History, Mythology, Art and RPGs
Galloglaich
First Post
Ok check your spamfilter I'm sending one now. You are the last lucky Enworlder, as the 'beta' phase of this is ending tonight with the next update going out today. Monday I'm raising the price and not sending any more comp copies out except for formal reviews.
Let me know what you think eithr here or at codexmartialis.com • Index page
Also make sure you set the flag for automatic updates so you get the update which is going to go out later today.
G.
Galloglaich
First Post
Thanks for this thread! While I don't think we'd agree on what constitutes verisimilitude or historical "realism" in games, I certainly prefer Low Fantasy inspired by historical personages and will find this thread quite useful
Feel free to elaborate, I think verisimilitude and realism mean different things to different people, and I'm not fanatic about my own interpretation.
G.
Galloglaich
First Post
That is a great anecdote. There are so many detailed descriptions of combat like that, reading them can really grant insight into A) how fights really happen and B) how to make cinematic fights which have that elusive verisimilitude. The Viking Sagas are superb sources for this, particularly the later family sagas which are very realistic (and I think more historical than most people give them credit for). Take this delightful little anecdote I just added to the Codex, from the Saga of Grettir the Strong.
The viking age, Grettirs saga...
There was a hill between them and Grettir, who had turned back along
the footpath. Now he had no others to reckon with in making the attack.
He drew his sword Jokulsnaut and tied a loop round the handle which he
passed over his wrist, because he thought that he could carry out his plans
better if his hand were free. He went along the path. When the bear saw a
man coming, he charged savagely, and struck at him with the paw that was
on the side away from the precipice. Grettir aimed a blow at him with his
sword and cut off his paw just above the claws. Then the creature tried to
strike him with his sound paw, but to do so he had to drop on the stump,
which was shorter than he expected, and over he fell into Grettir's
embraces. Grettir seized the beast by the ears and held him off so that he
could not bite. He always said that he considered this holding back the bear
the greatest feat of strength that he ever performed. The beast struggled
violently; the space was very narrow, and they both fell over the precipice.
The bear being the heavier came down first on the beach; Grettir fell on
the top of him, and the bear was badly mauled on the side that was down.
Grettir got his sword, ran it into the heart of the bear and killed him. Then
he went home, after fetching his cloak which was torn to pieces. He also
took with him the bit of the paw which he had cut off.
If you prefer battles with knights in full armor it's hard to beat this one on one combat from the 15th Century:
..The infidel threw his shield in front of him, and laying his spear on his
arm he ran swiftly at me, uttering a cry. I approached, having my spear at
the thigh, but as I drew near I couched my spear and thrust at his shield,
and although he struck at me with his spear in the flank and forearm, I was
able to give him such mighty thrust that horse and man fell to the ground.
But his spear hung in my armor and hindered me, and I had great difficulty
in loosing it and alighting from my horse. By this time he also was
dismounted. I had my sword in my hand; he likewise seized his sword, and
we advanced and gave each other a mighty blow. The infidel had excellent
armour, and though I struck him by the shield he received no injury. Nor did
his blows injure me. We then gripped each other and wrestled so long that
we fell to the ground side by side. But the infidel was a man of amazing
strength. He tore himself from my grasp, and we both raised our bodies until
we were kneeling side by side. I then thrust him from me with my left hand
in order to be able to strike at him with my sword, and this I was able to
do, for with the thrust his body was so far removed that I was able to cut
at his face, and although the blow was not wholly successful, I wounded
him so that he swayed and was half-blinded. I then struck him a direct blow
in the face and hurled him to the ground, and falling upon him I thrust my
sword through his throat, after which I rose to my feet, took his sword, and
returned to my horse. The two beasts were standing side by side. They had
been worked hard the whole day, and were quite quiet.
When the infidels saw I had conquered they drew off their forces. But the
Portuguese and Christians approached and cut off the infidel’s head, and
took his spear, and placed the head upon it, and removed his armour. It
was a costly suit, made in the heathen fashion, very strong and richly
ornamented...
...from the diary of the German knight Jorg von Ehingen, who fought with the Portuguese in 1467. Really gives you a good idea how effective armor actually was...
G.
Raven Crowking
First Post
John Q. Mayhem
Explorer
This thread delivers. Very very good stuff here, and I really enjoyed those posts on art and weapons. Dha are, indeed, awesome
