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Main => The Armoury => Topic started by: Justin on 2015-06-30, 18:45:47

Title: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Justin on 2015-06-30, 18:45:47
So, just for fun, if you could fight using any type of medieval weapon, what would it be and why? Would you use a straight-sword and shield for the speed and versatility? Would you use a great sword for the power? A mace for the brutality? A halberd for the reach? I personally would go for a two-handed great sword, just so that the opponent would think twice about trying to block my attack.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sampf on 2015-07-01, 04:01:24
Id use either a Messer for the fear factor and the fact that you can nearly slice a man in half with it. That thing is heavy with enough momentum and a sharp blade they are finished (not so good against armor but still)

If not a messer Id use the hammer of lucerine because with that I could slam through someones helm into their skull or use the pick side to do the same to un armored people
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Justin on 2015-07-01, 04:13:27
Ooh, a hammer! Nice. I hadn't thought of that. That would be intimidating to see flying at you. One solid hit and you're probably done.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Dimitry on 2015-07-01, 04:20:56
On horse or ground give me a good hefty sabre. Stout enough to remove a limb and not so curved that it has an ineffective thrust.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Justin on 2015-07-01, 04:32:55
A saber? Hmm, nice speed, one solid swing and off goes a limb. I could see that. I like it.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Rodney on 2015-07-01, 05:11:42
For rebated or rattan combat I prefer the poleaxe.  The reach is nice and you can slash, smash, poke & hook.  Often overlooked is the ability for a close-quarters strike with the butt-spike.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Justin on 2015-07-01, 09:53:04
Wow! That sounds like quite the versatile weapon. It's always good to have multiple methods of attack with your weapon.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Douglas on 2015-07-01, 17:39:28
A trebuchet so I can hurl big rocks at things. ;D
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Justin on 2015-07-01, 17:40:43
Haha! That would probably be the most entertaining. I have always wanted to see one of those in action.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir William on 2015-07-01, 18:15:35
I do love a good sword, but for myself- a hammer with a wicked back spike and a shield.  No matter which way the head's turned, you can deliver a crushing blow and being able to cherry pick heads with that pointed back spike all from the cover of a shield is a winner for me.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Justin on 2015-07-01, 19:28:12
An iron defense, with an unstoppable offense. A combination to be feared indeed.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sampf on 2015-07-02, 04:14:30
If I was ranged however. I would want a longbow/war bow  why? Because English archers where feared because of their deadly accuracy and ability to take down ranks of lightly armored footmen from afar.
You had to be so strong just to fire one that they can Identify archers bodies by their enlarged shooting arm.
Now that's a weapon you don't want to see haha
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir James A on 2015-07-02, 04:55:52
Poleaxe, without a doubt :)
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Justin on 2015-07-02, 06:50:26
If I was ranged however. I would want a longbow/war bow  why? Because English archers where feared because of their deadly accuracy and ability to take down ranks of lightly armored footmen from afar.
You had to be so strong just to fire one that they can Identify archers bodies by their enlarged shooting arm.
Now that's a weapon you don't want to see haha

That sounds brutal. Still, you can't really argue that dispatching your opponent before they even have a chance to get near you is a good way to go about things.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Nate on 2015-07-02, 16:40:28
Dual wielding Trebuchets  ;D
Hmmm... I can't decide.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Justin on 2015-07-02, 16:57:19
Haha! While I don't think you can technically dual wield trebuchets, you are more than capable of having two trebuchets.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir James A on 2015-07-02, 18:01:40
If I was ranged however. I would want a longbow/war bow  why? Because English archers where feared because of their deadly accuracy and ability to take down ranks of lightly armored footmen from afar.
You had to be so strong just to fire one that they can Identify archers bodies by their enlarged shooting arm.
Now that's a weapon you don't want to see haha

Close, but spine and shoulders, not arms.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/9686177/Mary-Rose-scientists-identify-shipwrecks-elite-archers-by-RSI.html
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Thorsteinn on 2015-07-02, 21:57:09
Aside from the obvious question "What am I facing? What am I wearing?" before deciding. Still... I'd take a Poleaxe cause it brings da boom!

