For those who DO...

Hmm, if I recall there are some rather stringent (too much so IMHO) combat rules there likea really silly kill from behind rule.

Have you considered a halberd?
7- 1/2' long and you can thrust as well as bind weapons. My favorite thing is to fish for polearms. Stick my halberd in the melee hook a spear or other polaxe and yank it out of the guys hands. I'd often have a large pile of pole weapons behind me after a protracted battle.
I also lovedthe ability to hit behind a shield or pull a shield out of the way. If I had a goodspearman working with me we were a terror. I would hook and bind while he would poke em in da snout. 

Its also a fast weapon that is geared towards a mobile user.

Thats also why I went with a plackart. Good solid gut protectiopn with mobile upper torso.
I might also suggest a nice brigandine.

*grin*  I have been eyeing your avatar for a while, wondering how that armor would feel.  Looks like a decent mix of plate (which is probably outside my price range) and mobility...

I had thought of a halberd, but the top-heavy nature of the polearm means I'd have to cut with it more than I'd like.  The ability to hook is a great advantage, but again, I lack the strength to muscle a shield aside.

Brigandine, a leather jack, and a gambeson are all armors I'm seriously considering.  Easy enough to get, cheap, and decent protection.

(And yes, there are a lot of rules in the SCA.  I can see why they did them, but...ugh. I'll live, and play by their rules while I'm there, but it doesnt mean I have to like that part)

I don't think we have much of those fencing/medieval european martial arts associations here in the US.  Then again I didn't even know that they existed anywhere before I came to this forum, so it's perfectly plausible that I merely don't know where they are.  I'm really interested in that stuff, but it'll have to wait till after college and I have an established career I think.

Merentha said:

*grin*  I have been eyeing your avatar for a while, wondering how that armor would feel.  Looks like a decent mix of plate (which is probably outside my price range) and mobility...

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Plackart, arm harness, and bascinet were all from James Early. I don't know if he is still armouring though. I also have a greathelm of his that he made back in 73. The plackart was $85.00, the arms were $75.00, and the bascinet was $125.00.

Archers legs were from a duke in the SCA by the name of Brand $75.00, Gorget from Jeff Hedgecock $40.00, gauntlets from Illusion Armory $85.00. I made the spaulders.

I aquired each piece one at a time saving specifically for it, and I would say that you could get similar prices today with patience and a good eye. There are also many great patterns out there for brigandines which if done right offer great protection.

I had thought of a halberd, but the top-heavy nature of the polearm means I'd have to cut with it more than I'd like.  The ability to hook is a great advantage, but again, I lack the strength to muscle a shield aside.

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You might be suprised. The trick is not to fight force with force, but force with weakness, and weakness with force. 
Your opponanats shield is heavy for them too, and they are fending off other attackers as well. Hook an upper or lower corner and wou would be suprised how easy it is to pull it aside. And again if you have a spear buddy communicate with him, pull the shield only three inches aside on the lower bottom and BAM! Spear to the gut.    As for strength, when I first started I couldn't even hold a heater up for more than five minutes at a time. When I retired I generally was in armour at eight had covered five miles in it delivering missives to the commanders by ten, fought in it until five covering several more miles of ground.  Just practice.

You think you are small?
http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=63361&highlight=robyn

Brigandine, a leather jack, and a gambeson are all armors I'm seriously considering.  Easy enough to get, cheap, and decent protection.

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Personally I hate the trend towards minimalist armor, but if you have to a decent gambeson is the way to go.

(And yes, there are a lot of rules in the SCA.  I can see why they did them, but...ugh. I'll live, and play by their rules while I'm there, but it doesnt mean I have to like that part)

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Again, keep in mind that the SCA was created as a behourd tournament society and the wars just kinda happened. Look at all the fights as behourd fights and it gets easier to swallow. Here in Caid we are very war centric, so our rules reflect that. The way we allow kills from behind archery and seige weapon rules ect. are (or were) very centered on creating a realistic war environment. Other kingdoms are more tourney centered and their war rules are typically very restricting and kinda spoil the ambiance IMHO.

Ezias said:

I don't think we have much of those fencing/medieval european martial arts associations here in the US.  Then again I didn't even know that they existed anywhere before I came to this forum, so it's perfectly plausible that I merely don't know where they are.  I'm really interested in that stuff, but it'll have to wait till after college and I have an established career I think.

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Actually many if not most of the people in the forefront are here in the US. And there are SCA chapters pretty much everywhere. College students are the mainstay of many a WMA and SCA group.

Where do you live?

I posted that before I had read the other pages of the thread, hehe. My mistake. Maybe now I'll learn to read

I live in Springfield MA, so wouldn't that Pennsic think be the closest to me? Sadly I also don't really have much free time. Right aftter I'm done with school on Monday-Thursday I go to my old high school and coach an ROTC drill team. Sundays are unavailable, Saturdays maybe and Fridays I most likely could since I don't have school.

Merentha, your build seems to be about identical to mine. I'm a light, agile, thin "rat" (as my brothers would call me). 130-140 pounds, 29 inch waist. I also ran cross country one year in high school - sadly had to stop due to really severe shin-splints. Play soccer at least once a week though for several hours. Love running and cycling - need to do it more often.

So if one was to try and get a chain hauberk or like half-plate what would be an estimate of cost? and for a weapon as well?

