Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
History, Mythology, Art and RPGs
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Galloglaich" data-source="post: 4514494" data-attributes="member: 77019"><p>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.</p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.luth.se/luth/present/sweden/history/lit/grettir/chapter21.html" target="_blank">The viking age, Grettirs saga...</a></p><p></p><p><em>There was a hill between them and Grettir, who had turned back along</em></p><p> <em>the footpath. Now he had no others to reckon with in making the attack. </em></p><p><em>He drew his sword Jokulsnaut and tied a loop round the handle which he </em></p><p><em>passed over his wrist, because he thought that he could carry out his plans </em></p><p><em>better if his hand were free. He went along the path. When the bear saw a </em></p><p><em>man coming, he charged savagely, and struck at him with the paw that was </em></p><p><em>on the side away from the precipice. Grettir aimed a blow at him with his </em></p><p><em>sword and cut off his paw just above the claws. Then the creature tried to </em></p><p><em>strike him with his sound paw, but to do so he had to drop on the stump, </em></p><p><em>which was shorter than he expected, and over he fell into Grettir's </em></p><p><em>embraces. Grettir seized the beast by the ears and held him off so that he </em></p><p><em>could not bite. He always said that he considered this holding back the bear </em></p><p><em>the greatest feat of strength that he ever performed. The beast struggled </em></p><p><em>violently; the space was very narrow, and they both fell over the precipice. </em></p><p><em>The bear being the heavier came down first on the beach; Grettir fell on </em></p><p><em>the top of him, and the bear was badly mauled on the side that was down. </em></p><p><em>Grettir got his sword, ran it into the heart of the bear and killed him. Then </em></p><p><em>he went home, after fetching his cloak which was torn to pieces. He also </em></p><p><em>took with him the bit of the paw which he had cut off. </em></p><p></p><p>If you prefer battles with knights in full armor it's hard to beat this one on one combat from the 15th Century:</p><p></p><p><em>..The infidel threw his shield in front of him, and laying his spear on his </em></p><p><em>arm he ran swiftly at me, uttering a cry. I approached, having my spear at </em></p><p><em>the thigh, but as I drew near I couched my spear and thrust at his shield, </em></p><p><em>and although he struck at me with his spear in the flank and forearm, I was </em></p><p><em>able to give him such mighty thrust that horse and man fell to the ground. </em></p><p><em>But his spear hung in my armor and hindered me, and I had great difficulty </em></p><p><em>in loosing it and alighting from my horse. By this time he also was </em></p><p><em>dismounted. I had my sword in my hand; he likewise seized his sword, and </em></p><p><em>we advanced and gave each other a mighty blow. The infidel had excellent </em></p><p><em>armour, and though I struck him by the shield he received no injury. Nor did </em></p><p><em>his blows injure me. We then gripped each other and wrestled so long that </em></p><p><em>we fell to the ground side by side. But the infidel was a man of amazing </em></p><p><em>strength. He tore himself from my grasp, and we both raised our bodies until </em></p><p><em>we were kneeling side by side. I then thrust him from me with my left hand </em></p><p><em>in order to be able to strike at him with my sword, and this I was able to </em></p><p><em>do, for with the thrust his body was so far removed that I was able to cut </em></p><p><em>at his face, and although the blow was not wholly successful, I wounded </em></p><p><em>him so that he swayed and was half-blinded. I then struck him a direct blow </em></p><p><em>in the face and hurled him to the ground, and falling upon him I thrust my </em></p><p><em>sword through his throat, after which I rose to my feet, took his sword, and </em></p><p><em>returned to my horse. The two beasts were standing side by side. They had </em></p><p><em>been worked hard the whole day, and were quite quiet.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>When the infidels saw I had conquered they drew off their forces. But the </em></p><p><em>Portuguese and Christians approached and cut off the infidel’s head, and </em></p><p><em>took his spear, and placed the head upon it, and removed his armour. It </em></p><p><em>was a costly suit, made in the heathen fashion, very strong and richly </em></p><p><em>ornamented...</em></p><p></p><p>...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...</p><p></p><p>G.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Galloglaich, post: 4514494, member: 77019"] 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. [url=http://www.luth.se/luth/present/sweden/history/lit/grettir/chapter21.html]The viking age, Grettirs saga...[/url] [i]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. [/i] If you prefer battles with knights in full armor it's hard to beat this one on one combat from the 15th Century: [i]..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...[/i] ...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. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
History, Mythology, Art and RPGs
Top