Id use either a Messer for the fear factor and the fact that you can nearly slice a man in half with it. That thing is heavy with enough momentum and a sharp blade they are finished (not so good against armor but still)

Messer isn't that big. It's a late period one-handed peasants tool designed to get around sword laws. Thus why one need not worry about armor so much.

Good weapon and the stuff on it's use is fantastic, but not what you're thinking of.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38sVdx7nzhQ&index=12&list=PLHQQibu-Ww5hmEr7YIzXXASx3ehE1MSca

(Note: Langes Messer means "Long Knife" and so some Messers are rather a bit shorter than this)
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sampf on 2015-07-03, 00:38:01
Sorry I meant a two handed messer but then if its one handed what am I thinking of, I have seen two handed things that people have called messers.
They usually look like this when I see them

Any input on what these might be would be much appreciated


Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Nate on 2015-07-03, 04:01:00
Well there are messers and then there are falchions.
Falchions have a hilt assembled like a sword. Messers have a hilt like your common kitchen or really many knives. since the Hilt was not a sword hilt, it passed as a big knife.
The knecht is a messer. Here is a review on it by skallagrim
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu1bVacVSyM
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Michael on 2015-07-03, 11:44:36
Honestly I have to say that I like the feel and the sheer savagery of a mace.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Pete on 2015-07-03, 14:11:20
I agree with Sir James, Sir Rodney & Thorsteinn, a Pole Axe would be ideal, though I'd prefer a short-shafted poleaxe (4-5ft) for more control and stability.

Or my personal favorite, though probably wouldn't fare well against an armored knight... a Danish Longsword, I really like the curved hand guards ... both amazing weapons.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Edward on 2015-07-03, 14:41:38

Yes, the "grossmesser" or "kriegsmesser" is probably what you're thinking of. They're pretty intimidating.

Oh yes, the poleaxe is a great choice. I'd have to work with it a lot more first, before it would become my go-to weapon. For now, I would have to stick with the longsword, or the sword & buckler, since I actually somewhat know what I'm doing with those. :)
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Justin on 2015-07-03, 14:51:45
Well, well. Who would have thought that the pole axe would be winning the day?
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Thorsteinn on 2015-07-03, 18:44:08
Well, well. Who would have thought that the pole axe would be winning the day?

It brings da BOOM! Look at this vid here where they're using a "blunted" poleaxe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9eHuVYwWY8&list=PLHQQibu-Ww5hmEr7YIzXXASx3ehE1MSca&index=34

Also the pic from the Lauren Tourney where the guy got stabbed in the jimmy with one.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Justin on 2015-07-03, 19:33:23
Wow! That looks awesome! I would love to try something like that one day.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sampf on 2015-07-03, 22:56:02
Yes I was thinking of the Kreigmesser. Thanks for that I couldn't figure it out haha
Yea those would be terrifying to see on the battlefeild
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Lord Dane on 2015-07-05, 13:39:19
Well, well. Who would have thought that the pole axe would be winning the day?

Most versatile and functional weapon there is. Seems a logical choice in melee combat. Any weapon that allows you advantage in reach at distance, hooking, trapping, slashing, cutting, thrusting, and smashing ... is the true winner in weapons.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Nate on 2015-07-05, 16:18:20
Well, well. Who would have thought that the pole axe would be winning the day?

Most versatile and functional weapon there is. Seems a logical choice in melee combat. Any weapon that allows you advantage in reach at distance, hooking, trapping, slashing, cutting, thrusting, and smashing ... is the true winner in weapons.
Not only that, but with a pole axe it won't really matter what armor your opponent is wearing. Anything less that full plate armor is going to be all the more easy.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Justin on 2015-07-05, 17:09:27
I had no idea that the pole axe was such a formidable tool of destruction. I have learned much in this discussion.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Thorsteinn on 2015-07-09, 21:19:45
Poleaxe to the Jimmy!!!

