Seperating your Epees from your Rapiers?

[Dogbrain]

Your pointed rejoinders bound me in rapt attention, but I snapped free at your last comment.

"THAT FLOPPY?" ... No more than a surface wound?!

Contrary to the picture painted here, your standard competition epee doesn't dangle off the hilt like Catwoman's pretty li'l whip.

Try to read the thread before you respond. Then you'll respond to what I wrote. I was talking SPECIFICALLY about modern sport sabres that are so floppy that they can be used to "whip" around a parry. You can't lop of a limb with that.

In fact, seven fatalities in the sport have been recorded since 1937, and most of these have occurred in highly skilled competitors in elite competition.

How many involved sabre CUTS? Zero, that's right, zero.

Try to respond to what someone actually writes.

 

[Dogbrain]

Drifter Bob, thanks for reminding me of the small sword, I guess this is what I was actually getting into in asking about a D&D equivalent. I'm aware that epees and foils were used by the French, who developed a rigid (perhaps not the word I'm looking for) code for thier use. But how was the small sword used? Was it actually used to inflict damage?

Smallswords were the precursor to epees, also developed primarily by the French. They were very deadly weapons, although the duels often ended with two fatalities.

 

[Gez]

I'm wondering what you mean exactly by epee, since épée is the French generic word for sword.

 

[Driddle]

Try to read the thread before you respond. Then you'll respond to what I wrote. I was talking SPECIFICALLY about modern sport sabres that are so floppy that they can be used to "whip" around a parry. You can't lop of a limb with that. ... How many involved sabre CUTS? Zero, that's right, zero. ... Try to respond to what someone actually writes.

My best guess? You haven't done any serious competition fencing with an epee, foil OR saber. Because you would have realized my response about your silly floppy comment applied to all three weapons. Yours is the attitude of someone who's done a whole lot of reading about other "experts" with zilcho experience of your own.

No, you're not going to "lop off" a limb with any of those light sports weapons (saber), any more than you would really expect to sever a limb with whatever-is-passing-for-a-rapier in this conversation. DISTANCE, I believe I said, would be the key element to using a saber as well -- and anyone with more than book knowledge of the weapon would know a skillful saber point-attack could do as much to the enemy as an epee point-attack.

In fact, it would be the only mode of attack one would use if you were trying to translate sports skills to actual combat. That you would even imagine a modern saberist trying to "lop off" a limb is amusing. NO serious sabreur would ever expect to succeed thusly. Doesn't mean the flexible (NOT the same as "floppy") epee/foil/saber blade isn't dangerous, though.

Keep your righteous anger in check and stop looking for personal fights.

 

[Dogbrain]

In fact, it would be the only mode of attack one would use if you were trying to translate sports skills to actual combat.

What about the all-powerful flick? I've certainly come across more than a few Olympic-style fencers who have claimed, quite straight-facedly, that the flick would cause sufficient pain and injury to the arm to disable someone in a fight.

 

[Driddle]

Now you're just baiting. Be nice.
Let's move on, eh?

 

[Taneel BrightBlade]

Foils do bend easily. the flick hurts but disabling a limp for any amount of time seems imposible but may be I just haven't been hit very hard by it.
PS: I have exp with both saber and foil

 

[Dogbrain]

Foils do bend easily. the flick hurts but disabling a limp for any amount of time seems imposible but may be I just haven't been hit very hard by it.
PS: I have exp with both saber and foil

In my foolish youth, I fenced foil, from time to time, sans glove--in informal practice. I would notice areas of lost skin on my hand--in the showers afterwards. Adrenaline during the bouts was a good anaesthetic, it seems. I finally did remember to always wear my glove, after a time.

 

[WmRAllen67]

A rapier poke to the arm or leg may hurt, but won't neccessarily disable the limb

I found this while looking around-- seems a piercing wound may be worse than you think...

Oh, those wacky Scadians...

http://www.mindspring.com/~aedan/treatise.htm