That is a huge question.

What is your intent? If you would Rate these 1-10 we might be able to help better.

Do you want to:

Learn historically accurate fighting techniques?

Fight full contact?

Fight one on one tourneys?

Mass battles?

want to put on displays and talk to the public about history?

Learn medieval crafts from woodworkling to armouring?

Is actual combat important to you?

Is being historically accurate?


You can spend as much money asyou could ever make in this hobby, or you can do it on a shoestring andstill have a great time. But you have to know what you wat.

Wolfe Argent is in your state I highly reccomend them.

http://www.wolfeargent.com/

They also have links to many other local groups all reputable.

As far as the SCA you are in the Kingdom of Atlantia and I would be suprised if your college did not have a chapter there.

And Merentha needs to make one of these:

http://www.eskimo.com/~cwn/brig_proto.html



Sexay!

That doesn't look bad at all...procuring the plates, on the other hand, could be problematic.  Making mail, while horribly time consuming, is relatively cheap.  Leather too...

So many choices. 

Learn historically accurate fighting techniques? The historical aspect of it is what makes it all so appealing to me. So I'd say 9-10

Fight full contact? Eh, that'd be 6. as realistic as possible, but not so that I'd get my kidney skewered

Fight one on one tourneys? again, 6. Not for show for others, but for myself and a friend or soemthing like that

Mass battles? 7 - not the main draw but must be truly awesome and I'm sure thoroughly enjoyable

want to put on displays and talk to the public about history? 4

Learn medieval crafts from woodworkling to armouring?  Oooooooh... 8-9

Is actual combat important to you? When you say actualy combat what do you mean? you mean fighting like in a mass battle not with sparring gear but with the armor or what? you mean with like sparring rules or more of a "do whatever you want" thing?

Is being historically accurate? I'd love to be historically accurate -  I'd also like to look sheksy  I guess ideally I'd have a set of armor of what I think looks ebst and others that are pure history. Though I'm guessing that looks would easily be satisfied at teh same time as historical accuracy.

I would suggest contacting Wolfe Argent and talking to them. they know your area, and whats available, and they are a world class living history group.

Oh my goodness the armor that guy has made is sexy... I've actually thought about trying to learn how to make armor such as helms in the past, but I figured I'd need a forge or something. If not a forge other things that wouldn't be available to me or useable in my basement.  But it's also possible that I was jsut getting to technical and in-depth in my thinking about it.

Ahh, so that's an example of brigandine armor. I've been too ashamed to admit that I didn't know what brigandine armor was   The first I had actually ever heard of it was playing World of Warcraft ><  That makes it even more shaming for me since in my high school I was known as the history master, and ancient and medieval history is my favorite and specialty. Compared to everyone here I'm like a month od fetus lol

Merentha said:

That doesn't look bad at all...procuring the plates, on the other hand, could be problematic.  Making mail, while horribly time consuming, is relatively cheap.  Leather too...

So many choices.   

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It's the fabric and rviets that are tough actually. The steel is mainly all straight cuts with little or no shaping.

Well, for learning historically accurate fighting techniques and fighting full-intent, ARMA is, I think, the best around.  It is also small, so you cannot fight mass battles.    You'll get good at duelling though.

For mass battles and crafting, I would say the SCA is your best bet.  As an added advantage, you're almost guaranteed to have a group on your campus.

I'm also looking at the Wolf Argente site and seeing what I think, will edit post shortly.

Edit:  Well, I was quick, what can I say.  Wolfe Argent looks like a very good group, devoted to the reenactment and accurate recreation of medieval skills and equipment.  Definitely check that out.

Ezias said:

Oh my goodness the armor that guy has made is sexy... I've actually thought about trying to learn how to make armor such as helms in the past, but I figured I'd need a forge or something. If not a forge other things that wouldn't be available to me or useable in my basement.  But it's also possible that I was jsut getting to technical and in-depth in my thinking about it.

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That armour site is by the founder of wolfe argent who also works at the Higgins Armory.

http://www.higgins.org/

Wow, in Worcester. That's ony like a half hour, 45 minute drive from where I live.  I'll have to at the very elast go check out that museum.

Well there ya go!

Join the guild. 

http://www.higginssword.org/

as LH oficer i was wondring if any of the groupes any one hear is from has LH department(camp flowers) and know what tahy do as it would be usefull for me tobeable to set up somthing to do at shows for Blackthorns grope

hears my email [email protected]

id be very grate full  for some help (Prefably low cost as im at colge and it curently what i can aford is wath gose)

i thought i might add to blackthorns backstory it wont be much as it will be from Matilde's vew

after my Fathers death i was placed in the cair of my eldest brother Guy. some years after my Brother Tancred left when i become of age to mary Guy gave me to Henry le sevage as his bith is qusthonable i i feel unconfortable being maried to such a man who is not trusted buy my Brother and in return dose not trust him .how ever if it is the only way that Guy feals he can keep his aliance with Henry then i have no qurales. i am very wary that as Guy's relathionship with Henry is not the moast stable but he has made shure that Tranced has arived home to keep an eye on him while Guy himself has gone to Whales and left me with a dager to defend my self with. i have not yet had and thair are no groths in my belly as of yet. i hope that Guy dose not stay away to long for if he dose not trust Henry then i can not either.

i have seemd to have killd the descushion