(http://i.imgur.com/EUmV1.jpg)
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Lord Dane on 2015-07-10, 09:14:31
As pictorially demonstrated by Thorsteinn, there you have it. :)
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Nate on 2015-07-10, 20:28:19
Ouch
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Justin on 2015-07-11, 20:58:42
Good gracious! That poor guy saw God at that moment.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Brian on 2015-07-12, 09:29:23
At the very least his whole sex life passed before his eyes! :P
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Lord Dane on 2015-07-12, 18:30:58
At the very least his whole sex life passed before his eyes! :P

Now how do you know he has a sex life, Sir Brian?? lol Be more accurate to say his nads passed into the next world in an honorable fashion.  ;D
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir James A on 2015-07-12, 21:08:40
Poleaxe to the Jimmy!!!

(http://i.imgur.com/EUmV1.jpg)

Laurin Tournament, utterly fantastic event
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Rodney on 2015-07-14, 03:18:04
Laurin Tournament, utterly fantastic event

For everyone except the dude to the right!   :o
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Justin on 2015-07-14, 18:33:16
Quite. That man regrets every decision he ever made leading up to this.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: scott2978 on 2015-07-16, 17:51:46
I'd prefer a ballista, for backstabbing people.



But for real, the pole axe is my favorite weapon also. I saw a Mike Loades video of it once that illustrated it's use pretty well.

This whole video is good but the poleaxe part begins about 39:00
http://youtu.be/98hRtOJqOYE

Scott
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Magnus the Smasher on 2015-08-19, 00:08:08
A real vesion of this... The Smasher.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Justin on 2015-08-26, 17:16:18
Haha. Seems appropriate.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Henrik Granlid on 2015-08-26, 21:24:22
Lately, I've actually been falling more and more in love with the pollhammer, not the axe, not the lucerne or bec De corbin, but the pollhammer. Meat tenderiser on a stick, backed by an axe-head and with a long pointy bit at the very end.

Seriously.

Smack.

Do you need anything else?
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: scott2978 on 2015-08-27, 18:06:32
What you describe fits the description of many polaxes.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Henrik Granlid on 2015-08-28, 07:34:23
They are all pretty much the same in the end. But what I identify as a hammer rather than an axe is that the meaty bit is the primary weapon and the axe head is shrunk down, whereas the axes have very telling axe heads, often with curved beards, whilst the hammer is kinda small and sure, it works.... But the axe is the real business end on those, much like the hammer is the business end on my weapon of choice.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Lord Dane on 2015-08-28, 17:27:01
I have to agree on that note. I do prefer to smash than cut. Hammer it is!!! :)
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: westcoastgio on 2015-08-30, 23:56:04
for coolness, sword and board. for effectiveness, a halberd, halberds are crazy versatile with insane reach.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Edward on 2015-09-10, 19:01:46

Actually, the word "poleaxe" meant something a bit different to our historical ancestors than our modern connotation of it. "Axe" could simply mean something hafted with a head. Many poleaxes didn't have axe blades at all, but rather hammer and spike combinations. They varied a great deal.

Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Jon Blair on 2015-11-18, 17:53:21
For me, it would be a longsword, followed by a sword and buckler in a close second.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: sambow23.sb on 2015-11-19, 12:10:23
I would go with a straight sword or a bow

Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: AnsalonPaladin on 2016-03-03, 16:31:40
It depends on the time period, environment, and enemy I'm fighting. Of course conventional sword and board is the iconic and pretty imagery that I immediately think of...For sheer effectiveness I'd roll with a polearm of some type. I'm not a very large and powerful guy thus trying to smash through an enemy line with sword and board would promptly get me splattered by bigger folk. I'd rather harry enemies at the end of a pike, spear, or halberd. If I absolutely had to choose a one handed weapon from the periods of 12-1500 I'd use a flanged mace. I've always had a love for them.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: jason77 on 2016-07-21, 03:51:31
Either the falchion (is it an ax or a sword - oh its both)...

