The Armour Archive

carlyle

MJB wrote:I fell over ... because he pinched the bottom of my cup on my sack....

Now that is TMI

carlyle

What I recommend is actually taking ... him to your camp, having maidens or young lords bathe him or her, dress them in finest samite, and feasting them, forcing them to imbibe and ingest only the finest meats, cheeses, and liquor, ... and then ... releasing them on parole the next morning with the...

carlyle

A person, as myself, with 30 years experience, may find himself matched up against a person who first put on armour and picked up a baton 30 days ago.... That difference alone probably accounts for over half of the "outsiders'" perceptions of SCA fighting. Well, that and the fact that there are a l...

carlyle

Unto Master Lucius Cassius Magnus, Tenan of the Couter of Chivalry, Companion of the Laurel Order of the mighty Orient Kingdom, right trusty and well-beloved vassal of Sir Artimus Maximus, Knight of the Ermine, from Alfred of Carlyle, knight sworn and true to King Radnor of the West, eighth of that ...

carlyle

What about the musters during the War of the Roses... I think this largely makes my argument for me . The archers are specialized troops. They are not intended to face footmen toe-to-toe. Their armor (or lack thereof) is suited for their function. I think that, to support your position, you would n...

carlyle

Stop playing straight man to my already inflated sense of self-worth, James -- it tickles !! Seriously... When I first started doing WMA with Steve Hick (sir Stykar) that was his first lesson to me, let the weight of the sword generate the power, work of being fast and precise. Within the SCA I know...

carlyle

What we are forgetting is most men on foot have little armor... I realize AllenJ has already asked me to provide citations (for which I am remiss), but this statement again presumes an understanding of combatants inconsistent with the inventories and depictions of the time. For example, I know of v...

carlyle

Audax -- Below is a compilation of some questions received off-line that I have tried to answer. While I do not use the terms "tempo" and "measure" specifically, much of what is written addreses these concepts in some small way. With regards... AoC I understand your meaning insofar as the principle....

carlyle

That vast majority of people on the battlefield had little to no armour. Prevailing scholarship now suggests that most medieval battles were, in fact, conducted by a largely professional, well-equipped soldiery. Even my friends in Regia who, when they first assembled would limit mail-clad impressio...

carlyle

We simply recognize that the base goals of the 2 organizations are different... My response was entirely in the context of Allen's statement that SCA fighting is not a martial art. Unless you are intending to support his position, we are in complete agreement on both your points. Control tempo and ...

carlyle

I am trying to do a proper 1360s belt and they look the same minus the stiffeners. Maybe in twilight, and then only if you squint really hard ... Seriously, I'd love a set in the white bronze, Tim -- maybe even two... AoC (and maybe I could order up another chape to replace the one I cracked during...

carlyle

I would concede that SCA combat is not a "complete" martial art. There are many practitioners that embrace the conceit that it is (and some few anecdotes where it was applied successfully outside the scope of the SCA tournament); but by-and-large, there are many gaps in our tuition. Still, dismissin...

carlyle

While I would not wish to contradict my brother knight or the erstwhile squires whom have commented otherwise, I would offer that the original question regards the proper forms during "pickups". These are not usually considered "practice" fights with the goal of improving a particular skill or techn...

carlyle

JdT wrote:Anyone want to toss me a life line here or am I the only one who has been taught this?

Yup -- and it even does apply to practices. I don't know if this is a "universal truth" among the SCA knights, but be assured you're not alone on this snipe hunt... AoC

carlyle

As an historical note, King Radnor was the first to institute this practice during his last reign, some 15 years ago. I remember it well because it was my second West Crown, and I looked up to realize that there were only four banners left, one was mine, and I had already fought the other three repr...

carlyle

EDS wrote:Once my current backlog of larger items is filled, then we will start producing shirts.

Backlog? Hmmmm....... AoC

carlyle

BdeB wrote:A shield is equilivent in Atlantia.

What a thoroughly civilized idea.

