The Armour Archive

Dmitriy

Assuming we ignore the fact that if we were doing WMA no one would be squatting on the ground... you'd probably get a sword in your shin for your troubles

.

Dmitriy

It isn't likely to last long enough to get boring. Want to bet? Me on the knees, you with a glaive or greatsword, let's see it not last As opposed to a fighter who takes a leg shot from a two-handed weapon and expects the result to be to his advantage, rather than certain death? Again I say -- want...

Dmitriy

It's legal to stand out of his range and thrust at him till the cows come home. It's also kind of lame. You are there for the joy of combat, the thrill of a hard-fought bout, and standing where the guy can't possibly hit you is just plain boring, not to mention that it's a dick thing to do. It's leg...

Dmitriy

It's legal (don't bend the spear over the bale or castle wall, though). I've done that sort of thing -- but usually it's when everyone has 9 footers and the other side has this one guy who insists on using a 12. I will take his spear to get everyone on an equal footing, gladly. I don't hide when I d...

Dmitriy

Seyc -- PLoS is Public Library of Science, www.plos.org
A pretty good article about it: http://www.eastbayexpress.com/issues/20 ... ure_1.html

-D

Dmitriy

JP, in the pictures you link to you are not in the stance Caspian is talking about (sword low, shield high)....

Plus, it's not even you in those pictures. It's that other guy.

Dmitriy

Finished my leg armor (meaning, get to fight again!). Fought at Crapaud on Thursday. Two back-to-back all-nighter parties on Friday night (my Soviet party) and on Saturday night (a friend's housewarming). That should count as an endurance workout. Played Hurley on Sunday. To the uninitiated, it's ab...

Dmitriy

Duke Paul of Bellatrix uses a strapped round for the examples in his book, although the body mechanics and fighitng philosophy he teaches are applicable with othe shield forms as well. The manual is available at m (click on the link at the bottom of the page). -Dmitriy Shelomin (who's spent quite a ...

Dmitriy

We did them at the Hundredth Crapaud here in the West.
No problems.

-D

Dmitriy

Maelgwyn wrote: most scholarly publication is still NOT on the public Web.

Which reminds me -- if any of you are mundanely research scientists in the fields of Medicine or Biology, publish in PLoS!
It's good for you, it's good for science, it's good for people.

-Dmitriy

Dmitriy

It really only seems viable when you are using a thrusting sword -- to generate proper power for a cut, you would need to get the sword back, which will slow down your attacks and generate huge tells for your opponents. I've seen a similar style used successfuly against a glaive, where the sword is ...

Dmitriy

"Better is the enemy of good".. it's a common Russian saying, I doubt Stalin came up with it, so feel free to use it to your heart's content. It usually refers to over-fiddling. How many projects have you screwed up by trying to get this one little bit just right? I've done that to many... I get off...

Dmitriy

But Maelgwyn, archaeological data overwhelmingly shows that lamellar overlaps upwards on the torso. As in, I am not aware of a single find that shows lamellar overlapping downwards (skirts and arms excepted). Based on the evidence I've seen, I must conclude that body armor made of downwards-overlapp...

Dmitriy

Right, good call... sorry Malgar, probably the wrong thread for that argument (but, to answer Robert's post -- yes, Robert, you are right. I believe there are multiple examples of this change in overlap. Overlap up for the upper body, and down for the lower. Thordeman would be the first place to che...

Dmitriy

Heh.. Society for Compulsive Advisors... I see what you guys are saying. In practice, I only give advice when I am marshalling if it's a newcomers tourney -- because I believe a large part of the reason for a newcomers' tourney is to expose new fighters to each other and to the experienced fighters ...

Dmitriy

I fight in Russian-made welded maille. In appearance it is very similar to SoFC mail (except for the fact that Steve's is riveted, of course). Ring size, and thickness are the same. I have fought in my for 4 or 5 years now. I've worn it over a gambeson, with lamellar, and now I simply wear it over a...

Dmitriy

Why do you need it to break away? (Not criticizing, just curious -- never heard of such a thing).

Dmitriy

Bump -- I'd really like some more input on this.

I got reprimanded for this sort of thing at Pennsic a couple of years ago, and was completely shocked. So I am trying to see if this is an inter-kingdom anthropology thing.

-D

Dmitriy

Maelgwyn, umm... if the scholars agree that lamellar overlaps upwards and scale overlaps downwards..... shouldn't we? -Dmitriy P.S. Sasha debunked the "footman" theory pretty conclusively a few years ago by listing multiple exaples of spaulders, I think, that ovelapped the "wrong" way for the harnes...

Dmitriy

Uilliag, Thanks for the tutorial! It just so happens I am making hardened leather cuisses right now (literally -- the leather is soaking as I type this), and this thread is of great help. A question: I will be riveting the cuisses to straps that will be in turn riveted to knee cops. In order to get ...

Dmitriy

They are not the best looking bunch, but there are certainly some quality kits there.

I don't know. Do we really look better to the outsider? Here are some photos from our October Crown (they don't show nearly all the participants, alas):
http://gallery.nopro.com/westcrownoct2004
http://history.westkingdom.org/Year39/P ... rCrown.htm

Dmitriy

He was a kind man, and a Duke of great renown.

I met him briefly; he will be missed.

Dmitriy

Wade, you should shoot him an email if you are interested. I am not sure how often he reads this board.

Dmitriy

Alejandro, I think that's fine. I don't know if it's legal, given the extra-sensitive nature of some of the sem rulings, but it seems a fine and safe technique to me.

Sir Guy -- I have one, will see about making you a copy.. only one VCR at my house.

-D

Dmitriy

King Thorin of An Tir won this one at 52 ...

Dmitriy

I think it's pretty normal for bystanders to offer advice to fighters after watching their bout in a tournament. What do you think about marshalls doing that? A marshal watches a fight, once it's over, he offers some advice to both fighters. Bad? Good? Does it matter if the tournament is a Crown? If...

Dmitriy

Cool.

Nice bazubands. What's he waring for leg armor?

Dmitriy

Magnus -- well, yeah, it's much better to stay out of your opponent's range, and certainly both Brand and I do our share of running in circles when we fight. What I was trying to say was that it is folly to assume that the glaivesman is dead if he's close -- the good ones would make a foolish fighte...

Dmitriy

That is fairly ironic.
I hope Ibrahim will work to right the wrong the BoD has done to the independence of his kingdom and the reputation of one of his Dukes.

Dmitriy

To those of you saying that a glaivesman should be dead if he is within 2 feet of a sword and shield fighter -- either you guys are better fighters than the guys I fight out here, or you have yet to face a glaivesman with a decent inside game. Both my knight, Sir Brand (who went to 2 West Kingdom fi...

Dmitriy

That's really nice, Uilleag. I have a question for you. How do you keep the leather armour from rotting twisting, and deforming? Every shaped leather bit I've ever had wound up getting squished, acquired a funny smell, stretched on one side more than another, etc.. Is it the way I store it? Lack of ...

Dmitriy

Eyvandr, you need quite a bit more armour before you can even come close to that shoe closet..

That thing is impressive, people.

I've switched my gear around to fit the portrayal better (Vitus, you listening? I don't use the square anymore

).

Dmitriy

Alfred, haven't you heard??

My new fighting persona is a mummy

Dmitriy

No, but a knight's belt is

-D

Dmitriy

In the West, Assuming "plate is proof" is in effect: A steel breastplate is proof. A plastic or leather one is not proof. Covered plate is proof (but we change that on occasion to "only visible plate" when out-of-kingdom archers get upset because they think they hit a guy) Steel lamellar is proof. A...

On-the-field training