Or a war hammer (depending on time period) as it is quite effective against an opponent with a shield.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Nate on 2016-08-31, 01:19:16

Actually, the word "poleaxe" meant something a bit different to our historical ancestors than our modern connotation of it. "Axe" could simply mean something hafted with a head. Many poleaxes didn't have axe blades at all, but rather hammer and spike combinations. They varied a great deal.


Why don't we just call them Pole Hammers?
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Lord Dane on 2016-08-31, 02:24:22

Actually, the word "poleaxe" meant something a bit different to our historical ancestors than our modern connotation of it. "Axe" could simply mean something hafted with a head. Many poleaxes didn't have axe blades at all, but rather hammer and spike combinations. They varied a great deal.


Why don't we just call them Pole Hammers?

For that matter, why don't we call pages "Knight Bitches"?  8)
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Nate on 2016-08-31, 18:35:31

Actually, the word "poleaxe" meant something a bit different to our historical ancestors than our modern connotation of it. "Axe" could simply mean something hafted with a head. Many poleaxes didn't have axe blades at all, but rather hammer and spike combinations. They varied a great deal.


Why don't we just call them Pole Hammers?

For that matter, why don't we call pages "Knight Bitches"?  8)
Too easy to confuse with Witches, which would result in a lot of angry villagers, and a shortage of pages. :D
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Cedric on 2017-04-03, 05:17:20
I personally would go with a longsword. Probably the most versatile weapon out there, as well as the most renowned.  From my experience in HEMA, its one of the fastest weapons as well. A pollaxe would be my second choice for similar reasons.
Sword and shield is slow, and axes are for peasants  :P
And hammers? There's just no class in that.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Thorsteinn on 2017-04-03, 15:55:09
Sword and shield is slow, and axes are for peasants  :P
And hammers? There's just no class in that.

So is that a challenge? ;)
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Thorsteinn on 2017-04-04, 00:34:29
If hammers have no class... and axes are for peasants.... then English Knights are well explained in their love of the hammer backed poleaxe.  ;D  ;D  ;D

(http://arms-n-armor.com/images/pole010b.jpg) (http://arms-n-armor.com/pole010.html)

Thank you, thank you! I'll be here all night!  :D
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Bayard_Davis-Munro on 2017-04-04, 01:12:06
I do love the hammer backed pole axe . So versatile.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Cedric on 2017-04-04, 03:02:24
Well you see when you put all those weapons together, you actually have something decent  ;)
And everyone knows the most deadly bit of the pollaxe is the que at the end.
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Thorsteinn on 2017-04-04, 22:45:09
If you have a que at the end then you're not using it fast enough. :D
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Sir Cedric on 2017-04-05, 05:24:55
That would be a queue, Thor.
But as it turns out, the technical term for "that pointy bit at the end" is "cue", because you're supposed to use it to play billiards.

And thus today we have proven that language is in fact the greatest weapon of all  ;D
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Bayard_Davis-Munro on 2017-04-13, 15:59:49
The pen truly is mightier than the sword, but don't try to block a sword with a pen ;)
Title: Re: What is your medieval weapon of choice?
Post by: Lord Dane on 2017-04-21, 12:53:04
If hammers have no class... and axes are for peasants.... then English Knights are well explained in their love of the hammer backed poleaxe.  ;D  ;D  ;D

(http://arms-n-armor.com/images/pole010b.jpg) (http://arms-n-armor.com/pole010.html)

Thank you, thank you! I'll be here all night!  :D

Oh, no you didn't?? Insulting my persona, heritage, and favorite weapon all in one line. Unforgivable.
A match is pending Thorsteinn assuming you are still within close proximity to the confinds of East Kingdom. :) Honor demands this!!!