The Armour Archive

Has anyone ever seen this combination?
i'm Sca and play an iron age gaul, my persona would likley have fought spear and shield as well as sword and shield.
i've been trying it out, and it works damn good onc you get the right length for your spear.
anyways, i'm wondering if this is in any way a common weapon/shield combo, and how well you think it's work in sca fighting.

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What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee:

I've seen it twice here in the Outlands, not much more than that. It seems it would work out ok in a melee, but I'm not sure how it would work one-on-one. Seems more like a good thing if you have a line of buddies all using the shield/spear thing (hoplites).

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God help us we're in the hands of engineers...

A person around here fought it for quite some time. In his words, "Tourney bouts are over quick, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always quick".

He had deadly accuracy with it and was able to back pedal, but if you got in on him, he was pretty much toast.

I fight heater and 9 foot spear in bridges and other static melees. I have a lance cut out on the right side of the shield and my hand sticks out into the opening. I then fight it like a standard two handed spear.

King Edmund of the Midrealm fights round shield and 6 foot spear one handed on a regular basis. He is now using a "slashing spear" or unpadded polearm one handed with his round also.

Lord Theodore of Haddington

The biggest problem with fighting spear and shield is that SCA combat simply does not give thrusts in general the effectiveness that the real thing would; also, you can't whack an opponant with it if they get inside the point.

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Owen
"Death is but a doorway-
Here, let me hold that for you"

Greetings..

i remeber a discussion awhile back where somone mentioned that they knew someone with a Native American Person who fought with a round and a spear..but cant rememrer much more than that..anyone who remembers this person.??? they might could help ya out soome.........

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Where theres a Whip theres a way

The Outlanders mentioned probably were Sir Tore and Sir Rand the Tracker, both from the Huns. When I joined the household, they both fought melees mainly spear and shield. In Tore's words "I am a pole assasin" You don't need a bounch of your buddies backing you up fighting spear and sheild in melee, you just need to be able to backpeddle and thrust at the same time. I tried to fight spear and round in tourney and found it a difficult and unrewarding style. However if you have great point control and foot speed, it might be for you.
Slainte,
Fearghus

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"How long will we fight? We will fight until hell freezes
over. Then we fight on the ice."
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The rules are: pillage first, then burn.
Failure to follow the rules will lead to
summary dismissal from the raiding team.

I actually hadnt even though of it for melees
i;ve only been using it one on one. i do know that my defence with that particular shield does tend to piss off other fighters, think roman shield(cant remember what it's called) only cener grip, and with ar ounded top. they are not easy to hit around.
anyways, i've rather liked being to able to effectivley attack while backpeddling(i usually fight greatsword, hard to attack on the defensive) but yea, i think i;m definitley gona give it a try

I've done it a few times. It can be a fun style, and actually surprisingly effective (although mostly against those who don't know how to fight against spears.)

The best style I've found is to use a large centergrip round in the off hand, and a short (6 to 7 1/2 foot) rattan spear in the on hand. Fight underhand holding the spear just behind the point of balance, so you have a great line on all those thrusts to the body and leg. Practise your 'thrown' thrusts (where you let the spear slide forward in your hand as you thrust, greatly extending your range), so you have full control of your weapon, both point control as well as strength control. Get used to moving backwards as you fight, and choking up on the spear when they inevitably charge in close. If you do it right, you can actually have the upper hand, as your weapon's point is very close to your hand, so you can do quick thrusts to the body and face while tying up their weapon with your shield. Also, when you do get a leg shot on your opponent, switch to an overhand grip on your spear so you can work over top of their shield and don't be afraid to work outside of thier weapons range; you're fighting with a frigging spear, damn it! You've already given a huge advantage to your opponent. Don't give up the advantages that have been hard won.

I don't think I'd fight the style in anything other than practices and the occasional melee though. It's fun, but not as much fun as 9' spear alone.


Frederich