With respect... AoC

carlyle

Second, these small shields are seen on a large preponderance of effigies and iconography. How much of this is attributed to the suggestion that the "preponderance of effigies" are of mounted nobles, and not footmen? Is there reason to believe (as the iconography also suggests) that footmen used lo...

carlyle

Are the terms of your office entirely bound by martial expression? If not, then consider alternative vehicles through which to celebrate your Queen's inspiration. If fighting is the only avenue currently defined by your appointment, then offer your resignation. It will be Her Majesty's prerogative t...

carlyle

Not to be overly critical, but I disagree with the choice of a tourney. I suppose it is the privilege of the current tenan to determine the format, but the precedent of the one-on-one was, for me, part of the charm of the Deed. The whole focus on pageantry, the gifting, the role of the particpants' ...

carlyle

Alpha males? ... humanity is not a species of the canine geneis... I reject the idea of the "pack" as a model for group mentality." I am far afield of my comfort zone here, but I think that comparison to chimpanzee social hierarchy is the intended analogy. It's a heavily debated area (for example, ...

carlyle

Not to dis Murdock, but I went out and bought a UA shirt because a good friend and his "posse" had been using them in SCA combat for about a year and swore by them. I've never seen the TV ads; didn't even realize it was a Nike product. I really appreciate the reference for the 5-11 product, M. I rea...

carlyle

At the risk of satisfying Wulf's aspiration and driving this thread to 10 pages; it is important to understand that Master of Arms is not a viable alternative for recognizing a fighter that willfully raises arms against his king. The Crown is the font of all honors. It is Their obligation to award l...

carlyle

Gwen -- one idea for kid's clothes is to establish some sort of "buy-back" or "credit" program for used clothes. Even if it's a nominal amount, it demonstrates awareness of just how fast they grow out of their current wardrobe. You could then re-sell the used garments after inspection for a discount...

carlyle

Glen- I've gotten a lot of info on Regia clothing guidelines from the Regia site- where can I get similar info for Norman? I'd appreciate it if you could make a recommendation.

There is no difference. Any belief to the contrary is a contrivance of Glen's fevered imagination.

carlyle

I'm afraid I have to point the finger at those at the upper eschelon's of our society, Royalty, Peers, Chiv. etc. As a student of what Michael describes as the "Arthurian Mythos", I have to disagree. I believe this is the core of the SCA, so even if we tolerate "foreign" impressions, I feel it is i...

carlyle

please, shut the hell up about "non period" armor And how the hell are the two inconsistent? Do you think that the medieval "ideal" was somehow inundated with armor of unknown, suspect, or "sport" origin? One way to approach an archtype is by first attempting to capture as much of the actual materi...

carlyle

We already have imperial pelicans. Yes, and I know who they are, too (o,r at least, I used to). If I left you with the opinion that they did not exist, I apologize. It was not my point to deny them, but to use this story as illustration that, for the sake of game Play, the decision was taken then t...

carlyle

Sorry you view it all as "Team competition". I prefer to see a MUCh larger SCA, with much less focus on "fighting". But we all know, the Knight is the only _REAL_ peerage, the rest of em are there for those who cannot hack it as fighters, and instead decide to pursue the less manly wussy arts. This...

carlyle

RB wrote:...why would an ancient greek be required to play chess, learn and participate in the medieval European court environment and medieval dance?

Or swear fealty, for that matter.

carlyle

LoL! Well, my turn for an honest mistake. All I read was your name without registering you were from Artimesia and, because Robyn is from Germany, mistook you for Sir Maximillian from Drachenwald. My apologies for being even more confused than usual... AoC

carlyle

Can't tell with you continentals, Max. Freiman has been referring to her as "milord Robyn" ever since he began spreading her wordfame. Even I get a little cross-eyed trying to keep track, and I -live- in the land of gender confusion. If Ian is in error, at least it's an honest mistake... AoC

carlyle

A full head to toe rig in stainless will quickly eat up an entire plane flight's luggage allowance Shouldn't be quite as bad with itineraries that terminate or begin in North America. The allowance is 35Kg, rather than the 20Kg you are more familar with. Note, however, that it has to be booked as a...

carlyle

Lasts are used in the production of turn shoes, but not in the same way as later-period, welted shoes. Turn shoes are, without exception, "footed" left and right. I don't know of any examples of straight-lasted turn shoes, at least not from the 12th-15th C. Hope this helps... AoC

carlyle

Michael -- BF tagged it; the benefit of riveted or welded mail is in the weight as much as it is in the durability. In order to stand up to SCA combat, butted mail is too heavy, both from an historical reference and for effect. If you aren't looking to riveted mail for the historical benefit, I woul...

A petition