LB, people are arguing about katanas versus another weapon.
Are they? What other weapon? I see people debating shields vs double weapons and katana vs armor, I don't recall seeing anyone in the thread debating katana vs any other specific weapon until now.
they're pretty crap. Apparently, you need training (a LOT of training) to use one without it shattering in a couple of hits.
Replicas generally have cheap plastic in the handle. That falls apart very easily, yes. And training won't stop that. But I assume we're talking about weapons designed to see actual use. As swords go, katana are not especially delicate. I'm pretty sure your average katana would hold up against an armored opponent a whole lot better than your average rapier or foil. Or, for example, I once handled an american civil war sword. That thing was absolutely flimsy in comparison to your typical cheap $150 decorative katana stamped from 440 stainless steel.
What specifically are we trying to compare here? I've never held a 1600s katana. I don't know what first hand what they're like, and I suspect probably nobody else in this thread does either. Yes, I've held a WW2 era katana, but I didn't exactly go whacking it against things to test how sturdy it was. But it certainly felt solid enough, and I wouldn't expect it to shatter like you seem to be claiming.
I've never held one but they're pretty thin weapons.
...no, not really. If fact they're generally thicker than most double bladed swords. But you bring up a good point. I
have held katana, as well as a number of other types of swords. And I've fought with them. Granted, I've never specifically taken kendo classes, but I have trained with other types of swords: chinese straightsword and sikh sabre. I've personally done informal tameshigiri with a live blade wakazashi and destroyed it in the process, and I've done SCA sparring with both rattan and shinai.
So...I feel like I have at least
some background to speak on this topic.
Katana are not bad weapons. No, you're not going to cleave through the torso of a guy wearing plate armor, but you're not going to do that with a non-Japanese sword either.
The weapon I'd use would be a quarterstaff because, without training, they are one of the best weapons to have, apparently. Even people in heavy armour can be taken down with them because whacking a guy across the head with something used as a club is certainly gonna stun them a bit after a good few thwacks, and from then on it's just repeating that until they're unconscious.
...ok. I can see that. I don't know that I'd agree with it, but I think it's definitely a valid option. It would be suitable for keeping him at a distance and very good for stabbing him in the face. I suppose if I were to choose a weapon to use to go up against a guy in plate armor...well, like MaximumZero, I think maybe a nice Kalishnakov rifle with a 30 round magazine would feature fairly high on my list of choices.
But, since obviously that's cheating within the context of this thread, if we're limiting ourselves to traditional "ye olde weapons" I'd actually be extremely tempted to go with a chainwhip. And the first thing I'd do would be yank the knight's weapon out of his hand. At that point his armor wouldn't be such a huge advantage.
Now, that said, if I were facing a Raubritter in heavy plate armor, I would do two things: A) Outmanuver him and rely on counter-attacks, and B) attack the joints in the armor or stab through the visor of his helm and sell his armor to buy a new sword. Moving laterally in plate armor is hard unless you're very strong.
I'm unsure about that. My only personal experience with plate armor is SCA plate, which is generally made from aircraft aluminum. It's very light, and it doesn't hinder movement much at all. If we're talking SCA plate, I wouldn't want to depend on being able to flank him, for example. If we're talking medievil plate...I have no experience with it, and what I've read is generally inconsistent about how heavy and cumbersome it is.
But were I in that situation with a katana...yeah, first thing I'd want to do would be to poke the guy in the faceplate with it. I don't really care if the tip breaks, the knockback of having a sword jabbed into your helmet a bunch of times would start to hurt eventually. Stabbing through the visor I think is going to be difficult if he's still standing. That's a very small target. I think I'd keep jabbing him in the face until he either got angry and left, or did something stupid that would enable a takedown. Would have to get a feel for weight and manoeuvrability of his armor. I can conceive of using the sword to parry solely for the purpose of getting close enough to take him down by hand. Would need to feel very confidant before I tried that though. Making a mistake and ending up with a guy in armor on top of you would not be a good situation.
Might be better to simply keep a distance and continue tapping him until he started suffering from the heat of his armor. Once he's tired and starts taking it off to avoid heatstroke, the armor becomes a disadvantage.
What weapon is the knight using? If he's using pretty much any european sword, he probably has a range advantage over a katana. The staff might be a better option. Still think I'd choose a chainwhip though. Useless against his armor, but similar range as the staff, much faster, and way easier to disarm him. Once his weapon's gone, grappling with a heavily armored opponent is an
interesting problem, but I think it's very solvable. Plus, now I have his weapon, whatever it is.
Author
Topic: Melee Combat (Read 29603 times)