Just for people's interest:
You can use a long (up to at least 9 foot or so) spear in one hand with the other hand holding a shield. However, it is very much a one trick pony in this configuration.
If you can stab your opponent while he's still at the end of the spear you win
Once they are closer to you than that you have to start back pedalling really fast so that you can have another go. Single combats between a spearman and someone with a shorter weapon tend to involve a lot of running around because of this!
Now, if you have a lot of mates with you (say hello to Mister Phalanx) the folks behind you are there to deal with those who get too close and you keep concentrating on the people still at the end of your spear. You also have the option of giving them a good clout with your secondary weapon - the shield.
Using a spear two handed gives a lot more flexibility as you can bash people withh both ends and the middle. This means that you can cover a lot more of the space around you and don't have to move as much.
Essentially a spear and a lance are the same thing - a stick with a sharp point at one end and a weight (usually also pointed) at the other. They are used in pretty much the same way both on foot and mounted. The primary difference when mounted is that you generally keep moving forward and pick someone else to be at the sharp end
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Couching (the clasic joust position) is a very specific way of using the weapon that involves locking the haft under your arm (when normally you will be moving it backwards and forwards with the arm extended). This allows you to transfer the momentum of your mount (and a big horse at the gallop has a LOT) to whatever you hit with the pointy end. With a solid hit the weapon will almost always break .. or be dropped due to the weight of the impaled body at the end of it
. Time for another weapon folks but don't despair, when the battle is over all you need is another stick to put the two ends onto.
You can use a long (up to at least 9 foot or so) spear in one hand with the other hand holding a shield. However, it is very much a one trick pony in this configuration.
If you can stab your opponent while he's still at the end of the spear you win
Once they are closer to you than that you have to start back pedalling really fast so that you can have another go. Single combats between a spearman and someone with a shorter weapon tend to involve a lot of running around because of this! Now, if you have a lot of mates with you (say hello to Mister Phalanx) the folks behind you are there to deal with those who get too close and you keep concentrating on the people still at the end of your spear. You also have the option of giving them a good clout with your secondary weapon - the shield.
Using a spear two handed gives a lot more flexibility as you can bash people withh both ends and the middle. This means that you can cover a lot more of the space around you and don't have to move as much.
Essentially a spear and a lance are the same thing - a stick with a sharp point at one end and a weight (usually also pointed) at the other. They are used in pretty much the same way both on foot and mounted. The primary difference when mounted is that you generally keep moving forward and pick someone else to be at the sharp end
.Couching (the clasic joust position) is a very specific way of using the weapon that involves locking the haft under your arm (when normally you will be moving it backwards and forwards with the arm extended). This allows you to transfer the momentum of your mount (and a big horse at the gallop has a LOT) to whatever you hit with the pointy end. With a solid hit the weapon will almost always break .. or be dropped due to the weight of the impaled body at the end of it
. Time for another weapon folks but don't despair, when the battle is over all you need is another stick to put the two ends onto.
