The Armour Archive

Tom Knighton

Munz, I never said anything about a huge movement toward LH. But I do think you will see a significant movement. Not only that, but people might start upping thier personal standards to emulate those that HAVE LH level kits. The SCA could use the boost if you ask me. Further, I really don't think an...

Tom Knighton

Ask your average SCAdian why they are in the SCA. Not the pure stick jock who shows up at an event to fight and drink, but the run of the mill guy or lady. They will probably tell you that they are interested in the Middle Ages and like to bring it alive by wearing the clothing, singing the songs, e...

Tom Knighton

Glen isn't bashing the SCA, only saying that some folks who would do LH won't because they can get by with less in the SCA. Personally, I'm not sure that its a bad thing. LH folks in the US are probably more dedicated than many others because its NOT the only game in town. They can take all their LH...

Tom Knighton

Personally, I really think that it's not a matter of allowances. Everything I have read in Corpora states that the SCA is an organization trying to recreate the Middle Ages. Whether or not you add the phrase "as it should have been" is not important. If the purpose is to re-create the Middle Ages, t...

Tom Knighton

I used to love the SCA. I have lost much of that love due to the lack of people who seem to really believe what they claim to believe.

I am starting to play with another group. Hopefully I will get it back.

Who knows.

Bran

Tom Knighton

I'm not a peer, nor am I anyone's associate, so take this for what it's worth. Some guy who's played this game for a little while and picked up a few things. I have always seen that the peerage held in the highest esteem is the one in which you aspire to, or at the very least relate to. If your nich...

Tom Knighton

I think MOST of us have that book. It is one of the better books out there in my opinion. I gives a good overview of information on a large variety of periods. It has lots of photographs of period armour and weapons.

If you can get it, then get it!!

Bran

Tom Knighton

Georgia is Meridies for the most part, though a tiny part is Atlantia.

Not familiar with a Varangian group in the state though.

Brab

Tom Knighton

People still get carried off the field with "directed touch" as our alleged level of force. I personally got a concussion at Dark Wars in Meridies a few years back. I know I'm not the only one. That said, why not up the force just a bit? The term directed touch is just to vague in my opinion. But th...

Tom Knighton

I think the point many of the knights are trying to make in this thread and others is that having a Merc persona isn't the problem. The problem is when you fight against king and kingdom without so much as a "by your leave Your Magesty". If we are all trying to be noble, then that would be the polit...

Tom Knighton

I understand your point, Bran, but for someone who is portraying a hollywood ideal to bitch about someone else portraying a hollywood ideal.. its kinda.. weird? Maeryk Actually, I don't think you do. I guess I wasn't clear, which I have a bad habit of doing apparently. In the Middle Ages, some knig...

Tom Knighton

Were all knights paragons of Virtue and Chivalry? Nope. Were some? History shows us that some were. Are all SCA knights paragons of virtue and Chivalry? I wish I could honestly answer yes, but I really can't. Pirates, on the other hand, were a group of people who murdered, raped, and stole. They had...

Tom Knighton

honestly? People would bitch, moan, then adjust and get over it. Many people will do the minimum required of any activity. If people want more than just a large group doing what is currently accepted as the minimum, then you have to raise that minimum. They may not like it, but they will get over it...

Tom Knighton

Absolutely NO argument from me on that. But I think there is a world of difference between well done and thought out plastic, and smurf-barrel blue that still has the "this end up" sticker on it. I would like something that politely yet firmly urges people to upgrade to the point where they are at ...

Tom Knighton

Sorry folks, but we DO need to do something to define a reasonable attempt. I have had an ongoing discussion with someone about this very subject. Personally, the idea that something that is a reasonable attempt for someone at thier first event is still reasonable to someone who has been playing for...

Tom Knighton

The biggest problem with that excerpt is that it has no bearing on Harold Hardrada, who died in 1066. The image seems to also fall much later than Harolds time. It looks to be about mid 12th Century to me, though others may know an exact date. Axes are fine weapons, but inappropriate for some impres...

Tom Knighton

Just a note about "ruining someone elses fun". There are people in the SCA that actually get upset at those of us who want to be more authentic in our own impression as ruining thier fun, when we haven't said squat about thier stuff. It does happen. People talk about Authenticity Nazi's and how they...

