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[Loud Whispers]

I heard that the extra spike at the end was also used for easily killing off wounded soldiers.

They had a shortsword for that. It was mainly for planting the spear and as redundancy in case the spear broke.

He offered zero proof of this, except "well I have experience with skateboarding kneepads and stuff and they can make it worse" or something. And flexibility blah blah blah". I don't buy it - I think armor would protect against even mundane damage, not just blades and heavy weaponry. Any experts on the subject? Can falling from a horse or a second floor be worse with armor than with no armor, because you can't "roll with the fall" or some such nonsense?

Note: He also mentioned the widely debunked myth that wearing a motorcycle helmet increases the damage of your neck if you hit your head.

Hmmm... Well, if you fall from a horse the way to minimize damage is to completely relax. If you're wearing crappy armour or you lock up it could be like a gymnast's perfect landing exploding all their joints.
There is also the fact that even with padding, internal organ damage like concussion and winding will still be possible.
Given the choice between falling with or without armour - I'd go for with. Could mean the difference between getting concussion or brained, and you're much less likely to find yourself with fractures. In general armour wasn't crappy and prone to locking up for no reason. And I don't see why protecting your everything would make it more likely to break.

[kerlc]

I thought that modern sports armour was padded for those exact same reasons, to lessen the amount of damage received.

What I can tell is that I've fallen off a bicycle once, directly onto my head and if it weren't for my helmet, I could've received a very nasty head injury. I was shook up and went to a doctor and he said i got a minor concussion. Now, if I wasn't wearing my helmet, I'd probably get a major concussion along with some very nasty open head wounds.

I also have a friend who is a skater, and not a very good one (he constantly keeps falling). He says that when wearing kneepads and elbowpads, he doesn't get quite as bad injuries as he does when not wearing them. But he doesn't wear them often because: "I've got a reputation to keep."

[Andrew425]

So which sort of two handed weapon do you guys like? My personal favorite is the halberd but I'm quite taken by the broadsword. I don't know why but I generally dislike curved weapons.  Does anyone else feel the same way?

[Darvi]

I feel that curved weapons are good for slicing, since their shape can make the edge easily follow your arms' movement. However, I'm much more of a Hack 'n Stab person.

[Sergius]

I read somewhere that in almost all cases, swords are curved when meant to be used from horseback. But it's just hearsay, I have no solid evidence.

[Loud Whispers]

I read somewhere that in almost all cases, swords are curved when meant to be used from horseback. But it's just hearsay, I have no solid evidence.

Khopesh, Falchion, Scimitar - anything the vikings or the Gauls used... No real correlation.

[MonkeyHead]

I suspect it is so a smaller area of the blade is in contact at any one moment, incrasing the pressure underneath the contact area.

[kerlc]

So which sort of two handed weapon do you guys like? My personal favorite is the halberd but I'm quite taken by the broadsword. I don't know why but I generally dislike curved weapons.  Does anyone else feel the same way?

i'd say my personal favourite would be the halberd, or a claymore.

[Starver]

So which sort of two handed weapon do you guys like? My personal favorite is the halberd but I'm quite taken by the broadsword. I don't know why but I generally dislike curved weapons.  Does anyone else feel the same way?

I'm quite partial to this.  Although I've been known to use it one-handed, another similar weapon in my other hand.

IRL, my most practical experience has been with a pike of English Civil War heritage.  I'm not sure if I would have been a good pikeman, in days of yore, but I know what it's like to lose against a bush, from my modern-day experience amongst a packed group of like-minded (or at least like-equipped) fellows..!


A curve is probably more than useful in any slashing manoeuvre, while forgoing the stabbing one.  Thus its usefulness in horseback use, but probably less so in a shield-wall capacity or any similar kind of battle.  If you're lightly armoured and not packed together with your fellows (or, indeed, closely packed with the enemy, any more than you can help it) I suspect a scimitar is the best weapon for keeping an area around you free of other pesky people with weapons, if you have sufficient skill in its use.

(Doesn't help against the a pistol, though, especially as wielded by an actor who didn't fancy having a sword-fight today!)

[Vattic]

On stabbing with curved swords. Looks like they aren't all that bad and some even had a point forged to make stabbing possible.

[PanH]

I read somewhere that in almost all cases, swords are curved when meant to be used from horseback. But it's just hearsay, I have no solid evidence.

Khopesh, Falchion, Scimitar - anything the vikings or the Gauls used... No real correlation.

Well, scimitars were used mainly on horseback. Curved blade on a sword might help for horseriding, but it isn't mandatory.

[Starver]

Somewhat primed by the discussion at hand, I read the description below that as "a quick pierce to camera".

(I notice that this rather came to pass, as well.  The trouble being that this computer is without audio, right now (I'd have to rearrange the connectors behind the mass of computers on this desk, and didn't feel like doing that for this one clip), and the automatic subtitling is hilarious!  But from what I can gather, stabbing is a minor possibility, just behind parrying in unexpected ways.  I don't say you can't stab, but it's more than a thrust, to be a significantly penetrating impalement blow you'd need to guide it in and be careful to go with the curve or test the limits of the blade's perpendicular strength...  I'd personally prefer something straight for making a stabbing attack, but a) I've really got no easily comparable experience to real world battle-situations, b) regardless of what I was using, I bet at some point I'd be finding my opponents somewhat proof to the weapon I was currently wielding and going "I wish this was sharper" or "I wish this was more crushing" or "I wish I'd been an archer instead so I could keep out of the affray" or "I wish this crossbow was as good a melee weapon as it is in Dwarf Fortress, now that my bolts have run out and the affray has reached me"....)

[Andrew425]

So if curved weapons are ideal for slashing and slashing isn't very effective at going through proper metal armour would that be a reason for the absence of curved weapons in western culture? 

I've always viewed it as an eastern type weapon is that because of the lack of quality armour and the heat or because of the movies and shows i've watched as being biased towards westerners?

[Loud Whispers]

So if curved weapons are ideal for slashing and slashing isn't very effective at going through proper metal armour would that be a reason for the absence of curved weapons in western culture? 

• Curved weapons existed in European culture, with less use any time around the 14th century when heavy armour stood at its peak and straight swords stood the most chance of causing damage.
• After that you get a resurgence in curved swords, but guns man. Guns.

I've always viewed it as an eastern type weapon is that because of the lack of quality armour and the heat or because of the movies and shows i've watched as being biased towards westerners?

What does this mean? Some shows like to stay true to history as much as possible, others prefer historic license with magic plot device swords. This what you mean? Because slashy weapons aren't really unique to any one culture at any point in history. If you include macahuitl anyways...

[Andrew425]

I know curved weapons were around in Europe as well as their prevalence with calvary during the gunpowder age. But at the height of the gothic age if they fell out of style does that mean that curved weapons are inherently inferior to straight ones?