know how to close fast. Things work better if you take a tip from Silver- retreat in the round, rather than a straight line.

2) Oh, absolutely!

Not a problem; I've done it myself and had it done to me more often than not. Basically, push the spear point with the shield while winding up with the sword. On a 9 foot spear you get much better leverage than the spearman can get since his hands are at the most 3 1/2 feet apart. (Unless we are fighting orangutans?)



Where have you done your fighting? My experinces are from the SCA, where throwing an opponent is not permitted (safety reasons).

I also do SCA and have more recently begun to work in some of the WMA texts (I.33, Talhoffer, Fiore, and I read Silver many years ago). As for throwing, you are correct but it appears in the fechtbuchs and it has happened quite by accident with me. It is impressive the amount of leverage a 6 foot stick gives you!

When fighting as a unit yes; rushing a close order unit in two or three ranks is suicidal. When fighting one-on-one a spearman is at a definite disadvantage against a sword-and-shield fighter of similar competence. I have seen very few spears in the lists, and even fewer used successfully (though a short spear-and-sword combo has been popular hereabouts recently).

I have seen spears used as 'cut lances' in pas d'armes. We have some true "spear gods" that can do a very good job. With skill being equal what I see is combats that are over with very quickly or get dragged out as the combatants keep probing.

[Kloster]

Originally Posted by Trifletraxor

With the RuneQuest weapon tables, my players usually chose the same weapons over and over, because some weapons due to less damage or armor points just became filling on the weapon table.

Bows f.ex did 1d8+1. A throwing knife, dagger, axe or spear did less damage and had shorter reach, so why would anyone choose those missile weapons? The heavy crossbow was sometime employed due to its high one-shot damage, but the other crossbows where too slow for use (the one that didn't had puny damage so no reason to use it). Among the bows, the composite bow was the one who where always chosen.

Missile weapons showed this very well, but the same also applied for the melee weapons (though not as strongly). Some weapons where never chosen. With the STR and DEX requirement being as low as they where, there was really no reason not to pick a bigger weapon.

...

So long as I've played, none of my players have used a scimitar unless forced to due so, because the broadsword is just better.

Anyone else who've had this problem?

SGL.

Nope, We always start with cultural weapons, and players tend to keep the weapons they started with. For the secondary weapon, we tend to choose the lowest ENC on what is available when we shop, so we had Axe, Kukri, Gladius, Broadsword (for a big barbarian whose main weapon was a poleaxe), dagger.
For missile weapons, I have personally used longbow, composite bow (in Prax and Pent, I think no other is available), heavy crossbow, repeating crossbow, javelin and plumbata (and thrown a lot of the hand weapons I have used: Dagger, hatchet, short spear among others).

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

[drohem]

Wow, that was a serious brain fart this morning. Sorry guys.

[Atgxtg]

I just thing you are the drohem from the alternate universe.
Well, one of you, see a double post!

You should give one of your avatars a beard so we can tell which one is from our universe.

This is gonna be fun

[drohem]

hehe...yeah, like Spock from that episode of Star Trek.

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by drohem

hehe...yeah, like Spock from that episode of Star Trek.

evildrohem, from the mirror universe.

He probably only pays CCGs and CRPGs and never played a BRP game.

Now all you have to set up an account.


BTW, A alternate world where Alexander Hamilton killed Arron Burr and went on to become President of the US has some possibilities.

[badcat]

Appropriate avatars, there. *snicker*

[drohem]

hehehe...that's totally awsome!

or is it?....muhwahawa