Tom Knighton

You say that like it was a bad thing

Bran

Tom Knighton

Actually, Jameson, the plates are actually D shapes with one curve being on the side. This plate shape is authentic to the 14th Century I believe. IIRC it was found at the Wisby site. I think you were thinking of the scale shaped lamellar plate folks are used to seeing. To the original question, I w...

Tom Knighton

If you've got a good left handed fighter around, ask them how they fight righties. Seriously, they have to fight you the same way you have to fight them. The techniques are pretty much the same. They way I have always fought lefties was to move my shield inward a couple of inches. Not to much, but j...

Tom Knighton

Luckily, I'm in the position of actually DOING this so I have a good perspective to come from. With 11th Century, I'm hoping to only have to drop between $500-$750. Most of that will be me doing stuff myself, and it will be the bear minimum that I can get away with probably. That includes a spear, h...

Tom Knighton

I think it's already been said, but its all a matter of preference. There are advantages to any shield deminsion, but it's a matter of what YOU want. There is no "perfect" dimensions.

Bran

Tom Knighton

I'm from Meridies, and we hit a bit lighter than most kingdoms. However, from what I've seen, we don't hit THAT much lighter.

Like Baron Hamish said, it's all relative.

Bran

Tom Knighton

Someone who doesn't eat meat and therefore won't wear leather shoes......And then complains about how people like you ruin the SCA for folks like him. Personally, I say GOOD! But that's just me Next time someone tells you that, and then mentions that they don't eat meat, tell them that people like h...

Tom Knighton

That is really sad. That people will willing pick a fight of something so stupid just shows how little they have in life. He doesn't piss me off, it makes me pitty him. I don't care how people play the game, but when the game you play involves making me look like the bad guy, then I have a problem w...

Tom Knighton

I recall seeing a line drawing in a book for dog armour, used mainly for boar hunting. It was basically several layers of cloth, my guess is linen, with "eyelets" (not sure if this is the correct term) sewn all over to give the cloth much more strength. I don't have the book handy right now, since I...

Tom Knighton

Check out my sig for one. I've always liked it since I heard it in The Replacements. I can't help it Also, I've always liked Henry V's speach and the Siege of Harfleur. Once more into the breach dear friends, once more and we shall close the wall up with our English dead. and so on and so forth. Bran

Tom Knighton

If there is an actual gallery, ladies who are charged with picking the most chivalrous fighter, then that is hardly a problem. It has been my experience that when you ask ladies to pick a fighter for something, and ask them to sit in one local, the only thing they talk about is the fighting. Just my...

Tom Knighton

I read that book a few months back. Really interesting book. I'd be interested to talk to someone with some knowledge of the field who could tell me how much was BS and how much was good. Doesn't matter to me though, I just thought it was a fun read. Much as I did Timeline. Very good example actuall...

Tom Knighton

So rivited mail is period for early 13th century> So what happened to all the butted mail, they completely stopped making it by then? If that is so I suppose looking into rivited mail is a must before I endevour this. I have no idea about riviting mail so feel free anyone to tell me and I will look...

Tom Knighton

Bran Mac Scandlan, yes I meant butted mail. So you say ss butted mail will not hold up, perhaps it has to be at least as thick as Alexander's ss mail to be of any practical use? I am not even sure if butted mail or rivited mail was used during the early 13th century. But I think if I was to make ri...

Tom Knighton

Thanks for the input folks. I knew the analogy was imperfect, but I was trying to find a way to explain it without getting into the religion aspect to heavily. Science Fiction and Fantasy both offer much of the trials and tribulations that hero's of mythology had to endure. But they are both also fu...

Tom Knighton

I assume you want to make butted maille based on your statements about coiling your own wire. However, butted maille WILL fall apart no matter what material you use. It's just not a stable construction method for combat armour. If you have the money to spend, Forth Armoury has a riveted maille kit y...

Tom Knighton

The topic on the Viking Kidney belt got me thinking about something and I wanted to run it past you folks to hear your thoughts on the subject. In the kidney belt thread, Norse mythology is given as a reason why something was possible. Now, we aren't going to get into the rights and wrongs of using ...

Tom Knighton

Nope, he doesn't have a clue

And I don't see any reason to tell him

Bran

Mythology and Science Fiction